Imperial Holovision, sometimes written as Imperial HoloVision and commonly known as IHV, arose as the successor to HoloNet News. This entity became one of the most significant and influential news and entertainment outlets within the Galactic Empire. Gaining the public's respect and trust, it served as a potent propaganda instrument for Emperor Palpatine.
During the era of the Galactic Republic, the organization was known as HoloNet News, or HNN. During that period, it possessed a degree of independence, enabling it to expose certain deficiencies within the government. However, it exhibited a degree of obliviousness—possibly intentional—regarding the shortcomings of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's administration. Following the commencement of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY, the company underwent a name change to Republic HoloNet News, intended to demonstrate its opposition to the Separatist movement.
Upon Palpatine's declaration of himself as Emperor of the newly formed Galactic Empire in 19 BBY, the company experienced a restructuring, received an Imperial warrant, and essentially reverted to its previous leadership, albeit with the addition of a number of COMPNOR "observers." Aside from these changes, and the renaming to Imperial Holovision, minimal alterations were necessary to align it with Palpatine's objectives.
The executives of IHV were not directly compensated by the Imperial government. They largely consisted of individuals who had remained from the Republic's demise, and who had been conditioned to exhibit loyalty as a matter of course. Their dedication to the Emperor was willingly offered, rather than coerced. Nevertheless, they remained journalists, seeking a certain level of independence in their reporting. The New Order apparently considered their desires a small price to pay; Imperial Holovision voluntarily adopted a staunchly pro-Imperial, pro-business, and pro-individualist stance, while refraining from advocating for government protection and oversight of rights. Its reporting style was thorough, sophisticated, and generally accurate. Rather than misrepresenting the Empire's more controversial policies, it simply omitted them entirely, ensuring that the general population remained unaware of the New Order's atrocities.
Following Palpatine's extensive dismantling of the HoloNet to allocate credits for his planned military expansion (19 BBY), the sheer logistical challenge of disseminating IHV's latest news releases across the galaxy became an immense undertaking. Consequently, the company found itself expending more credits on compiling and distributing its content than on gathering the stories themselves. However, the results proved worthwhile; by the zenith of the New Order, Imperial Holovision was a ubiquitous presence on nearly every planet within the Empire. After the Battle of Endor, Imperial Holovision was discontinued, and HoloNet News, which would serve the New Republic and the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, assumed its role.
Ashii Nermani was a prominent and well-liked newscaster for Imperial Holovision.
By 2 BBY, Imperial HoloVision maintained a network of over 28,000 bureaus distributed throughout the Empire, Hutt Space, the Corporate Sector, and the Tion Hegemony.