The advent of transnational satellite television in the early 1990s caught Asian governments,broadcasters, advertisers and consumers unawares. Its popularity spurred a vigorous debate among the intelligentsia of Asia which centred on issues of the globalisation of culture in
general and of television in particular, and to a lesser extent on the globalisation of business and of advertising. Using a multi-media approach including key-informant interviews, secondary data on audiences, and content analysis of advertising, this comprehensive research describes and analyses the salient aspects of the impact of transnational satellite television on the television and advertising industries in Asia, focussing on Indonesia, India and China.