Formosa Television

Formosa Television
Formosa Television
Traditional Chinese	民間全民電視公司
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Mínjiān Quánmín Diànshì Gōngsī
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ	Bîn-kan Chôan-bîn Tiān-sī Kong-si
Abbreviated Name
Traditional Chinese	民視
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Mínshì
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ	Bîn-sī

Formosa Television
Type	Free-to-air nationwide TV
Branding	FTV
Country	Taiwan
First air date	11 June 1997
Availability	Taiwan
Founded	27 March 1996 ; by Chai Trong-rong
Broadcast area	Taiwan
Owner	Formosa Television Inc.
Official website	www.ftv.com.tw

Formosa Television (Chinese: 民間全民電視公司; pinyin: Mínjiān Quánmín Diànshì Gōngsī; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bîn-kan Chôan-bîn Tiān-sī Kong-si) is a television station based in New Taipei, Taiwan. Established on March 27, 1996, FTV began broadcasting on June 11, 1997.

Formosa Television is also the first free-to-air television station which was established without direct relationship with any political party and department of Taiwan government. Because of the location of its headquarters, which is in an area where Taiwanese Hokkien speakers are populous, it also earned the reputation for being the first station in Taiwan to use that tongue in a majority of its programs, especially on its prime time newscasts.

On May 24, 2004, FTV was among the first free-to-air channels in Taiwan to switch from terrestrial analog signal to digital television.^[1]

One of its more popular broadcasts are the coverage of live matches of the Chinese Professional Baseball League during 2013–2014 season.

Around-the-clock broadcasting

Midnight on January 1, 2018 marked Formosa Television's first day of 24-hour broadcasting, as Uni-President Enterprises Corporation celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with a New Year's Eve countdown broadcast.^{[citation needed]}