Asia Television Limited (Chinese: 亞洲電視有限公司) is one of the two free-to-air television broadcasters in Hong Kong, the other being rival Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB). It launched in 1957 under the name Rediffusion Television as the first television station in Hong Kong. It was bought out, renamed, and restructured to "Asia Television Limited" in 1982.
ATV currently operates six channels: the 24-hour ATV Home channel in Cantonese; the 22-hour ATV World channel in English; the 24-hour Cantonese satellite channel ATV Home (America), which is accessible in North America via satellite, and three digital DMB-T/H channels: aTV Asia, a 24-hour high-definition channel; CCTV-1, the general channel of China Central Television, China.
Prior to 1 April 2009, the following DMB-T/H channels were in operation: News & Business, a 24-hour news and finance news channel; His TV, a 24-hour sports and infotainment channel aimed at men; Her TV, a 24-hour lifestyle infotainment channel aimed at women; Plus TV, a 24-hour documentary channel; and HDTV, a 24-hour high-definition channel.
In 2002, ATV gained approval from China's State Administration for Radio, Film and Television to beam its Home and World channels to the Guangdong Pearl River Delta region. ATV has also established a close relationship with Guangdong TV to ensure their stable cooperation in programme productions, advertising, and sales.
ATV has received numerous awards for its programmes. One of its successes is the local version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (百萬富翁), a game show originally launched in the United Kingdom in 1998. In 2001, ATV bought the production rights for the Hong Kong market and subsequently enjoyed an upturn in its viewing figures. TVB responded by producing similar game shows.
Read more about Asia Television Limited: Location, News Operation, Programming, ATV Training Institute, Licence, Major Competitor
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