Cisneros were bidding, each of them allied with Colombian shareholders, for the licence. As of July 2020, there is still no third private channel in Colombia. Digital television Satellite and Cable HDTV-ready television sets (DVB-C) have been available in Colombia since 2003. Ten years later cable companies started to broadcast HD content to their subscribers. Satellite television, like DirecTV Colombia, offer HD channels. Terrestrial Señal Colombia —a state-owned channel— first made digital terrestrial television broadcast tests in 2006, in northwest Bogotá and downtown Cartagena. Transmissions were made in the three DTV formats (ATSC, DVB-T, and ISDB-T). Also the Chinese standard DMB-T/H was considered but couldn't be tested. On August 28, 2008, Colombia adopted the European digital terrestrial television standard, DVB-T using MPEG4 H.264 and a channel bandwidth of 6 MHz. On December 28, 2010, Caracol TV and RCN TV officially started digital broadcasts for Bogotá, Medellín and surrounding areas on channels 14 and 15 UHF using DVB-T h264. Señal Colombia and Canal Institucional started test digital broadcasts earlier in 2010. On January 9, 2012 Colombia adopted the latest European digital terrestrial television standard, DVB-T2, using a channel bandwidth of 6 MHz. The reneging on their earlier decision to use DVB-T meant that many early adopters were left with incompatible set top boxes and televisions. The transmitters in Bogotá and Medellín transmitted DVB-T2 and DVB-T in parallel (T2 started on 1 August 2012) for three years. DVB-T from these two masts was switched off in August 2015. The TV transmitters in Barranquilla and Cali were the first T2 only enabled transmitters; these started in May 2012. As with Barranquilla and Cali, all other masts will be DVB-T2 only. As of June 2020, there are around 40 state owned DVB-T2 masts (RTVC) and around 150 private DVB-T2 masts (CCNP: 149, Citytv: 1). DTH-Social (Direct To Home), a Ku satellite system using DVB-S2, is planned and will enable 100% geographic coverage. As of December 2022, it is not yet available. Programming Most viewed channels See also Media of Colombia List of Colombian television series Television content rating systems in Colombia Television in Latin America References External links Caracol Televisión Commission of Television Luis Angel Arango library - History of Colombian television "Television starts" article by Óscar Collazos EL TIEMPO: 50 years of Colombia