Channel S

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Channel S was born from a dream. The Channel’s founder, Mahee Ferdhaus Jalil, dreamt of creating a television channel which could engage the community directly, highlight issues which matter the most in the lives of British Bangladeshis, empower the community with the power of information and create awareness amongst the community about their rights, opportunities as well as responsibilities.

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With the backing of experienced TV professionals at the helm, the channel launched on 16th December 2004. Francisco de Sancha and Harish Joshi were two of the main architects responsible for creating the foundation of Channel S.  With their experience in the mainstream TV industry, BBC and ITV in particular, they developed an extensive business plan and vision for Channel S. Legendary media personality Mohammad Rafiquzzaman from Bangladesh was an integral aspect during the launch period.

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Channel S’s vision still inspires people, when they hear of the initial journey the channel’s team went through and the challenges they set themselves - from setting up the biggest production house in Molvibazar in 2002, to convincing people that speaking Sylheti on television was a strength.

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Eshita Telemedia - a dedicated production house for Channel S is still one of the largest production houses in Bangladesh and former Eshita Telemedia team members are now wprking in almost every TV Channel in Bangladesh.

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Setting up a professional team in the UK from various backgrounds made Channel S the largest BME channel in Europe and it very quickly it gained momentum and a solid reputation, despite having to compete with other reputed mainstream and Asian television channels who had been serving the community for many years. 

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Not content with the challenge of launching the channel, Mahee Ferdhaus Jalil, the Channel’s founder also took on another challenge. Having travelled to many countries, some of which were the most devastated and disadvantaged communities, gave him an immense sense of realisation that something needed to be done for those who needed support. With this in mind, the team at Channel S led the most dynamic and accessible form of fundraising in the history of British Muslim TV, with an incredible fundraising appeal.

The Channel S journey hasn't been an easy one and the dedication of the team has been one of the most significant contributing factors in making Channel S the Number One British Bangladeshi television channel.