Forever Group

Forever Group is a privately held Myanmar media and broadcasting conglomerate headquartered in Yangon. The group began in 1996 when Win Maw, formerly a sailor, established a business importing and distributing computers and computer components. It later moved into mass media, becoming one of the most significant private-sector operators in Myanmar's television and audio-visual markets. Its most consequential expansion came in 2004, when Forever Group launched MRTV-4, a national free-to-air television channel, through a joint venture involving Myanmar's Ministry of Information and the state broadcaster Myanmar Radio and Television. The arrangement placed the company within Myanmar's state-influenced broadcasting system and gave it access to a national television platform. The channel has been described as aligned with the military-backed establishment and as part of the broader effort to counter independent domestic and foreign media. Forever Group expanded beyond television in 2008 with the launch of Mandalay FM, a radio station serving the Myanmar market. Its subsequent activities included additional television channels, digital media, streaming services, and pay-TV distribution. The group has been associated with Channel 7, the Myanmar Media Development Centre, Mandalay FM, and the streaming service Pyone Play. These activities reflect a strategy of combining conventional broadcasting with digital distribution and entertainment programming. In 2016, Forever Group partnered with Thai satellite operator Thaicom to improve high-definition television coverage. In 2018, it entered a partnership with French media company CANAL+ to launch Canal+ in Myanmar, extending its presence into subscription television and international content distribution. The partnership added a pay-TV and platform-distribution dimension to a business that had historically been identified primarily with free-to-air broadcasting. Forever Group has also participated in locally produced entertainment formats. In 2019, it produced Dancing with the Stars Myanmar, which premiered in October of that year. The program represented the group's effort to adapt an internationally recognized television format for Myanmar audiences while developing locally produced commercial content. The company and its leadership have attracted scrutiny because of their reported closeness to Myanmar's military establishment. Following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, Forever Group was reported to have organized media messaging intended to counter anti-coup sentiment. This placed the group within the country's highly contested information environment, where state-aligned broadcasters and private media companies faced criticism from opponents of military rule. Publicly available reference material identifies Win Maw as the group's leader and Thein Tun Aung as his deputy. The latter is described as a graduate of the 22nd intake of Myanmar's Defence Services Academy. Forever Group's business scope therefore spans broadcasting, radio, pay television, streaming, satellite distribution, and entertainment production. Its history combines entrepreneurial expansion from technology distribution into media with durable institutional relationships involving Myanmar's government and military-linked information ecosystem. Detailed current ownership, financial performance, and corporate structure are not established in the supplied reference material.

Forever Group was founded in Myanmar in 1996 by Win Maw. Its first business was not broadcasting: the company imported and distributed computers and computer components. This technology-oriented beginning provided a commercial base from which the company later diversified into mass media. In 2004, Forever Group entered national television by launching MRTV-4. The channel was established through a joint venture with Myanmar's Ministry of Information and Myanmar Radio and Television, the state-owned broadcaster. This relationship gave Forever Group a prominent place in Myanmar's broadcasting system. MRTV-4 was intended to serve as a pro-military outlet capable of competing with independent local media and foreign news sources. The arrangement also established a pattern in which the company's commercial media operations developed alongside close relationships with state institutions. The group broadened its broadcasting portfolio in 2008 with Mandalay FM. It subsequently became associated with multiple television and digital properties, including Channel 7, the Myanmar Media Development Centre, and Pyone Play. These assets enabled Forever Group to operate across conventional television, radio, and online video rather than relying on a single channel. Forever Group pursued technical and commercial expansion during the 2010s. In 2016, it partnered with Thaicom to improve HDTV coverage using satellite capacity. In 2018, it joined French-owned CANAL+ to launch Canal+ in Myanmar. This partnership moved the group further into pay television and subscription-based distribution, complementing its existing free-to-air and radio operations. The company also developed locally produced entertainment. Forever Group produced Dancing with the Stars Myanmar, which began airing in October 2019. The program illustrated the group's use of internationally established formats in the Myanmar market and its role as a producer as well as a distributor of media content. Forever Group's political profile became especially important after the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état. The company was reported to have organized a media propaganda campaign designed to counter anti-coup sentiment. Its perceived closeness to the military and its role in the state-influenced broadcasting environment have made it a contested actor in Myanmar's information landscape. The group's leadership is identified in reference material as Win Maw, with Thein Tun Aung serving as deputy leader. Thein Tun Aung is described as a graduate of the 22nd intake of the Defence Services Academy. The available material does not establish the group's current ownership structure, revenue, employee count, or detailed corporate subsidiaries beyond its named media properties. Forever Group is best characterized as a private Myanmar media conglomerate whose activities cover free-to-air television, radio, pay television, streaming, satellite distribution, and entertainment production, while its institutional relationships have connected it closely to the country's military-influenced media system.

• 2021

  Post-coup propaganda campaign reported

  [1]Forever Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Following Myanmar's coup, Forever Group was reported to have organized media messaging opposing anti-coup sentiment.

• 2019

  Dancing with the Stars Myanmar premiered

  [1]Forever Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The locally produced entertainment format premiered in October 2019.

• 2018

  Canal+ Myanmar launched

  [1]Forever Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Forever Group and CANAL+ launched a Myanmar pay-TV service.

• 2016

  Thaicom HDTV partnership

  [1]Forever Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Forever Group partnered with Thaicom to strengthen high-definition television coverage through satellite distribution.

• 2008

  Mandalay FM launched

  [1]Forever Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Forever Group expanded into radio broadcasting with Mandalay FM.

• 2004

  MRTV-4 launched

  [1]Forever Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group launched national free-to-air channel MRTV-4 through a joint venture with Myanmar's Ministry of Information and Myanmar Radio and Television.

• 1996

  Company founded

  [1]Forever Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Win Maw founded Forever Group in Myanmar as an importer and distributor of computers and computer components.

A Myanmar-focused, state-connected media group combining national broadcasting, radio, subscription television, streaming, and locally produced entertainment.

• Free-to-air television channel · 2004

  MRTV-4

  MRTV-4 is Forever Group's national free-to-air television service, launched in 2004 through a joint venture with Myanmar's Ministry of Information and Myanmar Radio and Television. It became the group's principal broadcast platform and has been associated with Myanmar's military-aligned media environment.

• Radio station · 2008

  Mandalay FM

  Mandalay FM is a radio service launched by Forever Group in 2008. Its introduction marked the group's expansion from television and other media activities into radio broadcasting.

• Pay television · 2018

  Canal+ Myanmar

  Canal+ Myanmar is the group's subscription television venture with French media company CANAL+. Launched in 2018, it brought CANAL+'s pay-TV model and content-distribution capabilities into the Myanmar market.

• Streaming service

  Pyone Play

  Pyone Play is a streaming and digital video service associated with Forever Group. It represents the group's move beyond linear broadcasting into online access to video content.

• Television entertainment program · 2019

  Dancing with the Stars Myanmar

  Dancing with the Stars Myanmar is a locally produced adaptation of the international dance competition format. Forever Group produced the program, which premiered in October 2019.

• Television channel

  Channel 7

  Channel 7 is a Myanmar television channel identified among Forever Group's broadcasting properties. The supplied reference material does not provide further detail on its launch history or current programming.

• 2021Post-coup media propaganda campaign

  Myanmar

  After the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, Forever Group was reported to have organized media messaging intended to counter public anti-coup sentiment and support the military-aligned information environment.

  Outcome. The available reference does not quantify audience impact or provide a formal end date. The activity contributed to continued scrutiny of the group's political alignment.

  Source

• 2018

  Launch Canal+ Myanmar with CANAL+M&A

  Background

  Forever Group wanted to extend its Myanmar media presence from free-to-air broadcasting into subscription television.

  Action taken

  The group partnered with French-owned CANAL+ to launch Canal+ in Myanmar.

  Aftermath

  The partnership added pay-TV distribution and international media capabilities to Forever Group's portfolio.

  Source

• 2016

  Improve HDTV satellite distributionStrategy

  Background

  The group sought to expand the technical reach and quality of its television services.

  Action taken

  Forever Group partnered with Thaicom to strengthen HDTV coverage using satellite infrastructure.

  Aftermath

  The partnership supported the group's television-distribution capabilities, although the supplied material does not provide technical or commercial performance figures.

  Source

• 2004

  Enter national free-to-air televisionStrategy

  Background

  After beginning as a computer importer and distributor, Forever Group sought to expand into mass media and national broadcasting.

  Action taken

  The company established MRTV-4 through a joint venture with Myanmar's Ministry of Information and Myanmar Radio and Television.

  Aftermath

  The venture made Forever Group a major participant in Myanmar television and tied its broadcasting operations closely to state institutions.

  Source

1. 1Forever Groupen.wikipedia.org