Television in Taiwan

Television channels in the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan.

Digital television

Digital television launched terrestrially throughout Taiwan on 1 July 2004, using the DVB-T system. After years of simulcasting, Taiwan replaced analogue broadcasting with a digital system by 2014. The Republic of China Cabinet approved a measure mandating that all new televisions are to be equipped with a digital television tuner from 2006. The rule applied to TVs measuring between 21 and 29 inches in 2007, and to sets of all sizes in 2008. To assist lower-income families with the switch to digital television, the government provided NT$300 million in aid to purchase converters or for the purchase of new digital televisions. In February 2009, the National Communications Commission proposed amendments to the Cable Television Act; they include mandating cable companies to provide free set-top boxes.

HDTV

High-definition television broadcast was introduced to Taiwanese audiences with the trial run of HiHD, provided by Public Television Service.

Cable television

Cable television is prevalent in Taiwan, as a result of cheap subscription rates (typically around NT$550, or US$15 a month) and the paucity of free-to-air television, which comprises four channels. Programming is mostly in Mandarin and Taiwanese, with some English, Japanese and other foreign-language channels. Miniseries, called Taiwanese drama, are popular and are being exported to markets mainly in East and Southeast Asia, and Latin America, with some dramas available on OTT platforms such as Netflix, YouTube, or Viki. There is a dedicated station for Taiwan's Hakka minority as well as the arrival in 2005 of an aboriginal channel. Almost all programs are in the original language with traditional Chinese subtitles.

List of channels

Main article: List of Chinese-language television channels § _Taiwan

Free-to-air

In Taiwan, there are six nationwide free-to-air television bouquets, as follows:

Name	Free-to-air Channels	Owner	UHF-Channels (DVB-T)	Launch Date (Analog)
China Television (CTV) 中國電視 (中視)	CTV Main Channel (CTV HD), CTV News, CTV Classical, CTV Jing / CTV Bravo,	China Television (CTV) 中國電視公司 (中視)	24 (498 MHz)	31 October 1969 (1969-10-31)
Public Television Service (PTS) 公共電視 (公視)	PTS Main Channel (PTS HD), PTS Taigi	Taiwan Broadcasting System (TBS) 台灣公共廣播電視集團 公共電視文化事業基金會	26 (514 MHz)	1 July 1998 (1998-07-01)
Formosa Television (FTV) 民間全民電視／民視電視 (民視)	FTV Main Channel (FTV HD), MinTV 1, MinTV News, MinTV Taiwan	Formosa Television (FTV) 民間全民電視股份有限公司 民視電視公司 民間全民電視公司	28 (530 MHz)	11 June 1997 (1997-06-11)
Hakka Television Station (Hakka TV) 客家電視 (客視)	PTS3, Hakka TV, TITV	Taiwan Broadcasting System (TBS) 台灣公共廣播電視集團 公共電視文化事業基金會 Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation (IPCF) 原住民族文化事業基金會 公共電視文化事業基金會	30 (546 MHz)	1 July 2003 (2003-07-01)
Taiwan Television (TTV) 台灣電視 (台視)	TTV Main Channel(TTV HD), TTV News, TTV Finance, Taiwan TV	Taiwan Television (TTV) 臺灣電視公司 (台視)	32 (562 MHz)	10 October 1962 (1962-10-10)
Chinese Television System (CTS) 中華電視 (華視)	CTS Main Channel, CTS News, Huashi, Congress Channel 1 & 2	Chinese Television System (CTS) 中華電視公司(華視) 台灣公共廣播電視集團	34 (578 MHz)	31 October 1971 (1971-10-31)

Analog television

Taiwan terminated over-the-air analog broadcasting on 30 June 2012, and the remainder of the analog system ended in 2014, when the analog cable television broadcasts were terminated.

The first 3-free-to-air analogue terrestrial television stations, using the American NTSC system, were launched during the 1960s and 1970s:

• 10 October 1962 at 19:00 TST: 1st free-to-air terrestrial television station Taiwan Television (TTV) on VHF Channel 7 (174.250-MHz) was officially launched and initially broadcasting hours were from 17:00 until 23:00 TST, a total of six hours daily.
• 31 October 1969 at 19:00 TST: 2nd free-to-air terrestrial television station China Television (CTV) on VHF Channel 9 (186.250-MHz) was officially launched and initially broadcasting hours were from 18:00 until 23:00 TST, a total of five hours daily.
• 31 October 1971 at 19:00 TST: 3rd free-to-air terrestrial television station Chinese Television System (CTS) on VHF Channel 11 (198.250-MHz) was officially launched and initially broadcasting hours were from 19:00 until 23:00 TST, a total of four hours daily.

In the late 1990s, two new free-to-air television channels were officially launched:

• Formosa Television (FTV), on 11 June 1997 at 18:00 TST on VHF Channel 5 (82.250-MHz).
• Public Television Service (PTS), on 1 July 1998 at 19:00 TST on UHF Channel 53 (704.250-MHz).

See also

• Media in Taiwan
• List of Taiwanese television series
• List of Taiwanese dramas
• Censorship in Taiwan
• Press Freedom Index