In most
telecommunications
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...
organizations, a virtual channel is a method of remapping the ''program number'' as used in
H.222
MPEG-2 (a.k.a. H.222/H.262 as was defined by the ITU) is a standard for "the generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information". It describes a combination of lossy video compression and lossy audio data compression methods, w ...
Program Association Tables and Program Mapping Tables to a channel number that can be entered via digits on a receiver's
remote control
In electronics, a remote control (also known as a remote or clicker) is an electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operate devices such as ...
.
Often, "virtual channels" are implemented in digital television, helping users to find a desired channel easily, or easing the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting in general. The practice of assigning virtual channels is most common in those parts of the world where TV stations were colloquially named after the RF channel they were transmitting on ("Channel 6 Springfield"), as it was common in North America during the analogue TV era. In other parts of the world, such as Europe, virtual channels are rarely used or needed, as TV stations there identify themselves by name, not by RF channel or callsign.
A "virtual channel" was first used for
DigiCipher 2
DigiCipher 2, or simply DCII, is a proprietary standard format of digital signal transmission and it doubles as an encryption standard with MPEG-2/MPEG-4 signal video compression used on many communications satellite television and audio signals. T ...
in North America. It was later used and referred to as a logical channel number (LCN) for private European
Digital Video Broadcasting
Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) is a set of international open standards for digital television. DVB standards are maintained by the DVB Project, an international industry consortium, and are published by a Joint Technical Committee (JTC) ...
extensions widely used by the
NDS Group
Cisco Videoscape (formerly NDS Group and currently known as Synamedia) was a majority owned subsidiary of News Corp, which develops software for the pay TV industry (including cable, satellite and others). NDS Group was established in 1988 as an ...
and by
NorDig in other markets.
Pay television
Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription business model, subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichan ...
operators were the first to use either of these systems as a method of channel reassignment or rearrangement that suited their need to group multiple channels by their content or origin as well as to a lesser extent to localize advertising to a particular market.
Free-to-air stations using
Advanced Television Systems Committee standards
Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standards are an American set of standards for digital television transmission over terrestrial, cable and satellite networks. It is largely a replacement for the analog NTSC standard and, like th ...
(ATSC) used the same
television frequency channel allocation that the NTSC channel was using when both were
simulcasting
Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...
. They achieved this using the DigiCipher 2 method. Viewers could then use the same number to bring up either service.
Free-to-air
DVB
Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) is a set of international open standards for digital television. DVB standards are maintained by the DVB Project, an international industry consortium, and are published by a Joint Technical Committee (JTC) o ...
network operators such as
DTV Services Ltd. (d.b.a. Freeview) and
Freeview New Zealand Ltd. use the NorDig method and follow the same practice as pay TV operators. The exception is
Freeview Australia Ltd., which also use the NorDig method and partially follow the ATSC practice of using the same VHF radio frequency channel allocation that the PAL channel is simulcasting on from the metropolitan station's main transmission point (i2, 7, 9 and 10) with the major and minor format emulated by multiplying by ten.
Implementation
The
DigiCipher 2
DigiCipher 2, or simply DCII, is a proprietary standard format of digital signal transmission and it doubles as an encryption standard with MPEG-2/MPEG-4 signal video compression used on many communications satellite television and audio signals. T ...
method uses a privately defined virtual channel table (VCT) to set the channel's major and minor numbers that appear on-screen separated by a decimal point or dash. The major number for ATSC represents the original analog or non-simulcast channel frequency while the minor is a sequentially assigned number for the selected channel with zero reserved for the analog channel. The channel may also be marked as hidden from the viewer.
The DVB extensions use privately defined descriptors within the ''Bouquet Association Table'' for DVB-S or the ''Network Information Table'' for DVB-T. Th
NorDigversion allows for marking a channel as hidden, while the
NDS Group
Cisco Videoscape (formerly NDS Group and currently known as Synamedia) was a majority owned subsidiary of News Corp, which develops software for the pay TV industry (including cable, satellite and others). NDS Group was established in 1988 as an ...
version simply omits the channel entry.
The DVB system neither promotes nor mentions either system due to the simple fact that the already defined
H.222
MPEG-2 (a.k.a. H.222/H.262 as was defined by the ITU) is a standard for "the generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information". It describes a combination of lossy video compression and lossy audio data compression methods, w ...
''Program number'' and ''Transport Stream ID'' can achieve the same purpose and also hide a channel by simply omitting it from the ''Program Association table.''
All these methods share the same principle of not allowing any kind of viewer reordering as could be achieved under analog and generic digital systems. This ''locked-down'' ordering is one of the main criticisms of using either method.
Digital television multiple channels
Because DTV can carry any number of streams referred to as
multiplexing
In telecommunications and computer networking, multiplexing (sometimes contracted to muxing) is a method by which multiple analog or digital signals are combined into one signal over a shared medium. The aim is to share a scarce resource - a ...
, ''program numbers'' can be used to group them into more than one channel which can then be reassigned by virtual or logical channel numbers.
United States and Canada
An example of the ATSC major and minor numbers used for a station in the United States or Canada would be to typically have its main programming airing on say channel 8 (the "major channel") with analog on 8.0 and digital on 8.1 (the first two "minor channels") with other entertainment channels being below 8.99 on channels 8.2, 8.3, and up and any additional informational data channels ranging from 8.100 to 8.999. The channels can also be displayed using a hyphen (such as 8-1) or a space; however, on a common
seven-segment display
A seven-segment display is a form of electronic display device for displaying decimal numerals that is an alternative to the more complex dot matrix displays.
Seven-segment displays are widely used in digital clocks, electronic meters, basic ...
, a decimal point would not waste a whole character. The decimal point is more familiar to
FM radio
FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM). Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is cap ...
listeners who tune by frequency rather than channel, and avoids confusion with ranges of values (for example, 2-4 may be misinterpreted as the range 2 to 4 instead of the fourth sub-channel of channel 2).
Most stations in the United States follow the ATSC numbering guidelines; however, there are some exceptions for low-power stations such as New York City's
WNYZ-LD
WNYZ-LD is a low-power television station in New York City, owned by K Media. It broadcasts on VHF channel 6, commonly known as an " FM6 operation" because the audio portion of the signal lies at 87.75 MHz, receivable by analog FM radios, ...
, which was temporarily broadcasting on VHF channel 6 in digital, but used the virtual channel 1.1, instead of 6. This operation lasted for approximately one year beginning in November 2008, after which
WNYZ-LD
WNYZ-LD is a low-power television station in New York City, owned by K Media. It broadcasts on VHF channel 6, commonly known as an " FM6 operation" because the audio portion of the signal lies at 87.75 MHz, receivable by analog FM radios, ...
reverted to low-power analog.
The assignment of virtual channels in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
is defined within the stream via terrestrial or cable versions of a "Virtual Channel Table" as outlined by ATSC document "A/65", Annex B. Rules for assignment of major channel numbers are as follows:
*Existing analog stations were assigned a major channel number matching their existing analog number
*New digital stations assigned to a channel whose matching major channel number is not in use must use that number
*New digital stations assigned to a channel whose matching major channel number is in use (by a former analog station) must reciprocate, using the major channel number that matches the actual channel of the station in question.
These rules generally ensure that no overlapping will occur, although in the case of stations where large numbers of stations in adjacent markets are in close proximity to each other, it is possible that such overlap can occasionally happen (see, for example, the case of
WJLP
WJLP (channel 33) is a television station licensed to Middletown Township, New Jersey, United States, broadcasting the classic television network MeTV to the New York City area. It is owned and operated by network parent Weigel Broadcasting alon ...
). Additionally, stations may broadcast some of their subchannels under major channel(s) in the 70–99 range, so long as multiple stations do not attempt to use the same major channel(s). These numbers are certain to be unused, as 69 was the highest assigned channel prior to the conversion to digital broadcasting. The document does not address the use of certain other major channel numbers:
*Numbers below 70 that were never used in NTSC (0,
1 and
37)
*The real numbers of stations that are using virtual channels from 38 to 69 (these stations are not covered by the reciprocity rule, as real station numbers are not assigned above 36)
*Numbers in the range of 38–69 that are not being used by a former analog station
Additionally, broadcasters owning more than one station that overlap in coverage area may set all of the channels to use the major channel of just one of the stations, so long as different minor channel numbers are used to avoid overlap.
When the United States began buying back licenses in a broadcast spectrum auction in 2017, it also allowed companies that had a duopoly in a market to sell one of the licenses but continue to use the virtual channel of the sold channel on a subchannel of the other. For example,
Sunbeam Television
Sunbeam Television Corporation is a privately held broadcasting company based in Miami, Florida, that owns three television stations in the United States.
History
Sunbeam Television was formed on December 16, 1953, by Sidney Ansin, who inherite ...
sold
WLVI
WLVI (channel 56) is a television station licensed to Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, serving the Boston area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Sunbeam Television alongside WHDH (channel 7), an independent station. WLVI and W ...
in the auction, but in turn was allowed to use its virtual channel 56 on
WHDH, which uses virtual channel 7 for its main channel; thus, the WHDH license uses both virtual channels, 7 and 56, on the same license.
The range for pay TV free-to-air local stations is from 2 to 29. All other channels are based on the service provider's preference.
Usage examples
The order for cable provider
Charter Spectrum
Spectrum is a trade name of Charter Communications, used to market consumer and commercial cable television, internet, telephone, and wireless services provided by the company.
The brand was first introduced in 2014; prior to that, these serv ...
:
# Reserved for subscriber on-demand services
* Basic subscriber channels are from 30 to 120
* Extra subscriber channels are from 121 to 199
* Informational subscriber channels are from 200 to 244
* Sporting subscriber channels are from 245 to 279
* Movie subscriber channels are from 280 to 299
* Latin American targeted subscriber channels from 300 to 399 and 800 to 899
* Extra HD subscriber channels are from 400 to 499
* Extra movie subscriber channels are from 500 to 599
* Extra foreign subscriber channels are from 600 to 699
* Extra season pass NBA/NHL/MLB subscriber channels from 700 to 769
* Premium adult subscriber channels from 770 to 799
* Extra audio only music subscriber channels from 900 to 999
The order for satellite (
DBS) provider
DirecTV
DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...
:
# Reserved for DirecTV subscriber information (as well as 201)
* Local free-to-air stations are from 2 to 69
* Shopping subscriber channels are from 70 to 99
* Extra movie subscriber channels are from 100 to 200
* Basic (and extra HD) subscriber channels are from 202 to 389
* NY east and CA west coast FTA network subscriber channels from 390 to 400
* Latin American targeted subscriber channels from 401 to 499
* Premium subscriber channels from 500 to 573
* Premium adult subscriber channels from 575 to 599
* Extra regional sporting subscriber channels from 600 to 699
* Extra season pass NFL/NBA/NHL subscriber channels from 700 to 799
* Extra audio only music subscriber channels from 800 to 999
* Extra non-North/Latin American subscriber channels from 2000 to 2199
* DirecTV system/hidden interactive channels from 9000 to 9539 and 9950
* DirecTV system/hidden HD channels from 9540 to 9559
* DirecTV system/hidden instrumental channels from 9560 to 9599
Mexico
Upon the introduction of digital television in Mexico, most stations used virtual channels that matched their former analog channel positions, with a select number of stations branding as their physical channel (such as
XHMNU-TDT
XHMNU-TDT is an educational television station owned and operated by the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico ...
in
Monterrey
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
, which eschewed virtual channel 53 for 35). However, Mexican television is considerably more centralized than in other ATSC countries, with three of the four national commercial networks branding with their Mexico City channel numbers. There was also the potential that new entrants, which would almost universally be on UHF, would be disadvantaged by higher virtual channels than existing stations that began on VHF—a particular concern given the recent award of a national television network to
Grupo Imagen
Grupo Imagen is a Mexican media conglomerate, part of Grupo Empresarial Ángeles.
History
Grupo Imagen traces its roots to the foundation of XEDA-AM in June 1936. This station was acquired by José Luis Fernández Soto in 1962, and in the same ...
.
In December 2015, the
Federal Telecommunications Institute
The Federal Telecommunications Institute ( Spanish: ''Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones''; abbreviated as IFT and incorrectly referred to as IFETEL) is an independent government agency of Mexico charged with the regulation of telecommunicat ...
opened a public comment period on public guidelines for the assignment of virtual channels, and on June 17, 2016, the IFT officially released the final version of the guidelines. The plan called for standardization of virtual channels according to network, not former analog position, with automatic assignment based on the programming information on file with the IFT; it also set a date of October 27 for a coordinated switch of all virtual channels. In early September, a full list of virtual channel assignments was released.
The plan eliminated much of the local variance for national and regional networks. Prior to standardization,
Canal 5, a national network, was seen on 25 different virtual channel numbers in different Mexican cities; the plan standardized it as channel 5 nationwide.
In all, the IFT accredited nine national television networks and awarded them national rights to a virtual channel. Five were commercial:
Azteca Trece (channel 1, changed from 13 at the request of TV Azteca);
Las Estrellas (channel 2), Imagen (channel 3), Canal 5 (channel 5), and
Azteca 7
Azteca 7 (also called El Siete) is a Mexican network owned by TV Azteca, with more than 100 main transmitters all over Mexico.
Azteca 7 is available on all cable and satellite systems. A substantial portion of their purchased programming include ...
(channel 7)). Additionally, the national public broadcasters received channels:
Canal Once
Once (Eleven; formerly Once TV México and Canal Once) is a Mexican educational broadcast television network owned by National Polytechnic Institute. The network's flagship station is XEIPN-TDT channel 11 in Mexico City. It broadcasts across ...
(channel 11), Una Voz con Todos (channel 14, later renamed
Canal Catorce
''Canal Catorce'' (Channel 14, formerly known as ''Una Voz con Todos'') is a national public television network of Mexico, operated by the Sistema Público de Radiodifusión del Estado Mexicano (SPR). It began operations in 2012 and is distribu ...
as a result),
TV UNAM
TV UNAM (stylized as ''tvunam'' and ''tv•unam'', formerly written ''teveunam'') is an educational television network owned and operated by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City.
Programming on TV UNAM generally co ...
(channel 20), and
Canal 22
XEIMT-TDT, known as Canal 22, is a television station located in Mexico City. Broadcasting on channel 22, XEIMT is owned by Televisión Metropolitana, S.A. de C.V., and operated by the Secretariat of Culture. It is one of Mexico's principal pub ...
(channel 22). The IFT also awarded common numbers to 14 regional networks (primarily operated by state governments) and virtual channels to nearly 100 local stations across the country. Local stations were mostly assigned to channels 4, 8, 10, 12, and less commonly 9, as well as other numbers. Some retained existing channel numbers, particularly if they broadcast on UHF in analog. Initially, channel 6 was reserved, in the event that a 2017 auction of local TV stations produced a national network; this did not come to pass, and
Multimedios Televisión
Canal 6 (alternately known as Multimedios Televisión) is a network of Spanish language television stations primarily concentrated in northeastern Mexico and the southwestern United States. The system is part of Grupo Multimedios. The flagship st ...
stations now use channel 6.
The largest exception to standardization is on the US-Mexico border, where due to the presence of US stations on desired virtual channels and objections from the US
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
, 11 Mexican stations operate on virtual channels other than would be expected. In
Tijuana
Tijuana ( ,["Tijuana"](_blank)
(US) and [< ...]
, only one Mexican station was able to change its virtual channel.
Australia
In
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, allocation of logical channel numbers is governed by guidelines set by the commercial broadcasters' association
Free TV Australia
These are defined within the terrestrial broadcast stream using th
NorDigdescriptor format within the
DVB
Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) is a set of international open standards for digital television. DVB standards are maintained by the DVB Project, an international industry consortium, and are published by a Joint Technical Committee (JTC) o ...
"Network Information Table."
LCNs in Australia may have one, two or three digits. Each network is allocated LCNs starting with a certain prefix - for instance, all metropolitan
Nine Network
The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
services use LCNs beginning with the digit '9'. Generally, but not always, the single-digit LCN is allocated to the primary SD service (
Network 10
Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
's high definition-channel
10 HD being the main exception). LCNs need not be contiguous, and a channel may be identified by more than one LCN. For instance,
ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to:
*ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or
*ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia
ABC Television or ABC ...
's primary
ABC TV service is allocated LCNs 2 and 21; the latter allows it to be easily accessed amongst other ABC services which lie in the 21–24 range.
Regional affiliates of the three metropolitan networks are provided with a different LCN prefix. For instance, channels owned by ''affiliates'' of the Nine Network (in this case
NBN Television
NBN is an Australian television station based in Newcastle, Australia. The station was inaugurated on 4 March 1962 as the first regional commercial television station in New South Wales, and has since expanded to 39 transmitters throughout Nort ...
) are prefixed with the digit '8' rather than '9'. This allows areas that are part of both a metropolitan market and a regional market, such as the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
,
Sunshine Coast and
Central Coast, to receive all local commercial services. The ABC and
SBS use the same prefix in all areas.
Prefixes for remote-area services are intended to be overlaid over this model. When digital transmission starts in these areas, services licensed for the Remote Central and Eastern Australia licence area (
Imparja
Imparja Television (IMP) is an independent Australian television station servicing over , across six states and territories of Australia, states and territories: Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales and V ...
and
Southern Cross Central
QQQ is an Australian television station broadcasting in remote central and eastern areas of Australia, owned by Southern Cross Austereo. The station is available via satellite and terrestrial platforms – mostly through community retransmissio ...
) have been reserved the "metropolitan" prefixes corresponding to their affiliation; those in Remote Western Australia (
GWN and
WIN WA) the "regional" prefixes.
A number of LCNs are reserved for various reasons:
* LCN 4 was originally intended for a free-to-air video program guide. In practice, the LCN 4 prefix has for most of its life been largely unused, except in Sydney (where it was used by the
Digital Forty Four
Digital Forty Four was a Sydney-only trial datacasting service that was licensed by the Australian Broadcasting Authority (now the Australian Communications and Media Authority) beginning on 17 March 2004 for an initial three-year run until lat ...
trial datacasting service from 2004 to 2010). Since 2010, capital city community television stations (or "
Channel 31" stations, after their typical analogue channel position) use LCN 44.
* The LCN range 350-399 is intended to be allocated by receivers to channels which either duplicate a stronger signal's LCN, or are transmitted without an LCN. For instance, if two broadcasts of LCN 2 were found, one signal (generally the stronger) will be allocated to LCN 2, and the weaker should be allocated to, say, LCN 350.
* The LCN range 450-499 is intended for use by trial services by non-broadcasters.
Usage examples
The order for Freeview (aka FreeTV) is defined by broadcaster transport:
# Ten Network metropolitan HD channel is on channel 1
# ABC primary SD channel is on channel 2
# SBS primary SD channel is on channel 3
#
VAST
Vast or VAST may refer to:
* ''Vast'' (novel), a 1998 science fiction novel by Linda Nagata
* ''Vast'' (2011 film), a Dutch film, winner of the 2011 Golden Calf for Best Television Drama
* Vast Broadband, an American cable and internet compan ...
regional news guide or in Darwin, First Nations TV is on channel 4.
# Ten Network regional primary SD channel is on channel 5
# 7 Regional primary SD channel is on channel 6
# 7 Network metropolitan primary SD channel is on channel 7
# 9 Regional and 9 Network Northern NSW primary SD channel is on channel 8
# 9 Network metropolitan primary SD channel is on channel 9
# Ten Network metropolitan primary SD channel is on channel 10
#* Ten Network metropolitan other TV channels are from 11 to 19
# ABC HD channel is on channel 20
#* ABC other TV channels are from 21 to 29
# SBS HD channel is on channel 30
#* SBS other TV channels are from 31 to 39
#* The local public service is on channel 44
#* Miscellaneous/Government-owned channels are from 40 to 43 and 45 to 49
# Ten Network Regional HD channel is on channel 50
#* Ten Network regional other TV channels are from 51 to 59
# 7 Network regional HD channel is on channel 60
#* 7 regional other TV channels are from 61 to 69
# 7 Network metropolitan HD channel is on channel 70
#* 7 Network metropolitan other TV channels are from 71 to 79
# 9 regional and 9 Network Northern NSW HD channel is on channel 80
#* 9 Regional and 9 Network Northern NSW other TV channels are from 81 to 89
# 9 Network metropolitan HD channel is on channel 90
#* 9 Network metropolitan other TV channels are from 91 to 99
* Ten Network extended other TV channels are from 100 to 199
* ABC Audio Only channels are from 200 to 219
* ABC out of region/extended channels are from 220 to 299
* SBS out of region/extended channels are from 300 to 349
* Any out of region channels are from 350 to 399
* Regional VAST news channels are from 400 to 499
* VAST community channels are from 600 to 699
* 7 Network extended other TV channels are from 700 to 799
* VAST informational channels are from 800 to 899
* 9 Network extended other TV channels are from 900 to 999
The order for
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...
(who wholesale to
Austar
Austar was an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity was subscription television but it has also been involved with internet access and mobile phones. It was founded in 1995 under the name Community Entertainment Tele ...
and
Optus
Singtel Optus Pty Limited (commonly referred to as Optus) is an Australian telecommunications company headquartered in Macquarie Park, New South Wales, Australia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singaporean telecommunications company Singte ...
) is largely based on the channel's content:
* System Services from 1 to 99 and above 989
* General Entertainment from 100 to 149
* Time-shifted from 150 to 169
* Specialist from 170 to 179
* Community from 180 to 199
* High Definition from 200 to 299
* Interactive/Miscellaneous from 300 to 399
* Movies from 400 to 499
* Sport from 500 to 599
* News/Informational from 600 to 699
* Young Children from 700 to 799
* Music from 800 to 829
* Music Audio Only from 830 to 849
* Free to Air Audio Only from 850 to 899
* Pay Per View from 900 to 939
* European from 940 to 959
* Adult Pay Per View from 960 to 989
* Help on 999
Europe, Africa and the Middle East
In Europe, Africa and the Middle East, there is no special numbering system for subchannels; two related "channels" (that is, programme streams) may have completely unrelated numbers (for example, in the United Kingdom,
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
is channel 3 and its digital sister channel
ITV2
ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, a ...
is channel 6 on
Freeview Freeview may refer to:
* Freeview (Australia), the marketing name for the digital terrestrial television platform in Australia
* Freeview (New Zealand), a digital satellite and digital terrestrial television platform in New Zealand
*Freeview (UK), ...
).
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Freeview channel numbers are defined within the terrestrial broadcast stream using the NorDig descriptor format within the DVB "Network Information Table".
Usage examples
The order for Freeview is largely based on the channel's content:
* General Entertainment from 1 to 99
* High Definition from 100 to 119
* Young Children from 201 to 219
* News/Public Service from 230 to 239
*
MHEG-5
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group (MHEG). It is most commonly used as a language to describ ...
non-broadcast Internet streaming are from 260 to 299
* Reserved for YouView from 300 - 599
*
MHEG-5
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group (MHEG). It is most commonly used as a language to describ ...
Interactive from 600 to 609
* Adult Pay Per View from 670 to 695
* Audio Only from 700 to 777
* Tests and old channels from 790 to 799
The order for the Republic of Ireland's
Saorview
Saorview ( ) is the national digital terrestrial television (DTT) service in Ireland. It is owned by RTÉ and operated by 2RN.
The service began operation on 29 October 2010 on a trial basis with a full launch on 26 May 2011. By legislation i ...
is based on the priority of the channel to that of the state owned broadcaster:
# State owned
RTÉ primary HD TV channel
# State owned
RTÉ secondary HD TV channel
* other TV channels from 3 to 5
* other state owned RTÉ TV channels from 6 to 8
* state owned RTÉ Audio Only channels from 200 to 209
In continental and eastern Europe, virtual channels are not used, since television sets and receivers there allow users to freely assign arbitrary "programme numbers" or "programme letters" to channels.
Stations still market themselves as "first", "second", or "third" channel (and so on), or "channel A", "channel B" or "channel C", etc., but this reflects historic or colloquial usage, or is purely done for marketing purposes. For example, in Germany the term "third programme" refers to the local public station, which was usually the third TV station to go on air in most areas. There is no connection between these terms and the transmitting RF channel. Referencing above's example, the third programmes in Germany never transmitted on a RF channel below 21.
Virtual channels are also used on
direct broadcast satellite
Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location. The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic antenna comm ...
s, such as
Dish Network
DISH Network Corporation (DISH, an acronym for DIgital Sky Highway) is an American television provider and the owner of the direct-broadcast satellite provider Dish, commonly known as Dish Network, and the over-the-top IPTV service, Sling TV. A ...
,
DirecTV
DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...
, and
Astra. Rather than a few dozen channels with a few subchannels each, these services map to a range of hundreds of individually numbered channels. This is true of
digital cable
Digital cable is the distribution of cable television using digital data and video compression. The technology was first developed by General Instrument. By 2000, most cable companies offered digital features, eventually replacing their previou ...
and
satellite radio
Satellite radio is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s ITU Radio Regulations (RR) as a ''broadcasting-satellite service''. The satellite's signals are broadcast nationwide, across a much wider geographical area than ter ...
services, as well.
Japan
In Japan, digital terrestrial TV broadcasters in each region are allocated a "remote control key ID" (or, "remocon key ID"), currently numbered from 1 to 12. Remote control ID allocations for broadcasters outside the
Kanto region
Kantō (Japanese)
Kanto is a simplified spelling of , a Japanese word, only omitting the diacritics.
In Japan
Kantō may refer to:
*Kantō Plain
* Kantō region
* Kantō-kai, organized crime group
* Kanto (Pokémon), a geographical region in th ...
generally follow their Tokyo-based network flagships; however, some stations in some prefectures deviate from this. Current technical standards allow for expansion to a maximum of 16 broadcasters per region.
Each underlying channel is then assigned a three-digit number, which is based on their assigned remote control ID, followed by the sub-channel number. For example,
NHK Educational TV is assigned remote control ID 2 (nationwide). Their primary channel is therefore assigned virtual channel 021. If the broadcaster multichannels (of which the
ISDB-T standard allows up to three
standard-definition
Standard-definition television (SDTV, SD, often shortened to standard definition) is a television system which uses a resolution that is not considered to be either high or enhanced definition. "Standard" refers to it being the prevailing sp ...
streams), the additional streams would be assigned virtual channels 022 and 023, respectively. Current standards allow for a maximum of eight virtual channels per broadcaster (in this example 021-028).
Additional datacasting services use virtual channels in the 200–799 range – in this example, the network could use the 22x, 42x and 62x ranges.
New Zealand
The allocation of logical channel numbers is governed by
Freeview Freeview may refer to:
* Freeview (Australia), the marketing name for the digital terrestrial television platform in Australia
* Freeview (New Zealand), a digital satellite and digital terrestrial television platform in New Zealand
*Freeview (UK), ...
and inserted into the transport stream by mostly
Kordia
Kordia is a New Zealand government-owned company, offering a range of technology services and solutions to businesses. It provides a range of services, including mission-critical connectivity, cloud and cyber security services, as well as manag ...
maintained equipment with the encoding done by
TVNZ
, type = Crown entity
, industry = Broadcast television
, num_locations = New Zealand
, location = Auckland, New Zealand
, area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the So ...
who also do the encoding for all other non critical DVB metadata such as the EPG and channel naming.
SKY Network Television
Sky Network Television Limited, more commonly known as Sky, is a New Zealand broadcasting company that provides pay television services via satellite television, satellite, media streaming services and broadband internet services. It is also a ...
also define their own channel numbering which uses a similar NDS encoded format. They wholesale their channels to the only other NZ Pay TV operator
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Public limited company, plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Telephone company, telecommunications company. Its registered office and Headquarters, global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It ...
and to the short lived
Telecom First Media.
The Freeview LCNs are encoded within a terrestrial broadcast stream using th
NorDigdescriptor format within the DVB "Network Information Table." And within the two satellite broadcast streams also using th
NorDigdescriptor format, but is instead within the DVB "Bouquet Association Table." The BAT is used on satellite so channel region-ization can be done on ''certified'' receivers (i.e., channel order locked receivers).
Usage examples
The order for Freeview is based on how a channel pays for broadcast services:
* nationwide high viewership TV channels are below 20
* nationwide lower viewership TV channels are from 20 to 29
* locally inserted TV channels are from 30 to 40
* local non-Kordia operators are from 41 to 49
* nationwide high priority audio only channels are from 50 to 69
* nationwide low priority audio only channels are from 70 to 79
* TVNZ Provided
MHEG-5
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group (MHEG). It is most commonly used as a language to describ ...
Interactive (currently unused) are from 80 to 99
* Broadcast Test channels (no longer used) are from 100 to 199
* TVNZ Provided
MHEG-5
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group (MHEG). It is most commonly used as a language to describ ...
non-broadcast Internet streaming are from 200 to 299
* TVNZ Provided System Services (currently unused) from 300 to 399
* TVNZ Provided
MHEG-5
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group (MHEG). It is most commonly used as a language to describ ...
Interactive informational channels are from 500 to 599
* TVNZ Provided
MHEG-5
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group (MHEG). It is most commonly used as a language to describ ...
Interactive test channels are from 600 to 699
* TVNZ Provided Receiver Downloads are from 700 to 799
The order for Sky is largely based on the channel's content:
* General Entertainment below thirty (before April 2013 was below twenty)
* Movies from 30 to 39 (before April 2013 was 20 to 29)
* Sport from 50 to 69 and 333 (before April 2013 was 30 to 39 and 333)
* Pre-Teenage from 100 to 109 (before April 2013 was 40 to 49)
* Informational from 70 to 79
* Public Service from 80 to 84 (before April 2013 was from 85 to 89)
* News from 85 to 99 (before April 2013 was from 90 to 99)
* Music from 110 to 119 (before April 2013 was 60 to 69)
* Movie Pay Per View from 120 to 139 (before April 2013 was 200 to 219)
* Adult Pay Per View from 140 to 139 (before April 2013 was 200 to 219)
* Religious/State Funded from 200 to 299 (before April 2013 was 110 to 119)
* Asian Language from 300 to 309
* Asian Audio Only from 311 to 314
* Non-Asian Eastern Language from 315 to 319
* Music Audio Only from 400 to 419
* Free to Air Audio Only from 420 to 429 (before April 2013 was 500 to 599)
* Timeshift from 500 to 599 (before April 2013 was 80 to 84)
* System Services from 800 to 999
* Interactive/Miscellaneous (before April 2013 was 50 to 59)
* European (before April 2013 was 100 to 109)
The order for Sky/TVNZ/Kordia Freeview hybrid bundling called Igloo is as follows:
* Primary Freeview national channels from 1 to 5
* Sky Pay TV channels from 6 to 19
* Secondary Freeview national channels from 30 to 39
* Sports related Freeview channels from 40 to 44
* Infomercial Freeview channels from 45 to 49
* News related Freeview channels from 50 to 54
* Religious Freeview channels from 55 to 59
* Secondary language Freeview channels from 60 to 64
* non-English Freeview channels from 65 to 69
* locally inserted English Freeview channels from 80 to 89
* Local non-Freeview channels from 100 to 109
* Freeview audio only channels from 110 to 119
Philippines
As the Philippines started its transition to digital terrestrial television back in 2008, virtual channels have been tentatively assigned to TV networks who are now in operation. In June 2010, the National Telecommunications Commission finally adopted
ISDB-T as the sole digital terrestrial television standard in the country.
LCN used in ISDB-T in the Philippines was pre-assigned to the currently operating networks in digital TV. Small-player GEM HD on
DZCE-TV
DZCE-TV is the flagship non-commercial station of the Philippine television network INC TV (merger of GEM TV and INC Channel on SkyCable and stylized as INCTV). INCTV is the flagship UHF television station of Christian Era Broadcasting Service ...
was the first ever Philippine TV network to go
ISDB-T, being assigned to LCN 2.11 which is using the analog channel 49. Government-owned
People's Television Network
People's Television Network ( fil, Telebisyon ng Bayan; abbreviated PTV) is the flagship State broadcasting, state broadcaster owned by the Government of the Philippines. Founded in 1974, PTV is the main brand of People's Television Network, In ...
or PTV was assigned to 1.1 using its analog channel 48 because of its status as government-owned.
High definition channels are being assigned with the decimal with "11", while a multiple-SD channel uses decimal with "1, 2, 3... and so on" as its subchannel.
In the first quarter of 2011, the NTC convened to form the TWG-IRR that will draft the implementing rules and regulations on digital TV. Aside from that, it will cover the frequency planning for the upcoming TV networks that will go digital.
Indonesia
In
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
itself, the application of LCN is closely related to the
digital television migration process launched by the government process. Regulation of the Minister of Communication and Information Technology No. 6/2021 stipulates that LCN itself is given by the Directorate General of Post and Telecommunications (Dirjen Postel)
Kemenkominfo RI to television stations that are tenants of multiplexing channels. The LCN itself can be revoked if the television station broadcasting license is revoked or if there is an arrangement for LCN numbering by the government. Television stations themselves can apply for changes to their LCN numbers for several reasons, such as leaving the network broadcast system or another
television network
A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or multichannel video programming distributo ...
or other, but must meet the requirements of the Director General of Post and Telecommunication.
[Permenkominfo 6/2021](_blank)
/ref > Digital broadcast viewers (via television sets/STB
State Security ( cs, Státní bezpečnost, sk, Štátna bezpečnosť) or StB / ŠtB, was the secret police force in communist Czechoslovakia from 1945 to its dissolution in 1990. Serving as an intelligence and counter-intelligence agency, it d ...
), if they press the numbers on the remote control according to the LCN, they will go directly to the television station.
The following are the virtual channel numbers of television networks in Indonesia (generally the same in various regions despite different frequencies, sometimes each regional or transmission station also has a different numbering configuration from the main network):
In terrestrial digital television reception, because the reception position is close to other areas, sometimes there will be duplicated television stations resulting in two or more of the same TV station. Virtual channel numbering will assign the corresponding virtual channel number to TV stations whose signal is stronger, and weaker ones to be placed on channel entries of 800's and above. Likewise for TV stations that do not have virtual channels or the virtual channels have not been configured, they will be included in the 800s entry and sorted by signal strength from highest to lowest or by frequency.
Grouping of virtual channel numbers in terrestrial TV
Digital radio
Digital radio
Digital radio is the use of digital technology to transmit or receive across the radio spectrum. Digital transmission by radio waves includes digital broadcasting, and especially digital audio radio services.
Types
In digital broadcasting syst ...
also uses channels and subchannels in the DAB format. iBiquity's HD Radio
HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...
uses HD1, HD2, ..., HD7 channels. HD1-3 are available in FM hybrid mode, while all seven HD channels are available in the pure digital mode.
IBOC
In-band on-channel (IBOC) is a hybrid method of transmitting digital radio and analog radio broadcast signals simultaneously on the same frequency. The name refers to the new digital signals being broadcast in the same AM or FM band (in-band) ...
system (Digital Radio Mondiale
Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM; ''mondiale'' being Italian and French for "worldwide") is a set of digital audio broadcasting technologies designed to work over the bands currently used for analogue radio broadcasting including AM broadcasting—pa ...
) stations do not currently use any virtual channels because of the limited bandwidth available in analog sidebands.
References
{{North American DTV
ATSC
Digital television
Television technology
Broadcast engineering
Television terminology