Timeline of the introduction of color television in countries - wikipedia Timeline of the introduction of color television in countries This is a list of when the first color television broadcasts were transmitted to the general public. Non-public field tests and closed - circuit demonstrations are not included. Countries and territories which never had black and white television ( i.e. the first broadcasts were in color ), such as Zanzibar, Brunei, Botswana, Laos, South Africa, Grenada, Namibia, Macau, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Saint Lucia, Palau, Bhutan, Vanuatu, Faroe Islands, Malawi, Antigua and Barbuda, The Gambia, Tonga, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Liechtenstein, San Marino, Somalia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Dominica, Tanzania and Nepal are not included in this list. Country Year Network or channel Color system Notes Afghanistan 1977 / 1983 RTA PAL First experimental color broadcasts in late 1977 and stalled in 1979 due to the Soviet War in Afghanistan. Returned by at least 1983 in full service. Albania 1981 RTSH PAL Color broadcasts had been available from Yugoslavia since 1971, and Italy since 1977, Frequencies have been occasionally jammed due to censorship of some programs in Albania in that time. Algeria 1973 RTA PAL RTA was transmitted in the older French 819 - line standard System E, until 1973 when it started broadcasting in 625 - line standard System B. American Samoa 1969 KVZK - 2 NTSC KVZK - 2 was a National Educational Television affiliate. Angola TPA PAL Argentina 1978 / 1980 LS 82 Canal 7 PAL - N Introduced for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Regular full color transmission began at midnight on Thursday 1 May 1980. In 1969, Canal 13 made experimental transmissions in NTSC, but did not receive government approval. Subsequently, the project was cancelled. Armenian SSR 1973 / 1978 Armenia 1 SECAM / PAL First transmission was the May Day Parade in Yerevan. Full - time color transmissions since Christmas Eve 1978. Australia 1967 / 1972 ( original launch date ) / 1974 - 75 ATV - 0 ( now ATV - 10 ). PAL Permanent color telecasts since Saturday, March 1, 1975, having been originally scheduled for 1972. First closed - circuit color test broadcast on Thursday, June 15, 1967 with live coverage of the Pakenham races. Many television shows were produced and broadcast in color between 1972 -- 1974, with limited color telecasts from mid-1974 on. Austria 1969 / 1975 ORF PAL First transmission was the Eurovision broadcast of New Year Concert from Vienna on Wednesday, January 1, 1969. Full - time color transmissions since January 15, 1975. Azerbaijan SSR 1973 / 1978 AzTV SECAM / PAL First color broadcasts in Azerbaijan started in 1973 using the SECAM standard. Full color service started in 1978. Bahamas ZNS - TV NTSC Color transmissions had been available from Miami since 1954 ( WTVJ ) and West Palm Beach since the late - 1950s Bahrain 1972 Bahrain TV PAL Bangladesh 1980 BTV PAL Barbados 1971 CBC NTSC Belize 1984 Channel 7 NTSC Color broadcasts have been available from Mexico since 1967. Benin 1982 OTRB PAL Byelorussian SSR 1961 Belteleradio SECAM The first Soviet Bloc country and first country in Eastern Europe to introduce color television in 1961. Full color service came around 1979. Belgium 1967 / 1971 RTB / BRT PAL Color broadcasts from France ( SECAM ), Germany and Netherlands ( PAL ) were available since 1967. Early receivers were very costly owing to multiple standards : PAL / SECAM / 625 lines and monochrome / 819 lines Bermuda 1968 ZBM - TV NTSC ZBM was an affiliate of the U.S. network CBS. Color broadcasts have been available from the United States since 1958. Bolivia 1977 / 1980 TV Boliviana NTSC Experimental color broadcasts began in 1977. Full - time color arrived in 1980. Color broadcasts have been available from Brazil since 1970, but were PAL. Bosnia and Herzegovina 1971 / 1972 / 1973 -- 1978 Televizija Sarajevo PAL First color transmission came from Belgrade in 1971, local service began in 1972 and in 1973. Brazil 1970 / 1972 / 1973 -- 1978 Bandeirantes / Globo PAL - M First transmissions ( unofficial and just for specific programs ) were made between 1962 and 1963 in the city of São Paulo by Rede Tupi and also by Rede Excelsior, both using NTSC. Tests for the regular transmissions began in 1970 with the Mexico 's FIFA World Cup, and the first official transmission was the coverage of the 12th Caxias do Sul Grape Festival in February 19, 1972. Limited color transmissions from 1973 to 1978. Full - time color transmissions since 1978. Bulgaria 1970 / 1977 BNT SECAM Full color transmissions achieved by 1977. Burma 1984 MRTV NTSC The last country in Southeast Asia to introduce color television. Burundi RTNB SECAM Kampuchea 1981 / 1985 National Television of Kampuchea SECAM / PAL Full - time color transmissions started in 1985, switched to PAL from 1991. Canada 1966 ( CBC, SRC ), CTV NTSC Officially launched in both English and French at 12 : 01 a.m. on July 1, 1966, at the beginning of Canada 's 100th year as a nation. Color broadcasts from the United States had been available since the mid-1950s. A mandatory transition to color for all transmitters took place between 1969 and 1976 on all English and French channels. CBC began Full - time color broadcasts in 1974. Full - time color officially achieved between 1976 -- 1977. Central African Republic 1982 RTC SECAM Chad 1982 Télé Tchad SECAM Chile 1978 TVN, Canal 13 NTSC First transmission in color was in the 13th Viña del Mar Festival, but only for export until the 18th edition. First nationwide color show transmitted was Esta noche fiesta of Canal 13 on Monday, April 10, 1978. First news report in color was shown at Teletrece on April 12, 1978. Full - time color transmissions since mid 1979. China 1973 CCTV PAL Full - time color transmissions since 1984. Colombia 1979 / 1982 Inravisión NTSC Test broadcasts in SECAM were held in 1966. Test for the regular transmissions began in 1971 with the coverage of that year 's Pan American Games held in Cali. In 1974, the inauguration of West Germany 's FIFA World Cup was aired in color in closed circuit at two colosseums in Bogota and Cali. Regular color transmissions since Saturday, December 1, 1979. Full - time color transmissions since 1982. Congo ( Brazzaville ) TeleCongo SECAM Costa Rica 1973 TICA - TV NTSC Croatia 1972 Televizija Zagreb PAL Cuba 1958 / 1975 Tele - Color, S.A. Tele Rebelde ( 1975 ) NTSC Ended in 1959 as a result of the Cuban Revolution ; returned in 1975. Cyprus 1976 CyBC SECAM Czechoslovakia / Czech Republic 1973 ČST SECAM PAL Regular colour broadcasts started in May 9, 1973 on second channel and in May 9, 1975 on first channel. Full color transition in late 1970 's, switched to PAL broadcasting in 1993. ČST started color experiments in late 60 's in PAL. After Russian invasion in 1968 SECAM was chosen for broadcasting, but not for production. TV studios worked in PAL and than it was transcoded for SECAM broadcasting till 1993. Denmark 1968 / 1970 Danmarks Radio PAL First introduced for the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. The national broadcaster 's programming transitioned to color throughout 1969 and `` color tests '' were officially ended on Wednesday, April 1, 1970. Color broadcasts had been available from Germany since 1967. Djibouti RTD SECAM Dominican Republic 1969 Color Visión NTSC Ecuador Ecuavisa Teleamazonas NTSC Egypt 1973 ETV PAL Equatorial Guinea 1976 RNGE SECAM El Salvador 1973 YSU - TV NTSC Estonian SSR 1967 / 1972 ETV SECAM / PAL First color broadcasts came from Moscow ; first local color program was transmitted on Saturday, December 30, 1972. Transitioned from SECAM to PAL 1992 -- 1999. Ethiopia 1979 ETV PAL Finland 1970 / 1977 YLE / MTV PAL First test broadcast in color was the President Urho Kekkonen 's New Year speech in 1969. First experimental color broadcast in 1970. Full - time color broadcasts since 1977. Color Broadcasts have been available from the Åland Islands since 1969 where there is a Sveriges Television AB ( Sweden Television ) transmitter on the islands, and the Soviet Union since 1967 but transmissions were in SECAM. France 1967 / 1976 / 1983 ORTF SECAM Introduced on La Deuxième Chaîne at 2 : 15pm ( 14 : 15 ) on Sunday, October 1, 1967. The first channel TF1 remained B&W for years due to being transmitted in the older 819 - line standard : its transition to color 625 - line began on Thursday, January 1, 1976 and the full nationwide color coverage was only achieved in 1983. French Polynesia 1971 RFO ( Télé Tahiti, now Polynésie la Première ) SECAM French Guiana RFO ( Guyane RFO TV ) SECAM Gabon 1973 RTG SECAM Georgian SSR 1975 -- 1976 / 1984 Georgian Public Broadcaster SECAM Early color broadcasts came from Moscow since at least 1975 and 1976 during certain events. The last Soviet Bloc country to introduce color television in 1984. East Germany 1969 DFF SECAM Introduced on Friday, October 3, 1969 on the new second television channel launched for that purpose with a symbolic launch button pressed by Walter Ulbricht on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the GDR on Tuesday, October 7. The television tower in East Berlin was also opened that day. West Germany 1967 ARD / ZDF PAL Introduced on both channels simultaneously at 9 : 30am on Friday, August 25, 1967 with a symbolic launch button pressed by Willy Brandt on the International Radio and Television Fair in West Berlin. Ghana 1980 GTV PAL Gibraltar 1969 GBC PAL Greece 1976 / 1977 -- 1979 ERT SECAM Test color broadcasts began in 1976. Full color broadcasts started on 1977 to 1979. ERT switched to PAL in 1992. Greenland 1984 / 1987 / 1990 KNR PAL Color broadcasts from Canada had been available since 1972, but were NTSC. Private transmitters were built to receive TV signals from Canada long before Greenland had their native TV service which came into broadcast in 1982. Full - time color service came in 1984, remote areas continued to broadcast in black and white until c. 1987 -- 1990. Guadeloupe 1972 RFO ( Guadeloupe 1ère ) SECAM Guinea 1971 RTG PAL Color broadcasts from the Ivory Coast had been available since 1970, but were SECAM. Guinea - Bissau 1981 RTGB PAL Guatemala 1970 RTG NTSC First Central American country to introduce color television ; color broadcasts available from Mexico since 1967. Guam 1970 KUAM - TV NTSC KUAM was a primary NBC affiliate that also carried some programming from ABC and CBS. Haiti 1971 Télé Haïti NTSC Honduras 1973 Canal 3 Honduras NTSC Hong Kong 1969 / 1975 TVB PAL Introduced for the Festival of Hong Kong in December 1969. Full - time color broadcasts since 1975. Hungary 1971 / 1975 Magyar Televízió SECAM Full color broadcasts introduced in 1975. Iceland 1974 -- 1976 RÚV ( Sjónvarpið ) PAL Full - time color broadcasts since 1974 to 1976. India 1978 / 1979 -- 1981 / 1982 Doordarshan PAL Experimental color broadcasts began in 1978. Color broadcasts from Pakistan had been available since 1977. Full color broadcasts were introduced in 1979 and 1981 to 1982. Indonesia 1977 TVRI PAL Full - time color broadcasts began on Tuesday 24 August 1982. Iran 1973 NIRT SECAM Iraq 1968 RTI SECAM First Muslim country to introduce color television. Ireland 1971 RTÉ PAL Introduced for the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 in Dublin on Saturday, April 3, 1971 ; color broadcasts from United Kingdom available since 1967 -- 69. Full - time color broadcasts began in 1976. Israel 1977 / 1983 IBA / IETV PAL Introduced for the coverage of the Egyptian president 's visit to Israel in November 1977, then reintroduced for the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 in Jerusalem on Saturday, March 31, 1979. Gradual transition to full - time color transmissions from 1980 to 1983. Full - time color transmissions since February 1983. Color broadcasts from Jordan and Egypt had been available since 1974 and Lebanon since 1975. Since color TVs were considered more expensive, the government ordered removing the color signals, in the name of public equality. Engineers have managed to produce a device that extrapolates the colors from programs that were originally shot in color, and such devices were sold to the thousands. Major television networks in Israel have been filming programs in color for foreign audiences since at least 1974. Italy 1972 / 1977 RAI PAL Introduction temporarily stalled by political turmoil. Color broadcasts from France ( SECAM ) had been available since 1967, and from Austria ( PAL ) since 1969. Privately operated transmitter chains made these signals available as far as Rome. First color test was in 1972 Summer Olympic Games. The Sanremo Music Festival began to be broadcast in color in 1973, as well as, in the same year, the Jeux Sans Frontières. Full - time color transmissions started on Tuesday, February 1, 1977. Ivory Coast 1970 RTI SECAM Jamaica JBC NTSC Color broadcasts have been available from Haiti since 1971. Japan 1960 NHK / NTV TBS YTV ABC NTSC - J The first Asian country to introduce color television, on Saturday, September 10, 1960. Jordan JTV PAL Kazakh SSR 1977 Kazakhstan SECAM / PAL Full color transmissions introduced in the 1980s. Kenya 1978 KBC PAL North Korea 1977 -- 1980 KCTV PAL Full color broadcasts were introduced by 1977 to 1980. South Korea 1975 / 1981 KBS / MBC NTSC Test color broadcasts began in 1975. Full - time color broadcasts since 1981. Color broadcasts have been available from North Korea since 1974. Kuwait KTV PAL Kirghiz SSR 1981 Kyrgyz Television SECAM Experimental color broadcast for the 1980 Summer Olympics. Latvian SSR 1968 / 1974 LTV SECAM / PAL First color broadcasts came from Moscow. First local color program was transmitted on Monday, January 28, 1974. Switched from SECAM to PAL on February 2, 1998. Lebanon 1967 / 1975 CLT / Télé Liban SECAM In 1967, CLT became the third television station in the world after the Soviet Union and France to broadcast in color, utilizing the French SECAM technology. Liberia LBS PAL Libya 1976 Al - Libyah TV PAL Lithuanian SSR 1968 LRT SECAM / PAL Used SECAM as part of the USSR 1968 -- 1990, and 1990 -- 1997. PAL has been in use since 1997. Luxembourg 1972 Compangnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédiffusion PAL SECAM The then only channel for audiences in Luxembourg, France and Belgium originally used the French / Belgian 819 - line B&W standard. After Belgium and France opted for different color systems, Luxembourg broadcast two versions of the same channel. All later RTL channels aimed at French -, German - and Dutch - speaking audiences in Europe adopted the standards of their target markets. Macedonia Televizija Skopje PAL Madagascar 1977 MBS SECAM Malaysia 1978 / 1979 -- 1981 / 1982 RTM PAL Introduced in Peninsular Malaysia on Thursday 28 December 1978 and in Sabah and Sarawak on Sunday 31 August 1980. Color had been available from Southern Thailand since 1972 and Singapore since 1974. Full - time color broadcasts began on 1979 to 1981 to Friday 1 January 1982. Maldives 1984 TVM PAL Color had been available from India since 1982. Mali 1984 ORTM SECAM Malta 1981 TVM PAL Color broadcasts from Italy had been available since 1977, full color service began in 1981 Martinique 1969 RFO ( Martinique 1ère ) SECAM Mauritania 1984 TV de Mauritanie PAL Mauritius 1978 MBC SECAM Color television arrived on a full - time schedule in 1978. Mexico 1963 Canal 5 Telesistema Mexicano ( now Televisa ) NTSC Launched Friday, February 8, 1963 with the program Paraiso Infantil. Color had been available previously in a few border cities from the United States, on a limited basis. Full - time color transmissions started with the 1968 Summer Olympic Games. Curiously, Mexico had its own system of color television, invented by Guillermo González, prior to NTSC adoption, which would be used in the 1964 Olympic Games. Moldavian SSR 1978 TeleRadio - Moldova SECAM / PAL Monaco 1973 TMC PAL / SECAM Color broadcasts from France had been available since 1967. Mongolia MNB SECAM Montenegro JRT / Televizija Titograd ( now TV CG 1 ) PAL Morocco 1973 RTM SECAM First test transmission was in 1972. Mozambique 1984 TVM PAL Netherlands 1967 NPO PAL Introduced on both national channels on Thursday, September 21, 1967. Netherlands Antilles 1973 TeleCuraçao NTSC New Caledonia 1972 RFO ( France Ô - New Caledonia ) SECAM New Caledonia first broadcast in color for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games and a Chinese program in 1973, full color broadcasts became official in 1978. New Zealand 1973 / 1975 NZBC PAL Introduced in November 1973, as part of preparations for the 1974 British Commonwealth Games, held in Christchurch in February 1974. Full - time color was achieved by December 1975. Color broadcasts have been available from Australia in parts of New Zealand since the early 1970s. Nicaragua 1973 Televicentro Canal 2 NTSC Niger 1979 Télé Sahel SECAM Color broadcasts had been available from Nigeria from 1974, but were PAL. Nigeria WNTV ( now called the NTA ) PAL Norway 1972 / 1975 NRK PAL Experimental color broadcasts introduced for the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. Regular test transmissions from Saturday, January 1, 1972. Full - time color broadcasts since Wednesday, January 1, 1975. Color broadcasts had been available from Sweden since 1970, in parts of Norway and Finland since 1969. Oman 1984 Oman TV PAL Pakistan 1977 PTV PAL Full - time color transmissions since 1982. Panama 1972 NTP NTSC Paraguay 1979 TV Cerro Corá PAL - N Peru 1978 TV Perú América Televisión Panamericana Televisión NTSC First color test transmission was done in 1967 by Panamericana Televisión for a soap opera but for economic and political reasons the project was canceled. Channel 7 made test broadcasts with their own content since 1977 that became official on January 17, 1978 when color standard adopted and official broadcasts were authorised. The first color broadcast was the coverage of the 1978 election. América Televisión and Panamericana Televisión began their regular color broadcasting with the broadcast of the 1978 Argentina 's FIFA World Cup. Transition completed on October 1, 1980. Philippines 1966 ABS - CBN NTSC First color test transmission was in 1963. Commercial launch in June 1966 using RCA color ; and full - time color transmissions began in 1971 when color sets became more widespread in the Manila area and suburbs. Poland 1971 TVP SECAM First time color program was broadcast on March 16, 1971 & regular broadcasting began on December 6, 1971 for 6th PUWP congress. The 1972 Munich Olympic Games Use Color in SECAM. Transitioned to PAL on January 1, 1994 for all TVP channels except for TVP1 which transitioned on January 1, 1995. Portugal 1976 / 1980 RTP PAL First experimental broadcasts for the coverage of the 1976 election and The 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. Introduced for the Portuguese version of Jeux Sans Frontières on Wednesday, September 5, 1979 ; color broadcasts from Spain available since 1972. Full - color transmissions started March 7, 1980. Puerto Rico 1979 All PAL Introduced for the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 in Jerusalem on March 31, 1979. Full - time color transmissions since 1985. Qatar QBS PAL Color broadcasts from Bahrain had been available since 1973. Réunion 1972 RFO ( 1ère Réunion ) SECAM Introduced for the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. Romania 1985 TVR PAL Despite being in the Eastern Bloc, Romania used PAL and chose not to adopt SECAM, unlike the other Warsaw Pact countries, and was introduced in time for the 39th anniversary of King Michael 's Coup in 1983. Full - time color broadcasts since 1984 and 1985 to 1990. Romania became the last country to introduce color television. Rwanda 1982 ORINFOR SECAM Saint Christopher - Nevis - Anguilla 1982 ZIZ - TV NTSC Color broadcasts have been available from Guadeloupe since 1972, but were SECAM. Saint Pierre and Miquelon 1971 RFO ( 1eré SPM TV ; Previously known as ORTF ) SECAM Color transmissions had been available from Newfoundland and Labrador since 1967, but were NTSC. There are transmitters in SPM that can carry a signal from Newfoundland and Labrador which converts it to SECAM from NTSC and in some cases, In Fortune, Newfoundland, 1eré is converted to NTSC by a transmitter that is placed there. Saudi Arabia 1973 SAGTS SECAM Senegal RTS SECAM Sierra Leone 1978 SLBS PAL Singapore 1974 -- 1975 Radio Television Singapore ( RTS ) PAL Test transmissions began for the 1974 Tehran Asian Games and officially introduced on 8 July for the 1974 World Cup Final. Full - time color broadcasts began on 1 November 1975 and from 1976 to 1977. Slovakia 1970 / 1973 ČST SECAM PAL First color transmission in 1970 during World Ski Championship which was broadcast in PAL. Adopted SECAM in 1973 with full color transition in late 1970s. Switched to PAL in 1993. Slovenia 1976 / 1976 Televizija Ljubljana PAL First Testing The 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, Full Tine Color Transition in 1977 Spain 1973 RTVE PAL Color broadcasts had been available from France since 1967, but were SECAM. First color test was in 1972. Full - time color broadcasts since 1977, although monochrome commercials continued to be made until 1978. The Eurovision Song Contest 1969 in Madrid was a color production, but it was televised in black - and - white to the local audience. Sudan 1976 Sudan TV PAL Suriname 1977 STVS NTSC Sweden 1970 Sveriges Radio TV PAL Test transmissions started on Wednesday, December 14, 1966. Regular color service and color license fee introduced Wednesday, April 1, 1970. Switzerland 1968 SBC PAL Switzerland used PAL to broadcast the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, color transmissions had been available from France and Germany since 1967. Syria 1980 STV PAL Taiwan CTV NTSC Full - time color transmissions since 1975. Tajik SSR 1982 TVT SECAM Experimental color broadcast for the 1980 Summer Olympics. Thailand 1969 Channel 7 PAL Although television in Thailand originally employed a 525 - line screen ( System M, US standard at the time ), the country opted for PAL color, which necessitated a conversion to system B ( 625 lines ), starting with Channel 7 in November 1967. Regional stations converted between 1972 and 1975. Togo 1979 TVT SECAM Trinidad and Tobago 1969 TTT NTSC Tunisia 1976 RTT PAL Color broadcasts have been available from Italy since 1972. Turkey 1984 TRT PAL Test transmissions started with the New Year 's Eve celebrations on Thursday, December 31, 1981 and 1 January 1982 ; full color television did not start until Sunday, July 1, 1984. Color broadcasts from Greece had been available since 1976 and Bulgaria since at least 1971. Turkmen SSR 1970 Turkmen Television SECAM First Central Asian country to introduce color television. Introduced on Saturday, October 31, 1970 in preparation for the start of Ramadan. Uganda UTV PAL Ukrainian SSR 1967 / 1975 UT - 1 SECAM / PAL First transmission came from Moscow in 1967, Ukraine uses SECAM in for the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. Local color broadcasts began in 1968 and 1969 to 1975. United Arab Emirates UAE - TV PAL United Kingdom 1967 / 1969 / 1976 BBC 2 ( 1967 ) BBC 1 ( 1969 ) ITV ( 1969 ) PAL Introduced on BBC 2 for Wimbledon coverage on Saturday, July 1, 1967. The launch of the BBC 2 `` full '' color service took place on December 2, 1967. Some British TV programs, however, had been produced in color even before the introduction of color television in 1967, for the purpose of sales to American, Canadian, and Filipino networks. Full - time color broadcasts since 1969. Full nationwide color broadcasting achieved in 1976, when BBC East ( Norwich ) became the last region to adopt colour for regional broadcasts and locally - produced programmes. United States 1950 CBS CBS Field - sequential color system ; experimental ; ended 1951. The first country with black and white transmission to introduce color television. United States 1953 NBC CBS NTSC Dot sequential system. The US began a gradual transition to color in late 1953. The first color TV sets were very expensive and the audience for color was accordingly very small, so only specials and a handful of regularly scheduled shows aired in color during the 1950s. Market penetration slowly increased as more affordable sets and more color programming became available. A tipping point came in 1965, when the commercial networks first aired the majority of their prime - time shows in color. By the end of 1966, prime - time was all - color, but an ever - dwindling number of daytime, local and educational programs continued in black - and - white for a few more years. United States - Alaska 1966 KENI - TV ( now KTUU ) NTSC First program in color, on Monday, September 19, 1966, was the premiere episode of That Girl, an ABC show. KENI was a primary affiliate of both NBC and ABC. Transitioned to full color service by 1972. Color broadcasts have been available from the USSR since 1967 but were SECAM. United States - Hawaii 1965 KONA - TV, now KHON - TV ; KHVH - TV, now KITV ; KGMB NTSC KHVH was an ABC affiliate, KGMB was CBS, and KONA was NBC. Transitioned to full color service around 1969. Soviet Union Russia 1967 / 1975 Soviet Central Television ( Now Channel One ( Russia ) ) SECAM Introduced specifically for the 50th Golden Jubilee Anniversary of the October Revolution. Full - time colorcasts began with the Revolution 's 58th anniversary, in 1975. Some parts of the USSR received color from Alaska since 1966 in some circumstances when signals were not jammed in some parts and was received by contraband receivers to pick up signals. Upper Volta 1976 Volta Vision SECAM This country is now known as Burkina Faso. Uruguay 1981 CXB - 10 PAL - N Introduced for the 1980 Mundialito but locally broadcast in B&W. Local color broadcasting started in 1981. Uzbek SSR 1984 MTRK SECAM Experimental color broadcast for the 1980 Summer Olympics. The last Central Asian country to introduce color television. Venezuela 1974 -- 1980 RCTV Venevision NTSC Color tests were made during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany. Color television arrived on a full - time schedule on Monday 1 January 1973 and 1974 to Saturday 1 December 1979 by TVN5. Transition completed on Sunday 1 June 1980. Color broadcasts have been available from Trinidad and Tobago since 1969. Vietnam 1977 VTV SECAM / PAL The first color television program aired on Tết. Color televisions were available only in big cities until the late 1980s. Switched to PAL from 1990. U.S. Virgin Islands 1968 WBNB - TV NTSC WBNB was a CBS affiliate whose first color broadcasts took place during the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City, Mexico. This station was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. North Yemen 1979 NYRTC PAL South Yemen 1981 SYRTC PAL Color broadcasts had been available from North Yemen since 1979. Yugoslavia Serbia 1971 JRT / Televizija Beograd ( now RTS1 ) PAL Introduced on the launch of the second TVB channel ( TVB 2 ), as it was the first Yugoslav channel to start in color. From the late 1970s, TVB 1 switches to color, thus making all channels broadcast in color. ( both TVB 1 and TVB 2, as they were only the channels available in that time ) Full - time color broadcasts in SR Serbia began on May 25, 1979. Zaire 1980 OZRT SECAM Zambia 1977 ZNBC PAL Zimbabwe 1984 ZBC PAL The last country in Africa to introduce color television. Color broadcasts have been available from Zambia since 1977 and South Africa since 1976. References Jump up ^ Cheurfi, Achour ( September 2010 ). Radio et télévision : histoire d'un monopole. La presse algérienne : génèse, conflits et défis ( in French ). Algiers : Casbah Éditions. p. 88 -- p. 148. Jump up ^ The Age - Thursday June 15, 1967 - Page 23 - Pakenham Races Form Guide ( First colour television test transmission in Australia ), Flickr Jump up ^ rogersimmons.com : `` West Palm Beach TV Station Ads '' Jump up ^ Llegada del color a canal 13 en Esta noche Fiesta ( 1978 ) Jump up ^ La llegada de la televisión en colores ( The beginning of color television ), video in Youtube ^ Jump up to : `` Desde mañana TV en color. By Gonzalo Guillen. El Tiempo, Nov 30, 1979 ''. Jump up ^ Universidad y Medios Masivos, Del Estado de Bienestar Al Mercado. By Milcíades Vizcaíno Gutiérrez. Page 37 Jump up ^ Luís Ángel Arango Library, Las primeras imágenes a color 1974 Archived 2008 - 12 - 01 at the Wayback Machine., Historia de la televisión en Colombia, accessed 6 July 2011 ^ Jump up to : 40 år med farve - tv fra DR Jump up ^ Television history : the French exception ?, INA, accessed 21 January 2011 Jump up ^ http://www.memoireonline.com/01/14/8596/m_Television-hatienne-par-cble-et-couleur-locale--la-tele-Hati-15.html Jump up ^ Harb 2011, pp. 93 - 95. Jump up ^ `` Technology Changes Television INSIDE TVNZ tvnz.co.nz ''. Television New Zealand. Retrieved 2008 - 06 - 09. Jump up ^ Television One listings in the Otago Daily Times in November and December 1975 clearly show all but the occasional television show being broadcast in color. Jump up ^ RTP, RTP, Rádio e Televisão de Portugal -. `` Emissões a cores da RTP começaram há 32 anos '' ( in Portuguese ). Retrieved 2018 - 01 - 25. Jump up ^ World Broadcasting : A Comparative View, Alan Wells, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996, page 173 Jump up ^ HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF RADIO AND TELEVISION BROADCASTING IN TURKEY Jump up ^ `` Color Television Chronology ''. Archived from the original on 27 October 2010., British TV History. Jump up ^ `` Color Television Enchants Viewers at Its Public Debut '', The Washington Post, January 13, 1950, p. B2. `` CBS Color Television To Make Public Debut In N.Y. Next Week, '' The Wall Street Journal, November 9, 1950, p. 18. `` CBS Color Preview Seen By 2,000 in Philadelphia '', The Wall Street Journal, December 16, 1950, p. 10. `` Commercial Color TV To Have Its ' Premiere ' Over CBS Monday '', The Wall Street Journal, June 22, 1951, p. 14. `` All Color TV Put on Shelf Indefinitely '', The Washington Post, October 20, 1951, p. 1. Jump up ^ `` NBC Launches First Publicly - Announced Color Television Show '', The Wall Street Journal, August 31, 1953, p. 4. `` First Home Reception of Color TV Proves Effective in Operatic Field, '' The New York Times, November 1, 1953, p. 1. `` Radio - TV Notes, '' The New York Times, November 20, 1953, p. 32. `` F.C.C. Rules Color TV Can Go on Air at Once '', The New York Times, December 19, 1953, p. 1. Jump up ^ `` New Year quiet in South Vietnam ''. The Citizen. 134 ( 193 ). Ottawa. Associated Press. February 17, 1977. p. 47. South Vietnam... announced Thursday that it will broadcast the country 's first color television program for this year 's Tet holiday. Jump up ^ A Concise Encyclopedia of Zimbabwe, Donatus Bonde, Mambo Press, 1988, page 410 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Timeline_of_the_introduction_of_color_television_in_countries&oldid=848455813 '' Categories : History of television Technology timelines Hidden categories : CS1 French - language sources ( fr ) Webarchive template wayback links CS1 Portuguese - language sources ( pt ) All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from June 2017 Talk About Wikipedia Español 한국어 Português Edit links This page was last edited on 2 July 2018, at 00 : 46 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when did color tv come out in nz
Answer: November 1973