List of television stations in Hong Kong explained

There are four active free-to-air television networks and one remaining licensed pay television network in Hong Kong. There is also a number of online subscription television services.

Currently, there are no new applicants for free-to-air or pay-tv licences.

In 2007, free-to-air television broadcasters in Hong Kong were 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 terrestrial broadcasts began on 31 December 2007. Analogue terrestrial television ended in 2020.^[1]

Free-to-air television

In operation

• Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB; Chinese: 無綫電視)
• Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK; Chinese: 港台電視)
• HK Television Entertainment (HKTVE; Chinese: 香港電視娛樂)
• Fantastic Television Limited (FTV; Chinese: 奇妙電視)

Former licensees

• Asia Television (ATV; Chinese: 亞洲電視. Non-renewal announced in 2015. Ceased operation in 2016)
• Commercial Television (CTV; Chinese: 佳藝電視. Ceased operation in 1978)

Former licence applicants

• New Asia Network (NAN; Chinese: 新亞電視台), parent company Forever Top (Asia) Limited abandoned the application, following its acquisition of Cable TV Hong Kong and its subsidiary, Fantastic Television, which is a free television provider.^[2]
• Phoenix Hong Kong Television (PHKTV, Chinese: 鳳凰香港電視), parent company Phoenix Television announced its decision to rescind the application on 18 August 2017.^[3]
• Hong Kong Television Network (HKTV; Chinese: 香港電視網絡) – 2nd time applicant. First application was rejected in 2013. Mobile television licence that restricts in-home viewing granted in 2017. Gave up the application in 2018.^[4]

Licensed pay television

In operation

• Now TV

Former licensees

• Cable TV Hong Kong
• TVB Network Vision

Free-to-air television channels

Channels currently on-air

Channels telecasted by licensees

Ch №	Name in English	Name in Chinese	Description	Primary Language	Picture Format	Transmission	Launch Date	Licensee
31	RTHK TV 31	Chinese: 港台電視31	RTHK's main channel.	Cantonese	1080i HDTV	Terrestrial and hybrid fibre-coaxial	13 January 2014	RTHK^[5]
32	RTHK TV 32	Chinese: 港台電視32	A live feed of Legislative Council meetings every Wednesday and other important press conferences or events.
33	RTHK TV 33	Chinese: 港台電視33	Simulcast of the Hong Kong version of CCTV-1 HD	Putonghua
34	RTHK TV 34	Chinese: 港台電視34	Simulcast of content by CGTN Documentary	English			1 July 2022
35	RTHK TV 35	Chinese: 港台電視35	Simulcast of content by CGTN				1 July 2023
76	HOY International Business Channel	Chinese: HOY國際財經台	HOY TV's business news channel	English	1080i HDTV	Hybrid fibre-coaxial, cable and terrestrial	30 July 2018^[6]	FTV
77	HOY TV	HOY TV	HOY TV's general entertainment channel.	Cantonese			14 May 2017
78	HOY Infotainment	HOY 資訊台	A 24-hour news, financial and infotainment channel.				21 Nov 2022
81	TVB Jade	Chinese: 翡翠台	TVB's main general entertainment channel.	Cantonese	1080i HDTV	Terrestrial	19 November 1967	TVB
82	TVB J2	^[7]	A youth-oriented entertainment channel.				28 January 2008
	TVB News Channel	Chinese: 無綫新聞台	A 24-hour news channel.				15 August 2017
84	TVB Pearl	Chinese: 明珠台	A general entertainment channel broadcasting mainly in English.	English			19 November 1967
85	Phoenix Hong Kong Channel^[8]	Chinese: 鳳凰衛視 香港台	To serve Chinese viewers in Hong Kong	Cantonese and Potounghua			^[9] 28 March 2011
96		^[10]	A general entertainment channel broadcasting mainly in English.	English	1080i HDTV	IPTV and terrestrial	31 March 2017	HKTVE
99	ViuTV	^[11]	HKTVE's general entertainment channel.	Cantonese			2 April 2016 6 April 2016

Defunct channels

Channel № (Digital)	Channel № (Analogue)	Name (English)	Name (Chinese)	Channel content	Primary language	Began operation (Digital)	Began operation (Analogue)	Ceased operation	Means of Transmission	Licence	Note
^[12]	29	Commercial Television	Chinese: 佳藝電視	A general entertainment channel with prime time educational programming. It was the territory's 3rd free-to-air terrestrial television station.	Cantonese		7 September 1975	22 August 1978	Terrestrial, free-to-air	Commercial Television
^[13]		Rediffusion Television (1957–1963)^[14] Rediffusion Television English Channel(1963–1973)	Chinese: 麗的電視 (1957–1963) Chinese: 麗的電視英文台 (1963–1973)	RTV's main channel. Later became Rediffusion's English channel.	Primary: English Secondary: Cantonese		29 May 1957	1973	Subscription-based Cable	Rediffusion Television	Converted to a free-to-air television station.
		Rediffusion Television Chinese Channel	Chinese: 麗的電視中文台	RTV's main Chinese channel	Cantonese		30 September 1963	31 October 1973			Became free-to-air channel RTV-1
11	23	RTV-1 (1973–1982) ATV Chinese (1982–1987) ATV Gold (1987–1989) ATV Home (1989–2016) ATV A1 (2017-2022)	Chinese: 麗的第一台 (1973–1982) Chinese: 亞洲電視中文台 (1982–1988) Chinese: 亞洲電視黃金台 (1989-2016) Chinese: 亞洲電視本港台 (2017-2022) Chinese: 亞洲電視A1台	RTV, and later ATV's main Chinese channel.		31 December 2007	1 December 1973	2 April 2016	Terrestrial, free-to-air	RTV (later ATV)	Station changed identity multiple times since 1973.
16	27	RTV-2 (1973–1982) ATV English (1982–1987) ATV Diamond (1987–1989) ATV World (1989–2016)	Chinese: 麗的第二台 (1973–1982) Chinese: 亞洲電視英文台 (1982–1987) Chinese: 亞洲電視鑽石台 (1987–1989) Chinese: 亞洲電視國際台 (1989–2016)	RTV, and later ATV's main English channel.	English
12	^[15]	ATV News & Business	Chinese: 亞洲電視新聞財經頻道	News channel.	Cantonese			1 April 2009		ATV
13		ATV His	Chinese: 亞洲電視動感資訊頻道	Male-oriented channel.
14		ATV Her	Chinese: 亞洲電視魅力資訊頻道	Female-oriented channel.
15		ATV Plus	Chinese: 亞洲電視文化資訊頻道	Documentary channel.
15		CCTV-4	Chinese: 中國中央電視台中文國際頻道	Simulcast of content by CCTV-4.	Mandarin Chinese	1 April 2009		1 March 2011
14		CTi International	Chinese: 中天亞洲台	Simulcast of content by Chung T'ien Television.				1 April 2011
19		ATV HDTV	Chinese: 亞洲電視高清頻道	High definition general entertainment channel.	Cantonese	31 December 2007		1 April 2009
19		ATV Asia	Chinese: 亞洲電視亞洲台			1 April 2009		2 May 2011
15		CCTV-1	Chinese: 中國中央電視台綜合頻道	Simulcast of content by China Central Television.	Mandarin Chinese	1 March 2011		2 April 2016
13		ATV Classic	Chinese: 歲月留聲	Replay of past ATV classics.	Cantonese	31 December 2012
13		TVS-2	Chinese: 南方電視台衛星頻道	Simulcast of content by Southern Media Corporation.	Mandarin Chinese	1 October 2009		1 October 2012
85		TVB HD Jade	Chinese: 無線電視高清翡翠台	High definition general entertainment channel.	Cantonese	31 December 2007		22 February 2016, 2:59 am		TVB	Cease simulcast transmission with TVB Jade & replace by J5.
85		TVB J5	^[16]	A high definition channel focusing on financial news and documentaries.		22 February 2016		15 August 2017, 6:00 am			Stopped showing variety shows and drama since 8 May 2017 and replace by TVB Finance Channel.

Additional channels

Operative services

Hong Kong uses the same Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast (DMB-T/H) standard as Macau and Guangdong 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 networks 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.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Working target for analogue switch-off changed to 2020. . 9 December 2014. Government of Hong Kong. 3 April 2015.
2. Web site: CA Grants Formal Approval for Forever Top's Shareholding in i-CABLE. Communications Authority. 16 September 2017. 12 September 2017.
3. Web site: zh:有關撤回香港本地免費電視服務牌照申請 (In regards to the rescinding of the application for a local free-to-air television license in Hong Kong). http://www.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/SEHK/2017/0818/LTN20170818609_C.pdf. 16 September 2017. Chinese. 18 August 2017.
4. Web site: Communications Authority Press Release (July). Communications Authority. 16 September 2017. 13 July 2017.
5. RTHK is the public broadcaster in Hong Kong which is not required to have a licence.
6. Web site: Free TV licence for Fantastic TV granted.
7. J2 has no Chinese name. It is referred to as "J2", with the "2" pronounced "two", in both English and Chinese parlance.
8. https://www.hk01.com/%E5%A8%9B%E6%A8%82/104259/J5%E5%8F%B0%E5%B0%87%E6%94%B9%E5%90%8D-%E7%84%A1%E7%B6%AB%E8%B2%A1%E7%B6%93%E5%8F%B0-%E5%8A%9B%E6%92%BC%E6%9C%89%E7%B7%9Anow%E8%B2%A1%E7%B6%93%E5%8F%B0%E6%90%B6%E6%94%B6%E8%A6%96 accessdate=2017年7月13日
9. Took over the frequency formerly occupied by HD Jade and TVB Finance, Sports & Information Channel
10. ViuTVsix has no Chinese name.
11. ViuTV has no Chinese name. It is referred to as "ViuTV" in both English and Chinese parlance.
12. This channel ceased broadcasting before the advent of digital television.
13. This channel was not broadcast on terrestrial television
14. Web site: zh:由麗的到亞視 一個電視台的終結 (From Rediffusion To ATV The End of a Television Station). https://atv.thestandnews.com/. Standnews. 5 April 2016.
15. This channel has never launched an analogue television service.
16. J5 has no Chinese name. It is referred to as "J5", with the "5" pronounced "five", in both English and Chinese parlance.
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.