Channel i
Channel i is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language satellite and cable television channel owned by Impress Group.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Channel i is a Bengali-language television broadcaster in Bangladesh and a principal media brand of Impress Group. It began broadcasting on 1 October 1999 from a small facility in Dhaka's Siddheshwari neighborhood, using the slogan “Hridoye Bangladesh,” meaning “Bangladesh in the heart.” Its launch made it Bangladesh's first digital television channel and placed it among the country's earliest privately operated satellite services. The channel initially transmitted prerecorded programming for approximately 12 hours a day, but expanded to a 24-hour schedule within two years. The broadcaster combines news, locally produced entertainment, drama, music, children's programming, cultural shows, current-affairs discussion, competitions, and special events. Its programming has included established titles such as Hridoye Mati O Manush, Sisimpur, Tritiyo Matra, Dainik Tolpar, Khude Gaanraj, Channel i Shera Kontho, Channel i Shera Nachiye, and the Channel i Music Awards. The range reflects a general-interest positioning: Channel i serves mass Bengali-speaking audiences while also emphasizing national culture, agriculture, public affairs, local talent, and family entertainment. News became part of the schedule on 1 October 2001. The channel later developed a substantial online presence, launching its website on 30 September 2003. Its news director Shykh Seraj created Hridoye Mati O Manush, an agriculture and rural-life program derived from Bangladesh Television's earlier Mati O Manush. The program became one of the channel's recognizable public-interest formats. Channel i has also carried programming produced with or supplied by external partners, including the children's series Sisimpur and BBC Bangla's BBC Probaho. The channel has used distribution through satellite and cable networks to reach audiences beyond Bangladesh. It has been carried via PanAmSat and Bangabandhu-1, with coverage extending across much of Asia and parts of Australia. Channel i also has a related digital-media ecosystem through iScreen, an Impress Group streaming service offering films, web series, theatrical content, and stage plays. This relationship places the television channel within a broader Bengali entertainment and content-distribution operation rather than as an isolated broadcast outlet. Channel i transitioned to high-definition broadcasting on 15 September 2017 and completed its migration from standard-definition transmission on 1 October 2017. It has also participated in industry and public-media initiatives, including a 2016 agreement involving Bdnews24.com's Prism child-focused video news agency and a 2019 program marking Bangladesh Television's 55th anniversary. Audience-share figures cited for 2010 placed Channel i among Bangladesh's leading private television channels, although those figures are historical rather than a current measurement. The channel remains active, with television and online publishing serving as its principal brand activities.
History
Channel i was developed within the media activities of Impress Group. Before the television service was established, Faridur Reza Sagar founded Impress Telefilm, which produced small serialized programs and one-off productions for Bangladesh Television. This production experience provided a base for the launch of a privately operated Bengali-language broadcaster. The channel started broadcasting on 1 October 1999 from a modest building in Dhaka's Siddheshwari area. It launched with the “Hridoye Bangladesh” identity and initially transmitted prerecorded material for around 12 hours each day. Within two years, the service had expanded to a 24-hour schedule. Its launch was significant in Bangladesh's broadcast history because it was identified as the country's first digital television channel and became one of its earliest satellite television services. News was introduced on 1 October 2001. Channel i subsequently expanded its mix of news, discussion, drama, music, children's programming, cultural content, and public-interest shows. The channel's news director, Shykh Seraj, developed Hridoye Mati O Manush, an agriculture and rural-life program inspired by Bangladesh Television's earlier Mati O Manush. This became an important example of Channel i's effort to combine mainstream broadcasting with coverage of rural society and farming. The company added a web presence on 30 September 2003. It continued to develop locally produced entertainment and acquired or partnered on programming for different audiences. In March 2008, it began broadcasting Sisimpur to Bangladeshi children worldwide. In 2010, it aired the western-themed telefilm Play, directed by M-SIB, an experiment described as a first of its kind for a Bangladeshi television channel. BBC Bangla's BBC Probaho premiered on Channel i on 11 June 2015. In May 2016, Channel i was among nine Bangladeshi television channels that agreed with Bdnews24.com to subscribe to Prism, a video-based news agency produced by children. The initiative represented an effort to broaden youth-oriented video news and external content partnerships. The broadcaster later modernized its technical platform: HD broadcasts began on 15 September 2017, and standard-definition service was fully discontinued on 1 October of that year. Channel i's satellite distribution has used PanAmSat and Bangabandhu-1, enabling reception across much of Asia and parts of Australia. Its related service, iScreen, extends Impress Group's content activities into streaming and digital video, with films, web series, theatrical works, and stage plays. The broader brand has also participated in public broadcasting events, including a special program held at its Tejgaon headquarters on 25 December 2019 to mark Bangladesh Television's 55th anniversary. Historical audience figures cited for 2010 placed Channel i at a 36 percent total audience share, tied with ATN Bangla, while the cited urban and metropolitan shares were higher. The channel was also reported as the most-watched television service during its founding-anniversary period in 2013. These figures describe particular historical measurements and should not be treated as current market data. Channel i continues to operate as an Impress Group television and digital-media brand.
- 2019
Bangladesh Television anniversary program
[1]Channel i hosted a special program at its Tejgaon headquarters on 25 December for Bangladesh Television's 55th anniversary, with the event broadcast on both networks.
- 2017
HD transition completed
[1]HD broadcasting began on 15 September and the transition away from standard definition was completed on 1 October.
- 2016
Prism content agreement
[1]Channel i joined eight other Bangladeshi television channels in an agreement with Bdnews24.com concerning its child-produced video news agency, Prism.
- 2015
BBC Probaho premieres
[1]BBC Bangla's BBC Probaho premiered on Channel i on 11 June.
- 2008
Sisimpur reaches children worldwide
[1]Channel i began broadcasting the children's program Sisimpur to Bangladeshi children around the world.
- 2004
Hridoye Mati O Manush debuts
[1]The agriculture and rural-affairs program created by Shykh Seraj premiered on 21 February.
- 2003
Website launched
[1]Channel i launched its website on 30 September, extending its media presence online.
- 2001
Twenty-four-hour service and news expansion
[1]Within two years of launch, Channel i had become a 24-hour service; it began airing news on 1 October.
- 1999
Channel i begins broadcasting
[1]The channel launched on 1 October from Dhaka as Bangladesh's first digital television channel, initially transmitting approximately 12 hours of prerecorded programming per day.
Products and positioning
A broad-reach Bengali-language television network combining news, public-interest programming, national culture, drama, music, children's content, and entertainment for audiences in Bangladesh and overseas.
Satellite and cable television · 1999
Channel i television network
The core Channel i service is a Bengali-language general-interest television network. Its schedule spans news, current affairs, drama, telefilms, music, competitions, children's programming, cultural shows, and public-interest content. The service began with limited prerecorded programming, later became a 24-hour channel, and subsequently completed a technical transition to high-definition broadcasting.
Agriculture and public-interest television · 2004
Hridoye Mati O Manush
Created by Channel i news director Shykh Seraj, Hridoye Mati O Manush focuses on agriculture, rural communities, and people connected with the land. The format draws on the tradition of Bangladesh Television's Mati O Manush while serving Channel i's broader public-interest and Bengali cultural positioning.
Music talent competition
Channel i Shera Kontho
Channel i Shera Kontho is a singing and talent-competition format associated with Channel i. It forms part of the network's entertainment and talent-development programming alongside other music and performance franchises.
Children's television · 2008
Sisimpur
Sisimpur is a children's program broadcast by Channel i for Bangladeshi children, including viewers living outside Bangladesh. Its carriage demonstrates the network's use of educational and family-oriented programming for a geographically dispersed Bengali-speaking audience.
Music awards program
Channel i Music Awards
The Channel i Music Awards is an awards and music-event property listed among the network's programming. It supports Channel i's role as a promoter and broadcaster of Bengali music and popular entertainment.
Streaming and digital entertainment
iScreen
iScreen is an Impress Group streaming service related to Channel i's media ecosystem. It offers films, web series, theatrical content, and stage plays, extending the group's Bengali content activities beyond linear television into online video distribution.
Brand decisions
2017
Migration from standard-definition to high-definition broadcastingGeneration changeBackground
Channel i had operated as a digital satellite and cable broadcaster since its 1999 launch and later upgraded its transmission technology.
Action taken
The channel began HD broadcasts on 15 September 2017 and completed its migration away from standard-definition service on 1 October.
Aftermath
The upgrade established HD as the channel's standard broadcast format, although the available reference does not provide technical investment or audience-impact figures.
Sources2 sources
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