The Commerce & Economic Development Bureau announced that Hong Kong will end analogue TV services at 11.59pm today and enter an era of full digital TV broadcast on December 1.

Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau said: “It is a worldwide trend to implement full digital TV broadcast. Not only does digital TV outperform analogue TV in terms of audio and picture quality, it also allows valuable spectrum resources to be utilised more effectively.

“Spectrum vacated can be used for various purposes, including high value-added mobile telecommunications services, such as 5G, and to enhance network capacity and relieve congested data traffic at indoor mobile hotspots, such as MTR stations.”

He added that the switch to full digital broadcast helps support Hong Kong's overall telecommunications services and smart city development.

The bureau noted that the vast majority of the Hong Kong population are ready for full digital TV broadcast.

According to the survey findings in October, only 2.2% or 58,000 households were still using analogue TVs. Among those only less than 10% of households indicated that they had not switched to digital TV owing to financial reasons.

Households still using analogue TVs will only need to add a digital TV receiver in order to keep accessing local free TV programmes.

A digital TV set-top box costs as low as several hundred dollars, while a digital TV set with basic features costs a little more than $1,000.

The Government launched the Community Care Fund Digital Television Assistance Programme, which will run until July 15, 2021, to help analogue TV households with financial needs to obtain digital TV receivers.

More than 20,000 eligible households have already benefited from the programme since its introduction in January.

Click here for programme details or call 2922 9230 for enquiries.