ASEAN senior officials responsible for information have paved the way for an ASEAN satellite TV channel to be launched next year. This channel is to enable the ASEAN countries to project their points of view to the region and beyond.

At a two-day meeting held in Singapore on 26-27 October 1998, the officials have agreed on the operational and financial details for the channel. This was a follow-up to the 5th ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information Conference held in Bangkok in July this year.

The Meeting agreed to appoint Singapore International Media (SIM) to be the network coordinator, and agreed that member countries would each make a fixed annual contribution towards the operation of the channel.

For a start, the channel will operate on the following basis:

• Six to eight hours of broadcast per day;

• Programmes, to be contributed by members, will comprise news and current affairs, entertainment, lifestyle, sports, and education;

• Members will downlink and rebroadcast the channel domestically, either through cable or terrestrial TV, or through their own direct-to-home infrastructure.

The network coordinator will choose its own satellite operator based on commercial and technical considerations, as long as the broadcast covers all ASEAN countries.