1953–1992: Czechoslovak Television Founded on 1 May 1953,
Czechoslovak Television (
ČST) was the state television broadcaster of
Czechoslovakia used as a
state propaganda medium of the then
socialist state. It was known by three names over its lifetime: , (until 1990), and (from 1990 until 1992). ČST originally consisted of a single channel and limited experimental broadcasting in 1953. Regular broadcasts began on 25 February 1954 and on 10 May 1970, a second channel was launched. The broadcast language of ČST was predominantly Czech in the first channel, Slovak for selected programming, and both for news. The second channel was split into two, broadcasting various "national" language programming in the two parts of the country. The main headquarters of ČST was located in
Prague, but it also had main studios in
Bratislava,
Košice,
Ostrava and
Brno. The first public broadcast was a short performance by
František Filipovský (1907–1993) on 1 May 1953. On 11 February 1955, the first live broadcast took place, which was an ice hockey match from Prague. Like all other media in
communist Czechoslovakia, the station was subject to heavy
censorship. However, as part of the process of social liberation in 1968, ČST aired broadcasts about the
Prague Spring for a few days. However, in 1969, it became part of the
normalization efforts of the national media. On 10 May 1970, Czechoslovak Television began broadcasting a second channel, ČST TV2. Further technical improvements were made on 9 May 1973, when the first regular broadcasts in colour started on TV2, followed two years later by colour transmission on the first channel as well. At the end of the decade, in 1979, a building and a studio based in
Prague's were opened, which became the home of ČST's news department. In May 1988, a
teletext service was introduced. After November 1989, lineup changes were made, with the first channel renamed F1 for the federal district, and the second channel being split into the Czech ČTV and the Slovak S1, the first such division of channels by ČST. A third channel for Czech audiences, previously used by Soviet broadcasting, was launched on 14 May 1990, called OK3 (, ). A replacement channel for Slovak audiences called
TA3 was created on 6 June 1991 (broadcasting from August 1991 until July 1992). During the
Velvet Revolution, ČST staff very quickly joined the side of the protesters and allowed them to spread important messages and broadcasts of the demonstrations. ČST ended its broadcasts with the
dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, with two public television stations established in its place:
Česká televize and
Slovenská televízia, both successors of ČST. ČST disappeared along with
Czechoslovakia on 31 December 1992.
Czech Television Czech Television was established by the Czech Television Act of the Czech National Council (Act No. 483/1991 Coll.) on 1 January 1992, as a public television service for the citizens of the Czech Republic, with property transferred from
Czechoslovak Television. On 1 January 1993, a new concept of channels broadcast by Czech Television was introduced, which were renamed
ČT1 (formerly
ČTV),
ČT2 (formerly F1), and
ČT3 (formerly
OK3). On 3 February 1994, Czech Television freed up one of the nationwide broadcast channels in accordance with the law; starting 4 February 1994, Czech Television was left with two channels, ČT1 and ČT2. In 2005, the news channel
ČT24 and the following year,
ČT Sport were launched alongside new logos on 1 October. In 2013, the broadcaster added two new channels,
ČT :D (children's) and
ČT art (arts/culture). In April 2020,
ČT3, targeting the older generation, was relaunched. It was subsequently discontinued on 1 January 2023. As of 31 December 2019, Czech Television employed 3,005 people and was one of the largest employers in the film and arts sector in the Czech Republic. ==Channels==