, abbreviated on-screen as NHK G, is the main television service of NHK, the Japanese public broadcaster. Its programming includes news, drama, quiz/variety shows, music, sports, anime, and specials which compete directly with the output of its commercial counterparts. The channel is well known for its nightly newscasts, regular documentary specials, and popular historical dramas. Among the programs NHK General TV broadcasts are the annual New Year's Eve spectacular Kōhaku Uta Gassen, the year-long Taiga drama, and the daytime Asadora.

The name is often abbreviated in Japanese to  ("GTV" and "NHK G" are also used). The word Sōgō (general) serves to differentiate the channel from NHK's other television services, NHK Educational TV, NHK BS 1, NHK BS 2 (closed in 2011) and NHK BS HI (changed to BS Premium).

Launched on 1 February 1953, NHK was Japan's only television channel prior to the launch of Nippon TV on 28 August 1953.

NHK's programs are produced in accordance with the Japan Broadcasting Corporation Broadcasting Code.

Overview
Opened in Tokyo on February 1, 1953. This channel is Japan's first TV channel. The common name general television was given because of its generalist status in contrast to NHK Educational Television (commonly known as E-tele since 2011), which is also broadcast on terrestrial waves.

Compared to ETV, which organizes programs that are almost unified throughout Japan, General Television has different programming for each region. Therefore, wide-area broadcasting in the analog phase was only in the Kanto wide area (1 metropolitan area and 6 prefectures), and the other 40 prefectures had prefectural broadcasting. In the digital phase, Ibaraki Prefecture moved to prefectural broadcasting in 2004, and Tochigi and Gunma prefectures moved to prefectural broadcasting in 2012, leaving only four prefectures in Southern Kanto for wide-area broadcasting.

At the beginning of General TV's broadcasting, it was far from popular with general households , and it was difficult to produce TV programs independently, so it was decided to relay popular NHK radio programs on the channel.

General TV's all-day audience rating in the Kanto area (surveyed by Video Research) was ranked first in a row for 24 years from 1963 to 1986, pushing out each commercial key station. However, in 1987, it handed over the all-day viewer rating to Fuji TV, and regained it in 1988 and 1989, but it has been far from that position since 1989.

History
NHK conducted experimental broadcasts in 1939-1940 (interrupted due to its entry in the war), the callsign of the station in Tokyo was J2PQ, video frequency 4.5 MHz, output 500W.

In 1950, following the end of occupation, an experimental VHF service started in Tokyo on channel 3 (similar experiments were also carried out in Nagoya and Osaka) one hour a day, three days a week.

The first regular broadcast was carried out on February 1, 1953 from Tokyo, under the JOAK-TV callsign. The first stations outside Tokyo to sign-on were JOBK-TV in Osaka (March 1, 1954 at 8am) and JOCK-TV in Nagoya (the same day at 11am). At 2pm that day, a special program was broadcast to introduce the new stations, with congratulatory messages from officials of the respective cities.

The network expanded to cover Sendai, Hiroshima and Fukuoka in 1956. That same year, in preparation for the start of CBC's television station in Nagoya, the Nagoya station moved from channel 5 to channel 3, as the old frequency was set to be used by CBC. From May 29 to December 23, 1957, further stations opened in Nagano, Shizuoka, Kanazawa, Okayama, Matsuyama and Kokura (Kitakyushu). The first morning broadcast was on October 7, 1957 and the first experimental color broadcast in Tokyo, on December 28.

On November 29, 1958, the Osaka station moved from channel 4 to channel 2 in anticipation for the start of MBS's television station, and on April 6, 1959, the Tokyo station moved from channel 3 to channel 1 to accommodate NHK Educational's main station in Tokyo, to achieve better coverage in the Kanto area.

Coverage

Current

Broadcasting rights

Football 
 FIFA
 National teams
 Men's :
 FIFA World Cup (including qualifiers for Europe (all matches) and Asia (selected matches))
 J.League
 J.League 1
 Emperor's Cup
JFA
 Japan national football team (World Cup and all Asian Cup qualifiers from first round, with exclusive coverage for all friendlies)
 Women's :
 FIFA Women's World Cup
 Japan women's national football team

Baseball 
 Nippon Professional Baseball
 Major League Baseball

Rugby union 
 Rugby World Cup

Golf 
 PGA Tour

Horse-racing 
 Japan Cup

Ice hockey 
 All Japan Ice hockey Championship

Tennis 
 Wimbledon

Sumo 
 Grand Sumo

Multi-sport events 
 Summer Olympic Games
 Winter Olympic Games
 Asian Games

NHK domestic stations and FM / Radio 1 / GTV services
Places in bold refer to where the main station of each region is located.

JIB TV 

JIB TV is a Japanese television company which, since 2009, has produced English-language programs about Japan and Asia for an international audience. The programs will be shown all over the world through the English channel NHK World from the Japanese public service broadcaster NHK, as well as via the player through the JIB TV's website. NHK World TV and production company Jib was started in 2009 with the purpose of disseminating information, knowledge of Japanese and Asian culture and as a counterweight to channels such as CNN International and BBC World.

Japan International Broadcasting Company owns 60 percent of the public service company NHK and to 40 percent of businesses with stakeholders such as Microsoft and Japanese bank Mizuho. Operations are financed for the most part by the Japanese TV license payers but also by external sponsors and advertisers. Broadcasts reach the Scandinavian countries via Astra and Eutelsat satellites. The aim is that in future also be distributed via leading cable and IPTV operators.

In order to release capital NHK moved money from radio to TV. One consequence was that the Swedish, German and Italian departments of foreign channel Radio Japan were shut down in autumn 2007.

References

External links
 
 Japan Broadcasting Corporation Broadcasting Code 

 Japan Broadcasting Corporation Broadcasting Code 
 Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) Broadcasting Code 
 History of Television in Japan

General TV
Television channels and stations established in 1953
1953 establishments in Japan
1953 in Japanese television
Legislature broadcasters