List of television stations in Hong Kong

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In Hong Kong, as of April 2016, there are three active free-to-air terrestrial television networks: Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), and HK Television Entertainment (HKTVE).

Of the three networks, only TVB operates an English channel in its own right.

There are also a number of cable, premium, and subscription television services. Currently, there is one television license applicant that has been granted a provisional approval of its application, and two applicants whose application is under review.

Since 2007, both free-to-air television broadcasters in Hong Kong have been allocated extra frequency bands and bandwidth to provide additional digital broadcasts over and above that needed to provide simultaneous digital and analogue broadcasting of the four original multi frequency free-to-air channels. Digital broadcasts began on 31 December 2007. Analogue broadcasts were originally slated to end in 2012, but in 2011 was deferred to 2015,[1] and then in 2014 deferred again to 2020.[2]

Free-to-air television licensees

Currently in operation

License granted

License applicants

License expired

Free-to-air television channels

Channels currently on-air

Ch № Name (English) Name (Chinese) Channel content Transmission Format Launch Date (Analogue) Launch Date (Digital) Analogue Switchoff Date Licence
21 (A); 81 (D) TVB Jade 無線電視翡翠台 TVB's main Chinese (Cantonese) channel. Analog & Digital SDTV (Analog)
HDTV (Digital)		 19 November 1967 31 December 2007 2020 TVB
25 (A); 84 (D) TVB Pearl 無線電視明珠台 TVB's English channel. 19 November 1967 31 December 2007
23 (A); 31 (D) RTHK 31 (Digital)
RTHK 31A (Analog)		 港台電視31 (Digital)
港台電視31A (Analog)		 RTHK's main Chinese (Cantonese) channel. 2 April 2016[3] 13 January 2014
(trial transmission)		 2020 RTHK
32 (D) RTHK 32 港台電視32 A live feed of Legislative Council meetings every Wednesday and other important press conferences. Digital HDTV [4] 13 January 2014
(trial transmission)		 [4]
27 (A); 33 (D) RTHK 33 (Digital)
RTHK 33A (Analog)		 港台電視33 (Digital)
港台電視33A (Analog)		 Simulcast of CCTV-9. A documentary channel broadcasting 24 hours a day in English & Mandarin. Analog & Digital SDTV (Analog)
HDTV (Digital)		 2 April 2016[3] 13 January 2014
(trial transmission)		 2020
82 TVB J2 [5] A youth-oriented channel broadcasting in Cantonese. Digital HDTV [4] 28 January 2008 [4] TVB
83 TVB iNews 無線電視互動新聞台 A 24-hour news channel broadcasting in Cantonese. 11 November 2008
85 TVB J5 [6] A high definition channel broadcasting in Cantonese. 22 February 2016[7]
99 ViuTV [8] HKTVE's main Chinese (Cantonese) channel. 2 April 2016 (Programming Preview)
6 April 2016 (Actual Launch Date)		 HKTVE

Planned channels

Name (English) Name (Chinese) Channel content Transmission Format Launch Date Licence
To Be Announced HKTVE's main English channel[9] Digital To Be Announced On or before 31 March 2017[9] HKTVE
Fantastic Television's main Chinese channel[10] Hybrid fibre-coaxial[10] By 31 May 2017[10] Fantastic Television
Fantastic Television's main English channel[10] By 32 May 2018[10]

Channels proposed by license applicants

Name (English) Name (Chinese) Channel content Transmission Format Proposed Launch Date Applicant
To Be Announced Main Chinese channel for HKTV[11] Digital and Hybrid fibre-coaxial HDTV[11] Within 9 months after license approval[11] HKTV
Main English channel for HKTV[11] SDTV[11] Within 24 months after license approval[11]
HKTVnews 香港新聞台 News channel for HKTV[11]
New Asia Network[12] 新亞高清台[13] Chinese channel targeting a general audience[12] Digital[12] HDTV[12] Within 6 months after licence approval, if station manages to take over assets currently owned by Asia Television, or within 9 months after licence approval, by hiring another studio[12] Forever Top (Asia) Limited[12]
New Asia International[12] 新亞國際台[13] English channel targeting the non-Chinese speaking audience[12] SDTV[12]
New Asia Sports[12] 新亞體育台[13] Sports channel, to be broadcast in Chinese Within another 3 months after New Asia Network and New Asia International's start of broadcasting[12]

Defunct channels

Channel Name (English) Channel Name (Chinese) Primary Language Began Operation Ceased Operation Channel № (Analog) Channel № (Digital) Means of Transmission Note
Commercial Television 佳藝電視 Cantonese 7 September 1975 22 August 1978 29 [14] Terrestrial, free-to-air 3rd free-to-air terrestrial television station.
Rediffusion Television (1957-1963)[15]
Rediffusion Television English Channel

(1963-1973)[15]

 麗的電視
(1957-1963)[15]
麗的電視英文台 (1963-1973)[15]		 Primary: English[15]
Secondary: Cantonese[15]		 29 May 1957[15] 1973 (conversion to free-to-air television)[15] [16] [14] Subscription-based Cable RTV's main channel.
Later became Rediffusion's English channel, eventually converted to a free-to-air television station.
Rediffusion Television Chinese Channel 麗的電視中文台 Cantonese 30 September 1963 31 October 1973 [16] [14] RTV's main Chinese channel.
Became free-to-air channel RTV-1 (麗的第一台) on 1 December 1973.
RTV-1 (1973-1982)
ATV Chinese (1982-1987)
ATV Gold (1987-1989)
ATV Home (1989-2016)		 麗的第一台 (1973-1982)
亞洲電視中文台 (1982-1987)
亞洲電視黃金台 (1987-1989)
亞洲電視本港台 (1989-2016)		 1 December 1973 2 April 2016 23 11 (2007-2016) Terrestrial (Analog:

1973-2016
Digital:

2007-2016)

 RTV, and later ATV's main Chinese channel.
Changed station identity multiple times since 1973.
RTV-2 (1973-1982)
ATV English (1982-1987)
ATV Diamond (1987-1989)
ATV World (1989-2016)		 麗的第二台 (1973-1982)
亞洲電視英文台 (1982-1987)
亞洲電視鑽石台 (1987-1989)
亞洲電視國際台 (1989-2016)		 English 27 16 (2007-2016) RTV, and later ATV's main English channel.
Changed station identity multiple times since 1973.
ATV News & Business 亞洲電視新聞財經頻道 Cantonese 21 November 2007 1 April 2009 [4] 12 Digital News channel.
ATV His 亞洲電視動感資訊頻道 2 December 2007 [4] 13 Male-oriented channel.
ATV Her 亞洲電視魅力資訊頻道 [4] 14 Female-oriented channel.
ATV Plus 亞洲電視文化資訊頻道 [4] 15 Documentary channel.
CCTV-4 中國中央電視台中文國際頻道 Mandarin Chinese 1 April 2009 1 March 2011 [4] 15 Simulcast of content by China Central Television.
CTi International 中天亞洲台 1 April 2011 [4] 14 Simulcast of content by Chung T'ien Television.
ATV HDTV 亞洲電視高清頻道 Cantonese 31 December 2007 1 April 2009 [4] 19 High definition channel.
ATV HD 亞洲高清台 1 April 2009 2 May 2011 [4] 19 High definition channel.
CCTV-1 中國中央電視台綜合頻道 1 March 2011 2 April 2016 [4] 15 Simulcast of content by China Central Television.
ATV Classic 歲月留聲 31 December 2012 4 April 2016 [4] 13 Replay of past ATV classics.
TVS-2 南方電視台衛星頻道 1 October 2009 1 October 2012 [4] 13 Simulcast of content by Southern Media Corporation.
TVB HD Jade 高清翡翠台 31 December 2007 21 February 2016 [4] 85 TVB's High definition channel.
Ceased simulcast transmission with TVB Jade on 22 February 2016. Channel space taken up by J5.

Additional channels

Operative services

Hong Kong uses the same Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast (DMB-T/H) standard as Macau and Guangdong Province and, because of signal overspill, viewers in Hong Kong can receive and watch all free to air channels from these areas without much difficulty.

However, because of licensing and intellectual property reasons, except for the four local free-to-air channels and CCTV-1, a subsidiary of China Central Television (CCTV), viewers outside of certain confines [17] are not legally allowed to watch these channels.

Residential subscribers to cable premium and subscription services are free to use these services within certain confines, usually within their own homes, and under the terms and conditions of their service provider. Other contracts deal with the provision of services to non-domestic properties, e.g. premium sport content to bars.

On-demand stations

References and notes

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 RTHK took over Asia Television's two analog television channels, namely, the frequency that was formerly occupied by ATV Home and ATV World.
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 This channel has never launched an analog television service
  5. ↑ J2 has no Chinese name. It is referred to as "J2", with the "2" pronounced "two", in both English and Chinese parlance.
  6. ↑ J5 has no Chinese name. It is referred to as "J5", with the "5" pronounced "five", in both English and Chinese parlance.
  7. ↑ Took over the frequency formerly occupied by HD Jade.
  8. ↑ viuTV has no Chinese name. It is referred to as "viuTV" in both English and Chinese parlance.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 http://www.coms-auth.hk/filemanager/tc/content_713/appx_20160119a_c.pdf
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201605/31/P201605310562.htm
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 [1]
  12. ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 [2]
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 [3]
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 This channel ceased broadcasting before the advent of digital television.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 This channel was not broadcast on terrestrial television
  17. ↑ government offices and statutory bodies; consulates-general and officially recognised bodies; guest houses and hotels ranked with four stars or above that receive foreign guests; apartment buildings exclusively for office and residential use by persons from abroad; clubs exclusively serving persons from abroad; residential use by the family which included the person(s) directly employed by or retired from the following stipulated confines, such as: departments and related organisations of the government of the HKSAR, office and branches of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong, consulates-general and officially recognised bodies, MTR Corporation.
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