Television was introduced in Czechoslovakia in 1953. Experimental projects with DVB-T started in 2000. Finally on 21 October 2005, multiplex A (DVB-T) was launched with 3 channels of Česká televize and one of TV Nova and radio channels of Český rozhlas.
On April 12, 2006, six digital terrestrial television licenses were awarded to commercial broadcasters. The receivers of the licenses were: Z1, TV Pohoda, Regionální televizni agentura (RTA), Febio TV, TV Barrandov and Óčko. However, because of delays some projects lost investors and will not start (e.g. Fabio, Pohoda) or were cancelled. Z1 provided a news service in from 2008 to January 2011, when it ceased broadcasting. Óčko delivers a music service. TV Barrandov provides general programming services.
Czech Republic become the first country in central and eastern Europe to end all analogue broadcasts in November 2011, but this process does not complete until the last transmitters in the south-east Moravia and the northern Moravia - Silesia shut down its analogue transmitters on June 30, 2012.
Milestone of digitalization
In September 2008, when multiplex A was available in Prague, Central Bohemian Region, in surrounding areas of Brno, Ostrava, Domažlice and Ústí nad Labem, leave this multiplex with their 4 channels Česká televize. All channels of Česká televize (ČT1, ČT2, ČT24 and ČT4) is now in multiplex 1 (with can be seen in Bohemia (except few exceptions), in surrounding areas of Brno and in Ostrava). Multiplex A transform to multiplex 2 with stations TV Prima, Prima Cool / TV R1, TV Barrandov, TV Nova and Nova Cinema. The cover is very similar as multiplex 1, except southeast part of Bohemie. Multiplex B transform to multiplex 3. Now there are broadcasting "Public TV" (its commercial station), Z1 and until 31 July 2009 Óčko. In Prague there is broadcasting multiplex 3 on two frequency. On one of this frequency you can see also Noe TV and Prima HDTV. Multiplex 3 covered just Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň and Ústí nad Labem. This multiplex now had problem to find reliable stations to broadcast. There is also multiplex 4 which is operated by O2, but there is broadcast only ČT1 HD and Nova HDTV and covered is just center of Prague, center of Plzeň, center of Ostrava and center of Brno.
Czech TV crisis
The "Czech TV crisis" occurred at the end of 2000 and lasted until early 2001 as a battle for control of the airwaves, which included jamming and accusations of censorship. During the Czech TV crisis, Czech TV reporters organized an industrial dispute by staging a sit-in and occupying the news studio, and rejected attempts by Jana Bobošíková, the newly appointed head of the news department, to fire them. They were supported in their protest by politicians such as the then President Václav Havel and by Czech celebrities, but every time they tried to air their news broadcasts, Jana Bobošíková and Jiří Hodač would jam the transmission either with a "technical fault" screen reading: "An unauthorized signal has entered this transmitter. Broadcasting will resume in a few minutes," or with their own news broadcasts featuring Bobošíková and a team she had hired to "replace" the staff members she had sought to terminate. The Czech TV crisis eventually ended in early 2001, following the departure from Czech TV of Hodač and Bobošíková, under pressure by the street demonstration participants and at the request of the Czech Parliament, which had held an emergency session due to the crisis.
Most-viewed channels
The ATO measures television ratings in the Czech Republic. The channels with most share according to ATO's measurements were:
Terrestrial free-to-air channels (DVB-T)
Česká televize - public service broadcaster
ČT1 (HD)
ČT2 (HD)
ČT :D/ČT Art time shared position (channel for Kids / art channel) HD
ČT24 - news channel HD
ČT Sport (HD)
Nova Group (CME Media)
TV Nova (HD)
Nova Cinema (HD)
Nova Sport 1 (HD)
Nova Sport 2 (HD)
Nova Action (HD)
Nova 2 (HD)
Nova Gold (HD)
Prima Group (Modern Times Group)
TV Prima (HD)
Prima Max (MTG group) (HD)
Prima Comedy Central (MTG group, Viacom)(HD)
Prima Cool (MTG group) (HD)
Prima Love (MTG group) (HD)
Prima Zoom (MTG group) (HD)
TV Barrandov
TV Barrandov (HD) main channel
Kino Barrandov (HD) movie channel
Barrandov Plus (HD) kids & documentary programs
Barrandov Family (HD) Czech and Slovak shows and music
JOJ Czech
JOJ Family coming soon
JOJ Cinema (HD) movie channel
Kinosvět
BTV (Brno TV)
Polar
TV NOE
Óčko
Óčko Gold
Óčko Expres
Šlágr TV
TV Rebel
TV Relax (former TV Pohoda)
Mňam TV
Film
HBO (version for Czech Republic and Slovakia)
HBO HD
HBO 2
HBO 2 HD
HBO Comedy
HBO Comedy HD
Cinemax
Cinemax HD
Cinemax 2
Cinemax 2 HD
AMC (former MGM Channel)
Universal Channel (former Hallmark Channel)
TCM (English audio only)
Film Europe
Film Europe HD
Film+
FilmBox
FilmBox Plus
FilmBox Premium
FilmBox Family
FilmBox HD
Kino CS
CS Film
Horor Film
Entertainment
AXN HD
AXN (version for Czech Republic and Slovakia)
AXN (version for Romania - only Digi CZ and Digi Slovakia)
AXN Black
AXN White
CBS Drama (former Zone Romantica)
Comedy Central Extra (Czech subtitles)
Fashionbox HD
Fashion TV (version for Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Fine Living Network
E! (English audio only)
Spike (coming soon)
SyFy (coming soon)
Documentary
Animal Planet HD
Animal Planet
CBS Reality (former Zone Reality)
Discovery HD Showcase
Discovery Channel Europe
Discovery Turbo Xtra
Discovery Science
Discovery Travel & Living (TLC)
Investigation Discovery
Docubox HD
Doku CS
National Geographic Channel HD
National Geographic Channel (version for Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Nat Geo Wild HD
Nat Geo Wild
History Channel HD
H2 HD
History Channel
Crime and Investigation Network
Spektrum HD
Spektrum (version for Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Spektrum Home (former TV Deko)
Travel Channel HD
Travel Channel
Food Network (English audio only)
TV Paprika
Fishing & Hunting TV
Viasat History HD
Viasat History
Viasat Explorer
Viasat Nature HD
Viasat Nature
HD+ (HD and 3D TV channel)
HD+ (in SD)
Sport
Eurosport HD
Eurosport
Eurosport 2 HD
Eurosport 2
Extreme Sports Channel (Czech subtitles)
Fightbox HD
Sport 1
Sport 1 HD
Sport 2
Sport 2 HD
Sport 5
Slovak Sport.TV 1
Slovak Sport.TV 2
Auto Motor Sport HD
Motors TV (English, German, French audio only)
Golf Channel HD
Golf Channel (version for Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Kids and teens
Disney Channel Czecho-Slovakia (former Jetix) (version for Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Disney Junior Czecho-Slovakia
Cartoon Network Europe (English audio only)
Boomerang Eastern Europe (English audio only)
Nickelodeon (version for Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Jim Jam
Minimax
Megamax
Duck TV HD
Ducktv
Baby TV
CS mini
Music
MTV Europe (Czech localization)
MTV Live HD
MTV Music (UK version)
MTV Rocks (UK version)
MTV Dance (UK version)
MTV Hits (UK version)
MTV Base (UK Version)
VH-1 (European)
VH-1 Classic (European)
Musiq 1
Music Box
Óčko
Óčko Gold
Óčko Expres
Retro Music Television
FUN 1
Muzika CS
C Music (French version)
Mezzo HD (coming soon)
Mezzo (French version)
360 TuneBox HD
Erotica
Leo TV
Extasy TV (coming soon)
Hustler Blue
Hustler TV
Hustler HD 3D (coming soon)
Playboy TV
Playboy TV HD (coming soon)
Penthouse HD
Brazzers TV Europe (former Private Spice)
Brazzers TV Europe HD (coming soon)
Dorcel TV
Private TV (former Daring TV! (former XXX X-Treme))