MUMBAI: NDTV and Astro, a south-east Asian media group, have jointly launched Malaysia’s first 24-hour news and information channel Astro Awani on 6 September.

Last year NDTV and Astro partnered for the launch of Astro Awani in Indonesia, a 24-hour news, infotainment and lifestyle channel.

Astro Awani, to be presented in the national language with the tagline, ‘Our Gateway to The World’, will present international news, events and issues which are more relevant to the local viewers. NDTV has trained the editorial, production and technical staff of the channel, the systems integration, workflow and systems design and channel graphics.

NDTV Group CEO KVL Narayan Rao said, “NDTV’s association with Astro has had a great start last year, with the success of Astro Awani in Indonesia. Now, we are delighted to come together again and provide viewers in Malaysia with a comprehensive look at news and topical issues. The channel is a tribute to NDTV’s long standing commitment to delivering in-depth news and information-based programming.”

Astro TV CEO Rohana Rozhan added, “From our observations, our customers want higher quality content in a form that is international news presented from a local perspective. To fulfil this demand, we are proud to introduce Astro Awani. It will feature global news, events and issues from a Malaysian perspective, and will be presented in the national language.”