- From six hours of airtime to Sri Lanka’s national channel
On 11 October 2005, a new private TV channel flickered onto screens in the Western Province. It was on air only from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., running on one transmitter and a shoestring crew. It was held together by a dream — to one day become Sri Lanka’s No. 1 channel.
Two decades later, that channel — Derana — has achieved that and more. It has become a household name that leads the ratings, runs one of the country’s most trusted 24/7 newsrooms, produces long-running dramas and reality franchises, operates a national radio network, and commands millions of digital followers.
Since March 2017, Derana has officially held the position of No. 1 television channel in Sri Lanka. This is one of its many laurels; it also holds the all-time record for having the most programmes by one channel, and frequently holds the majority of the country’s top 10 most rated programmes.
In the digital space too, Derana has more than made its mark, becoming Sri Lanka’s only Multi-Channel Network (MCN) on YouTube in 2014. Derana also has an unrivalled YouTube following of over six million.
In honour of this landmark anniversary, The Sunday Morning Brunch sat down with some of the leaders behind Derana to reflect on 20 years, what has made Derana the juggernaut it is, and where they hope the future will lead.
Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Laksiri Wickramage shared that Derana’s journey had always been guided by a single, consistent vision. From day one, the channel’s mission has been ‘Ape De Rakagena, Aluth De Aragena’ (protect what is ours and embrace the new).
That focus on celebrating Sri Lankan culture while keeping pace with modernity, and on creating television that families can watch together, has kept Derana steady through 20 years of change.
“Our vision hasn’t changed from day one,” he said. “It’s about shaping the future of the nation through communication — changing minds, forming a shared cultural identity that is bigger than religion or region. If you look at our business, we are in entertainment, but the purpose is national.”
Every major call — from investing in news tech to betting on expensive new formats — went back to one question: will this strengthen a national, family-first brand? Is what the channel is doing something a family can sit and watch together?
Making it in a habit-driven industry
Television habits are famously hard to change. Viewers stick to what they know. Wickramage reflected on what it took Derana to break through. “It’s not easy to displace established channels. Watching TV is a habit. We had to be patient, invest, and keep improving. All the profits were ploughed back into growth.”
By October 2006, just a year after launch, Derana had expanded beyond the Western Province and relaunched with near-islandwide reach. It invested early in infrastructure — transmitters, control rooms, and a new main news studio built to BBC standards, something Wickramage says was a first in South Asia.
Fiction titles such as ‘Sri Gauthama Sambuddha’ and ‘Deweni Inima’ created appointment viewing. At the same time, Derana took bold risks on reality formats that were new to the country.
“Doing reality shows was a huge gamble,” Wickramage recalled. “They were a big financial risk and we were a young channel. But we believed in event television shows that bring the family together”
Derana’s entrants into the reality TV scene, by and large, lasted the course. It was the first to host a reality show showcasing children’s talent, ‘Derana Little Star,’ now in its 13th season, and of course, the adult version, ‘Derana Dream Star.’
Building programmes for the local context
Much of Derana’s progress came from its programming, helmed from the start by Head of Programming Sharmila Dharmarasa Fonseka. Fonseka arrived at Derana with experience from India’s Star Vijay network and quickly set about adapting global formats to Sri Lanka.
“When I started, there were no big reality shows here,” Foneseka said. “I looked at what was happening abroad and asked how to make it ours. ‘Derana Little Star’ was our first — there was no local model then. ‘Derana Dream Star’ followed, inspired by international formats but local in tone. We took risks because we wanted to make television exciting but still family-friendly.”
She has also trained many of the people now shaping TV across the island. “One of the best things is seeing people I worked with go out and do great work,” she said. “You create space for creativity, and the industry grows.”
Fonseka also shared that from a programming perspective, Derana had always strived to keep its content clean and inclusive, even as audiences have become more exposed to global media. “Today, everyone has seen everything — YouTube, Netflix, social media — but we’ve still kept our core. The content must work for a six-year-old and an 80-year-old. There’s no formula; it’s trial and error, but we ask hard questions before anything goes on air.”
She is also one of the few women to have led programming for a major Sri Lankan channel for two decades. “It’s rare. I’m happy and proud to have done this for 20 years. But it’s possible because our corporate culture gives us creative freedom. Without that, none of what we’ve done would have happened.”
Balancing speed with credibility
If Derana’s entertainment built loyalty, Ada Derana 24 built trust. Launched in 2014 as the country’s first 24/7 television news channel, it grew into the most-followed Sri Lankan news brand online. Director of News and Current Affairs Yuwaraj Athukorala shared that the secret to Ada Derana’s success had been discipline and non-interference.
“We have a triple check rule: first check, second check, third check. If there’s any doubt, we drop the story,” he explained. “We’ve never had a stressful, hurried newsroom. We balance speed with authenticity.”
Technology has helped this process greatly. “We went fully automated early on, used cutting-edge American and European tech, and now can confidently say we’ve built the largest news alert service in three languages,” Athukorala noted. “When news breaks, we go to TV, YouTube, Facebook, and our other platforms and push alerts at once. But we still check, check, and check. That’s why people trust us.”
“Our first external audience is the diaspora, but we want to grow into a regional and eventually global news agency,” he said. “We’ve already started partnerships with Reuters and others. The goal is to take Sri Lankan news to the world.”
Crucially, Athukorala explained that Derana’s trust had been maintained by minimal external interference. “I can 100% say there’s no interference from management or any other institution. That’s rare, and it’s why we’ve built credibility.”
Wickramage also spoke on the importance of impartiality, explaining that this had led to challenging times, especially during periods of political volatility. Noting that media freedom had always been maintained, Wickramage noted that this had not always meant that there had been no consequences or pressure exerted on Derana.
“There have been times where advertising from institutions has stopped because of our unbiased reporting, but that is a challenge we have taken on in order to maintain credibility and authenticity,” he said.
Values, patience and reinvestment
Executive Director and Chief Operations Officer (COO) Madhawa Madawala, who has led Derana since its inception, reflected on the early days — limited coverage, borrowed equipment, and a team of a few dozen.
“Private media at the time was fragmented and opinion-driven,” he said. “We wanted a truly national channel, unbiased but rooted in Sri Lankan values. We began with six hours of airtime and Western Province coverage, but realised quickly we had to match others to compete.”
The early years were defined by sacrifice and reinvestment. Salaries were modest and everyone worked long hours. “We used guerrilla methods until we could afford proper systems. Every rupee went back into better studios and transmission. That patience allowed us to grow responsibly,” Madawala said.
Above all, Madawala is proud that Derana has stayed ethical while chasing growth. “From day one, we wanted to be number one, and about seven years ago, we got there. But we did it without losing our value system. Today, everyone considers us the national channel of Sri Lanka. The core value system we built Derana on is why people place their trust in us.”
He sees the future in digital expansion, sharing that Derana will soon be entering the streaming space with Derana Plus. “Derana Plus will let us reach Sri Lankans everywhere. Ada Derana also hopes to become a regional news channel in the near future.”
Marketing a family-first brand
For Director of Sales and Marketing Thushara Perera, Derana’s power comes from a simple brand promise — the refrain of ‘Ape De Rakagena, Aluth De Aragena.’
He believes that clarity has helped Derana thrive in a crowded, digital-heavy market. “Some channels chase social media trends and lose their main audience. We never compromised. Our reality formats are unique because of our production quality and art direction. Others copy, but they can’t replicate the depth.”
Events and specials also keep the brand fresh. “We create spikes with big shows and events to bring in younger viewers while staying safe for families,” he said. “That balance keeps us competitive.”
Looking ahead, Perera sees global growth. “The Sinhala-speaking diaspora is strong. Our next step is to take entertainment and news to them and face digital competition without losing our broadcast core.”
“We’ve gone from one camera to more than 700 staff and islandwide reach, but the core hasn’t changed,” he said. “Every programme has to answer one question: can my family watch this together?”
A recurring theme among all five leaders is culture. Derana has grown from about 30 staff to more than 700, but turnover remains low. Creative freedom and credit matter. “People join Derana and hardly leave,” Perera said. “Work here isn’t just about pay. It’s about the freedom to create and the sense of purpose.”
Madawala echoed this: “We’ve built a company culture that is unique, a culture of care and humanity that credits original ideas and treats people well. Top leaders don’t take credit for others’ work. That culture keeps talent. We always consider humanity when approaching problems and looking after our people, especially when things get tough.”
Looking to the future
Derana’s 20th year isn’t just about looking back. The team is investing in the future.
A new video-on-demand service, Derana Plus, will bring the channel’s library and new shows to global Sri Lankans. Unlike international OTT platforms, it will stay family-friendly but slightly more liberal than free-to-air TV.
Animation, film, and even a gaming division are on the horizon. News aims to become international, with partnerships already in place. Entertainment will keep betting on strong fiction and reality while testing digital-first formats.
The anniversary is also being marked with the Derana Closeup Colombo Music Festival on 25 and 26 October at the Lotus Tower — a mainstream concert on day one, an Electronic Dance Music (EDM) showcase on day two, and free masterclasses in rap, EDM production, and musicianship for aspiring artists.
Wickramage believes the original vision will guide this next phase as strongly as it did the first. “If you can’t watch it with your child or grandparent, it doesn’t belong on our channel,” he said. “That promise built us and will guide us as we go global.”
In an era where media brands chase clicks and trends, Derana’s success has built itself because of its patience, foresight, and clear identity. It started small, survived political turbulence and ad market shocks, and resisted the pull to focus on sensational content, instead building a calm but fast newsroom. It has trained a generation of television professionals and kept families watching together.
“Derana has always been a truly national channel, one that loves this country and its values. When we started Derana, we focused on building a channel that was unbiased and true to our value system while embracing modernity.
“Looking back, we’re really happy because we can call ourselves a national channel. We play the role that Government channels should play. Derana no longer belongs to us. It belongs to the people. That’s the heart of Derana and that’s what will take us into the next 20 years,” said Madawala.