It also produces Taiwanese drama that are broadcast on free-to-air channels like Taiwan Television (TTV).

In terms of political orientation, Sanlih leans heavily towards the Pan-Green Coalition.

The Sanlih media group was founded by Lin Kun-hai, his wife Lin Chang-Hsiu, and her brother Chang Rong-hua in 1983, producing videos of Taiwanese Hokkien music and variety programs with entertainers such as Chu Ke-liang.

[1][2] Sanlih quickly became successful as broadcasting restrictions during the martial law period limited the usage of non-Mandarin languages on television.

[1][3] To appeal to a broader, national base, Sanlih launched the Mandarin-language City Channel in 1996 and rebranded to SET-N (standing for "national" and "news") in 1997, helping it secure funding from political advertisements during the elections held in both years as multiparty democracy became a reality in Taiwan.