The Ministry of Information, represented by the Sultanate of Oman TV, will today celebrate the 50th anniversary of the start of broadcasting of the Sultanate of Oman TV, (November 17, 1974). It is an important historical milestone in the journey of Omani media and reflects the interest that the Sultanate of Oman has given to this sector since the beginning of the blessed renaissance.
Over the course of 50 years, the Sultanate of Oman TV has been able to play a pivotal role in the local and Arab media scene, and has succeeded in consolidating its role as a national media institution thanks to its strategic orientations in developing content and technologies and enhancing its role as a media platform that reflects the vision of the Sultanate of Oman towards a brighter and more developed future.
The Sultanate of Oman TV began its journey four years after the start of the Omani Renaissance led by the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to become a media window that conveys Oman’s voice and vision to the world, reflects the cultural, social and political identity, enhances communication with the people of the nation and supports their participation in construction and development. Over the past five decades, the Sultanate of Oman TV has witnessed major transformations in content and technology, and has gone through different stages of development, to keep pace with technological changes, and to play major roles in transmitting events and enhancing national awareness.
In the first step the Sultanate of Oman TV began with limited broadcasting in Muscat and some neighbouring areas using simple devices through which it presented local news bulletins, the Sultan’s speeches, and educational programmes to introduce modern concepts of the Omani Renaissance. Over the past 50 years, it has gone through major stages following the founding phase, which is the expansion phase that extended for 10 years since 1980, during which the broadcast network was expanded to cover most of the governorates of the Sultanate of Oman. The content was also developed to provide educational and entertainment programmes, and the infrastructure of the transmission network was developed.
In 1990, the digital transformation phase began using digital broadcasting technologies to enhance the quality of image and sound, as the world entered the era of globalisation. The Sultanate of Oman TV worked to improve the quality of production, by launching talk shows covering political, economic and social issues.
The Sultanate of Oman TV continued its development journey through the satellite broadcasting phase, which enabled its channels to reach all parts of the world, while specialised channels were launched, such as Oman Culture and Oman Live, which allowed for the diversity of content to include news, culture, sports and live coverage of official events, as the number of broadcast hours exceeded 100,000 broadcast hours annually, including various types of programmes.
Since the establishment of the Sultanate of Oman TV, it has played and continues to play a role in strengthening the national identity by broadcasting programmes that focus on Oman’s heritage and ancient history. It has carried out its mission in transmitting major national events and lofty speeches that have enhanced the spirit of national belonging and linked the various governorates of the Sultanate of Oman together. It has also contributed to spreading community awareness through its awareness programmes, supporting local artistic production through Omani drama and entertainment programmes, and spreading Omani culture and heritage through documentaries and coverage of heritage festivals, in addition to its digital presence on social media platforms, which has helped reach a wider segment of the public.
Dr Abdullah bin Nasser al Harrasi, Minister of Information, in an interview with Youth Radio, said that the Sultanate of Oman TV has kept pace with all stages of development in the long journey of the development of Omani media and has played a great role in educating and enlightening the Omani people and spreading awareness, developing art and entertainment, broadcasting events in various fields, establishing specialised channels such as the sports channel and the cultural channel, and finally developing electronic platforms.
Said bin Taman al Amri, Acting Director-General of the Sultanate of Oman TV, said: “Throughout its history, the Sultanate of Oman TV has been keen to uphold the values and principles of the Omani Renaissance, and has contributed in consolidating the national identity and noble values, and highlighting the successes and achievements that Oman is proud of." He said that with the development of the media and the diversity of its tools, the Sultanate of Oman TV has remained a fortress and a reliable contributor to confronting rumours and misinformation, as it is “the voice of truth, reality and logic.”
He added that over the past decades, the Sultanate of Oman TV has not only been a channel that broadcasts news, but has also been a window to diverse cultures, a platform that embraces creators and artists to convey their messages and visions to a wide audience, a bridge that enhances understanding between nations and a mirror that reflects the development in the Sultanate of Oman; as it has played an important role in documenting the various achievements made by the country in various fields.
He said that launching channels specialised in the cultural and sports aspects is an affirmation of the development of the Sultanate of Oman TV, as sports bring hearts together and enhance the collective spirit. - ONA
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