Hong Kong gives away free TVs so it can finally ditch analogue TV

Eight years after analogue TV was turned off in the UK, the digital switchover has finally reached Hong Kong, where householders are being offered a free TV.

According to a report from Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK, around 80,000 low-income households across Hong Kong are being offered free digital televisions as the government prepares to switch off all of the city's remaining analogue channels.

92% of homes in the former British territory have already switched to digital TV. But around 100,000 households still have analogue TV sets and their screens will go blank by December when the final analogue broadcasts end.

Hong Kong is one of the world's most densely populated places with some notoriously small living quarters and high levels of income inequality, with many unable to afford the changeover.

Under the scheme, applicants can choose between a 24-inch or 32-inch digital TV, or a set-top box which receives digital signals if they prefer to keep their old televisions, according to RTHK.

You can view a full list of all licensed TV services in Hong Kong here.