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Timeline of the introduction of color television in countries and territories

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Introduction of color television in countries by decade.

This is a list of when the first color television broadcasts were transmitted to the general public. Non-public field tests, closed-circuit demonstrations and broadcasts available from other countries are not included.

List in alphabetical order

Country/Territory Year Network or channel Color system Notes
Alaska 1966/1972 KENI-TV (now KTUU) NTSC First program in color, on Monday, September 19, 1966, was the premiere episode of That Girl, an ABC show. KENI was a primary affiliate of both NBC and ABC. Transitioned to full color service by 1972.
 Albania 1981 RTSH PAL Color broadcasts had been available from Yugoslavia since 1971 and Italy since 1977. Frequencies have been occasionally jammed due to censorship of some programs in Albania in that time.
 Algeria 1973 RTA PAL RTA was transmitted in the older French 819-line standard System E, until 1973 when it started broadcasting in 625-line standard System B.[1]
 American Samoa 1969 KVZK-2 NTSC KVZK-2 was a National Educational Television affiliate.
 Angola 1983 TPA PAL
 Argentina 1978/1980 LS 82 Canal 7 PAL-N Introduced for the 1978 FIFA World Cup by A78TV (Argentina 78 TV), a purpose-built system that took over the signals of channels 7 and 13 for the telecast of the Cup's games, even though only the finals and several second-round matches were broadcast in color for the domestic market. LS 82 Canal 7 became ATC (Argentina Televisora Color) on May 3, 1979, with sporadic color telecasts, which were officially authorized to begin at midnight on Thursday, May 1, 1980. on both ATC and LS 85 Canal 13, the latter of which had carried out late-night tests for several months beforehand, and previously undertook non-public experimental transmissions under the NTSC system in 1969, but the project was cancelled due to lack of government approval. Full-time color transmissions by late 1980-early 1981.
Armenian SSR 1973/1978 Armenia 1 SECAM, PAL First transmission was the 1973 May Day Parade in Yerevan. Full-time color transmissions since December 24, 1978 (Christmas Eve).
 Australia 1974/1975 ATV-0 (now ATV-10). PAL Permanent colour telecasts since Saturday, 1 March 1975. First colour test broadcast on Thursday, 15 June 1967, with live coverage of the Pakenham races.[2] Many television shows were produced and broadcast in colour between 1972 and 1974, with limited colour telecasts from mid-1974 on.
 Austria 1969/1975 ORF PAL First transmission was the Eurovision broadcast of New Year Concert from Vienna on Wednesday, January 1, 1969. Full-time color transmissions since January 15, 1975.
Azerbaijan SSR 1973/1978 AzTV SECAM, PAL First color broadcasts in Azerbaijan started in 1973 using the SECAM standard. Full color service started in 1978.
 Bahamas 1983 ZNS-TV NTSC Colour transmissions had been available from Miami since 1954 (WTVJ) and West Palm Beach since the late-1950s[3]
 Bahrain 1972 Bahrain TV PAL
 Bangladesh 1980 BTV PAL
 Barbados 1971 CBC NTSC
Byelorussian SSR 1974 Belteleradio SECAM Full-time color service came around 1974 with SECAM.
 Belize 1984 Channel 7 NTSC Color broadcasts have been available from Mexico since 1967.
 Benin 1982 OTRB PAL
 Belgium 1971 RTB, BRT PAL Color broadcasts from France (SECAM), Germany and The Netherlands (PAL) were available since 1967. Early receivers were very costly owing to multiple standards: PAL/SECAM/625 lines and monochrome/819 lines
 Bermuda 1968 ZBM-TV NTSC ZBM was an affiliate of the U.S. network CBS.
 Bolivia 1978/1980 TV Boliviana NTSC Experimental color broadcasts began in 1977. Full-time color arrived in 1980. Color broadcasts have been available from Brazil since 1972, but were PAL.
 SR Bosnia and Herzegovina 1972/1973 Radiotelevizija Sarajevo (now BHT 1) PAL First color transmission came from Belgrade in 1971, local service began in 1972 and in 1973.
 Brazil 1972/1978 Bandeirantes, Globo, Record NTSC, PAL-M First transmissions (unofficial and just for specific programs) were made between 1962 and 1963 in the city of São Paulo by Rede Tupi and also by Rede Excelsior, both using NTSC. Tests for the regular transmissions began in 1970 with the Mexico's FIFA World Cup, and the first official transmission was the coverage of the 12th Caxias do Sul Grape Festival on February 19, 1972. Limited color transmissions from 1973 to 1978. Full-time color transmissions since 1978.
 Bulgaria 1970/1977 BNT SECAM Full color transmissions achieved by 1977.
 Burma 1980 BBS PAL, NTSC Color broadcasts began on November 1, 1980[4]
 Burundi 1983 RTNB SECAM
 Kampuchea 1981/1986 National Television of Kampuchea SECAM, PAL Full-time color transmissions started in 1986, switched to PAL from 1991. Last country in Southeast Asia to receive color television.
 Canada 1966/1974 (CBC, SRC), CTV NTSC Officially launched in both English and French at 12:01 a.m. on July 1, 1966, at the beginning of Canada's 100th year as a nation. Colour broadcasts from the United States had been available since the mid-1950s. A mandatory transition to colour for all transmitters took place between 1969 and 1976 on all English and French channels. CBC began full-time colour broadcasts in 1974. Full-time colour officially achieved between 1976 and 1977.
 Central African Republic 1982 RTC SECAM
 Chad 1982 Télé Tchad SECAM
 Chile 1978/1979 TVN, Televisión Universidad Católica de Chile (TVUC) now Canal 13 NTSC First transmission in color was in the 13th Viña del Mar Festival, but only for export until the 19th edition. Several games from the 1974 FIFA World Cup were broadcast in color through closed-circuit systems. First nationwide color show transmitted was Esta noche fiesta of Canal 13 on Monday, April 10, 1978.[5] First news report in color was shown at Teletrece on April 12, 1978.[6] Full-time color transmissions since mid 1979.
 People's Republic of China 1972/1984 CCTV NTSC, PAL Full-time color transmissions since 1984. Color broadcasts from Hong Kong (PAL) had been available since 1967, and from Taiwan (NTSC) since 1969.
Republic of China 1969/1975 CTV PAL, NTSC Full-time color transmissions since 1975. Color broadcasts from Hong Kong had been available since 1967, but were PAL.
 Colombia 1979/1981 Cenpro Televisión, Inravisión NTSC Test broadcasts in SECAM were held in 1966.[7] Test for the regular transmissions began in 1971 with the coverage of that year's Pan American Games held in Cali. In October 1973, the programadora Cenpro Televisión made a colour broadcast during an education seminar with Japanese-made equipment. Color broadcasts from Panama had been available since 1972, while telecasts from Venezuela and Ecuador had been available beginning in 1973. In 1974, the inauguration of West Germany's FIFA World Cup was shown in color in closed circuit at two colosseums in Bogota and Cali.[8] Regular color transmissions since Saturday, December 1, 1979.[9] Full-time color transmissions since 1981.
 Congo (Brazzaville) 1975 Télé Congo SECAM
 Costa Rica 1974 Televictoria, Telecentro, TICA-TV NTSC First experimental color broadcasts since 1969. Full-time color broadcasts since 1974.
 SR Croatia 1971 Radiotelevizija Zagreb (now HRT 1) PAL Color broadcasts from Belgrade had been available since 1971.
 Cuba 1958/1975 Tele-Color, S.A., Tele Rebelde (1975) NTSC Started in 1958 as second country in the world on Tele-Color. Ended in 1959 as a result of the Cuban Revolution under Fidel Castro; returned in 1975 this time starting with Tele Rebelde.
 Cyprus 1976 CyBC SECAM
Czech SR 1973 ČST SECAM, PAL Regular colour broadcasts started on May 9, 1973, on second channel and on May 9, 1975, on first channel. Full color transition in late 1970s, switched to PAL broadcasting in 1993. ČST started color experiments in the late 1960s for PAL. After the Soviet invasion in 1968, SECAM was chosen for broadcasting, but not for production. Television studios worked in PAL and than it was transcoded for SECAM broadcasting till 1993. Color telecasts from East Germany were available since 1969.
 Denmark 1968/1970 Danmarks Radio PAL First introduced for the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France.[10] The national broadcaster's programming transitioned to color throughout 1969 and "color tests" were officially ended on Wednesday, April 1, 1970.[10] Color broadcasts had been available from West Germany since 1967.
 Djibouti 1974 RTD SECAM
 Dominican Republic 1969 Color Visión NTSC
 Ecuador 1973/1974/1980 Ecuavisa, Teleamazonas NTSC Teleamazonas was founded in 1973, broadcasting several color programs from its start. However, these would only be officially authorized in 1980, when full-time transmission began.
 Egypt 1973 ETV PAL
 Equatorial Guinea 1976 RNGE SECAM
 El Salvador 1973 Canal 6 (TCS) NTSC Color broadcasts began on April 6, 1973, with a return of Canal 6 as YSLA-TV with a NTSC format. Full-time color transmissions started in the late 1970s as the other Salvadoran channels adopted the system.
Estonian SSR 1967/1972 ETV SECAM, PAL First color broadcasts came from Moscow; first local color program was transmitted on Saturday, December 30, 1972. Transitioned from SECAM to PAL 1992–1999.
 Ethiopia 1984 ETV PAL
 Finland 1971/1975 YLE (1971), MTV (1975) PAL First test broadcast in color was the President Urho Kekkonen's New Year speech in 1969. First experimental color broadcast in 1970, with official color broadcasts starting the next year. Full-time color broadcasts since 1975. Color broadcasts have been available from Åland since 1970 where there is a Sveriges Television AB (Sweden Television) transmitter on the islands, and the Soviet Union since 1967 but transmissions were in SECAM.
 France 1967/1975/1983 ORTF SECAM Introduced on La deuxième chaîne at 2:15pm (14:15) on Sunday, October 1, 1967. The first channel (later TF1) remained in black and white for years due to being transmitted in the older 819-line standard: its transition to color 625-line began on Thursday, January 1, 1975, and the full nationwide color coverage was only achieved in 1983.[11]
 French Polynesia 1972 RFO (Télé Tahiti, now Polynésie la Première) SECAM
 French Guiana 1974 RFO (Guyane RFO TV) SECAM
 Gabon 1973 RTG SECAM
 The Gambia 1973/1976/1979 GTN, GRTS, Kerewan TV SECAM Colour broadcasts from Guinea have been available since 1971. Test colour broadcasts began in 1972. Limited colour broadcasts from 1973 to 1976 and full time colour broadcasts from 1977 to 1979. GTN switched to PAL in 1996.
Georgian SSR 1984 GPB SECAM Early color broadcasts came from Moscow since at least 1975 and 1976 during certain events. In 1984, Georgia became the last country to introduce color television during an episode of an unidentified program.
 East Germany 1969 DFF SECAM Introduced on Friday, October 3, 1969, on the new second television channel launched for that purpose with a symbolic launch button pressed by Walter Ulbricht on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the German Democratic Republic on Tuesday, October 7. The television tower in East Berlin was also opened that day. Switchover on December 31, 1991, because of German reunification. Color broadcasts from West Germany had been available since 1967.
 West Germany 1967 ARD, ZDF PAL First country in Europe to introduce color on two television channels simultaneously, at 9:30am on Friday, August 25, 1967, with a symbolic launch button pressed by Willy Brandt on the International Radio and Television Fair in West Berlin. Full-time color service began in 1970.
 Ghana 1980/1985 GTV PAL
 Gibraltar 1969 GBC PAL
 Greece 1976/1979 ERT SECAM, PAL Test color broadcasts began in 1976. Full color broadcasts started from 1977 to 1979. ERT switched to PAL in 1992.
 Greenland 1984/1987 KNR NTSC, PAL Color broadcasts from Canada had been available since 1966, but were NTSC. Private transmitters were built to receive television signals from Canada long before Greenland had their native television service which came into broadcast in 1982. Full-time color service came in 1984, remote areas continued to broadcast in black and white until c. 1987–1990.
 Guadeloupe 1972 RFO (Guadeloupe 1ère) SECAM
 Guinea 1971 RTG PAL Color broadcasts from the Ivory Coast had been available since 1970, but were SECAM.
 Guatemala 1970 RTG NTSC First Central American country to introduce color television; color broadcasts available from Mexico since 1967.
 Guam 1970 KUAM-TV NTSC KUAM was a primary NBC affiliate that also carried some programming from ABC and CBS.
 Haiti 1971 Télé Haïti[12] SECAM
Hawaii 1957 KONA-TV (now KHON-TV), KHVH-TV (now KITV), KGMB NTSC KHVH-TV (independent) began color broadcasting on May 5, 1957.[13] After purchasing the ABC affiliate station in July 1958,[14] however, color shows stopped by the end of that year.[15] KONA-TV (NBC) started test color shows in September 1961 [16] and began regular color programming on October 1, 1961.[17] KHVH-TV (ABC) returned to color after a nearly 4-year hiatus on July 14, 1962.[18] The last American commercial network affiliate station in Hawaii, KGMB-TV (CBS), started its color showings on December 22, 1965.[19]
 Honduras 1973 Canal 3 Honduras NTSC
 Hong Kong 1967/1975 TVB, RTV PAL The first country in Greater China to introduce colour television in 1967. Full-time colour broadcasts since 1975.
 Hungary 1971/1975 Magyar Televízió SECAM, PAL Full color broadcasts introduced in 1975.
 Iceland 1974/1978 RÚV (Sjónvarpið) PAL Full-time color broadcasts since 1974 to 1978.
 India 1979/1982 Doordarshan PAL Experimental colour broadcasts began in 1978. Full colour broadcasts were introduced in 25 April 1982.
 Indonesia 1979/1982 TVRI PAL Full-time color broadcasts began on Tuesday, August 24, 1982.
 Iran 1973 NIRT SECAM
 Iraq 1968 RTI SECAM First Muslim country to introduce color television.
 Ireland 1968/1970/1972/1978 RTÉ PAL First colour broadcast done in 1968, however, a mistake in standards conversion may have transmitted the 1968 Wimbledon Men's Finals in colour. First original colour produced program was John Hume's Derry shown under the 7 Days banner, first transmitted in 1969. First outside colour broadcast were the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 held in Dublin on Saturday, 3 April 1972. Colour broadcasts from the United Kingdom available since 1967. Full-time colour broadcasts began with RTE 2 launched on 1 November 1978.
 Israel 1977/1979/1984 IBA, IETV PAL Introduced for the coverage of the Egyptian president's visit to Israel in November 1977, then reintroduced for the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 in Jerusalem on Saturday, March 31, 1979. Gradual transition to full-time color transmissions from 1982 to 1984. Full-time color transmissions since February 1984. Color broadcasts from Jordan and Egypt had been available since 1974 and Lebanon since 1976. Since color TVs were considered more expensive, the government ordered removing the color signals, in the name of public equality. Engineers have managed to produce a device that extrapolates the colors from programs that were originally shot in color, and such devices were sold to the thousands. Major television networks in Israel have been filming programs in color for foreign audiences since at least 1974.
 Italy 1972/1977/1979 RAI PAL Introduction temporarily stalled by political turmoil. Color broadcasts from France (SECAM) had been available since 1967, from Austria (PAL) since 1969, and from Yugoslavia (PAL) since 1971. Privately operated transmitter chains made these signals available as far as Rome. The first color test was in 1972 Summer Olympic Games. The Sanremo Music Festival began to be broadcast in color in 1973, as well as, in the same year, the Jeux Sans Frontières. Partial color transmissions started on Tuesday, February 1, 1977. Full time since 1979.
 Ivory Coast 1970 RTI SECAM First African country to introduce color television.
 Jamaica 1975 JBC NTSC Colour broadcasts have been available from Haiti since 1971.
 Japan 1960/1971 Fuji TV, NHK, NTV, TBS, YTV, ABC NTSC-J The first Asian country to introduce color television, beginning telecasts on Saturday, September 10, 1960, through the Fuji network, which had carried tests from 1959. Full-time color service introduced from 1968 to 1971.
 Jordan 1974 JTV PAL
Kazakh SSR 1977 Kazakhstan SECAM, PAL Full color transmissions introduced in the 1980s.
 Kenya 1978 KBC PAL
 North Korea 1974/1980 KCTV PAL Full color broadcasts were introduced from 1977 to 1980.
 South Korea 1980/1981 KBS, MBC NTSC Regular test color broadcasts began in the late 1970s, with the first color TV sets being built in 1975. Regular color broadcasts began in 1980, with full-time color broadcasts beginning in 1981. Color broadcasts have been available from Japan since 1961 and North Korea since 1974.
 Kuwait 1974 KTV PAL
Kirghiz SSR 1981 KTRK SECAM Experimental color broadcast for the 1980 Summer Olympics.
 SAP Kosovo 1982 RTP PAL
Latvian SSR 1968/1974 LTV SECAM, PAL First color broadcasts came from Moscow. First local color program was transmitted on Monday, January 28, 1974. Switched from SECAM to PAL on February 2, 1998.
 Lebanon 1967 CLT/Télé Liban SECAM In 1967, CLT became the third television station in the world after the Soviet Union and France to broadcast in color, utilizing the French SECAM technology. [20]
 Liberia 1975 LBS PAL
 Libya 1976 Al-Libyah TV PAL
Lithuanian SSR 1968 LRT SECAM, PAL Used SECAM as part of the USSR frok 1968–1989 and again from 1990 to 1996. PAL has been in use since 1997.
 Luxembourg 1967/1972 Compangnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion PAL, SECAM The then only channel for audiences in Luxembourg, France and Belgium originally used the French/Belgian 819-line black and white standard. After Belgium and France opted for different color systems, Luxembourg broadcast two versions of the same channel. All later RTL channels aimed at French-, German- and Dutch-speaking audiences in Europe adopted the standards of their target markets. Full color telecasts began in 1972.
 SR Macedonia 1974 Televizija Skopje (now MRT 1) PAL
 Madagascar 1977 MBS SECAM
 Malaysia 1979/1982 RTM PAL Introduced in Peninsular Malaysia on beginning 28 December 1978 and in full service by New Year's Day 1979, but was not introduced in Sabah and Sarawak until 31 August 1980 (23rd Merdeka Day). Colour broadcasts had been available from Southern Thailand since 1972 and Singapore since 1974. Full-time colour broadcasts began from 1979 to 1981 and became fully operational with effect from Friday, 1 January 1982 (New Year's Day).
 Maldives 1984 TVM PAL Color had been available from India since 1982.
 Mali 1984 ORTM SECAM
 Malta 1978/1981 TVM PAL Colour broadcasts from Italy had been available since 1978, regular test transmissions from Wednesday, 1 January 1975. Full-time colour transmissions began in 1981.
 Martinique 1969 RFO (Martinique 1ère) SECAM
 Mauritania 1984 TV de Mauritanie SECAM
 Mauritius 1975 MBC SECAM Color television arrived on a full-time schedule in 1978.
 Mexico 1963/1968/1970 Canal 5 Telesistema Mexicano (now Televisa) NTSC Launched Friday, February 8, 1963, with the program Paraiso Infantil. Color had been available previously in a few border cities from the United States, on a limited basis. Regular color transmissions started with the 1968 Summer Olympic Games, with full service by late 1970. Curiously, Mexico had its own system of color television, invented by Guillermo González, prior to NTSC adoption, which would be used for the 1964 Summer Olympic Games.
Moldavian SSR 1978 TeleRadio-Moldova SECAM, PAL
 Monaco 1973 TMC PAL, SECAM Color broadcasts from France had been available since 1967.
 Mongolia 1975 MNB SECAM, PAL
 SR Montenegro 1974 Radiotelevizija Titograd (now TVCG 1) PAL
 Morocco 1972 RTM SECAM First test transmission was in 1972.
 Mozambique 1984 TVM PAL
 Netherlands 1967 NPO PAL Introduced on both national channels (Nederland 1 and Nederland 2) on Thursday, September 21, 1967.
 Netherlands Antilles 1973 TeleCuraçao NTSC
 New Caledonia 1972 RFO (France Ô - Nouvelle Calédonie) SECAM New Caledonia began to broadcast in color for the 1972 Summer Olympic Games, full color broadcasts became official in 1978.[citation needed]
 New Zealand 1973/1975 NZBC PAL Introduced in November 1973, as part of preparations for the 1974 British Commonwealth Games, held in Christchurch in February 1974.[21] Full-time colour was achieved by December 1975.[22]
 Nicaragua 1973 Televicentro Canal 2 NTSC
 Niger 1979 Télé Sahel SECAM Colour broadcasts had been available from Nigeria from 1974, but were PAL.
 Nigeria 1974 WNTV (now called the NTA) PAL
 Norway 1972/1975 NRK PAL Experimental color broadcasts introduced for the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. Regular test transmissions from Saturday, January 1, 1972. Full-time color broadcasts since Wednesday, January 1, 1975. Color broadcasts had been available from Sweden since 1970, in parts of Norway and Finland since 1969.
 Oman 1974 Oman TV PAL
 Pakistan 1976/1982 PTV PAL Full-time color transmissions since 1982.
 Panama 1972[23] TVN (Panamanian TV network) NTSC
 Paraguay 1979 TV Cerro Corá PAL-N
 Peru 1978/1980 TV Perú, América Televisión, Panamericana Televisión NTSC First color test transmission was done in 1967 by Panamericana Televisión for a soap opera but for economic and political reasons the project was canceled. Color broadcasts from Ecuador had been available since 1973. Channel 7 made test broadcasts with their own content since 1974, using the three existing standards (NTSC, PAL and SECAM), later mostly using NTSC since late-1976/1977. In Thursday January 17, 1978, the Peruvian government approved the NTSC color television standard and official broadcasts were authorised. The first official color broadcast was the 20th anniversary of Lima's Channel 7 on January 17, 1978,[24] the same day the Peruvian government approved color broadcasts. The coverage of the 1978 election was probably the first official color broadcast broadcast in the 2 main networks (América Televisión and Panamericana Televisión). América Televisión and Panamericana Televisión began their regular color broadcasting with the broadcast of the 1978 Argentina's FIFA World Cup; however, most of their main programming was still in Black and White until April 1980, after announcing their new full-color programming in February 1980. Color receivers were not widely available before late-1979 due to import restrictions.[25] Transition completed on October 1, 1980.
 Philippines 1966/1971 ABS-CBN NTSC First color test transmission was in 1963. Commercial launch in June 1966 using RCA color; and full-time color transmissions began in 1971 when color sets became more widespread in the Manila area and suburbs.
 Poland 1971 TVP SECAM, PAL First time color program was broadcast on March 16, 1971 & regular broadcasting began on December 6, 1971, for 6th PUWP congress. The 1972 Olympic Games in Munich used color in SECAM. Transitioned to PAL on January 1, 1994, for all TVP channels except for TVP1 which transitioned on January 1, 1995.
 Portugal 1979/1980 RTP PAL First experimental broadcasts for the coverage of the 1976 election and the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. Introduced for the Portuguese-language version of Jeux Sans Frontières on Wednesday, September 5, 1979; color broadcasts from Spain available since 1972. Full-color transmissions started March 7, 1980.[26]
 Qatar 1973 QBS PAL Color broadcasts from Bahrain had been available since 1972.
 Réunion 1972 RFO (1ère Réunion) SECAM Introduced for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.
 Romania 1983/1990 TVR PAL Introduced for the 39th anniversary of King Michael's Coup in 1983. Unlike the other Warsaw Pact countries, Romania chose to adopt PAL rather than SECAM. Full-time color broadcasts introduced between 1984 and 1990.
 Rwanda 1982 ORINFOR SECAM
Saint Christopher, Nevis, and Anguilla 1972 ZIZ-TV NTSC This former British colony is the current Saint Kitts and Nevis. ColoUr broadcasts have been available from Guadeloupe since 1972, but were SECAM.
 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 1967 RFO (1eré SPM TV; Previously known as ORTF) SECAM Color transmissions had been available from Newfoundland and Labrador since 1967, but were NTSC. There are transmitters in SPM that can carry a signal from Newfoundland and Labrador which converts it to SECAM from NTSC and in some cases, In Fortune, Newfoundland, 1eré is converted to NTSC by a transmitter that is placed there.
 Saudi Arabia 1973 SAGTS SECAM
 Senegal 1975 RTS SECAM
 Sierra Leone 1978 SLBS PAL [27]
 Singapore 1975/1976/1977 Radio Television Singapore (RTS) PAL Test transmissions began for the 1974 Asian Games and officially introduced on July 8 for the 1974 World Cup Final. Full-time color broadcasts began on November 1, 1975, and from 1976 to 1977.
Slovak SR 1970 ČST SECAM, PAL First color transmission in 1970 during World Ski Championship which was broadcast in PAL. Adopted SECAM in 1973 with full color transition in the late 1970s. Switched to PAL from 1993.
 SR Slovenia 1976/1977 Radiotelevizija Ljubljana (now TV Slovenija 1) PAL Began in 1976 for the 1976 Summer Olympics (in Montreal, Canada) with full-time color transition in 1977.
Russian SFSR 1967/1975 Soviet Central Television (now Channel One) SECAM Test color broadcasting started in Moscow as early as January 1960 using the OSKM system (based on the NTSC system, which was adapted to the European 625 lines standard, using a 4.43 MHz color subcarrier) from the Moscow Experimental TV Studio at Shabolovka street, but lasted only a few months as this system was rejected. Only about 4000 television sets were built for this system (Raduga, Temp 22, Izumrud 201/203). SECAM broadcasting was introduced specifically for the 50th Golden Jubilee Anniversary of the October Revolution in 1967. Full-time colorcasts began with the Revolution's 58th anniversary, in 1975. Some parts of the USSR received color from Alaska since 1966 in some circumstances when signals were not jammed in some parts and was received by contraband receivers to pick up signals[citation needed].
 Spain 1972/1978 RTVE SECAM, PAL Colour broadcasts had been available from France since 1967, but were SECAM. The Eurovision Song Contest 1969 in Madrid was produced in colour, but it was televised in black and white to the local audience. First color tests were carried out in 1972. Regular color broadcasts were introduced between 1973 and 1977, although monochrome commercials continued to be made until 1978.
 Sudan 1976 Sudan TV PAL
 Suriname 1977 STVS NTSC
 Sweden 1970 Sveriges Radio TV PAL Test transmissions started on Wednesday, December 14, 1966. Regular color service and color license fee introduced on Wednesday, April 1, 1970.
  Switzerland 1968 SBC PAL Switzerland used PAL to broadcast the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, color transmissions had been available from France and West Germany since 1967.
 Syria 1976/1980 STV PAL
Tajik SSR 1982 TVT SECAM Experimental color broadcast for the 1980 Summer Olympics.
 Thailand 1967/1975 Channel 7 PAL Although television in Thailand originally employed a 525-line screen (System M, US standard at the time), the country opted for PAL color, which necessitated a conversion to system B (625 lines), starting with Channel 7 in November 1967. Regional stations converted between 1972 and 1975.
 Togo 1979 TVT SECAM
 Trinidad and Tobago 1977 TTT NTSC
 Tunisia 1972 RTT SECAM Color broadcasts have been available from Italy since 1977 and Malta since at least 1975.
 Turkey 1981/1984 TRT PAL Test transmissions started with the New Year's Eve celebrations on Thursday, December 31, 1981, and Friday, January 1, 1982; full color television did not start until Thursday, March 16, 1984. Color broadcasts from Greece had been available since 1976 and Bulgaria since at least 1971.[28]
Turkmen SSR 1970 Turkmen Television SECAM First Central Asian country to introduce color television. Introduced on Saturday, October 31, 1970, in preparation for the start of Ramadan.
 Uganda 1975 UTV PAL
Ukrainian SSR 1967 UT-1 SECAM, PAL First transmission came from Moscow in 1967, Ukraine uses SECAM in for the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. Local color broadcasts began in 1967 and from 1969 to 1975.
 United Arab Emirates 1974 UAE-TV PAL
 United Kingdom 1967/1969/1976 BBC2 (1967), BBC1 and ITV (1969) PAL First experimental 405 line broadcasts using a variation of the NTSC system in 1955[29] and later showcased during the 1961 National Radio Show at Earls Court as an experiment.[30] In early 1966, the PAL system was adopted and introduced on BBC2 for Wimbledon coverage on Saturday, July 1, 1967. The launch of the BBC2 "full" colour service took place on December 2, 1967. Some British television programmes, however, had been produced in colour even before the introduction of colour television in 1967, for the purpose of sales to American, Canadian, and Filipino networks. Full-time colour broadcasts on BBC and the ITV network started November 15, 1969.[31] Full nationwide colour broadcasting achieved in 1976, when BBC East (Norwich) became the last region to adopt colour for regional broadcasts and locally produced programmes.
 United States 1950 CBS CBS Field-sequential color system; experimental; ended 1951.[32] The first country with black and white transmission to introduce color television.
 United States 1953/1972 NBC, CBS NTSC Dot sequential system.[33] The US began a gradual transition to color in late 1953. The first color TV sets were very expensive and the audience for color was accordingly very small, so only specials and a handful of regularly scheduled shows aired in color during the 1950s. Market penetration slowly increased as more affordable sets and more color programming became available. A tipping point came in 1965, when the commercial networks first aired the majority of their prime-time shows in color. By the end of 1966, prime-time was all-color, but an ever-dwindling number of daytime, local and educational programs continued in black-and-white for a few more years.
 Upper Volta 1976 Volta Vision SECAM This country is now known as Burkina Faso since 1984.
 Uruguay 1980/1981 CXB-10 PAL-N Introduced for the 1980 Mundialito but locally broadcast in black and white. Local color broadcasting started in 1981.
Uzbek SSR 1984 MTRK SECAM Experimental color broadcast for the 1980 Summer Olympics. The last Central Asian country to introduce color television in 1984.
 Venezuela 1973/1979/1980 RCTV, Venevision NTSC The first test color telecasts were sporting events, among them the 1970 FIFA World Cup in México and the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany. Regular broadcasts began on Monday, January 1, 1973, and several soap operas from 1974 on were taped in color for foreign broadcasts. After almost a decade of illegal color broadcasts, color television was authorized beginning on Saturday, December 1, 1979, by TVN5. Transition completed on Sunday, June 1, 1980.
 Vietnam 1977/1980 VTV SECAM, PAL The first color television program aired on Tết.[34] Color televisions were available only in big cities until the late 1980s. Switched to PAL from 1990.
 U.S. Virgin Islands 1968 WBNB-TV NTSC WBNB was a CBS affiliate whose first color broadcasts took place during the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. This station was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo on September 18, 1989.
 North Yemen 1979 NYRTC PAL
 South Yemen 1979 SYRTC PAL Color broadcasts had been available from North Yemen since 1979.
 SR Serbia 1971/1979 Televizija Beograd (now RTS1) PAL Introduced on the launch of the second TVB channel (TVB 2), as it was the first Yugoslav channel to start in color. From the late 1970s, TVB 1 switches to color, thus making all channels broadcast in color. (both TVB 1 and TVB 2, as they were only the channels available in that time) Full-time color broadcasts in SR Serbia began on May 25, 1979.
 Zaire 1980 OZRT SECAM
 Zambia 1977 ZNBC PAL
 Zimbabwe 1984 ZBC PAL ZBC announced in 1982, after independence, that colour television would start in 1984. Color broadcasts have been available from Zambia since 1977 and South Africa since 1976.[35]

List of territories that never had black and white television

Countries and territories that never had black and white television (i.e., their first broadcasts were in color) are not included in the table above.

See also

References

  1. ^ Cheurfi, Achour (4 February 2011). Radio et télévision : histoire d'un monopole (in French). Algiers: Casbah Éditions (published September 2010). p. 88–p. 148. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. ^ The Age- Thursday June 15, 1967- Page 23- Pakenham Races Form Guide (First colour television test transmission in Australia), Flickr
  3. ^ rogersimmons.com: "West Palm Beach TV Station Ads"
  4. ^ "On This Day | the Day in 1980 when Color TV Arrived in Myanmar". November 2019.
  5. ^ Llegada del color a canal 13 en Esta noche Fiesta (1978)
  6. ^ La llegada de la televisión en colores (The beginning of color television), video in Youtube
  7. ^ Universidad y Medios Masivos, Del Estado de Bienestar Al Mercado. By Milcíades Vizcaíno Gutiérrez. Page 37
  8. ^ Luís Ángel Arango Library, Las primeras imágenes a color 1974 Archived 2008-12-01 at the Wayback Machine, Historia de la televisión en Colombia, accessed 6 July 2011
  9. ^ "Desde mañana TV en color. By Gonzalo Guillen. El Tiempo, Nov 30, 1979".
  10. ^ a b 40 år med farve-tv fra DR
  11. ^ Television history: the French exception?, INA, accessed 21 January 2011
  12. ^ "Memoire Online - Télévision haà¯tienne par cà¢ble et couleur locale ( la télé Haà¯ti ) - Joêl Lorquet".
  13. ^ "Kaiser Station On The Air Tonight", Honolulu Advertiser; May 5, 1957.
  14. ^ "KHVH-TV Will Switch To Channel 4 Wednesday", Honolulu Star-Bulletin; July 14, 1958
  15. ^ "Deals, Rumors Spot Isle Entertainment Picture", Honolulu Star-Bulletin; January 1, 1959
  16. ^ "Color TV Movie", Honolulu Advertiser; September 30, 1981
  17. ^ "NBC's Color Television Programs To Debut Tomorrow In Hawaii", Honolulu Advertiser; October 1, 1961
  18. ^ "KHVH-TV To Inaugurate Color Programs Tomorrow", Honolulu Star-Bulletin; July 13, 1962
  19. ^ "KGMB-TV Debuts Color", Honolulu Advertiser; December 19, 1965
  20. ^ Harb 2011, pp. 93–95.
  21. ^ "Technology Changes Television | INSIDE TVNZ | tvnz.co.nz". Television New Zealand. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  22. ^ Television One listings in the Otago Daily Times in November and December 1975 clearly show all but the occasional television show being broadcast in color.
  23. ^ "TVN se renueva a sus 54 años". 23 April 2016.
  24. ^ "El color se instaló también primero en TV Perú- Canal 7". 17 April 2019.
  25. ^ Andonaire, Jean (October 17, 2019). "Cuando la televisión a color empezó en el Perú". El Comercio (in Spanish).
  26. ^ RTP, RTP, Rádio e Televisão de Portugal -. "Emissões a cores da RTP começaram há 32 anos" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2018-01-25.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ World Broadcasting: A Comparative View, Alan Wells, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996, page 173
  28. ^ HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF RADIO AND TELEVISION BROADCASTING IN TURKEY
  29. ^ "Colour Television: 50 Years on". 30 June 2017.
  30. ^ https://www.bbceng.info/Technical%20Reviews/early_colour_tv.htm
  31. ^ "Color Television Chronology". Archived from the original on 10 October 2012., British TV History.
  32. ^ "Color Television Enchants Viewers at Its Public Debut", The Washington Post, January 13, 1950, p. B2. "CBS Color Television To Make Public Debut In N.Y. Next Week," The Wall Street Journal, November 9, 1950, p. 18. "CBS Color Preview Seen By 2,000 in Philadelphia", The Wall Street Journal, December 16, 1950, p. 10. "Commercial Color TV To Have Its 'Premiere' Over CBS Monday", The Wall Street Journal, June 22, 1951, p. 14. "All Color TV Put on Shelf Indefinitely", The Washington Post, October 20, 1951, p. 1.
  33. ^ "NBC Launches First Publicly-Announced Color Television Show", The Wall Street Journal, August 31, 1953, p. 4. "First Home Reception of Color TV Proves Effective in Operatic Field," The New York Times, November 1, 1953, p. 1. "Radio-TV Notes," The New York Times, November 20, 1953, p. 32. "F.C.C. Rules Color TV Can Go on Air at Once", The New York Times, December 19, 1953, p. 1.
  34. ^ "New Year quiet in South Vietnam". The Citizen. Vol. 134, no. 193. Ottawa. Associated Press. February 17, 1977. p. 47. South Vietnam ... announced Thursday that it will broadcast the country's first color television program for this year's Tet holiday.
  35. ^ A Concise Encyclopedia of Zimbabwe, Donatus Bonde, Mambo Press, 1988, page 410
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