Launched 2001 Country Canada Headquarters Markham, Ontario | Picture format 480i (SDTV) Broadcast area National | |
Owned by Asian Television Network | ||
ATN Alpha ETC Punjabi is a Canadian exempt Category B Punjabi language specialty channel that is owned by Asian Television Network. It broadcasts programming from Alpha ETC Punjabi and Canadian content. Programming comes in the form of movies, news, dramas, comedies, and talk shows.
As of August 2009, ATN Alpha ETC Punjabi no longer broadcasts Gurbani from the Harimandir Sahib in Amritsar, Punjab in Canada as ATN no longer has the rights for the Gurbani. Gurbani from the Harimandir Sahib will now only be available in Canada on PTC Punjabi which is set to launch in the Fall on Rogers and across Canada.
History
On November 24, 2000, ATN was granted approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to launch a television channel called Punjabi Channel, described as "The licensee shall provide a national ethnic Category 2 specialty television service targeting the Punjabi-speaking community."
On August 30, 2013, the CRTC approved Asian Television Network's request to convert ATN Alpha ETC Punjabi from a licensed Category B specialty service to an exempted Cat. B third language service.