TOLO
طلوع
CountryAfghanistan
Programming
Language(s)Dari Persian
Picture format1080p (HDTV) & 576i (SDTV), 16:9)
Ownership
OwnerMOBY Group
Sister channelsTOLOnews, Lemar TV, Barbud Music, Arman FM and Tolo Music (Web)
History
LaunchedNovember 2004
Links
Websitewww.tolo.tv www.darya.net
Availability
Terrestrial
Normal antenna42 UHF (Kabul)
43 UHF (Kandahar)
37 UHF (Herat)
31 UHF (Mazar-i-Sharif)
32 UHF (Kunduz)
41 UHF (Jalalabad)
41 UHF (Taloqan)
43 UHF (Puli Khumri)
29 UHF (Ghazni)
31 UHF (Khost)
Streaming media
Daryawww.darya.net (Afghanistan)
ZeeLIVwww.zeeliv.com/ToloTV (World Wide)

TOLO (Persian: طلوع, lit. 'sunrise')[1] is a commercial television station operated by MOBY Group in Afghanistan. Launched in 2004, it became one of the first commercial stations in the country and laid the foundation for an accessible media outlet by offering a large library of shows. It is one of the most popular television channels in Afghanistan and broadcasts shows in both Dari-Persian and Pashto.

The station was launched in Kabul, and as of November 2007 it was broadcasting in 14 cities in Afghanistan on free-to-air and throughout the region by terrestrial antenna and by satellite. Its sister channels are TOLOnews, on air all day, and Lemar TV, in the Pashto language.

TOLO was the subject of documentary film in 2012 called The Network, by Eva Orner. The film saw limited international release in 2013.[2]

Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on 15 August 2021, Tolo TV drastically reduced entertainment programs and increased religious programs, especially since the Taliban banned music in mass media.[3]

Reality TV

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Afghan Star

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TOLO’s first game-show reality programme focused on the competition of singing in between talented people of Afghanistan and judged by the superstars of the industry of Kabul. The programme is an adaptation and remake of the Idol Franchise.[4] [5]

The show was the subject of the 2009 documentary film Afghan Star, which won two awards at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Programmes

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Raaz Hai Een Khana ("The Secrets of This House") took the Special Award at the Seoul Drama Awards in October 2008. Telecast by TOLO and produced by Kaboora Productions, Raaz Hai Een Khana is the first drama series entirely written, acted, filmed, produced and broadcast by Afghans, for Afghans in Afghanistan. It was selected for a Special Prize amongst 152 entries from 33 countries.

In 2010 TOLO TV began Eagle Four, a police drama often compared to the American series 24; it was partially funded by the U.S. government.[6][7][8][9]

TOLO TV also broadcasts several foreign programs, including Turkish dramas and the Pakistani animated superhero series Burka Avenger.[5]

Attacks

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On 21 January 2016, a Taliban suicide car bomber detonated explosives near a bus carrying staffers from TOLO in Darulaman Road in Kabul, killing at least 7 staff members – including 3 female employees - and wounding 26 others. The attack drew widespread global condemnation, with various world countries, activists and media organizations denouncing it as an attack on Afghanistan's freedom of press.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Brown, Katherine A. (February 1, 2019). Your Country, Our War: The Press and Diplomacy in Afghanistan. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0190879419 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "The Network". Dogwoof Films. Archived from the original on 1 August 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  3. ^ Bezhan, Frud (18 August 2021). "Fewer Women, No Entertainment: Kabul's Media Scene Transforms After Taliban Takeover". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  4. ^ "For first time, a woman won Afghanistan's version of 'American Idol'". Washington Post.
  5. ^ a b Bilefsky, Dan (2021-08-30). "Can Afghanistan's Leading Broadcaster Survive the Taliban?". New York Times. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  6. ^ Nordland, Rod; Sharifullah Sahak Contributed Reporting (21 November 2010). "On TV, an Afghan Unit Challenges Tradition And Tackles the Taliban". The New York Times. p. 12. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  7. ^ "Afghan TV police drama delivers message with zest". Los Angeles Times. 2010-12-08. Archived from the original on January 20, 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  8. ^ "Afghan TV Show Aims To Burnish Police Reputation". NPR. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  9. ^ "U.S. Courts Afghans Through Television". The Wall Street Journal. Kabul: WSJ.com. November 17, 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  10. ^ Amiry, Sharif. "Seven TOLO TV Employees Killed in Wednesday Attack". TOLO News.
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