MRTV Sports

MRTV Sports is a Burmese digital free-to-air television channel dedicated to sports and other live-event programming. The channel is associated with Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV), the country's state broadcaster, and HEY Play Media. Its programming has also appeared under the HEY Play Sports branding, reflecting the channel's joint operating and distribution relationship. The service's origins date to 15 October 2013, when MRTV Sports began operating in preparation for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games. During its first decade, it did not maintain a conventional daily or regular programming schedule. Instead, it was used primarily as an event-oriented outlet, going on air when live sporting competitions or other live events required additional broadcast capacity. This made the channel more of a flexible sports-event platform than a continuously programmed sports network. A more formal channel launch took place on 1 August 2023. The relaunched service was described as a joint venture between MRTV and HEY Play Media and introduced bilingual programming blocks under the MRTV Sports and HEY Play Sports identities. The bilingual structure broadens the channel's accessibility within Myanmar while connecting the public broadcaster's reach with HEY Play's media and digital distribution capabilities. MRTV Sports is positioned around live sports coverage rather than a broad entertainment schedule. Its principal offering is the transmission of sporting events, supported by related live-event programming when available. The channel may be distributed through digital free-to-air television and associated broadcaster or media platforms, although the available reference material does not specify a complete transmission footprint, sport-by-sport rights portfolio, permanent schedule, or detailed commercial model. The brand's history reflects two phases: an event-specific service established in 2013 and a more formally branded, jointly operated sports channel launched in 2023. Its principal market is Myanmar, and no reliable information in the available sources establishes significant international operations, a separate corporate listing, named executives, or a standalone headquarters. Because the channel's programming and operating arrangements can be event-driven, its long-term schedule and business structure should be verified against current MRTV and HEY Play announcements.

MRTV Sports developed as an event-oriented sports television service within Myanmar's MRTV broadcasting ecosystem. Its first documented phase began on 15 October 2013, when the channel was established in preparation for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games. The timing indicates that its initial purpose was to provide additional capacity for major sports coverage rather than to function immediately as a conventional 24-hour sports network. For approximately the next ten years, MRTV Sports did not operate with a stable, regular programming lineup. It was activated for live sporting events and other live broadcasts, allowing MRTV to use the channel flexibly when event coverage demanded a dedicated outlet. This operating model distinguished the service from continuously scheduled sports channels: its identity was tied primarily to the events it carried and to its role as a supplementary broadcast platform. A significant change came on 1 August 2023, when MRTV Sports was launched in a more formal joint-venture structure involving MRTV and HEY Play Media. The relaunched channel used bilingual programming blocks and was presented under both the MRTV Sports and HEY Play Sports brands. This arrangement linked a state broadcaster's television infrastructure and audience reach with a private media partner's sports and digital-media capabilities. The 2023 launch represents a branding and operating expansion rather than the creation of an entirely new sports concept. The service retained its earlier association with live-event broadcasting while gaining a clearer channel identity and a bilingual presentation model. Available reference material does not provide a complete list of sports rights, presenters, studio programs, distribution partners, or a permanent schedule, so the precise scope of its post-2023 programming remains to be confirmed. MRTV Sports is therefore best understood as a Myanmar sports-broadcasting brand with two overlapping histories: an event-specific outlet dating from 2013 and a formally relaunched joint channel dating from 2023. It operates in the digital free-to-air television space and serves a primarily domestic audience. No reliable information in the supplied references identifies a standalone public listing, named channel executives, an independent corporate headquarters, or substantial international operations.

• 2023

  Formal joint-channel launch

  [1]MRTV Sports Channelen.wikipedia.org

  On 1 August 2023, MRTV Sports launched as a joint venture between MRTV and HEY Play Media, with bilingual programming under MRTV Sports and HEY Play Sports branding.

• 2013

  Service begins ahead of the Southeast Asian Games

  [1]MRTV Sports Channelen.wikipedia.org

  MRTV Sports began operating on 15 October 2013 in preparation for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games, initially serving mainly as an event-broadcast outlet.

A Myanmar-focused digital free-to-air sports channel combining MRTV's public broadcasting platform with HEY Play Media's sports and digital-media capabilities.

• Digital free-to-air sports television channel · 2013

  MRTV Sports Channel

  The core MRTV Sports service is a Burmese digital free-to-air channel focused on sports and live events. It originally operated intermittently around major competitions and other live broadcasts, then received a more formal joint-venture and bilingual channel presentation in 2023.

• Bilingual sports programming block · 2023

  HEY Play Sports programming

  HEY Play Sports is the partner-facing branding used for programming associated with the MRTV Sports and HEY Play Media relationship. The available references identify it as part of the bilingual programming arrangement introduced with the 2023 channel launch, but do not provide a detailed program catalogue.

• 2023

  Formalize the channel through an MRTV–HEY Play joint ventureStrategy

  Background

  After years of event-based operation, the service was positioned for a more formal channel launch and broader branded presentation.

  Action taken

  MRTV and HEY Play Media launched MRTV Sports on 1 August 2023 with bilingual programming blocks using the MRTV Sports and HEY Play Sports identities.

  Aftermath

  The service gained a clearer joint-channel identity, although the available sources do not document its full schedule, rights portfolio, or distribution model.

  Source

• 2013

  Create an event-focused sports outletProduct launch

  Background

  MRTV needed a sports broadcasting outlet in preparation for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games.

  Action taken

  MRTV Sports began broadcasting on 15 October 2013, primarily carrying live sports and other live events rather than a fixed daily schedule.

  Aftermath

  The channel continued for roughly a decade as an event-oriented service without a regular programming lineup.

  Source

• 2023

  MRTV Sports formally launches as a joint bilingual sports channel[1]MRTV Sports Channelen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  On 1 August 2023, MRTV Sports was launched as a joint venture between MRTV and HEY Play Media. The service introduced bilingual programming blocks using both MRTV Sports and HEY Play Sports branding.

• 2013

  MRTV Sports begins broadcasting in preparation for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games[1]MRTV Sports Channelen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Other

  MRTV Sports began operating as an event-focused sports outlet ahead of the 2013 Southeast Asian Games. For much of its first decade, it was used mainly for live sports and other live-event transmissions rather than a fixed daily schedule.

1. 1MRTV Sports Channelen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Myanmar Radio and Television official websitemrtv.gov.mm