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Geographical usage of television is a description of where and how television is to be found.

Contents 1 North American networks and stations 1.1 Canadian networks and stations 1.2 United States networks and stations 2 Latin American networks and stations 2.1 Mexican networks 2.2 Bolivian networks 2.3 Brazilian networks 2.4 Chilean networks 2.5 Nicaraguan networks 2.6 Argentine networks 3 European networks and stations 3.1 National European networks 3.2 Europe-wide networks 4 Asian networks and stations 5 Middle East networks and stations 6 African networks and stations 7 Australasian networks and stations 7.1 Australian networks and stations 7.2 New Zealand networks and stations 8 See Also

Main article: Television in Canada

In Canada, there are a number of national networks, including three main networks for English Canada. One, CBC Television, is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, a government-funded Crown corporation. The other two, CTV and Global, are privately run. The private networks usually use most of their primetime hours to rebroadcast U.S. shows, while the CBC airs more Canadian programming. Private systems - essentially networks whose stations have a somewhat enhanced local focus and which do not reach all of Canada - are Citytv, CH, and A-Channel.

In French Canada, particularly Quebec, the main networks are the CBC-owned Télévision de Radio-Canada, and private networks TVA and TQS. These networks tend to air substantially more domestic programming in primetime than their English counterparts. There are also the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, multiethnic broadcaster OMNI Television, provincial educational networks, and a limited number of niche-interest or independent stations.

Additional premium television or specialty channels are also available in both languages through cable and satellite television. Notable examples include CBC Newsworld, TSN, MuchMusic, Showcase, and The Movie Network.

The CRTC requires all television services in Canada to broadcast a minimum percentage of Canadian production, both during the day and during primetime. (See Canadian content for more)

Main article: Television in the United States

In the U.S., the three traditional commercial television networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) provide prime-time programs for their affiliate stations to air from 8pm–11pm Monday-Saturday and 7pm–11pm on Sunday. (7pm to 10pm, 6pm to 10pm respectively in the Central and Mountain time zones). Most stations procure other programming, often syndicated, off prime time. The FOX Network does not provide programming for the last hour of prime time; as a result, many FOX affiliates air a local news program at that time. Three newer broadcasting networks, The CW, i, and My Network TV also do not provide the same amount of network programming as so-called traditional networks. Sinclair Broadcast Group operates the largest network of local television stations, reaching about 24% of U.S. households. Trinity Broadcast Network, or TBN, runs the world's largest Christian television network, and owns twenty-three U.S. full-power television stations as well as 252 low-power stations serving smaller cities and rural areas.

Over the past thirty years, cable and satellite television have come to provide most homes with dozens or even hundreds of television services. Cable television was originally created to allow residents of weak-signal areas to benefit from a large, well-located common antenna. In the 1970s, Premium Services such as HBO, Showtime, and The Movie Channel used satellites to deliver movies to cable head-ends, who would re-distribute it to customers for an added charge. During the same period, it has saw the emergence of numerous specialty cable networks, such as CBN (now ABC Family), CNN, ESPN (sports), Lifetime (women's programming), The Learning Channel, MTV, Nickelodeon (children's shows), VH-1, The Weather Channel, and among others. The advent of digital compression technology in the 1990's, along with the rapidly growing popularity of direct-to-home satellite television allowed for content providers to pack more channels into a single satellite slot, and a number of new networks, especially those fulfilling certain niches, aimed at digital cable and satellite systems were established.

Television has reached a great expansion in all the Latin American scope. Currently, there exist more than 500 television stations in all Latin America, according to the number of apparatuses by homes (more than 60 million), of more than two hundred million people. Because of the financial and political troubles that occurred between the mid-1970s and the early 1990s, television networks in some countries of this region had a development more irregular than the North American and European networks. In countries like Mexico or Brazil, one or two networks claim almost all the audience. In other countries like Colombia, television broadcasting has historically been state dominated until the 1990s. In countries like Nicaragua or Peru, television had a troubled history. Some prominent Latin American Television Networks are:

• Once TV
• canal 22
• Multivision
• Televisa
• TV Azteca
• CNI

• Televisión Boliviana
• Red Uno
• Unitel
• ATB
• Bolivisión
• PAT
• SITEL
• Televisión Católica

• Rede Globo
• TV Record
• SBT
• TV Bandeirantes
• CNT (television station)
• TV Cultura
• Rede TV!

• Canal 13
• TVN
• Mega
• Red Televisión
• Chilevisión
• UCV TV
• ABT

• Canal 2
• Canal 4
• Telenica(Canal8)
• Canal 10
• Canal 12
• 100% Noticias
• CDNN 23

• América
• Canal 7
• Canal 9
• Telefé
• Canal 13
• TN
• Crónica TV
• Canal 26

For South American networks, see list of South American television stations.

In much of Europe television broadcasting has historically been state dominated, rather than commercially organised, although commercial stations have grown in number recently.

See also: British television

In the United Kingdom, the major national broadcaster is the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), funded by a television licence granted by Royal Charter. Commercial television is provided by ITV (Independent Television), Channel 4 and Five, as well as the satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting. BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Five are broadcast on analogue terrestrial television. A plethora of new broadcasters and channels has changed the market over the last few years, giving viewers a level of choice previously associated with the U.S. The Freeview digital system provides over 30 digital television channels, and many more digital radio stations. With cable and satellite there are now over 350 channels available.

Other leading European networks include:

•  Sweden: SVT
•  Italy: RAI
•  France: TF1, M6 and France Télévisions
•  Germany: ARD
•  Austria: ORF
•  Greece: ERT
•  Finland: YLE, MTV3 and Nelonen
•  Ireland: RTÉ
•  Poland: TVP
•  Portugal: RTP
•  Romania: TVR
•  Spain: TVE
•  Slovenia: RTV Slovenija
•  Croatia: HRT
•  Bulgaria: BNT, bTV, and Nova Television.

The largest commercial European broadcaster is the Luxembourg-based RTL Group.

• Euronews, a pan-European news station, broadcasting both by satellite and terrestrially (timesharing on State TV networks) to most of the continent. Broadcasted in several languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese and Italian) it draws on contributions from State broadcasters and the ITN news network. It also produces Romanian language programs for the Romanian Television.
• Euro1080, the first HDTV broadcaster available in the whole of Europe.
• Eurosport

In Asia, television has traditionally been state-controlled, although the number of private stations is increasing, as is competition from satellite television. Japan's NHK is a non-commercial network similar to the BBC, funded by a television license fee, and has more editorial independence over news and current affairs than broadcasters like India's state-run Doordarshan or China's China Central Television. From 2000 onwards India also encouraged new Private Stations. Star TV based in Hong Kong has expanded to other areas recently. Number of private broadcasters are indeed increasing in some countries (2004) for example: Indonesia's 10 privatenational stations compare to only 1 in 1989.

Similarly in the Middle East, television has been heavily state-controlled, with considerable censorship of both news coverage and entertainment, particularly that imported from the West. This control of the medium has been eroded by the increasing availability of satellite TV, and the number of satellite channels in Arabic is second only to the number of satellite channels in English, the best known of which being the Qatar-based news service Al Jazeera.

Despite being the most economically advanced country on the continent, South Africa did not introduce TV until 1976, owing to opposition from the apartheid regime. Nigeria was one of the first countries in Africa to introduce television, in 1959, followed by Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) in 1961, while Zanzibar was the first in Africa to introduce colour television, in 1973. (Tanzania itself did not introduce television until 1994). The main satellite TV providers are the South African Multichoice DStv service, and the predominantly French language Canal Horizons, owned by France's Canal Plus.

See the list of television stations in Africa.

Australian television began in 1956, just in time for the Melbourne Olympics. Australia has three nationwide metropolitan commercial networks (Seven, Nine and Ten) as well as the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), a government owned, commercial free network; and SBS (Special Broadcasting Service) a commercial-supported, multi-lingual, government-owned station. The Australian Broadcasting Authority has also issued licenses to community groups to establish "community television stations" in most capital cities on the UHF Ch 31 frequency (Channel 31). In regional and rural areas, numerous commercial stations are affiliated with one of the three metropolitan networks, and carry programming generally indistinguishable from their city cousins.

Through a Crown Entity named Television New Zealand (TVNZ), the New Zealand government owns two television networks Television One and TV2. Although both networks are required to screen advertisements to pay for their operation, the One network receives additional funding to provide local content under a government broadcasting charter. A purely commercial network, TV3 is owned by CanWest, a Canadian media company, and also operate a music channel, C4. Another network called Prime Television is a subsidiary of Australia's network of the same name, and carries programming from that country's Nine Network. A pay television company, SKY Network Television operates a UHF terrestrial and digital satellite TV service. The New Zealand government also funds the controversial Māori Television Service with the aim of putting Māori language and culture on New Zealand television screens. This service is delivered via Sky's UHF and satellite services. Additionally there are a range of low-power UHF regional television channels operating independently throughout the country.

• Oldest television station