Digital terrestrial television in the Philippines are in development by the Philippine major broadcasting companies.
The Philippines uses the American NTSC standard for analog television since color television arrived in November 1966. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) announced in June 2010 that the Philippines would use the Brazilian ISDB-Tb standard for digital terrestrial television (DTT) service, and issued a circular stating that the country's broadcasters must discontinue their analog services by the transition deadline of 11:59 p.m. (Philippine Standard Time, UTC+8) on December 31, 2015; but due to continuous delay of the release of the implementing rules and regulations for DTT broadcast, the target date was moved to 2023. The commission will be using the ultra-high frequency television channels from 14 to 51 (470-698 MHz) for the establishment of a DTT service and liberating channels 14 to 20 (470-512 MHz) which is being used for fixed and mobile services. However, before the announcement, several broadcasters performed trial broadcasts using the European DVB-T standard.
Preparation for the transition to DTT started with an issuance of Executive Order 546, series of 1979 and Republic Act 3846 or the Radio Control Law as amended by the local governing body for broadcast services, the NTC adopted the said order to promulgate rules and regulations in order to facilitate the entry of digital broadcast services in the Philippines and implement a specific standard for the delivery of DTT services. Subsequently organizing two technical working groups for the purpose of directing the governing body in the selection of appropriate DTT standard and upon the commendation of investors in the broadcast business, comprising the local broadcasters group, the Association of Broadcasters of the Philippines, and the NTC, issued Memorandum Circular June 2, 2010, on June 11, 2010, implementing the standard for digital terrestrial television.
Implementation
Since the early 2000s, studies have been carried out on the country's digital television transition. A "wait and see" plan is being trailed and examining progresses with no resolution to ensue with digital television services in the Philippines. The NTC chose to use the Brazilian standard ISDB-Tb for digital television in the country in Memorandum Circular June 2, 2010, noting its capability to 3 levels of categorized modulation (audio, video and data services) to fixed, portable and handheld devices exclusive of the necessity for a supplementary communication facility.
In the draft version of the NTC's proposed regulations for DTV, broadcast companies who intend to provide digital terrestrial television service must have a congressional broadcast franchise before operating such services and have at least 15 television stations throughout the Philippines; have a minimum paid-up capital of ₱1 billion and accessible locally in 10 regions while broadcasting companies with less than the required television stations and availability locally, the minimum paid-up capital will be ₱1.2 billion, whereas new applicants with no present broadcast station, the paid-up capital will be ₱1.5 billion. For those broadcast companies who intend to deliver digital broadcast locally, must procure a congressional franchise and have at least ₱60 million per digital terrestrial television station. Concurring to the commission, the outline of digital technology in the broadcasting service would guarantee the effectiveness of the broadcast business and provide them the prospect to offer superior facilities to end-user. The draft outline as an enactment of the digital technology in the television broadcast is intended to provide greater number of channels, better screen resolution and stereo sounds through a conventional aerial antenna instead of a satellite or cable TV service.