Kuwait TV 1

Kuwait TV 1 (KTV 1) is the first and oldest television channel in Kuwait, operated by the state broadcaster Kuwait Television under the Ministry of Information. It began as a private initiative in 1957, broadcasting in black and white for a few hours a day to a limited area of the capital. When Kuwait gained independence on 19 June 1961, the television service was nationalized and placed under the authority of the Ministry of Information. Over the 1960s and 1970s its coverage expanded to nearly the entire country, and its broadcast hours grew from under four hours a day in the mid-1960s. In 1974 it began color transmissions (PAL standard), starting with the Gulf Cup of Nations football tournament held that year in neighboring Bahrain. After the damage and turmoil of the Second Gulf War, Kuwait TV rebuilt its television and radio infrastructure with international assistance and expanded in the second half of the 1990s, moving to 24-hour broadcasting. Its schedule continued to give prominence to news and the daily activities of the Emir and government, while opening more widely to entertainment with numerous Arab series, films, and variety shows. In 2009 the satellite channel Kuwait Space Channel, which had simulcast most of Kuwait TV 1's programming since its launch in 1992, ceased broadcasting in favor of Kuwait TV 1, which since then can be received in many countries worldwide. Kuwait TV 1 positions itself as a national generalist medium, broadcast entirely in Arabic, unlike its English-language sister channel Kuwait TV 2. Its schedule is built around major news bulletins as well as cartoons, documentaries, magazines, series (almost exclusively Arab), and variety shows, giving ample space to great Arab voices such as Oum Kalthoum and Fairuz as well as Gulf singers. Like most Arab country channels, it also devotes significant airtime to religious programming, including Quran recitations and live prayers from the Grand Mosque of Kuwait, especially during Ramadan. It is available terrestrially in Kuwait and via satellite on several continents.

Kuwaiti television was born from a private initiative in 1957. Its beginnings were modest: the channel broadcast in black and white for only a few hours and covered just a few districts of the capital. When the country proclaimed independence on 19 June 1961, Kuwaiti television was nationalized and placed under the authority of the Ministry of Information. Its coverage gradually expanded during the 1960s and 1970s, becoming nearly nationwide over those two decades. Its airtime, which did not exceed four hours a day in the mid-1960s, also grew over time. In 1974 it began broadcasting its first color programs (PAL standard), starting with the Gulf Cup of Nations football tournament held that year in neighboring Bahrain. After months of turmoil during the dark hours of the Second Gulf War and a series of international aid efforts to rebuild its damaged television and radio infrastructure, Kuwait TV developed in the second half of the 1990s and moved to 24-hour broadcasting. Its schedule, which still gave wide space to news and the daily activities of the Emir and his government, opened more broadly to entertainment with numerous Arab series, films, and variety shows. In 2009 the satellite channel Kuwait Space Channel, which had simulcast most of Kuwait TV 1's programs and had broadcast on several continents since its launch in 1992, ceased broadcasting in favor of Kuwait TV 1, which since then can be received in many countries around the world.

• 2009

  Kuwait Space Channel ceased broadcasting in favor of Kuwait TV 1, which became receivable in many countries worldwide.

• 1992

  Kuwait Space Channel satellite service launched, simulcasting most of Kuwait TV 1's programming.

• 1974

  Began color transmissions (PAL), starting with the Gulf Cup of Nations football tournament in Bahrain.

• 1961

  Nationalized upon Kuwait's independence on 19 June and placed under the Ministry of Information.

• 1957

  Kuwaiti television founded as a private initiative, broadcasting in black and white for a few hours a day to parts of the capital.

National generalist public television channel, entirely in Arabic, emphasizing news, government and royal family activities, and Arab cultural and religious programming.

• News bulletins

  Major national and international news coverage.

• Arab series and films

  Almost exclusively Arab series and films.

• Documentaries and magazines

  Documentary and magazine programming.

• Religious programming

  Quran recitations and live prayers from the Grand Mosque of Kuwait, especially during Ramadan.

• Variety shows

  Variety shows featuring great Arab voices such as Oum Kalthoum and Fairuz, as well as Gulf singers.

• Children's cartoons

  Cartoon programming for children.

1. 1Ministry Of Information Kuwait - State Of Kuwait | وزارة الإعلام - دولة الكويتmedia.gov.kw
2. 2Ministry Of Information Kuwait - State Of Kuwait | وزارة الإعلام - دولة الكويتmedia.gov.kw
3. 3Ministry Of Information Kuwait - State Of Kuwait | وزارة الإعلام - دولة الكويتmedia.gov.kw
4. 4KTV 1wikidata.org
5. 5Kuwait TV 1fr.wikipedia.org