DTT broadcasting systems by country Asia Afghanistan Afghanistan introduced digital terrestrial television in 2014, beginning with test transmissions in
Kabul on four
UHF channels in June. Official
DVB-T2 broadcasts were launched on 31 August of that year. The initial rollout used
GatesAir transmission equipment. As of 2025, digital service is only available in limited areas and analog broadcasts remain widespread. No formal transition plan has been announced.
Bangladesh Bangladesh launched its first DTT service on 23 February 2026 using
ISDB-T/
MPEG-4 with GS Group as the service provider. The DTT service is branded as
RealVU, and its launch was carried out in partnership with
Beximco. GS Group acts as a supplier and integrator of its in-house hardware and software solutions for the operator in accordance with modern digital television standards
RealVU provides more than 100 TV channels in both SD and HD.The digital TV set-top boxes developed by GS Group offer functions such as PVR, time-shifting, and an EPG.
India India adopted the
DVB-T standard in 1999, with initial broadcasts by
Doordarshan beginning on 26 January 2003 in
Delhi,
Mumbai, and other major cities. Analog transmission was discontinued in 2018-2023. Private broadcasters are not permitted to use over-the-air platforms and instead must rely on MVPD and
OTT services for distribution. The network was later upgraded to
DVB-T2 and
DVB-H, with over 190 high-power and 400 low-power transmitters approved for deployment by 2017. As of 2025, Doordarshan continues to operate DVB-T2 services in 16 cities, including the four major metros. The platform offers free-to-air access to
DD National,
DD News,
DD Bharati,
DD Sports, and regional channels. Reception is supported via compatible televisions and mobile devices equipped with DVB-T2 tuners or
dongles.
Israel Israel completed its digital switchover in March 2011, becoming the first country in the
Middle East to discontinue analog television. The
Idan Plus platform, operated by the
Second Authority for Television and Radio, provides six
SD channels, two
HD channels from the
Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (
Kan 11 and
Makan 33), and roughly 30 national and regional radio stations. As of 2025, the system remains in operation using
DVB-T and
DVB-T2 standards.
Legislative changes in 2024 and 2025 expanded the number of available channels and modified regulatory oversight. These reforms included exemptions from distribution fees for commercial broadcasters and proposals to restructure or privatize
public broadcasting. Technical upgrades in early 2025 required viewers to adopt DVB-T2 capable devices.
Japan aimed at the
Tokyo Tower and a
local mux before the
Tokyo Skytree opened. Japan completed its nationwide transition from analog to digital terrestrial television (DTT) on 24 July 2011, becoming the first Asian country to do so. The
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIAC) and the
DPA set specifications for "simplified DTT
tuners" priced under 5,000 yen on 25 December 2007 to facilitate the transition and prevent the disposal of analog-only TV sets. MIAC estimated that up to 14 million traditional analog TV sets would remain in use after the complete transition. On 20 December 2007, the
Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association introduced the Dubbing 10
digital right management system for DTT broadcasting, allowing viewers to copy entire programs up to nine times, with one final transferable copy. The system launched on 4 July 2008 after negotiations with the
Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers. By March 2008, the DPA reported 32.7 million
ISDB-T-capable television sets in
Japan, excluding mobile
1seg units, and MIAC reported that 43.7% of households owned DTT compatible receivers, up from 27.8% a year earlier. Full coverage was projected by April 2011. On 3 September 2009, MIAC announced a tender to procure 5,000–8,000 simplified DTT tuners with remote controls for a city-wide analog-to-digital transition test in
Suzu, Ishikawa to be delivered by the end of November. Based on this rehearsal, analog transmissions in Suzu and parts of
Noto were suspended for 48 hours between noon on 22 January 2010 and noon on 24 January 2010. On 24 July 2010, at noon, analog broadcasts ended in Suzu and parts of Noto (about 8,800 homes) ahead of the national switchover scheduled for 24 July 2011; MIAC monitored the test to identify transition issues. As of late 2025, Japan's digital terrestrial television (DTT) system is fully operational, providing nationwide coverage. Over-the-air broadcasts remain popular for reaching audiences, offering news, entertainment, and
emergency information.
Ultra High Definition (UHD) programming is also available over DTT, allowing viewers to access high-resolution content without
internet streaming.
Malaysia Malaysia began its transition to DTV in January 2014 and was completed in October 2019. The service is operated by MYTV Broadcasting under the
myFreeview brand and regulated by the
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). As of 2025, myFreeview offers 15 free television channels and six radio stations nationwide. Reception is available via
DVB-T2 set-top boxes or digital TVs. The platform remains the country's only free-to-air OTA service, with
satellite and
IPTV dominating commercial broadcasting. The MCMC has also launched initiatives to modernize broadcast infrastructure, though no major changes have been implemented since the 2019 transition.
Maldives The
Maldives has chosen the Japanese-Brazilian standard
ISDB-Tb.
Philippines The Philippines began its transition to digital terrestrial television (DTT) in 2010 when the
National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) announced the adoption of the Japanese
ISDB-T International standard. The first fully operational digital TV channel was
Channel 49, operated by the religious group
Iglesia ni Cristo.
Set-top box (
tuner) with
remote control On 11 February 2015,
ABS-CBN launched
ABS-CBN TV Plus, also known as the "Mahiwagang Blackbox." The digital TV box was initially distributed to viewers of ABS-CBN Channel 2,
DZMM, and
DZMM TeleRadyo. Digital television transition began on 28 February 2017, with
DZOZ-TV of
ZOE Broadcasting Network being the first station to permanently shut down analog terrestrial transmissions. The NTC initially aimed to complete the analog switch-off by 2023, but the deadline was extended to 2025 for
Mega Manila and 2026 for other regions. Other broadcasters also launched digital services.
Solar Entertainment Corporation introduced
Easy TV in May 2018, which ceased operations in September 2019.
GMA Network launched the
GMA Affordabox in October 2020 and introduced two sub-channels,
Heart of Asia Channel and
Hallypop.
TV5 Network, Inc. launched
Sulit TV in September 2021, featuring TV5,
One Sports, and
RPTV. As of 2025, the NTC continues to oversee the transition from analog to digital terrestrial television, with ongoing efforts to complete the analog switch-off in Mega Manila and nationwide..
Singapore Singapore adopted the DVB-T2 standard in 2012, with monopoly
Free-to-air broadcaster Mediacorp offering all seven of its services via DTT in 2013. Mediacorp ended analogue television service shortly after midnight on 2 January 2019.
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka has chosen the Japanese-Brazilian standard
ISDB-Tb.
Thailand In 2005, the Ministry of Information announced a plan to digitalize nationwide free-to-air television broadcasts led by
MCOT. Trial broadcasts ran from December 2000 to May 2001 with 1,000 households in the
Bangkok Metropolitan Area. According to the Deputy Minister of Information, the trial received very positive feedback Information Minister Sontaya Kunplome said full digitization would complete by 2012 as part of a three-year restructuring plan. Once equipped with a
Set-top box or
iDTV set, each household could receive up to 19 channels with seven from MCOT and the remainder from private broadcasters such as
Channel 3. The final analogue service, Channel 3, ceased transmission on 26 March 2020. As of mid-2025, Thailand's digital terrestrial television platform is fully operational in all provinces, with over 98% of households receiving digital signals via set-top boxes or digital televisions. The Association of Digital Television Broadcasting urged the NBTC to expedite decisions on multiplex capacity and migration to
DVB-T2 to accommodate
4K services and interactive features. In response, the NBTC convened a focus-group session in May 2025 to gather industry and consumer input before publishing the draft roadmap in the third quarter of 2025. Continued viewership growth has prompted DTT operators to offer additional services, ranging from enhanced emergency alert systems to expanded
mobile streaming and broadcast
datacasting, as they seek to stabilize revenues ahead of license auction discussions in 2028.
Oceania Australia Digital terrestrial television was introduced in Australia in January 2001 using the
DVB-T standard. The transition from analog
PAL broadcasts was completed nationwide on 10 December 2013.
Freeview Australia coordinates and distributes
over-the-air digital TV across the country. The platform also operates a free
OTT service and
mobile apps under the
FreeviewPlus and On Demand TV branding. As of 2025, DVB-T remains the operational standard, though
DVB-T2 migration planning is underway. Limited
4K trials have been conducted in select markets, but no formal launch has taken place.
New Zealand New Zealand launched its
DVB-T based digital terrestrial television broadcasts in April 2008. The full transition from
analog modulation was completed by December 2013, following a staged regional switch-off.
Freeview provides the country's free-to-air digital platform. Unlike Australia's OTA only system, New Zealand's Freeview also includes
satellite coverage for rural areas. DVB-T remains in use across all regions, and no formal upgrade path to
DVB-T2 has been outlined, as of 2025.
Europe European Union As of 2001, two countries had introduced DTT: Sweden and Spain. Their total TV viewership market shares were 2.3%, and 3.5% respectively. The EU recommended in May 2005 that its
Member States cease all analogue television transmissions by 1 January 2012. Some EU member states decided to complete the transition as early as 2006 for Luxembourg and the Netherlands, and 2007 for Finland. Latvia stopped broadcasting analogue television from 1 June 2010. Poland completed the transition on 23 July 2013 and Bulgaria completed the transition on 30 September 2013. Malta switched on 1 November 2011. ASO was mostly completed in Europe in 2013 though small hilly underpopulated isolated terrain areas awaited DTT rollout beyond that date. Many television viewers' equipment in Europe might experience interference and blocking because of
800 MHz broadband usage. As of 2018, DTT is the main TV reception for 27.7 percent of the
EU27 countries. Croatia, Greece, Italy, and Spain all have DTT penetration over 50 percent of total TV reception.
Bulgaria Bulgaria launched a free-to-air platform in the Sofia region starting in November 2004. The standards chosen are DVB-T and MPEG4 AVC/H.264 compression format. DVB-T2 will not be used at this time. The Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC) has said that it received 6 bids for the licence to build and operate Bulgaria's two nationwide DTT networks. A second licence tender for the operation of 3 DTT multiplexes was open until 27 May 2009. Following the closing of this process, Hannu Pro, part of Silicon Group, and with Baltic Operations has secured the license to operate three DTT multiplexes in Bulgaria by the country's Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC) Bulgaria officially completed the transition to digital broadcasting on Monday, 30 September 2013.
Belgium Flanders has no free-to-air television, as Dutch-language public broadcaster
VRT shut off its DVB-T service on 1 December 2018 citing minimal usage. VRT cited that only 1 percent of Flemish households made use of the terrestrial signal and that it was not worth the €1 million to upgrade to DVB-T2. After some outcry over the loss of terrestrial coverage, VRT's channels were added to
TV Vlaanderen's subscription DVB-T2 package called
Antenne TV alongside all major Dutch-language commercial channels. French language public broadcaster
RTBF remains available in
Brussels and
Wallonia via DVB-T transmissions. 95 percent of Belgium is covered by cable, well above the
EU28 average of 45.1 percent, which can explain the low terrestrial usage in the country.
Denmark Denmark launched digital terrestrial television in March 2006 following several years of public trials. The analogue signal was switched off nationwide at midnight on 1 November 2009. As of 2025, five national multiplexes operate using
DVB-T2 and
MPEG-4, offering a mix of
SD and
HD channels. MUX 1 is free-to-air and operated by DIGI-TV, a joint venture between
DR and
TV 2. MUX 2 through MUX 5 are run by
Boxer and carry pay television services. The transition to DVB-T2 was completed in June 2020, when remaining DVB-T services were shut down and the 700 MHz band was
reallocated to
mobile broadband.
Finland Finland launched DTT in 2001 and terminated analogue transmissions nationwide on 1 September 2007. Finland has successfully launched a mixture of pay and free-to-air DTT services. Digita operates the DTT and Mobile Terrestrial networks and rents capacity to broadcasters on its network on a neutral market basis. Digita is owned by
TDF (France). The pay-DTT service provider Boxer has acquired a majority stake in the leading Finnish pay DTT operator PlusTV which offers several commercial channels for a subscription. It started in October 2006. Boxer already provides pay-DTT services in Sweden and Denmark. Three nationwide multiplexes are granted to DNA and Anvia for DVB-T2 for high-definition and standard-definition channel (MPEG4).
France France's
Télévision Numérique Terrestre (TNT) offers 25 free national channels, one pay channel (
Paris Première), and up to four free local channels. Free-to-view satellite services began
simulcasting the TNT lineup launched in June 2007. By December 2008, DTT penetration was projected to reach 89% of
Metropolitan France. The nationwide transition from analogue to digital television began in early 2010 and was completed by late 2011, with the final analogue switch-off taking place on 30 November 2011. Since 12 December 2012, TNT has included a mix of free and pay high definition channels using the
MPEG-4 format. While most HD services continue to be broadcast via
DVB-T, France began transitioning to
DVB-T2 in January 2024 to enable
Ultra HD and future service enhancements.
Germany Germany launched a free-to-air platform region-by-region, starting in Berlin in November 2002. The analogue broadcasts were planned to cease soon after digital transmissions were started. Berlin became completely digital on 4 August 2003, with other regions completing between then and 2008. Digital switchover has been completed throughout Germany as of 2 December 2008, and services are now available to 100% of the population following the update of infill for the remaining 10% of transmitters by Media Broadcast, who set up broadcast antennas at 79 transmission sites and installed 283 new transmitter stations. More services are to be launched on DTT and some pay DTT channels are or have been launched in various areas, such as Stuttgart and soon Leipzig.
Greece The
Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) began pilot digital terrestrial television (DTT) transmissions in January 2006 under the brand
ERT Digital, offering the channels
Prisma+, Cine+, Sport+ and retransmission of Cyprus'
RIK Sat in selected areas including
Athens,
Thessaloniki and parts of
Thessaly. By 2011, ERT operated two multiplexes: one carrying
Vouli Tileorasi, Prisma+,
CineSport+, with the second mux using
DVB-T2 and carrying
ERT1,
ERT2 Sport,
ERT3, plus the then new
high definition service
ERT HD using
MPEG-4. ERT HD began its initial full HD transmissions in April 2011. Commercial broadcasters implemented the transition through the consortium
Digea, which began commercial digital transmissions in September 2009 from the
Xylokastro transmitter and progressively activated services in Thessaloniki, Athens and other regions through 2011–2013. Regional broadcasters organized under Digital Union also launched DTT services from 2010 onwards, providing additional regional and local channels in Thessaloniki,
Crete,
Patras and other areas. Analog broadcasts in Athens were discontinued in August 2011 and by the full completion of the analog sign-off process in February 2015, Greece operated well over 150 digital transmitter sites and achieved national population coverage in excess of 90% through its combined public and privately operated multiplexes.
Hungary Experimental DTT broadcast has started in December 2008. The program of
Duna Televízió was broadcast during the trials. Originally, analog television was planned to be shut down on 1 January 2012, but this deadline was first pushed out to 2014 and then brought forward to 2013. Analogue broadcast was terminated at 12:30pm, on 31 July 2013 in the central part of Hungary, and in October 2013 in the rest of the country.
M1,
M2, Duna TV, Duna World,
RTL Klub,
TV2 and
Euronews are available as free-view. M1, M2, and Duna TV are also available in
HD. On both of the 2013 shutoff dates, all analog channels ceased normal programming at 12:30pm and showed a silent ASO information screen that had a phone number to call for help. It was kept on for a few days, after which the analog transmitters were permanently shut down.
Ireland The country completed its analogue terrestrial switch‑off on 24 October 2012, replacing it with the national DTT platform branded as
Saorview. The platform is operated by
RTÉ and carries a mix of channels from RTÉ,
Virgin Media Television,
TG4, and other broadcasters. Several critics have argued that Saorview's limited line‑up and patchy adoption left it overshadowed by subscription platforms, while others note that it still provides widespread free access to public service broadcasting. The platform is received in more than a third of Irish homes, either as the main service or alongside
satellite and
cable. As of 2025, Saorview remains the country's free‑to‑air backbone, with viewing increasingly supplemented by mobile and
smart TV applications. Trials of
DVB-I have been carried out to test integration of broadcast and internet delivery. Simultaneously, discussions on a future migration to
DVB-T2 have also taken place, although no timetable has been set. International agreements have confirmed that OTA television in Ireland will continue to have use of the
UHF band beyond 2030.
Italy Italy phased out its analogue terrestrial network region by region between 2008 and 2012, completing the transition to digital broadcasting in July 2012. The system used
DVB-T with
MPEG2 for standard definition and
H.264 for high definition, with audio usually in
MPEG1. Frequencies were allocated to support
single-frequency networks. Alongside the established free‑to‑air channels, new pay‑per‑view services were introduced, and
RAI launched an
1080i channel that carried major events such as the
Olympic Games and the
FIFA World Cup. By late 2025 the focus has shifted to the migration toward
DVB-T2 with
HEVC compression. National multiplexes have begun the changeover, but the process remains incomplete and has drawn criticism from local broadcasters who argue they are disadvantaged by delays. Reports describe the transition as uncertain and lacking a firm timetable, with regulators and industry still debating how to balance broadcast capacity. Similar to other nations, broadcasters are increasingly combining terrestrial signals with
online streaming to maintain viewership.
Luxembourg Luxembourg launched DTT services in April 2006. The national service was launched in June 2006. On 1 September 2006, Luxembourg became the first European country to transition completely to DTT. Luxe TV, a niche theme based station, soon began broadcasting on the Luxembourg DTT platform, transmitted from the Dudelange transmitter. The aim was to reach audiences in some parts of Germany as well as in Luxembourg.
Netherlands The Netherlands launched its DTT service on 23 April 2003, and terminated analogue transmissions nationwide on 11 December 2006.
KPN owns
Digitenne, which provides a mix of FTA public channels and paid DTT services. KPN started to switch its digital terrestrial television platform Digitenne to the DVB-T2 HEVC standard in October 2018, this transition completed on 9 July 2019.
Poland DTT launch in Poland was scheduled for Autumn 2009. Regulatory disagreements delayed its tender and approach until resolved, and the multiplexes available for DTT were reduced to 3, and the 2nd was licensed in the Autumn of 2009. The reduction from 5 to 3 enabled mobile TV and broadband to get more spectrum allocation. Muxes 2 and 3 therefore, had limited coverage until ASO. Polsat, TVN, TV4, and TV Puls have officially applied to reserve space on the country's first multiplex set to start in September. Wirtualne Media is given as the source of the story. The public broadcaster's three main channels, TVP1, TVP2, and TVP Info, had already been allocated capacity on the multiplex. Poland ended its television broadcast in analogue on 23 July 2013. A mobile TV license has also been awarded in Poland to Info TV FM to use DVB-H standard.
Portugal Portugal launched its DTT service on 29 April 2009, available to around 20% of the Portuguese population, and Portugal Telecom expected to reach 80% of the population by the end of 2009. Airplus TV Portugal, which was set up to compete for a licence to manage Portugal's pay-TV DTT multiplexes, dissolved as it did not get the license, and a Portuguese court ruled not to suspend the process for the awarding of a licence to Portugal Telecom, based on a complaint submitted by Airplus TV Portugal. After Airplus TV Portugal was dissolved, Portugal Telecom informed that it will not honour the pay-TV DTT multiplexes licence obligations. ANACOM, the Portuguese communications authority, accepted. Portugal thus has only one active multiplexer.
Romania In Romania, broadcasting regulations have been amended so that DTT service providers have only a single licence rather than the two previously required by the National Audiovisual Council (CNA). DTT services were launched in December 2009 using the MPEG-4 (H.264 AVC) compression format following the Ministry of Communications publication of a strategic plan for the transition to digital broadcasting. According to Media Express, it envisaged a maximum of five national UHF multiplexes, a national VHF multiplex, and a multiplex allocated to regional and local services, all in accordance with the ITU Geneva Conference RRC-06 reports BroadbandTVNews. The Ministry of Communications (MCSI) estimated that 49% of Romania's 7.5 million households got TV from cable and 27% from DTH services in Romania, while terrestrial TV was used by 18% of the TV households. 6% are reported as not able to receive TV transmissions. Subsidies were offered for those below a certain income to assist switchover for them. Switchover was scheduled for January 2012. Romkatel, the local representative of Kathrein, has since been awarded the commercial Romanian DTT services license. ZF reported that Romkatel has signed a 12-month contract worth €710,420, having beaten off a challenge from France's TDF. The tender was organised by Romania's National Society for Radiocommunications (SNR). Meanwhile, the National Audiovisual Council, in charge of the public service broadcasting sector has awarded digital licences to the public channels
TVR1 and
TVR2. According to Media Express, this followed a short debate at the National Audiovisual Council (CNA) about whether to also award licences to the nine remaining public channels, one of which transmits in HD, and five are regional. The National Authority in Communications (ANCOM) will most probably award the transmission network contract for this to the national transmission company Radiocommunicatii. In June 2013, the Romanian Government issued a strategy to shift from analogue terrestrial to digital terrestrial. According to the Strategy, one of the five planned digital terrestrial multiplexes will be de facto granted to Radiocom, the state company involved in terrestrial carrying the public television signals, way before a selection for the muxes operators will be organized by ANCOM, selection with the deadline of 17 June 2015. The government is describing the Radiocom multiplex with the terms "pilot project" and "experiment". The minimum technical requirements for this project are: broadcast standard DVB-T2, ensuring the coverage of up to 40% of the population until 1 July 2014, and 70% of the population up to 17 June 2015, and the possibility of using the broadcasting premises that belongs to Radiocom. On 17 June 2015, Romania shut down analog broadcasting and started broadcasting with DVB-T2 technology, but with very low coverage, and a very reduced number of broadcasts available. Because of low coverage, Romania stopped broadcasting TVR 1 in analog format on VHF on 31 December 2015. However, since the analog shut down, many people who were receiving TV on terrestrial changed to a cable or DTH provider. On 31 December 2016, Romania successfully switched to DVB-T2. After 2016, the channels received on DVB-T2 continued getting lower and lower after people switched to cable or satellite, since DVB-T was delayed a lot of times before. Kanal D left the terrestrial platform on 2 July 2015, and Antena 3 as well. Antena 1 was the only Antena Group channel to be available on terrestrial, but only until around 2010. However, people still use terrestrial TV for foreign channels. Although many TV sellers are marking their TV as being compatible with digital terrestrial television in Romania, by highlighting this feature with a sticker on the TV, buyers are mainly interested in whether the TV has DVB-C or DVB-C, however, TV sets without DVB-T2 continue to be sold with only DVB-T/C and sometimes S2, as cable and satellite compatibility presents most of the interest. As of 2022, only TVR channels still broadcast in DVB-T, as every other channel in Romania has switched to DVB-C or DVB-S.
Spain In Spain, most multiplexes closed after the failure of
Quiero TV, the country's original pay DTT platform. DTT was relaunched on 30 November 2005, with 20 free-to-air national TV services as well as numerous regional and local services. Nearly 11 million DTT receivers had been sold as of July 2008. Positive approval for pay DTT services has reportedly been given by Spain's Ministry of Industry in a surprise move on 17 June by the Advisory Council on Telecommunications and the Information Society (Catsi). IT will now be included in a Royal Decree. Several leading Spanish media players, including Sogecable, Telefónica, Ono, Orange, and Vodafone have apparently criticised that, as according to Prisa, Sogecable's owner, "it caps a series of policy changes that benefit only a few audiovisual operators, those of terrestrial TV, to the detriment of satellite operators, cable and DSL." There may be appeals lodged against the government's decision.
Sweden Digital terrestrial television in Sweden began in 1999 and the analog network was switched off between 2005 and 2007, completing the country's transition to a fully digital terrestrial platform. As of late 2025,
Sveriges Television anchors a mostly free core of channels alongside commercial services such as
TV4. The nationwide over‑the‑air network is run by
Teracom, which maintains and operates the countries broadcast infrastructure. The terrestrial pay‑TV service marketed under the
Boxer brand ceased distributing pay channels over the DTT network on 2 January 2025, and many subscribers were migrated to internet‑delivered packages. Broadcasters are also increasingly pairing the DTT signal with streaming hubs and apps so linear broadcasts remains available to various audiences.
Switzerland Switzerland introduced DTT in 2007. Switzerland later became the first country to eliminate broadcast terrestrial television entirely when public broadcaster
SRG SSR, which runs the country's only terrestrial channels, shut down its DVB-T transmitter network in June 2019. SRG SSR estimated that less than two percent of households relied on its DVB-T network, the large majority of which used it only for reception on secondary devices, making continued operation not economically viable. Its programing will remain on
IPTV services, cable, and free-to-air satellite. SRG SSR recommended consumers to switch to satellite.
North Macedonia DTT was successfully launched in November 2009. It uses MPEG-2 for 4K UHD and MPEG-4 for HD. The service was launched by ONE, and the platform is called BoomTV. It offers 42 channels, including all national networks, and it is available to 95% of the population.
Russia Digital terrestrial television in the
Russian Federation was inaugurated in the summer of 2009 with a primary multiplex dedicated to
public service and
educational broadcasters. Over the years this initial offering was augmented by the addition of national commercial stations. On 19 March 2012, the country completed its migration from
DVB-T to
DVB-T2, increasing transmission capacity and paving the way for a second multiplex, which started operation in December of that year with a broader mix of local and regional services. A third multiplex commenced service in the
Moscow capital region on 15 January 2015, offering
time shifted satellite feeds in addition to existing OTA channels to address urban viewing patterns. By late 2018, the
Ministry of Digital Development launched a four-phase analogue shutdown, starting regional switchovers and concluding nationwide by October 2019. The first region completed its digital transition on 3 December 2018, and transmitters were turned off on 14 October 2019. Some legacy broadcasts remained briefly for transition. In October 2020, the second multiplex's configuration was overhauled, launching new networks to better reflect evolving demographics.
Turkey DTT was trialed in Turkey in 2006 using DVB-T, but the public rollout did not occur; only the analogue transmission was switched off in favour of HD satellite broadcast. In 2011, preparations were made for the introduction of DTT, with channel licenses later allocated. However, in 2014, the allocations were voided by the Supreme Court, citing irregularities in awarding the licenses. The uncertainty led to reluctance of broadcasters to invest in a DTT network, particularly with satellite TV having a dominant penetration. The DTT project was revived in 2016 with the construction of a multi-purpose 100 m transmitter in
Çanakkale DVB-T2 test broadcasts commenced with the opening of
Çamlıca Tower. Broadcasting license only given to state owned
TRT in
Marmara region.
United Kingdom The UK rollout began in November 1998 with
ONdigital, a subscription service run by
Granada Television and
Carlton Communications that offered a small free-to-air line-up. ONdigital did not reach expected subscriber levels and was renamed
ITV Digital in 2001. ITV Digital closed in 2002 and the platform was relaunched as
Freeview later that year. A modest paid option,
Top Up TV, launched in 2004 when
Inview released the first Freeview
electronic program guide. The digital transition was completed on 24 October 2012 when the analog transmitters in
Northern Ireland were switched off. The retirement of analog television freed spectrum that was repurposed for other services. That spectrum now supports
mobile broadband such as
4G/
5G and facilitated the universal deployment of
DVB-T2 for
HDTV channels. As of the mid-2020s DTT still remains an important, widely viewed platform countrywide. Policy work focuses on improving capacity for HD and enabling increased
Ultra HD broadcasts.
Parliament have commissioned reviews and held numerous debates about the long term role of terrestrial broadcasting. Stemming from said hearings,
Ofcom has proposed trimming national multiplexes rather than abandoning DTT, and broadcasters are increasingly pairing OTA signals with internet delivered
over the top programming to keep
free to air broadcasts accessible across modern
smart devices.
North America The Bahamas and
Bermuda broadcast using
ATSC standards in line with their continental neighbors.
Canada Canada employs the
ATSC standards for
DTV broadcasting. Over-the-air service is generally available in most population centers. Yet coverage remains limited to nonexistent in many
rural and
northern regions. Hundreds of former analog
translators operated by the
CBC were shutdown after the primary transition in 2011, and many were not replaced with digital equivalents. A small number of analog stations still remain operational in remote markets, despite federal plans to phase out all
NTSC broadcasts by 2022. As of late 2025, Canada has not adopted
ATSC 3 (NextGen TV). Experimental deployments exist, however, including a research lab at
Humber Polytechnic in
Toronto. There is no national rollout or regulatory mandate in place. Although over-the-air signals remain available in most populated areas, their viewership has declined in favor of
multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) and streaming platforms. The majority of Canadian households subscribe to those services, and broadcasters are heavily prioritizing
smart TV and
mobile applications.
Mexico In
Mexico, the digital transition is completed. Digital signals are available in all cities, thus providing national coverage. Analog transmissions were turned off based on population size. Tijuana was the first city to turn off analog signals, and the nationwide turn-off was completed on 31 December 2015. On 27 October 2016, Mexico relocated all of its channels. This made Azteca 13 (now
Azteca Uno) on virtual channel 1.1 nationwide, Canal de Las Estrellas (now
Las Estrellas) on virtual channel 2.1, and
Imagen Television on virtual channel 3.1. Border cities were not affected due to signal issues across the United States. For example, in the Tijuana-San Diego area, channel 2.1's signal comes from
KCBS-TV, a
CBS owned-and-operated station in Los Angeles, and can affect television users in portions of
San Diego County. Thus, Las Estrellas is on virtual channel 19.1.
United States In the United States, on 12 June 2009, all full-power U.S. television broadcasts became exclusively digital under the Digital Television and Public Safety Act of 2005. Since 1 March 2007, new television sets that receive signals over the air, including portable televisions, must include
ATSC digital tuners. From early 2008 until spring 2009, consumers could request two free coupons from the FCC to help offset the cost of set‐top
DTV converters. Prior to 12 June 2009, most U.S. broadcasters were transmitting in both analog and digital formats; a few were digital only. Most U.S. stations were not permitted to shut down their analog transmissions prior to 16 February 2009 unless doing so was required in order to complete work on a station's permanent digital facilities. Some television stations were also authorized to operate "nightlight" analog signals, which consisted solely of brief, repeated announcements advising viewers still using analog reception on how to transition to digital. A limited number of stations additionally aired short news and weather updates alongside the aforementioned
PSAs, under a program known as "enhanced nightlight" service. Both services ended by the June 2009 deadline. By the end of 2009, the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) finished auctioning channels 52–59 for other communications services, completing the reallocation of broadcast channels 52–69 that began in the late 1990s.
Low-power and
Class A stations were not included in the 2009 changeover due to technical and financial challenges and were eventually required to transition or sign off by 13 July 2021, with extensions granted for some areas outside the
contiguous US. Following the completion of the digital television transition, the Federal Communications Commission initiated the
2016 United States wireless spectrum auction or "repack" to reallocate channels 38–51 for new
cellular broadband services. This process concluded around 2020, involving reallocating broadcast spectrum and requiring many television stations to modify their transmission facilities. Simultaneously, the FCC authorized the voluntary adoption of
ATSC 3.0, also known as NextGen TV, a new broadcast standard offering enhanced features such as
4K/
HDR, improved
urban reception, and advanced
emergency alerting capabilities. Because ATSC 3 is not
backward compatible with legacy ATSC 1 equipment, the FCC's rules require broadcasters that begin NextGen transmissions to maintain a
simulcast of their primary programming in ATSC 1 on either their own facility or via a
channel sharing arrangement with other stations in a
DMA (known as a "lighthouse") for the duration of the transition period. As of fall 2025, the
National Association of Broadcasters has filed a petition with the FCC proposing a two-phase mandatory ATSC 3 transition, by February 2028 for the top 55 Nielsen markets and by February 2030 for all others. The proposal has drawn widespread criticism over NextGenTV's inclusion of
DRM features that critics argue could severely limit device compatibility and adoption.
Central America and the Caribbean Costa Rica Costa Rica chose Japanese-Brazilian standard ISDB-T as 7th country on 25 May 2010, and started trial transmissions by Channel 13 from
Irazú Volcano on 19 March 2012.
Cuba Cuba announced on 19 March 2013 that it is "prepared" to perform a digital television test using the Chinese DTMB system.
Dominican Republic The
Dominican Republic chose
ATSC standards for DTT on 10 August 2010.
El Salvador El Salvador has chosen the Japanese-Brazilian standard
ISDB-Tb in 2017. The Digital Switchover began on 21 December 2018, and by 1 December 2024, it will be completed.
Guatemala Guatemala has chosen the Japanese-Brazilian standard
ISDB-Tb.
Honduras Honduras has chosen the Japanese-Brazilian standard
ISDB-Tb.
Jamaica Jamaica chose
ATSC standards for DTT in December 2021.
Nicaragua Nicaragua has chosen the Japanese-Brazilian standard
ISDB-Tb.
Panama Panama chose the European DVB-T standard on 12 May 2009.
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago chose
ATSC standards for DTT on 18 January 2023.
South America Argentina Argentine President
Cristina Fernández signed on 28 August 2009 an agreement to adopt the ISDB-Tb system, joining Brazil, which has already implemented the standard in its big cities. On air service started from 28 April 2010.
Bolivia On 5 July 2010, the Bolivian chancellor signed an agreement with the Japanese ambassador to Bolivia, choosing the Japanese system with the Brazilian modifications ISDB-T (Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting Terrestrial).
Brazil Brazil's transition to digital television started in June 2006 when regulators selected ISDB-Tb (also known as
SBTVD), a modified form of Japan's
ISDB-T system. Services launched in
São Paulo on 2 December 2007 and within two years had extended to major cities across all five regions. By mid-September 2009, viewers in more than forty metro areas could receive digital broadcasts. The DTV signals reached full national coverage by 2013. The country completed its analogue shutdown in November 2023. In August 2025, regulators approved a standard based on the American
ATSC 3.0, branded as DTV+, which began test broadcasts in
Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, with full deployment starting by mid-2026.
Chile On 14 September 2009, President Michelle Bachelet announced that the government had finally decided on a digital television standard. Chile adopted the
ISDB-T Japanese standard (with the custom modifications made by Brazil). Simulcasting began in 2010, with a projected analog switch-off in 2017.
Colombia Colombia has chosen the European DVB-T standard on 28 August 2008. However, in 2012, Colombia adopted DVB-T2 as the national standard for terrestrial television, replacing DVB-T, the previously selected standard for digital TV. On 28 December 2010, private networks
Caracol TV and
RCN TV officially started digital broadcasts for Bogotá, Medellín and surrounding areas on channels 14 and 15
UHF, respectively. State-run
Señal Colombia and
Canal Institucional had started testing digital broadcasts earlier in 2010.
Paraguay Paraguay chose Japanese-Brazilian standard
ISDB-T on 1 June 2010.
Guyana As of August 2025, the
Guyana Learning Channel is broadcasting a multiplex in the ATSC standard. On 19 March 2025, it launched a campaign for the delivery of digital receivers to households that only receive analog signals. In early 2025, the
National Communications Network began digital terrestrial broadcasts of its channels,
NCN HD and NCN Sports in 1080p using the ATSC standard. CTV19 also officially launched its digital feed on 4 August 2025.
Peru On 23 April 2009,
Peru chose the Brazilian variant of the Japanese digital television standard
ISDB-T. The Peruvian government signed an agreement with its Japanese counterpart in order for the latter to fund the implementation of the DTT platform in the country. The first network to be launched on digital terrestrial television was
TV Perú on 30 March 2010, using the ISDB-Tb standard. Currently, all the major stations in Lima are broadcasting on DTT in high-definition.
ATV was the first television channel in the country to do digital test broadcasts on 19 June 2007 using either ATSC, DVB-T, and ISDB-T in order to see which of them was better. Eventually, ATV chose ISDB-Tb and officially started broadcasting in HD; its first live TV show to be aired in high definition was
Magaly TV on 30 August 2010.
Frecuencia Latina also began broadcasting on DTT on 14 September 2010 with a match of the
Peru women's national volleyball team in the
2010 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship. Shortly after these events,
América Televisión started broadcasting on DTT.
Suriname Suriname is currently transitioning from analogue NTSC broadcasts to digital ATSC and DVB-T broadcasts. Channel
ATV started with ATSC broadcasts in the
Paramaribo area in June 2014, which was followed by ATSC broadcasts from stations in Brokopondo, Wageningen, and Albina. The stations in Brokopondo, Wageningen, and Albina broadcast both the channels of
ATV (i.e., ATV and TV2) and
STVS, while the station in Paramaribo currently only broadcasts the ATV channels. The Telecommunication Authority of Suriname was originally aiming at a full digital transition by June 2015, but this was criticized by broadcasters as being unfeasible. However, the ITU has documented both DVB-T and ATSC are in use.
Uruguay Uruguay chose the European DVB-T standard in August 2007, however disproved it and decided to adopt
ISDB-T on 27 December 2010 to follow neighbouring countries.
Venezuela In Venezuela, tests are being performed with full deployment to start 2008–2009. DTT will coexist with analogue standard television for some time until full deployment of the system on a nationwide level is accomplished. 30 September 2009, decided to employ the Japanese
ISDB-T system under cooperation with Japan, and officially agreed with Japan in early October 2009. On 6 October 2009, Venezuela officially adopted ISDB-T with Brazilian modifications. Transition from analog to digital is expected to take place in the next 10 years. In March 2012, Venezuela signed a $50M agreement to purchase 300,000 decoders from Argentina to implement TDT in Caracas and later this year in some of the most important cities, but only in the Government-controlled TV Stations. NTSC and TDT will coexist. The Government hopes to reach TDT the whole country's population in 2 years. As of 2019, due to the
Venezuelan crisis, the digital television transition is paralysed and DTT development has been frozen.
Africa The majority of countries in Africa have adopted the DVB-T2 standard, including Algeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Angola, Botswana, and some other countries broadcast using the Japanese-Brazilian standard
ISDB-Tb.
Nigeria In March 2015,
Inview Technology (a UK DTV consultancy based in
Cheshire with local operations in Nigeria) was appointed by the
NBC, Nigeria's government‐run broadcast regulator, to manage the country's transition from analogue to digital transmission. Under this agreement, Inview supplied a
conditional access system, electronic programme guide (EPG), video on-demand, and broadcasting applications and audience measurement via terrestrial and satellite networks. Only manufacturers licensed in Nigeria could obtain the Inview software, a measure intended to protect consumers and domestic producers from unauthorized imports Later in 2015, Inview Nigeria and the NBC launched FreeTV, a free-to-air service modelled on
Freeview UK. FreeTV carried up to 30 channels of Nigerian and international stations across various genres and general entertainment. To promote uptake, the required set-top box was subsidised to a retail price of
₦1,500 (approximately $7.50
USD) and a ₦1,000 (approximately $5 USD) annual digital access fee was imposed on all digital receivers, including those used by pay-TV providers. Revenue from spectrum sales, estimated at approximately US $1 billion, was earmarked to cover infrastructure costs and ensure that the digital switchover programme remained self-financing. As of October 2025, NBC reports that digital terrestrial coverage for FreeTV extends to 75 percent of Nigeria's population across 18 states, with full nationwide analogue switch-off scheduled for December 2026.
South Africa On 14 January 2011, the South African
Department of Communications and Digital Technologies chose the European standard
DVB-T2 as the digital television standard in South Africa, following the trend in this direction of several African nations. On 5 September 2011,
MultiChoice partnered with
M-Net and the Community Service Network (CSN) to launch
GOtv South Africa as a terrestrial pay TV service for analogue subscribers. Platco Digital's
OpenView HD and the eMedia Investments group introduced a free-to-air satellite decoder set-top box, sold for a one-off purchase fee, carrying
e.tv and
SABC via direct-to-home satellite. The terrestrial network later completed its digital migration on 1 October 2015. Eligible households may obtain a free, government subsidised
set-top box at their local
post office branch to receive digital terrestrial television services. Under the two-step plan all analogue broadcasting above 694 MHz was switched off on 31 July 2023 and the period of simultaneous analogue and digital transmissions for services below that frequency ended on 31 December 2024. Smaller provinces made the transition first, while
Gauteng, the
Western Cape,
KwaZulu-Natal and the
Eastern Cape (together home to more than half of South Africa's population) remained on analogue until the final shutdown in late March 2025, delaying the switch to digital only transmission in the country's most populous regions.
Tunisia Tunisia's Office of National Broadcasting (ONT) began digitizing its terrestrial TV network in two main phases. The first phase, launched in 2001 at
Boukornine, tested
DVB-T transmissions with
MPEG-2 compression to cover Greater Tunis. Trials confirmed sharper video and better spectrum use (four to six channels per multiplex instead of one analogue channel). During this period ONT drew up a national frequency plan and ratified the 2006 ITU Geneva conference recommendations, which set a 2015 analogue transition target. The second phase comprised two projects. The first upgraded studio-to-transmitter links across 41 sites and completed in 2009. The second delivered 17 DVB-T transmitters nationwide under a
Thomson Grass Valley contract in 2009–2010. Since completing its analogue switch-off in June 2015, Tunisia has operated a fully digitised terrestrial television network covering over 90% of households. == See also ==