The following tables show the frequencies assigned to broadcast television channels
in various regions of the world, along with the ITU letter designator for the system used.
The frequencies shown are for the analogue video and audio carriers. The channel itself
occupies several megahertz of bandwidth. For example, North American channel 2 occupies
the spectrum from 54 to 60 MHz. See Broadcast television systems for a table of signal characteristics,
including bandwidth, by ITU letter designator.
VHF North and South America, South Korea, Taiwan
and the Philippines
Channel 1 was finally withdrawn on June 14, 1948, and allocated to fixed and mobile services.
In some countries using the standard, channels 5 and 6 are allocated to non-broadcast services.
An international agreement provides for a unified television bandplan, with 6-MHz channels
throughout ITU Region II for both VHF and UHF bands, except for French territories,
Falkland Islands, Greenland and Netherlands Antilles. Not all territories observe this
bandplan. During World War II the frequencies originally
assigned to channels 13 to 18 were appropriated by the military, which still uses them. It
was also decided to move the allocation for FM radio from the 42-50 MHz band to a larger
88-106 MHz band. This required a reassignment of the VHF channels to the plan currently
in use. [1] Assignments since February 25, 1946
Notes System M 525 lines
System N 625 lines Note: FM channel 200, 87.9 MHz, overlaps
TV 6. This is used only by KSFH and K200AA. Channel 6A is only used in South Korea and
the Philippines.TV 6 analog audio can be heard on FM 87.75 on most broadcast radio receivers,
but at lower volume than wideband FM broadcast stations.
Japan Note : Basically the frequency spacing for
each channel is 6 MHz as the countries above, except between channels 7 and 8.
United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and most British Territories
Republic of Ireland Note: Channel A was never used. The only System
I Band I transmitter on Channel B was RTÉ One from the Maghera, Co. Clare transmitter
during 1963-1999. Channel A was initially intended for use at Maghera but Channel B
was used instead because of the risk of interference to reception of BBC 405 line transmissions
[2]. It was moved to Channel E due to interference from distant transmitters during certain atmospheric
conditions and other reasons. Channel C was used by a relay transmitter in Glanmire, Co.
Cork. There are currently no Band I Channels used in Ireland and no plans to resume using
them. Note: most Irish Cable TV systems do not follow the above channel plan as their
analogue carriers are usually at multiples of 8 MHz
Western Europe, Greenland and most countries in Asia, Africa and Oceania
NOTE: Channel 1 was used for early experimental broadcasts and is no longer allocated.
NOTE: Channels 15 and 16 are allocated for use in the African Broadcasting Area only.
Channel 2A was only ever used in Austria for the Sendeturm Jauerling to avoid interferences
with neighboring Eastern European TV stations. Channel 12 was reserved by the military in
some countries) so only relay transmitters operated on this frequency.
France NOTE: Channel 1 used an earlier 441-line system
and was discontinued in 1956. French overseas departments and territories
and former French African colonies Italy
Channels A through H are indicated in many European TVs as Channels 13-20.
Eastern Europe Morocco
Australia Note
Channels 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 5A are no longer used since the transition to Digital television.
With the introduction of Digital TV in 2001, the last two channels were moved up by 1 MHz
to allow a full 7 MHz for a new channel 9A and channel 12 was added following the new
channel 11. New Zealand
NOTE: Channels 10 and 11 weren't added until the late 1980s.
Southern Africa NOTE: Channels 10 to 13 are rarely used.
China UHF
Americas, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines See North American broadcast television frequencies
for frequencies used in North America. Notes
The frequencies used by UHF channels 70 through 83 were reallocated to the Land Mobile Radio
System and mobile phones in a CCIR worldwide convention in 1982, and thus were never used
for digital TV but are listed here for theoretical use.
In certain metropolitan areas of the United States, Channels 14 through 20 have been allocated
to Land Mobile Radio use. [4] Channels 52 through 69 in the United States
have been reallocated now that conversion to digital TV was completed on June 12, 2009.
Channels 70 through 83 in the United States and Canada were re-allocated to AMPS cellular
phone use in 1983. On August 22, 2011, the United States' Federal
Communications Commission announced a freeze on all future applications for broadcast stations
requesting to use channel 51, to prevent adjacent-channel interference to the A-Block of the 700 MHz
band. Later that year, Industry Canada and the CRTC followed suit in placing a moratorium
on future television stations using Channel 51 for broadcast use, to prevent adjacent-channel
interference to the A-Block of the 700 MHz band.
Not all countries listed use ATSC, which has a single VSB carrier wave. Other countries
use COFDM modulation for DVB-T or ISDB-Tb, which has dozens of carriers within the channel.
Channel 37 is reserved for radio astronomy in the United States, Canada, Bermuda and
the Bahamas, thus there are no television stations assigned to it. Mexico also informally
observes a ban on transmitters using this channel.
Japan Note: Channels 13-62 are used for analog and
digital TV broadcasting. Frequency spacing for each channel in Japan
is same as in the countries above, but the channel number is 1 smaller than those countries;
for example, channel 13 in Japan uses the frequency of channel 14 in North and South
America, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines. United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, Macau,
Falkland Islands and Southern Africa NOTE: Channel 69 was not used for TV broadcasting
in the UK, used by MOD and until 2012 by PMSE.NOTE: PAL I was withdrawn from broadcasting use
in the UK during 2012 and 2013. Western Europe, Greenland, most countries
in Asia and Africa, and most of Oceania NOTE: Former channels 14 to 18 renumbered
as 21 to 25 in 1961. NOTE: Channels 61 to 69 were reserved for
the military by NATO and not used for TV transmission. Non-NATO members, like France, Switzerland
or Austria did use these frequencies for TV transmission. Today, these channels are no
longer allocated to television in Europe. See 800MHz frequency band.
NOTE: Channels 70 to 81 no longer allocated to television. They were only used in Italy.
France, Eastern Europe, Former Soviet Union, French overseas territories and former French
colonies in Africa Australia
Channels above C52 are being progressively phased out since the introduction of digital
television and rationalisation of the spectrum See also
Asian television frequencies Australasian television frequencies
Broadcast television systems ATSC
NTSC NTSC-J
PAL RCA
SECAM
Channel Channel 37
Digital television transition Knife-edge effect
Moving image formats Multichannel television sound
North American broadcast television frequencies North American cable television frequencies
References ^ A. G. Sennitt, World Radio and TV Handbook
Volume 49 1995, Billboard Books, 1995 pages 381-382
^ O. Lund Johansen, World Radio-Television Handbook 9th Edition 1955, 1955 page 138
^ ITU, Final Acts of the Regional Administrative Conference for the planning of VHF/UHF Television
Broadcasting in the African Broadcasting Area and Neighbouring Countries 1989, ITU, 1990
page 60 ^ a b FCC Public Notice DA-11-1428A1:
Rcd PDF Microsoft Word document
PDF format Plain Text format
^ a b Industry Canada Advisory Letter - Moratorium on the Use of Television Channel 51
^ Foreign Broadcast Information Service, Broadcasting Stations of the World 16th Edition 1960, U.S.
Government Printing Office, 1960 pages 97-98 Tunisia