List of television stations in Hong Kong
There are four active free-to-air television networks in Hong Kong.
Of the four networks, only TVB, HKTVE and FTV operate English language channels.
There are also a number of cable, premium, and subscription television services. Currently, there is not any free-to-air television licence applicant.
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, and then in 2014 deferred again to 2020.
Free-to-air television licencees
- Television Broadcasts Limited
- Radio Television Hong Kong
- HK Television Entertainment
- Fantastic Television Limited
Former licence applicants
- New Asia Network Limited, parent company Forever Top Limited abandoned the application, following its acquisition of Cable TV Hong Kong and its subsidiary, Fantastic Television, which is a free television provider.
- Phoenix Hong Kong Television Limited, parent company Phoenix Television announced its decision to rescind the application on 18 August 2017.
- Hong Kong Television Network – 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.
Licence expired
- Asia Television Limited
- Commercial Television
Free-to-air television channels
Channels currently on-air
Ch № | Name | Name | Channel content | Primary language | Picture Format | Transmission | Launch Date | Launch Date | Analogue Switchoff Date | Licensee |
31 | RTHK TV 31 RTHK TV 31A | 港台電視31 港台電視31A | RTHK's main channel. | Cantonese | HDTV SDTV | Terrestrial | 2 April 2016 | 13 January 2014 | 1 December 2020 | RTHK |
32 | RTHK TV 32 | 港台電視32 | A live feed of Legislative Council meetings every Wednesday and other important press conferences or events. | Cantonese | HDTV | Terrestrial | 13 January 2014 | RTHK | ||
33 | RTHK TV 33 RTHK TV 33A | 港台電視33 港台電視33A | Simulcast of the Hong Kong version of CCTV-1 HD | Putonghua | HDTV SDTV | Terrestrial | 2 April 2016 | 13 January 2014 | 1 December 2020 | RTHK |
76 | Hong Kong International Business Channel | 香港國際財經台 | Fantastic TV's business news channel | English | HDTV SDTV | Hybrid fibre-coaxial and Cable | 30 July 2018 | FTV | ||
77 | Hong Kong Open TV | 香港開電視 | Fantastic TV's general entertainment channel. | Cantonese | HDTV SDTV | Hybrid fibre-coaxial and Cable | 14 May 2017 | 14 May 2017 | FTV | |
81 | TVB Jade | 無線電視翡翠台 | TVB's main general entertainment channel. | Cantonese | HDTV SDTV | Terrestrial | 19 November 1967 | 31 December 2007 | 1 December 2020 | TVB |
82 | TVB J2 | A youth-oriented entertainment channel. | Cantonese | HDTV | Terrestrial | 28 January 2008 | TVB | |||
TVB News Channel | 無線新聞台 | A 24-hour news channel. | Cantonese | HDTV | Terrestrial | 15 August 2017 | TVB | |||
84 | TVB Pearl | 無線電視明珠台 | A general entertainment channel broadcasting mainly in English. | English | HDTV SDTV | Terrestrial | 19 November 1967 | 31 December 2007 | 1 December 2020 | TVB |
85 | TVB Finance & Information Channel | 無綫財經·資訊台 | A 24-hour free high definition business news channel in Hong Kong. | Cantonese | HDTV | Terrestrial | 15 August 2017 | TVB | ||
96 | A general entertainment channel broadcasting in mainly in English. | English | HDTV | Terrestrial and IPTV | 31 March 2017 | HKTVE | ||||
99 | ViuTV | HKTVE's general entertainment channel. | Cantonese | HDTV | Terrestrial and IPTV | 2 April 2016 6 April 2016 | HKTVE |
Defunct channels
Additional channels
Operative services
Hong Kong uses the same Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast 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 channels and CCTV-1, a subsidiary of China Central Television, viewers outside of certain confines
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
- Cable TV Hong Kong
- Now TV
- Phoenix Satellite Television