The VTC Digital Television Network (Vietnamese: Đài Truyền hình Kỹ thuật số VTC), also known as VTC Digital Television or Vietnam Digital Television Network (Đài Truyền hình Kỹ thuật số Việt Nam) is the Vietnamese television network currently owned by Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV). Launched on August 19, 2004, it is the second national television network in Vietnam, and the first television provider to broadcast via digital terrestrial network.
VTC Television was operated-and-owned by Vietnam Multimedia Corporation from its founding day until January 1, 2014, when the operations was transferred to the Ministry of Information and Communications. From June 2, 2015, the VTC operational was transferred to VOV, and remained as one of the VOV's multimedia service until now.
The VTC Digital Television is currently operating 15 channels, the largest number of all Vietnamese commercial television systems. Most of these channels are currently broadcast under the HDTV 1080p picture format, and one channel is broadcast under the 4K resolution upscale.
The logo of the VTC follows the logo style that resembles BBC in United Kingdom.
History
The history of VTC television service and Vietnamese digital television traced back to 2001, when the Vietnam Television Technology Investment and Development Company began the experimental broadcast of eight national and international television programmes on channel 26 UHF. This event has tasked an important implications for the Government to basing, strategic planning and developed the Transmitting digital terrestrial television and Transitioning to digitalised television in Vietnam Strategy until 2020.
On 19 March 2004, to manage and control the content of national and international television programmes, the Editorial Board of Digital Television was founded with the original editorial team only nearly 50 people. This date is reputely considered as the establishment day of the VTC Television Network.
In late 2005, during the 23rd SEA Games in the Philippines, VTC joined in to transmitting every live sporting events and lead-out commentating programmes, marking the first time VTC manufacturing sporting events. After this, VTC gradually become strong point in Vietnamese sporting media as it constantly obtain the rights to broadcast big sporting events of Vietnam and the world, such as SEA Games, Olympics, Premier League, AFC Asian Cup, etc.
On January 4, 2006, the VTC Company was reorganised into corporative and diversive model. The Digital Television Editorial Board and several digital television enterprises of the VTC were merged into a single institution – the VTC Digital Television Network, and remain this name until now. At the end of 2008, VTC Digital Television launched eight HDTV television channel; three of them were Vietnamese. The numbers of HDTV channels were increase in later years.
From December 12, 2013, to make the VTC Corporation focusing on their main businesses, the operations of VTC Television was transfer to the Ministry of Information and Communications. This issue were made effective on January 1, 2014. Nearly two years later, the VTC Television were once again transferred to Radio the Voice of Vietnam, and remains as one of the two television enterprise agency of the VOV media group.
Since January 1, 2018, VTC officially adopted its new identity graphics, which shares similarities to the BBC and ITV at some point.
From 2018, VTC Television launch the OTT service called VTC Now, which could make a jostle in the on-demand digital market in Vietnam in the future.