8TV Live Streaming – Watch 8TV Malaysia Online
Roughly a quarter of Malaysia is ethnic Chinese. Very few free channels serve that audience, and 8TV is the main one – Mandarin news, local drama, reality formats and talk shows, all without a subscription.
The live feed sits above. It costs nothing to watch.
Full TV Malaysia Channel List
Below is the complete lineup. Pick a channel and start watching.
LIVE1TV3
LIVE2DS
LIVE3TV1
LIVE4DK
LIVE5TV2
LIVE6TV9
LIVE78TV
LIVE8TO
LIVE9BR
LIVE10SR
LIVE11TA
LIVE12BT
LIVE13ST
LIVE14TI
LIVE15TVS
LIVE16USI
LIVE17TAI
LIVE18TIC
LIVE19ST
LIVE20RI
LIVE21NW
LIVE22RK
LIVE23MYS
LIVE24FM
LIVE25CNA
LIVE26ARI
LIVE27WF
LIVE28AF
LIVE29AF
LIVE30BF
LIVE31EF
LIVE32FF
LIVE33HF
LIVE34IKI
LIVE35KF
LIVE36MF
LIVE37MF
LIVE38MF
LIVE39NF
LIVE40SF
LIVE41RF
LIVE42SF
LIVE43SF
LIVE44SF
LIVE45TFAbout the Channel
- Chinese name
- 八度空间
- Operator
- Metropolitan TV Sdn Bhd
- Owner
- Media Prima Berhad
- First launched
- 1995, as MetroVision
- Relaunched
- 2004, as 8TV
- myFreeview channel
- 108
- Astro / NJOI
- 148
- Picture
- HD
- Languages
- Mandarin, with some Cantonese and Hokkien
- Headquarters
- Balai Berita, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur
- Official platform
- Tonton
Malaysia’s Chinese-Language Free Channel
Chinese Malaysians have plenty of viewing options if they are willing to pay. Astro carries several Mandarin channels, and streaming services import more from Taiwan, Hong Kong and the mainland.
Free-to-air is a different picture. Outside RTM’s daily Mandarin bulletin on TV2, 8TV carries the bulk of what is available at no cost, which gives it a role disproportionate to its size.
That position shapes the schedule:
Locally produced content rather than wall-to-wall imports
Malaysian Chinese concerns covered directly, not filtered through a national bulletin
Community events and festivals given full treatment
Cantonese and Hokkien appearing alongside Mandarin, reflecting how households actually speak
8TV Mandarin News
The bulletin is the channel’s strongest asset, and by its own measure the most-watched thing it broadcasts.
Coverage runs from Malaysian politics and economics through to international news, sport, technology and community affairs – the same ground a national bulletin covers, reported for an audience that wants it in Mandarin. Editions run at midday and in the evening.
The operation extends beyond the broadcast. A dedicated news site publishes alongside it, and the bulletin is simulcast on Media Prima’s Mandarin radio station, giving the same newsroom three outlets.
The Year 8TV Stopped Speaking English
Here is the part of 8TV’s story that sets it apart from every other Malaysian channel.
When Media Prima relaunched the station in 2004, it was deliberately bilingual: Mandarin programming for Chinese-speaking households, English programming aimed at urban youth. The mix was unusual and, for a while, it worked. 8TV built a reputation for English-language youth shows that nothing else on free-to-air was making.
Then the strategy changed. Through 2016 and 2017 the English output shrank steadily, pushed aside as Mandarin content moved into the prime slots. By the middle of 2017 a single English programme remained. In 2018 the channel formally dropped it and became a fully Mandarin-language service.
The reasoning was straightforward enough. A channel serving two audiences half-heartedly was losing to channels serving one audience properly. Committing fully to Chinese-language programming gave 8TV something none of its Media Prima siblings could offer.
Drama, Reality and Talk
Beyond the newsroom, the schedule splits three ways.
Drama and telemovies make up the entertainment core, mixing locally produced series with imports from Greater China. Local productions tend to centre on family, business and community life in Malaysia rather than transplanting stories from elsewhere.
Reality and competition formats cover singing contests, talent searches and food-led travel shows, several of which have run for multiple seasons.
Talk shows handle the practical end – personal finance, health, lifestyle and consumer advice, in formats built for daytime viewing.
Titles rotate regularly, so what you find will differ from one season to the next.
Chinese New Year on 8TV
No period matters more to this channel.
Festive programming expands well beyond a few specials into a full campaign: variety shows, celebrity appearances, reunion-themed drama, charity segments and extended live coverage. For many Chinese Malaysian households the channel becomes background viewing through the holiday in a way it is not during the rest of the year.
Other festivals receive attention too, though none on this scale.
From MetroVision to 8TV
The channel’s first attempt did not survive its decade.
MetroVision launched in 1995, positioned as Malaysia’s fourth television station with a mix of local and international content. Its timing was poor. Advertising revenue never reached projections, Astro’s pay-television service was pulling viewers and advertisers away, and the Asian financial crisis removed whatever margin remained. The station closed in 1999.
Media Prima acquired the assets several years later and relaunched them under the 8TV name in 2004. Satellite distribution followed within months, widening reach beyond terrestrial coverage. Online streaming arrived in 2007, making 8TV one of the earliest Malaysian free-to-air channels to put its output on the internet.
8TV or Astro AEC?
For Chinese Malaysian viewers, this is the comparison that matters – not 8TV against TV3.
| 8TV | Astro AEC | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Subscription |
| Availability | Terrestrial and satellite | Astro only |
| Local production | Substantial | Substantial |
| Imported drama | Moderate | Heavy |
| Mandarin news | Yes, flagship bulletin | Yes |
| Channel count | One | Part of a Mandarin package |
Households already paying for Astro have more choice. For everyone else, 8TV is the free option, which is why its news bulletin holds the reach it does.
Questions Viewers Ask
Who owns 8TV?
Media Prima Berhad. The channel is operated by Metropolitan TV Sdn Bhd.
What is 8TV called in Chinese?
八度空间.
What channel is 8TV on myFreeview?
Channel 108. On Astro and NJOI it is channel 148.
Is 8TV in Mandarin or English?
Mandarin. The channel carried English programming until 2018, when it became a fully Chinese-language service.
Why did 8TV drop English?
Mandarin content was performing better, and a single-language focus gave the channel a clearer identity than a split schedule allowed.
What was 8TV before?
MetroVision, which broadcast from 1995 until 1999 before closing during the Asian financial crisis.
Does 8TV have Cantonese or Hokkien programming?
Some. Mandarin dominates, with other Chinese languages appearing in parts of the schedule.
Is 8TV free?
Yes, on terrestrial broadcast. It is also carried on satellite platforms.
Where can I watch 8TV programmes on demand?
Tonton holds Media Prima’s catch-up library.