Channel 15 to be JTBC’s home starting Thursday

The much-anticipated designation of the channel number for JTBC, the JoongAng Ilbo’s general-programming television channel, has finally been made.

C&M, Seoul’s largest cable operator, confirmed the channel number for JTBC will be 15.

JTBC goes on the air Thursday as one of the four new broadcasting networks.

The other new channel numbers are: 17 for the Dong-A Ilbo’s Channel A; 19 for the Chosun Ilbo’s TV Chosun; and 20 for Maeil Business’ MBN.

C&M, one of the five major operators in the nation, provides cable TV to 1.57 million households out of 3.03 million households subscribing to cable in Seoul, and covers 16 out of Seoul’s 25 districts, including Gangnam, Songpa, Jongno and Mapo.

The 3.7 million subscribers of Internet Protocol television (IPTV) through their broadband providers will also see JTBC on channel 15 through an agreement between providers KT, LG U+ and SK Broadband.

Some regions outside Seoul will also view JTBC on channel 15, including parts of Daegu, North Jeolla and North Chungcheong. Jeju viewers will get it on channel 5.

Subscribers of another cable provider, Tbroad, will view JTBC on channel 20.

“I hope Seoul viewers will be able to enjoy JTBC with the convenient number of 15,” a representative of JTBC said yesterday.

The Korea Communications Commission approved C&M’s channel assignments yesterday. The JTBC channel number for analog viewers will vary depending on the districts.

At the end of last year, the JoongAng Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo and Maeil Business Newspaper were licensed by the Korea Communications Commission to enter the broadcasting sector to compete with terrestrial broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS.

By Lim Ju-ree [sarahkim@joongang.co.kr]