Television in Taiwan is primarily in Chinese and English. It is delivered through analog and digital, cable, IPTV, and the Internet.
Digital television launched terrestrially throughout Taiwan on 1 July 2004, using the European DVB-T system. After years of simulcasting, Taiwan replaced American analogue broadcasting system NTSC with a digital system by 2014.[1] 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.[2] 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.[1]
High-definition television broadcast was introduced to Taiwanese audiences with the trial run of HiHD, provided by Public Television Service.[3]
Cable television was legalized in 1993.[4]
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.
In Taiwan, there are six nationwide free-to-air television bouquets, as follows:
| Name | Free-to-air channels | Owner | UHF channels (DVB-T) | Launched | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China Television (CTV) 中國電視 (中視) | CTV Main Channel (CTV HD), CTV News, CTV Classic, CTV Bravo | China Television (CTV) 中國電視公司 (中視) | 24 (533 MHz) | ||
| Public Television Service (PTS) 公共電視 (公視) | PTS Main Channel (PTS HD), PTS Taigi, PTS XS, TaiwanPlus | 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 (545 MHz) | ||
| Formosa Television (FTV) 民間全民電視／民視電視 (民視) | FTV Main Channel (FTV HD), FTV One, FTV News, FTV 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 (557 MHz) | ||
| Hakka Television Station (Hakka TV) 客家電視 (客視) | 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 | 30 (569 MHz) | ||
| Taiwan Television (TTV) 台灣電視 (台視) | TTV Main Channel (TTV HD), TTV News, TTV Finance, TTV Variety | Taiwan Television (TTV) 臺灣電視公司 (台視) | 32 (581 MHz) | ||
| Chinese Television System (CTS) 中華電視 (華視) | CTS Main Channel (CTS HD), CTS News & Info, CTS Education, Sports & Culture, Parliamentary TV 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 (593 MHz) |
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 three free-to-air analogue terrestrial television stations, using the American NTSC system, were launched during the 1960s and 1970s:
These three are collectively known as the Old Three stations.
In the late 1990s, two new free-to-air television channels were officially launched: