View source for Television in Albania

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'''[[Television]] in [[Albania]]''' was first [[Timeline of the introduction of television in countries|introduced in 1960]]. [[RTSH]] dominated the [[Albania]]n [[broadcasting]] field up to the mid-90s, a period when [[privately owned]] radio and [[Television|TV]] stations started to occupy the vast empty Albanian frequencies.

From the 1960s until the 1980s, RTSH simulcasted Italian public broadcaster [[RAI|Rai]] programming however UHF receivers were banned from Albanian TV sets requiring locals to use artisan made receivers called kanaçe made of aluminum cans to capture foreign UHF broadcasters. 

Listening to foreign media privately was outlawed and anyone caught risked harsh penalties such as imprisonment.
 
RTSH owns and operates a vast number of transmitter sites throughout the country such as the Fushe Dajt and Dajt 1613m stations at Mount Dajt in the periphery of Tirana. As such, a number of Western radio and TV broadcasters leased the sites to broadcast their own feeds free-to-air during the 1990s until early 2000s, when a law was passed to protect the Albanian television industry and put these stations in pay TV platforms.

During this period, a law was also passed requiring all stations to translate foreign programming by providing subtitles in Albanian language which until then used to air mostly in Italian and later English languages without translation.

Simulcasting of foreign outlets was also common such as CNN International and Italian regional and music channels mainly by Italian owned stations.

After several years of being stalled,<ref>[http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albania-s-digital-tv-beauty-contest-turns-ugly-01-06-2016 Albania's Digital TV ‘Beauty Contest’ Turns Ugly], Balkan Insight, 7 January 2015</ref> deadlines for transition to [[Digital television|DTV]] broadcasting are being continuously announced until all subscribers are equipped with digital antennas.

Albania has 3 national commercial television stations, 56<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ama.gov.al/preview/mediat/tv/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627201842/http://ama.gov.al/preview/mediat/tv |archive-date=2015-06-27 |title=TV {{!}} AMA}}</ref> local stations, 83 local cable stations and two commercial multiplexes.

Of all the existing national television stations, the public broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) has the greatest reach: its signal covers 80.5% of the territory, followed by [[Top Channel]] with 79%, and [[Televizioni Klan|TV Klan]] with 78%. However, there are also digital multiplexes but they are unaccounted for in the territorial reach figures.

It could be said that the other main TV stations, based in [[Tirana]], whose signal covers a significant part of the territory include: [[Ora News]], Ora TV, [[News 24 (Albanian TV channel)|News 24]], [[Top News]], Panorama TV, Report TV, RTV Scan, BBF TV, [[Vizion Plus]]. Apart from the latter stations, most others are round-the-clock news channels. Euronews and CNN International have opened their own franchises in Albania.

Digital broadcasting is available mainly in Tirana and [[Durrës]], though it is gradually being introduced to the western lowland and further inland.

== Albanian television channels ==
*[[RTSH]]
*[[Top Channel]]
*[[Tv Klan]]
*[[Vizion Plus]]
*[[News 24 (Albanian TV channel)|News 24 Albania]]
*[[Ora News|RTV Ora]]
*[[A1 Report|Report TV]] 
*[[A2 CNN]]
*[[ABC News (Albanian TV channel)|ABC]]
*[[Fax News]]
*[[Ora News]]
*[[Euronews Albania]]
*[[MCN TV]]
*[[Përdoruesi:SCAN TV|SCAN TV]]
*[[Syri Television|Syri TV]]
*[[Shijak TV]]
*[[IN TV (Albania)|IN TV]]
*[[Club TV]]
*[[CNA TV]]
*[[Premium Channel]]
*[[Bubble TV]]
*[[Panorama TV]]
*[[MCN 24]]
*[[Dritare TV]]
*[[Klan Kosova]]
*[[Radio Television of Kosovo|RTK]]
*[[Kohavision|KTV]]
*[[Tëvë 1]]
*[[ATV (Albania)|ATV]]
Source:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ama.gov.al/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/OSHMA-Audiovizive-5-1-1-11.pdf |title=TË DHËNA TË SUBJEKTIT |language=sq |website=ama.gov.a |access-date=2024-07-27}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of television stations in Albania]]
* [[Media of Albania]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*[http://albania.mom-rsf.org/en/media/tv/ TV Ownership in Albania - Media Ownership Monitor Albania]
*[http://www.institutemedia.org/Documents/PDF/TV%20ne%20Europe2.pdf Londo, Ilda. Television across Europe: follow-up reports 2008 - Albania. Budapest: Open Society Institute, 2008] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200123045934/http://www.institutemedia.org/Documents/PDF/TV%20ne%20Europe2.pdf |date=2020-01-23 }}
* [http://www.institutemedia.org/Documents/PDF/media%20ownership%20anglisht%202.pdf Londo, Ilda. Media Ownership, Independence, and Pluralism. Tirana: Albanian Media Institute, 2007] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714105630/http://institutemedia.org/Documents/PDF/media%20ownership%20anglisht%202.pdf |date=2016-07-14 }}
* [http://www.institutemedia.org/Documents/PDF/Albania%20paper%20DTV.pdf Londo, Ilda. Digital television in Albania: Policies, development and public debate. Tirana: Albanian Media Institute, 2006] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221041307/http://institutemedia.org/Documents/PDF/Albania%20paper%20DTV.pdf |date=2018-12-21 }}
* [http://www.doktoratura.unitir.edu.al/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/D.Kalaja-dok-final-24.02.2016.pdf Kalaja, Diana. Menaxhimi i mediave televizive shqiptare gjate kalimit nga transmetimi analog ne dixhital. Tirana: University of Tirana, 2016] (Albanian)
*{{cite web |last1=Luku |first1=Elvin |author-link=Elvin Luku |title=Lindja e televizioneve private në Shqipëri |url=https://al.ejo-online.eu/media-dhe-politika/lindja-e-televizioneve-private-ne-shqiperi |website=European Journalism Observatory |date=19 May 2013 |language=Albanian}}

{{Albania topics}}
{{Television in Albania}}
{{Television in Europe}}

[[Category:Television in Albania| ]]
[[Category:Lists of mass media in Albania|Television stations]]
[[Category:Television by country|Albania]]