Tolo TV is a television station

Television station

A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...

, being one of the first commercial ones to operate in Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

. Launched in October 2004 by MOBY Group

MOBY Group

MOBY Group is the largest media company in Afghanistan. It was founded by Saad Mohseni, an Afghan-Australian when he returned to his native Afghanistan in 2002...

, it laid the foundations for an accessible media outlet offering a big library of shows. It is currently Afghanistan's most popular television channel.

Tolo TV was first launched in Kabul

Kabul

Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...

 but as of November 2007, has broadcasts in 14 cities in Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

 on free-to-air

Free-to-air

Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...

 and throughout the region by satellite.

Tolo TV is the #1 most popular channel in Afghanistan.

Its sister channels are: TOLOnews and Lemar TV

Lemar TV

Lemar TV is a television station based in Kabul, Afghanistan, which was founded in 2006. It is owned by MOBY Group. The channel broadcasts news, shows, and entertainment programs to certain parts of the country....

.

Programs

Afghanistan’s landmark drama series, Raaz Hai Een Khana ("The Secrets of This House") took the Special Award at the Seoul Drama Awards in October 2008. Screened on Tolo and produced by Kaboora Productions, Raaz Hai Een Khana is the first drama series ever 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 around the world.

Tolo TV broadcasts Afghan Star, a reality television

Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 show, and one of Afghanistan's most popular television series.

In 2010 Tolo TV began broadcasting Eagle Four, a police drama often compared to the American series 24

24 (TV series)

24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...

, and partially funded by the U.S. government.

Other popular programs include Chai Ba Azizyar, Maheman-e-Yar, Feker Wa Talash, Zang Khatar, Dahlezha, 6.30 Report, Emroz Emshab, Hai Maidan Tai Maidan, and a comedy drama called Hechland. Tolo TV also play Hindi serials dubbed in Farsi (Persian) like Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Kasautii Zindagi Kay

Kasautii Zindagi Kay

Kasautii Zindagii Kay was an Indian drama-series that aired on STAR Plus from 2001 to 2008. The series is produced by popular Indian soap opera producer, Ekta Kapoor of Balaji Telefilms. The series was a daily soap that follows the adventure story of two lovers Anurag and Prerna. This show is...

, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi

Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi

Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi was an Indian Soap Opera that aired on STAR Plus. This is ranked at top, number 1, on the list of STAR Plus top 10 shows of all time.This show was Asia's #1 most watched and awarded show...

, and Virasaat (Sahara One)

Virasaat (Sahara One)

Virasaat is a Hindi language television series that aired on Sahara TV which is now known as Sahara One in 2002. The series aired every Monday - Friday at 8:30pm IST...

2011 rebrand

In March 2011, Tolo TV was rebranded, with a new look, a new logo, and minor design changes too. The new logo matches the design/style of TOLOnews' logo.

Criticism of availability

Afghans in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 have complained that they cannot receive TOLO TV on their satellite. In Europe, TOLO TV is available on Eutelsat Sesat 2

SESAT

The SESAT 1 satellite, operated by Eutelsat, is the first of a series of SESAT satellites. It provides a wide range of telecommunications services over a very large geographical coverage area that extends from the Atlantic Ocean to Eastern Russia, including a large part of Siberia...

 / Express AM22

Express (satellite)

Ekspress , is a series of geostationary communications satellites owned by Russian State Company for Satellite Communications. The first satellite of this kind was launched on October 13, 1994...

 53°E, but in Western and Northern Europe, the signal strength is either very weak or no signal at all. Only residents in Eastern Europe can receive Sesat 2 / Express AM22. Due to the fact that most Afghans in Europe are in the North and the West, TOLO TV is trying to make itself available on Hotbird - a satellite which most Afghans in Europe receive and watch other Afghan channels. The daily news programme, in both Dari and Pashto, is made available on the TOLOTV Youtube Channel.