Timeline of the introduction of color television in countries

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

Countries and territories which never had black and white television (i.e. the first broadcasts were in color), such as Zanzibar, Brunei, South Africa, Macau, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Bhutan and Malawi are not included in this list.

Country	Date	Network or Channel	Color System	Notes
Albania	1981	RTSH	PAL	Color broadcasts had been available from Yugoslavia since 1971, and Italy since 1977.
Algeria	1979	RTA	SECAM
American Samoa	1969	KVZK-2	NTSC	KVZK-2 was a National Educational Television affiliate.
Argentina	1978	LS82-TV	PAL-N	Introduced for the 1978 FIFA World Cup (local transmission in color began at 00hs May 1st, 1978). In 1969 Canal 13 made experimental transmissions in NTSC, but eventually did but not received government approval, so the project was cancelled.
Australia	1967	ATV-0 (now ATV-10).	PAL	Introduced June 15, 1967 with live coverage of the Pakenham races. Full-time color transmissions since March 1, 1975.
Austria	1969	ORF	PAL	First transmission was the Eurovision broadcast of New Year Concert from Vienna on January 1, 1969. Full-time color transmissions since January 15, 1975.
Bangladesh	1980	BTV	PAL
Belgium	1971	RTB/BRT	PAL	Color broadcasts from France (SECAM), Germany and 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	1979	Televisión Boliviana	NTSC
Brazil	1972	Bandeirantes/Globo	PAL-M	First transmissions (unofficial and just for specific programs) were made between 1962 and 1963 using NTSC. Tests for the regular transmissions begins in 1970 with the Mexico's FIFA World Cup, and the first official transmission being the coverage of the 12th Caxias do Sul Grape Festival in February 1972. Full-time color transmissions since 1978.
Bulgaria	1970	BNT	SECAM
Burma	1980	MRTV	NTSC	First used experimentally in commercials. Full-time color transmissions started in 1989.
Cambodia (Kampuchea)	1985	TK	PAL	Khmer Rouge news reports were broadcast in color briefly in 1975. This was discontinued thereafter, but color television finally came back in 1985 (thus, this was the official year color television was introduced in Cambodia).
Canada	1966	CBC, also CTV	NTSC	Launched simultaneously in English and French at 12:01 a.m. on July 1, 1966, at the beginning of Canada's 100th year as a nation. Color broadcasts from the United States had been available since the mid-1950s. Full-time color transmissions since 1974.
Chile	1978	TVN, Canal 13	NTSC	Channel 13 began closed-circuit and special public demonstrations of specific events from 1965 on the Santiago, Valparaiso and Viña del Mar areas. First transmission in color was in the 13th Viña del Mar Festival, but only for export until the 18th edition. First nationwide color show transmitted was in Teletrece newscast of Canal 13 on April 1, 1978. Full-time color transmissions since mid-to-late 1979.
China	1971	CCTV	PAL
Colombia	1973	Primera Cadena	NTSC	Full-time color transmissions since 1979.
Congo (Brazzaville)	1975	TeleCongo	SECAM
Costa Rica	1973	TICA-TV	NTSC
Cuba	1958	Tele-Color, S.A.	NTSC	Ended in 1959; returned in 1975.
Cyprus	1976	CyBC	SECAM
Czechoslovakia	1971	ČST	SECAM
Denmark	1968	Danmarks Radio	PAL	First introduced for the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. The national broadcaster's programming transitioned to color throughout 1969 and "color tests" were officially ended on April 1, 1970. Color broadcasts had been available from Germany since 1967.
Djibouti	1974	RTD	SECAM
Dominican Republic	1969	Color Visión	NTSC
Ecuador	1974	Ecuavisa/Teleamazonas	NTSC
Egypt	1973	ETV	SECAM
Equatorial Guinea	1976	RNGE	SECAM
El Salvador	1973	YSU-TV	NTSC
Estonia	1967	ETV	SECAM/ PAL	First color broadcasts came from Moscow; first local color program was transmitted on December 30, 1972. Transistioned from SECAM to PAL 1992-1999.
Ethiopia	1979	ETV	PAL
Finland	1969	YLE/MTV	PAL
France	1967	ORTF	SECAM	Introduced on La Deuxième Chaîne at 2:15pm (14:15) on October 1, 1967.
French Polynesia	1971	RFO	SECAM
French Guiana	1974	RFO	SECAM
Gabon	1973	RTG	SECAM
East Germany	1969	DFF	SECAM	Introduced on 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 GDR on October 7. The television tower in East Berlin was also opened that day.
West Germany	1967	ARD/ZDF	PAL	Introduced on both channels simultaneously at 9:30am on August 25, 1967 with a symbolic launch button pressed by Willy Brandt on the International Radio and Television Fair in West Berlin.
Gibraltar	1969	GBC	PAL
Greece	1976	EPT	SECAM
Ghana	1980	GBC	PAL
Greenland	1970	KNR	PAL
Guadeloupe	1972	RFO	SECAM
Guatemala	1970	RTG	NTSC	First Central American country to introduce color television.
Guam	1971	KUAM-TV	NTSC	KUAM was a primary NBC affiliate that also carried some programming from ABC and CBS.
Haiti	1975	Télévision Nationale d'Haïti	NTSC
Honduras	1973	Canal 3 Honduras	NTSC
Hong Kong	1970	TVB	PAL	Full-time color broadcasts since 1975.
Hungary	1971	Magyar Televízió	SECAM
Iceland	1973	RÚV (Sjónvarpið)	PAL	Broadcast continued in black-and-white until the late 1980s.
India	1979	Doordarshan	PAL	Full-time color transmissions since 1982.
Indonesia	1979	TVRI	PAL
Iran	1973	NIRT	SECAM
Iraq	1968	RTI	SECAM	First Muslim country to introduce color television.
Ireland	1971	RTÉ	PAL	Introduced for the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 in Dublin on April 3, 1971; color broadcasts from United Kingdom available since 1967–69.
Israel	1977	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 March 31, 1979. Gradual transition to full-time color transmissions from 1980 to 1983. Full-time color transmissions since February 1983. Color broadcasts from Jordan and Egypt had been available since 1974.
Italy	1972	RAI	PAL	Introduction temporarily stalled by political turmoil. Color broadcasts from France (SECAM) had been available since 1967, and from Austria (PAL) since 1969. Privately operated transmitter chains made these signals available as far as Rome. First color test was in 1972 Summer Olympic Games. Full-time color transmissions started on February 1, 1977.
Ivory Coast	1970	RTI	SECAM
Jamaica	1975	JBC	NTSC
Japan	1960	NHK/NTV/TBS/YTV/ ABC	NTSC-J	The first Asian country to introduce color television, on September 10, 1960.
Jordan	1974	JTV	PAL
Kenya	1978	KBC	PAL
North Korea	1977	KCTV	PAL
South Korea	1980	KBS/MBC	NTSC	Full-time color broadcasting since 1981.
Kuwait	1974	KTV	PAL
Latvia	1968	LTV	SECAM/ PAL	First color broadcasts came from Moscow. First local color program was transmitted on January 28, 1974. Switched from SECAM to PAL on February 2, 1998.
Lebanon	1975	Télé Liban	PAL
Liberia	1975	LBS	PAL
Libya	1976	Al-Libyah TV	PAL
Lithuania	1968	LRT	SECAM/ PAL	Used SECAM as part of the USSR 1968-1990, and 1990-1997. PAL has been in use since 1997.
Luxembourg	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 B&W 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.
Madagascar	1977	MBS	SECAM
Malaysia	1978	RTM	PAL	Introduced in Peninsular Malaysia 28 December 1978, and in Sabah and Sarawak 31 August 1980. Color had been available from Singapore since 1974.
Malta	1978	TVM	PAL	Color broadcasts from Italy had been available since 1977.
Martinique	1969	RFO	SECAM
Mauritius	1973	MBC	SECAM	Color television arrived on a full-time schedule in 1978.
Mexico	1963	XHGC-TV	NTSC	Launched February 8, 1963 with the program Paraiso Infantil. Color had been available previously in a few border cities, on a limited basis. Full-time color transmissions started with the 1968 Summer Olympic Games. Curiously, Mexico had its own system of color television, invented by Guillermo González, prior to NTSC adoption.
Monaco	1973	TMC	PAL / SECAM	Color broadcasts from France had been available since 1967.
Mongolia	1975	MNB	SECAM
Morocco	1973	RTM	SECAM	First test transmission was in 1972.
Netherlands	1967	NPO	PAL	Introduced on both national channels on September 21, 1967.
Netherlands Antilles	1973	Televisie Curaçao	PAL
New Caledonia	1971	RFO	SECAM
New Zealand	1973	NZBC	PAL	Introduced in November 1973, as part of preparations for the 1974 British Commonwealth Games, held in Christchurch in February 1974. Full-time color was achieved by December 1975.
Nicaragua	1973	Televicentro Canal 2	NTSC
Nigeria	1974	WNTV	PAL
Norway	1971	NRK	PAL	The first color broadcast was the speech made by the King on December 31, 1971. Full-time color broadcasts since 1975.
Pakistan	1976	PTV	PAL	Full-time color transmissions arrived in 1982.
Panama	1972	NTP	NTSC
Paraguay	1981	TV Cerro Corra	PAL
Peru	1976	Televisión del Estado	NTSC	Full-time color transmissions since 1980.
Philippines	1966	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
Portugal	1979	RTP	PAL	First experimental Broadcasts for the coverage of the 1976 election. Introduced for the Portuguese version of Jeux Sans Frontières on September 5, 1979; color broadcasts from Spain available since 1972. Full-color transmissions started on March 10, 1980.
Qatar	1974	QBS	PAL	Color broadcasts from Bahrain had been available since 1973.
Réunion	1972	RFO	SECAM
Romania	1983	TVR	PAL	Despite being in the Eastern Block, Romania chose not to adopt SECAM, unlike the other Warsaw Pact countries. Full-time color broadcasts since 1990. Romania became the last country in Europe to introduce color television.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	1971	RFO	SECAM	Color transmissions had been available from Newfoundland and Labrador since 1967, but were NTSC.
Saudi Arabia	1973	SAGTS	SECAM
Senegal	1975	RTS	SECAM
Sierra Leone	1978	SLBS	PAL
Singapore	1974	Radio Television Singapore (RTS)	PAL	Full-time color broadcasts began in 1979.
Spain	1972	RTVE	PAL	Color broadcasts had been available from France since 1967, but were SECAM. First color test was in 1972. Full-time color broadcasts since 1977, although monochrome commercials continued to be made until 1978. The Eurovision Song Contest 1969 in Madrid was a color production, but it was televised in black-and-white to the local audience.
Sudan	1976	Sudan TV	PAL
Suriname	1977	STF	NTSC
Sweden	1970	Sveriges Radio TV	PAL	Test transmissions started on December 14, 1966. Regular color service and color license fee introduced April 1, 1970.
Switzerland	1968	SBC	PAL	Color transmission had been available from France and Germany since 1967.
Syria	1980	STV	PAL
Taiwan	1969	CTV	NTSC	Full-time color transmissions since 1975.
Thailand	1975	Television of Thailand	PAL	Full-time color transmissions since 1983.
Trinidad and Tobago	1969	TTT	NTSC
Tunisia	1976	RTT	PAL
Turkey	1981	Ankara Television	PAL	Test transmissions started with the New Year's Eve celebrations on December 31, 1981; full color television did not start until July 1, 1984. Color broadcasts from Greece had been available since 1976.
Uganda	1975	UTV	PAL
Ukraine	1968	UT-1	SECAM/ PAL	SECAM used during the USSR. Experimental color broadcasts came in 1968. Full time color arrived around 1975.
United Arab Emirates	1974	UAE-TV	PAL
United Kingdom	1967	BBC Two	PAL	Introduced on BBC Two for Wimbledon coverage on July 1, 1967. The launch of the BBC2 "full" color service took place on December 2, 1967. Some British TV programs, however, had been produced in color even before the introduction of color television in 1967, for the purpose of sales to American, Canadian, and Filipino networks. BBC One and ITV started color transmissions November 15, 1969.
United States	1950	CBS	CBS	Field sequential color system; ended 1951.
United States	1953	NBC/CBS	NTSC	Dot sequential system. The United States gradually transitioned from black-and-white to color television between 1953 and 1968.
United States - Alaska	1966	KENI-TV, now KTUU	NTSC	First program in color, on September 19, 1966, was the premiere episode of That Girl, an ABC show. KENI was a primary affiliate of both NBC and ABC.
United States - Hawaii	1965	KONA-TV, now KHON-TV; KHVH-TV, now KITV; KGMB	NTSC	KHVH was an ABC affiliate, KGMB was CBS, and KONA was NBC.
USSR/ Russia	1967	Soviet Central Television (Now Channel One (Russia))	SECAM	Introduced specifically for the 50th Golden Jubilee Anniversary of the October Revolution. Full time colorcasts began with the Revolution's 58th anniversary, in 1975.
Upper Volta	1976	Volta Vision	SECAM
Uruguay	1979	CXB-10	PAL	Introduced for the 1980 Mundialito.
Venezuela	1973	RCTV	NTSC	Color television arrived on a full-time schedule in 1980.
Vietnam	1978	VTV	PAL
U.S. Virgin Islands	1968	WBNB-TV	NTSC	WBNB was a CBS affiliate. This station was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
North Yemen	1979	NYRTC	PAL
South Yemen	1981	SYRTC	PAL	Color broadcasts had been available from North Yemen since 1979.
Yugoslavia/Serbia	1971	JRT	PAL
Zaire	1980	OZRT	SECAM
Zimbabwe	1984	ZBC	PAL	The last country in Africa with black and white transmission to introduce color television.