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|
 Logo used since 2023 | |
| Country | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Arab world Europe Americas Australia |
| Network | Abu Dhabi Media |
| Headquarters | Abu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates |
| Programming | |
| Language | Arabic |
| Picture format | 1080pMPEG-4HDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Government of Abu Dhabi |
| Sister channels |
|
| History | |
| Launched | 4 August 1969; 56 years ago (1969-08-04) |
| Links | |
| Website | adtv.ae |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Digital terrestrial television (United Arab Emirates) | Channel 62 (Abu Dhabi) |
| Streaming media | |
| ADTV Catch-Up | Watch online(HD) |
| YouTube | Watch online(SD) |
Abu Dhabi TV (Arabic:قناة أبوظبي) is an Emirates-basedtelevision channel that was originally launched in 1969. It broadcasts content fromAbu Dhabi, the capital of theUnited Arab Emirates, and is owned byAbu Dhabi Media.
Abu Dhabi TV is managed by theAbu Dhabi Media.[1] It is managed through its previous attachment to the Ministry of Information and Culture since 1999 and current attachment to Abu Dhabi Media since February 2006, when the ministry was scrapped.
Abu Dhabi TV presents news bulletins every three hours. Abu Dhabi TV broadcasts content throughout theArab world,Europe,Americas, andAustralia.
Abu Dhabi Television started grayscale broadcasts on 4 August 1969 using equipment provided by British company Thomson Television International,[2] later adopting thePAL format for color broadcasting on 4 December 1974. The station was only carried terrestrially in theUnited Arab Emirates for its first 23 years on the air. At launch, it only had one transmitter in Abu Dhabi proper onVHF channel 5, followed by the installation of a relay station atAl Ain in October 1971 on channel 7. Around this time, the network signed on at 6:30pm and signed off at midnight.[3] By 1976, the channel now opened at 6pm.[4] The Abu Dhabi TV satellite channel began regular broadcasts on 15 November 1992 on Arabsat A1; broadcasts were later transferred to Arabsat A2. The network also began to be carried through the entireArabian Peninsula at that time.
The network was rebranded on 30 January 2000 as a service aimed at the Arabic-speaking diaspora. Under this format, the channel began carrying a wide range of news programs, as well as entertainment programs catered to Arabic audiences; as a result, it began to become competitive against rival networksMBC andDubai TV. One of the network's most popular programs was the game showWaznak Dahab; the program premiered on 16 September 2002 and was canceled in early 2003 due to theinvasion of Iraq by the United States, which resulted in the beginning of theIraq War.
On 6 October 2008, Abu Dhabi TV (then-renamedAbu Dhabi Al Oula) was re-branded with a new logo, theme and new original programming content. This re-branding involved the launches of a website involving catch-ups of television programs and a1080ihigh definition broadcast channel; which then featured bespoke idents in contrast to the standard-definition cast.[5] The new themes were produced by graphic designer Lambie Nairn and the soundtrack was made byDavid Lowe,[6] who produced the famousBBC News themes. The rebrand also involved the launch of 'Abu Dhabi Sports', a group of eight sister channels (broadcast in either Arabic or English) with the inclusion of 'EDGE Sports' and 'YAS Sports'; all of which are currently broadcast 24/7. The rebrand was also used to counter the rise in copycat rebrand across Arabia, aiming to distinguish Abi Dhabi TV as being "best in class".[7]
In the same year,PresidentKhalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a decree ordering Abu Dhabi TV to be established as a public joint-stock company that is wholly owned by the government of Abu Dhabi.
In 2009, Abu Dhabi Media relaunched and rebranded 'Emirates TV' as 'Abu Dhabi Al Emarat' after acquiring the network in 2007. Additionally, a UAE-based channel ofNational Geographic was launched on 1 July of the same year.
On 5 April 2010, the sister channelAbu Dhabi Drama was launched, offering free-to-air broadcasts of drama and soap opera television programs broadcast 24/7 without advertisement breaks. On 13 February 2012, Abu Dhabi TV shut down its analogue broadcasts on terrestrial television and began broadcasting solely inhigh definition while existing standard definition casts were down-converted.
On 22 March 2015, the network was once again rebranded back to the 'Abu Dhabi TV' name with a brand new logo and identity.
On 19 February 2020, Abu Dhabi TV unveiled its new logo after 5 years in use. It is now co-owned by theNational Geographic Society/The Walt Disney Company &Abu Dhabi Media Company. The latter is also responsible for launching the Arabic version of theNational Geographic magazine.
On 19 September 2023, Abu Dhabi TV unveiled its new logo after three years of the old one.
Abu Dhabi TV is additionally paired with sister channels such asAbu Dhabi Al Emarat (Emirates TV),Abu Dhabi Al Riyadiya (Abu Dhabi Sports TV), "Abu Dhabi Drama" (Abu Dhabi Drama TV) andAbu Dhabi Al Oula +1, a 1-hour time shifted variant of the station.
