BELIZE TELEVISION STATIONS
Television entered Belize in late 1970's with VHS playback machines; broadcast of international TV signals via cable hook-up began in the early 1980's when Baymen Broadcasting began recording and airing local parades and variety shows. From mid-1980's to early 1990's, other local productions began being recorded and aired, primarily TV magazine shows on Belizean cultural events. Production values increased as modern equipment and training was undertaken, and regular local broadcast television started in 1992 when Channel 5 opened with a daily local newscast. Since then, two other TV stations have begun offering some local programming. The three broadcast TV stations are listed below. Cable, meanwhile, took off, with over 15 stations servicing homes directly with cable link-up. The Belize Broadcasting Authority was formed in the mid 1980's to regulate the industry. Although discussions on copyright legislation began in the mid 1990's, it was in 2002 that copyright legislation was introduced and local cable operators are in the process of formalizing arrangements with international networks for re-broadcasting rights.
