An Viên Television
A Vietnamese pay-television service that operated through digital terrestrial and direct-to-home satellite platforms before being rebranded as AVG Television.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
An Viên Television was a Vietnamese subscription television service operated by Audio Visual Global Joint Stock Company, commonly associated with the AVG brand. It was designed as a nationwide pay-TV platform using two principal distribution technologies: digital terrestrial television (DTT) and direct-to-home satellite television (DTH). The service combined locally produced and partner channels with international entertainment, film, documentary, news, lifestyle, children's and sports programming. The service began experimental broadcasting on 10 October 2010 and moved to official broadcasting on 11 November 2011. On 1 January 2012, it began providing subscription television in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Its distribution subsequently expanded nationwide, including through more than 1,000 Vietnam Post (VNPost) post offices and coverage across all 63 Vietnamese provinces and centrally governed cities from May 2012. This expansion reflected an effort to make pay television available beyond the largest urban markets and to use both terrestrial transmission and satellite delivery to reach households with different reception conditions. At its mature stage, the platform supported more than 100 channels, including a group of high-definition services. The channel offering included the branded An Vien HD service as well as international channels such as HBO HD, Fox Movies Southeast Asia HD, AXN HD, ESPN HD, Discovery HD, National Geographic HD, Fox Life Asia HD and Fashion TV HD. The broader portfolio included Vietnamese national and regional broadcasters, international news services, movie and series channels, documentary networks, children's programming, lifestyle channels and sports services. Some branded channels were developed in cooperation with Vietnamese broadcasters and other media organizations, including Binh Duong Radio and Television, Vietnam Cable Television, Hanoi Cable Television and other local partners. An Viên Television's corporate and brand history was affected by a proposed combination with MobiFone. From 1 January 2016, the service was associated with MobiTV following a transaction involving MobiFone, one of Vietnam's major telecommunications operators. The transaction later became controversial and was subjected to reviews by Vietnamese state oversight bodies, including the Ministry of Public Security and the Government Inspectorate. The proposed combination was subsequently cancelled following the investigations and related government action. From 2 April 2020, the network used the AVG Television name. As a result, An Viên Television is best understood as an earlier brand identity in the same Vietnamese pay-TV business rather than as the current name of an independent active service. Its legacy lies in helping develop a nationwide subscription television proposition based on a mixed DTT and DTH infrastructure, extensive local distribution and a large bundle of domestic and international channels.
History
An Viên Television emerged as a Vietnamese subscription television project operated by Audio Visual Global Joint Stock Company. Its technical model combined digital terrestrial television with direct-to-home satellite transmission, allowing the service to pursue both urban and nationwide household coverage. The dual-platform approach was significant in a market where terrestrial reception, satellite access and local distribution infrastructure could vary substantially between regions. The service began experimental broadcasting on 10 October 2010. It formally launched on 11 November 2011 and started providing paid television in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on 1 January 2012. During the following months, it pursued rapid geographic expansion. From May 2012, its availability extended across Vietnam's 63 provinces and centrally governed cities, with more than 1,000 VNPost post offices participating in the distribution network. This gave the service a physical retail and customer-access channel outside the major metropolitan areas. An Viên's programming proposition was broad rather than limited to a single genre. The platform carried Vietnamese national and local television services, international news channels, film and series networks, documentary programming, children's channels, lifestyle services and sports. Its portfolio also included high-definition services, among them An Vien HD and a selection of international HD channels. The network developed or carried several services in cooperation with Vietnamese broadcasters and media organizations. Examples included the BTV9 An Vien TV channel, developed with Binh Duong Radio and Television, Vietnam Cable Television and the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam; film and entertainment channels associated with Hanoi Cable Television; and other thematic services linked to regional broadcasters and public-sector media partners. The business later became involved in a contentious corporate transaction involving MobiFone. From 1 January 2016, An Viên Television was associated with MobiFone and adopted or operated under the MobiTV identity. The transaction attracted official scrutiny and was reviewed by Vietnamese authorities, including the Ministry of Public Security and the Government Inspectorate. The proposed merger or acquisition arrangement was subsequently cancelled after the investigations and related government action. This episode became the most consequential corporate and regulatory event in the service's history. On 2 April 2020, the network adopted the AVG Television name. This change marked the end of An Viên Television as the principal public-facing identity. The brand therefore has a historical rather than current status, while the underlying television operation is associated with AVG Television and related later branding. Its principal historical contribution was the establishment of a nationwide Vietnamese pay-TV proposition using a mixed terrestrial and satellite network, a large channel bundle and extensive distribution through local and postal channels.
- 2020
Rebranded as AVG Television
[1]The network adopted the AVG Television name on 2 April.
- 2016
MobiTV association and transaction review
[1]The service became associated with MobiFone and the MobiTV name; the transaction was later investigated and cancelled.
- 2012
Commercial service launches in major cities
[1]Paid television service began in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on 1 January.
- 2012
Nationwide service expansion
[1]From May, the platform supported service throughout Vietnam through a network involving more than 1,000 VNPost offices.
- 2011
Official broadcasting begins
[1]The service officially began broadcasting on 11 November.
- 2010
Experimental broadcasting begins
[1]An Viên Television started experimental broadcasts on 10 October.
Products and positioning
A nationwide Vietnamese pay-TV platform combining terrestrial and satellite distribution with a broad mix of domestic, international, thematic and high-definition channels.
Digital terrestrial television · 2010
DTT television service
The digital terrestrial component of An Viên Television transmitted subscription programming over terrestrial digital infrastructure. It supported the brand's effort to reach households in major cities and, after expansion, customers across Vietnam. The DTT model formed one half of the service's broader distribution strategy alongside satellite delivery.
Direct-to-home satellite television · 2010
DTH television service
The direct-to-home service delivered pay-TV programming by satellite, complementing terrestrial coverage and enabling distribution to areas where a terrestrial signal or conventional cable network could be less practical. DTH was part of the platform's nationwide technical architecture.
High-definition television channel
An Vien HD
An Vien HD was the platform's branded high-definition channel. It formed part of a broader HD offering that also included selected international film, entertainment, sports, documentary and lifestyle services.
Pay-TV package · 2011
Television channel bundles
The service packaged more than 100 channels across Vietnamese national and local television, international news, movies and series, documentaries, children's programming, lifestyle content and sports. Channel partnerships included Vietnamese broadcasters and international network operators.
Controversies
2016
Controversial MobiFone transaction
The transaction linking An Viên Television with MobiFone and the MobiTV identity was reviewed by Vietnamese authorities. Investigations by the Ministry of Public Security and the Government Inspectorate contributed to cancellation of the proposed merger or acquisition arrangement.
Brand decisions
2020
Rebrand the network as AVG TelevisionStrategyBackground
The operation required a new public-facing identity after the earlier An Viên and MobiTV phases.
Action taken
From 2 April 2020, the network used the AVG Television name.
Aftermath
An Viên Television ceased to be the primary brand name for the service.
2016
Pursue association with MobiFone and MobiTV brandingM&ABackground
The television operation was combined or associated with MobiFone, a major Vietnamese telecommunications operator.
Action taken
The service used the MobiTV identity in connection with the transaction.
Aftermath
The transaction became controversial, was investigated by Vietnamese authorities and was subsequently cancelled.
2012
Expand national distribution through VNPostStrategyBackground
After launching in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the service sought broader access outside the largest urban markets.
Action taken
The platform extended service to all 63 provinces and centrally governed cities through more than 1,000 VNPost offices.
Aftermath
An Viên gained a nationwide distribution footprint.
2010
Adopt a combined DTT and DTH distribution modelStrategyBackground
The new pay-TV service needed a distribution structure capable of reaching both metropolitan and nationwide audiences.
Action taken
An Viên Television developed both digital terrestrial and direct-to-home satellite platforms.
Aftermath
The dual-platform model became the foundation for later expansion across Vietnam.
Sources2 sources
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