There are three main television/video standards in use throughout the world.

• The system used in the US, Canada, Japan and some other countries is called NTSC
• Most of Western Europe (including Spain), Australasia and Southern Africa use a system called PAL
• Eastern Europe (and France) uses SECAM

The three standards are not compatible with each other. This means a TV signal (or video) produced for one system will not play properly on machinery that's been designed for another. A non-PAL compatible television will not receive a signal or be able to produce sound and picture. 

• For a technical explanation of the PAL system and how it works see Wikipedia. (This includes a map showing which system is used where in the globe.)
• Comprehensive information on the various standards: Click here 

National Spanish TV Stations

There is no TV licence fee payable in Spain; advertising supports all channels. Spain does not have a national independent broadcasting authority.

Some of the autonomous communities have a regulatory board but the only national commission is the Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (Telecommunications Market Commission) that has a small influence over the audio-visual sector.

• TVE Televisión Española: A government-controlled station which was launched in 1956. There are currently 2 TVE channels, La Primera and La2 which run 24 hours a day. TVE is Spain's largest network
• Antena 3: Spain's second most popular channel, launched in January 1990
• Tele5: The least politically biased of the major channels
• Canal Plus (plus.es): Subscriber service with a focus on sports, English and Spanish football and premium international films and television series. You can buy a tailor-made "package" of programming choosing a focus on sports, film, children's programming documentaries or similar

There are a number of regional stations available to each province broadcasting in the local language such as Catalan, Basque and Galician.

• For a full list of Spanish television channels: Click here

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