MediaOne TV

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MediaOne TV
CountryIndia
HeadquartersKozhikode, Kerala, India
Programming
LanguageMalayalam
Ownership
OwnerMadhyamam Broadcasting Limited
Key peopleO. Abdurahman, Group Editor (Madhyamam - MediaOne)
History
Launched10 February 2013 (2013-02-10)
Links
Webcastmediaoneonline.com/live-tv
Websitemediaonetv.in

MediaOne TV is an Indian Malayalam-language television channel operated by Madhyamam Broadcasting Limited.[1][2] The channel was licensed in September 2011 and was officially launched on 10 February 2013.[3][4] The main studio is located at Velliparamba, Kozhikode, Kerala.

Since its launch, MediaOne TV has been scrutinized for its connections to Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, an Islamic organization; few TV news channels in India are operated by such groups.[5] Broadcasting of the channel was halted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) in February 2022 after MediaOne's license to distribute the channel was revoked claiming national security issues.[6] Some criticized the ban, which was upheld by a division bench of the Kerala High Court,[7] as being based on undisclosed sealed information. Even though it did not broadcast to television providers,[8] MediaOne continued to distribute its programming online and via social media. On 15 March 2022, the Supreme Court of India issued an interim order staying the ban on MediaOne and allowing it to resume broadcast operations,[9] followed by a judgement in April 2023 that permanently set aside the I&B order.[10][11]

History

Refer to caption
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy was the guest of honor at the foundation stone-laying ceremony for MediaOne's facilities.
A three-story modernist building
MediaOne TV headquarters and studio

Foundation

On 16 June 2012, then-Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy presided over a foundation stone–laying ceremony for the MediaOne headquarters and studio complex at Velliparambu near Kozhikode, and former Union Cabinet Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi unveiled the MediaOne logo at an event in Kochi.[4] The channel was officially launched on 10 February 2013 at an event attended by the former defence minister A. K. Antony.[3]

Security issues and ban

Madhyamam Broadcasting Limited, owners of MediaOne TV and connected to Islamic organization Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, first experienced a dispute with regulators in 2015. At that time, Madhyamam proposed a second MediaOne channel, to be known as MediaOne Life. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) denied the security clearance that was necessary to start the new service. Even though the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) had approved the technical aspects of its application, this was dropped in 2019 due to the MHA's denial.[12]

In March 2020, I&B prohibited the transmission or re-transmission of MediaOne TV, along with Asianet News TV,[13] for 48 hours for what it called for "biased" reporting of the North East Delhi riots, stating that the channel was "airing attacks on religions or communities, promoting communal attitudes" and "inciting violence against law and order maintenance and promoting anti-national attitudes".[14] In its ruling, I&B noted that the "channel's reporting on Delhi violence seems to be biased as it is deliberately focusing on the vandalism of CAA supporters [...] questions RSS and alleges Delhi Police inaction [... and] seems to be critical towards Delhi Police and RSS".[15]

On 31 January 2022, MediaOne TV ceased broadcasts at noon after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting refused to renew the channel's licence to operate in the wake of the MHA's revocation of the security clearance for Madhyamam Broadcasting Limited.[16][5] The company filed a writ petition to challenge the I&B order, which the Kerala High Court dismissed on 8 February.[17][18] Justice N. Nagaresh held that the files from the Ministry of Home Affairs contained intelligence inputs that justified the denial of security clearance to the channel:[19][20]

Going through the files, I find that the Ministry has called for intelligence inputs. Based on the intelligence inputs, the committee of officers has found that security clearance should not be given. The Ministry has decided to accept the finding of the Committee of Officers. There are inputs justifying the denial of security clearance. Therefore I am dismissing the writ petition.

An editorial in The Hindu criticized the ban for being based on sealed, classified information, without MediaOne being made aware of its contents,[21] as did another in The Indian Express.[22]

On 2 March 2022, the division bench of Kerala High Court upheld the earlier order. It noted that "there are certain serious adverse reports by the Intelligence Bureau against Madhyamam Broadcasting Ltd and its managing director", and though the files did not provide much information as to the dimensions of the issue, the bench indicated that "there are clear and significant indications impacting the public order and security of the state".[23][7] MediaOne appealed its decision to the Supreme Court of India,[23][7] alleging that the guidelines for uplinking and downlinking television channels did not require MHA permission at renewal but only upon application for new service.[9]

The Supreme Court stayed the ban and permitted MediaOne to resume operations under an interim order on 15 March 2022, at which time its management announced it would continue broadcasting as it had before the ban was imposed. The three-judge bench's ruling noted that the company was "surely entitled" to know the reasons for the decision; the central government was ordered to file a counter-affidavit by 26 March.[9] On 3 November, the Supreme Court reserved judgment in the case after two days of hearings.[24] A bench judgement, led by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, was issued in April; the court found that the government had used national security in a "cavalier manner" to refuse MediaOne the licence and noted that its action to deny broadcasting rights to a news channel had "a chilling effect on free speech and particularly on press freedom". It also chided the High Court for the limited information it gave the defendants in their case, noting that it had left MediaOne "attempting strenuously to fight in the dark".[10][11]

Withdrawal from BARC

In October 2025, MediaOne announced their withdrawal from the audience measurement system of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India, citing a loss of trust in the ratings process and alleging that the sample size and meter placement were unscientific. MediaOne TV stated that despite holding a leading position in digital viewership metrics (including YouTube), its absence from BARC's published ratings raised questions about fairness and transparency. According to the channel, the BARC sample comprised fewer than 1,500 meters out of 8.6 million television households in Kerala, and the meter placements did not proportionally represent all regions and demographic groups. MediaOne thus became the second television channel in India to withdraw from BARC after NDTV.[25]

Criticism and controversies

Religious propaganda fake news

On November 2025 MediaOne reported a fake news which went viral in Kerala. The News talks about Habel Anwar, a 13-year-old boy from Kerala who reportedly stopped attending school after class 2, claimed that he received a grant from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University for a paper on “white holes.” MediaOne News in Kerala publicised the claim, and Anwar subsequently appeared on podcasts of extreme Islamic organisations such as the Wisdom Islamic Organization. The Muslim community in Kerala described him as the “next Isaac Newton” and a successor to A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Sahib.[26][27]

He later delivered talks characterised as pseudoscientific, along with religious interpretations presented under the assertion that he had been awarded USD 10,000 for “breakthrough work” on white holes, expanding Albert Einstein’s theories, and that he was a research scholar affiliated with the Mercatus Center at GMU. He also appeared at events organised by Islamic groups, giving lectures linking science and the Qur’an.[28][29]

On 27 November, the Mercatus Center released the official Emergent Ventures grant list curated by Tyler Cowen, clarifying that Anwar’s grant was intended to support his preparation for the Physics Olympiad and to expand his general interest in physics, and that it was not related to any research on white holes. In an interview on the Malayalam news channel MediaOne, Anwar stated that he had purchased a gaming PC for USD 4,000 using out of the 10,000 USD grant he received.[30] In another public programme, when asked about his preparation for the Physics Olympiad, he stated that he was no longer pursuing the Olympiad.[31] Following these developments, public discussions also raised questions about the credibility of MediaOne News. Some users alleged that the channel had reported misleading information in exchange for money from the concerned party. These claims circulated widely on social media.[32][33][34]

Mata Amritanandamayi

In February–March 2014, Gail Tredwell, a former disciple and closest personal attendant of Mata Amritanandamayi, released an autobiography titled Holy Hell: A Memoir of Faith, Devotion, and Pure Madness.[35] She alleged that a senior follower of Amritanandamayi's ashram, Balu, had sexual relationships with her and Amritanandamayi for many years and that Amritanandamayi was abusive toward her.[35] The mainstream media of Kerala was reluctant to report about the allegations made in the book. In accordance with an order from Ernakulam judicial first magistrate court, on 11 March 2014, Kerala Police registered a case against five media organizations—Indiavision, Reporter, MediaOne, and newspapers Thejas and Madhyamam—in response to a petition that accused these organizations of airing unverified statements.[36][37][38]

Arif Mohammed Khan

On 7 November 2022, Kerala governor Arif Mohammed Khan barred MediaOne TV and Kairali News from covering his press meeting in Kochi, accusing their representatives of being "political persons" who "masquerade as media".[39]

Notes

References

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  6. ^ MADHYAMAM BROADCASTING LIMITED MEDIA ONE HEADQUARTERS v. UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS, 18 LiveLaw 1, p.1 (HIGH COURT OF KERALA, India Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).) ("W.P.(C) No.3265/2022 has been filed by a Company that owns Media One TV Channel. The petitioner- Company seeks to call for the records leading to Ext.P4 order whereby the permission granted to the petitioner- Company to uplink and downlink a News and Current Affairs TV Channel, namely Media One, is revoked with immediate effect. The petitioner seeks to direct respondents 1 and 2 to afford an opportunity of hearing to the petitioner before passing an order revoking the permission.").
  7. ^ a b c MADHYAMAM BROADCASTING LIMITED, MEDIA ONE HEADQUARTERS v UNION OF INDIA, 55 55 55, p.15 (Kerala High Court - Hon. MANIKUMAR (C.J.) & SHAJI P.CHALY, J. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).) ("Likewise, the application filed seeking permission for the renewal of the uplinking and downlinking of "Media one TV" was considered in the year 2021 and wherein also, we find that there are certain serious adverse reports by the Intelligence Bureau against M/s. Madhyamam Broadcasting Limited and its Managing Director. It is true that the nature, impact, gravity and depth of the issue is not discernible from the files. But, at the same time, there are clear and significant indications impacting the public order and security of the State. Since it is a confidential and sensitive file maintained by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Union of India, we are not expressing anything further in the interest of national security, public order and other aspects concerning the administration of the nation.").
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  12. ^ , p.3 ("Based on the Ministry of Home Affairs' clearance earlier received on 07.02.2011, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting granted permission to M/s. Madhyamam Broadcasting Limited for a TV Channel, namely "Media One Life", on 26.08.2015, as per Annexure-R1(d). The MHA denied security clearance to the new proposals for additional TV Channels and appointment of Directors. Consequently, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued Annexure-R1(e) show-cause notice to the petitioner- Company to clarify as to why the permission granted to the petitioner should not be revoked. The Company submitted reply which was examined by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. However, in view of the denial of the Security Clearance, the permission granted for uplinking and downlinking of TV Channel, namely "Media One Life", was cancelled on 11.09.2019."), Text.
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  20. ^ MADHYAMAM BROADCASTING LIMITED MEDIA ONE HEADQUARTERS v. UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS, 18 37 37, p.17 (THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).) ("From the files produced before this Court, it is discernible that the Committee of Officers took note of the inputs given by the intelligence agencies as regards the petitioner-Company, and found that the inputs are of a serious nature and falls under the security rating parameters. In the circumstances, the Committee of Officers advised not to renew the licence. This Court finds that the recommendations of the Committee of Officers as finally accepted by the MHA, are justified by supporting materials.").
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