Tharisanam TV was a Tamil language

Tamil language

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

 satellite television channel

Satellite television

Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...

. Its main audience were Sri Lankan Tamils living in Europe, Australia and the Middle East.

Launch

Tharisanam TV was initially launched on Thai Pongal day in January 2007 in Australasia, broadcasting via the Optus B3

Optus

SingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications...

 satellite. The channel started broadcasting in Europe, Middle East and North Africa via the Eutelsat

Eutelsat

Eutelsat S.A. is a French-based satellite provider. Providing coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, it is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues.Eutelsat’s satellites...

's Hot Bird

Hot Bird

Hot Bird is the name of a popular family of satellites operated by Eutelsat, located at 13°E over the Equator and with a transmitting footprint over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East....

 satellite on 21 May 2007. Initially the channel broadcast programmes from Makkal TV

Makkal TV

Makkal TV is a Tamil language TV channel. It was launched on 6 September 2006 and is promoted by Makkal Tholai Thodarpu Kuzhumam. Pattali Makkal Katchi leader Ramadoss is the founder of TV, Venu Sanjeevi is the Managing Director .- External links :...

, a Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

 satellite channel.

Closure

Tharisanam's link to the Hotbird satellite was via an Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

i Satellite link

Satellite link

A satellite link is a communications subsystem that involves a link between a transmitting Earth station and a receiving Earth station via a communications satellite.-See also:*Earth terminal*Telecommunications link*Satellite truck*Ku band*C band...

 company. The Sri Lankan government complained to the Israeli government because of Tharisanam's alleged links to the Tamil Tigers. The Israeli government exerted political pressure on the satlink company. Tharisanam ceased broadcasting on 22 June 2008 when the satlink company ceased relaying the channel.