Bernama TV Starts Internet News Feeds

Digital Broadcasters Vendor News Asia (DBVNA) can report that Bernama TV, the Internet based network of Malaysia's state run news agency will launch its first live-feed Internet news channel on Sept 3, 2008. Bernama TV's Internet online feed will operate on a time delay of 2 - 3 minutes after broadcast on Bernama's news output on Astro Channel 502. The intention behind this latest addition to Bernama's website is to reach the Malaysian Diaspora around the world, especially the youth segment of the audience that is IT savvy. More importantly online users want news immediately as events unfold without delay. An official dry run for this new service was the debate recently between Malaysian Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek and Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. A huge audience of Internet users in 44 countries accessed the Bernama server to watch the televised "live" debate. Online users were located in Norway, China, South America and western countries. Bernama says that the new service is free. It will be supplemented by video-on-demand feeds for individual news stories and will be advertiser supported. DBVNA believes that Malaysia's ruling party, UMNO, is working hard to stem the loss of support from the mainstream Malay population as witnessed by the recent by-election win of Anwar Ibrahim in Penang. UMNO through Bernama TV, belatedly is recognising the reach and power of the Internet with young Malaysians.