Freeview (Australia)
Encyclopedia
Freeview is the brand given to the digital terrestrial television platform in Australia. It is intended to bring all of the free-to-air (FTA) broadcasters on to a consistent marketing platform to compete against subscription television, in particular Foxtel
, and coincides with the expansion to 3 digital channels for each FTA network. Freeview emphasises its members' 17 free over-the-air channels, and provides an enhanced electronic program guide
(EPG) across all channels. Freeview also certify televisions, set-top box
es and personal video recorders
(PVR) which meet their requirements.
The Freeview brand was launched in November 2008 with teaser commercials promising 15 channels in 2009. The first new "Freeview" channel started on 26 March 2009 with Network Ten
's One sports channel. Further advertising began on 26 April 2009, with the first Freeview certified devices appearing in retailers from May 2009. In June 2010, the second phase of devices, marked as "Freeview EPG" devices, became available in retail stores, designed to work with the newly launched interactive EPG.
The proper service was launched in 2009 along with a number of Freeview badged set-top box
es and integrated digital television
s. At least four manufacturers intend to release Phase 1 Freeview devices which do not support MHEG-5
.
Freeview has been criticised as being ambiguous and light on details, with criticism that certification is more about restricting devices than enabling them. The introduction of channels replacing the previous High Definition simulcasts led to complaints that regular programming was no longer broadcast in high-definition.
, Special Broadcasting Service
, Seven Network
, Nine Network
, Network Ten
, WIN Corporation
, Prime Media Group
and Southern Cross Broadcasting
.
An ABC release stated these groups are shareholders of Freeview, though a company search revealed all shares are owned by the Nine Network.
es as capable of receiving free-to-air digital television broadcasts (both standard and high definition). Although certification requirements have not been formally released, Phase 1 Freeview devices will be high-definition
, and capable of more advanced video encoding (MPEG-4
). Recorders will not be able to skip over ads, and must enforce digital rights management.
Phase 2 requires Freeview devices to feature the MHEG-5
technology, which Freeview uses to support its interactive electronic program guide
and its future enhancements.
The Freeview advertising for their 17-channel platform and certified products, combined with the Australian government's commercials warning of the closure of analog TV transmissions, is intended to help consumers buy appropriate devices.
Freeview has threatened PVR manufacturers such as DViCO with legal action if they include the Freeview (UK) logo (which looks very similar to the Freeview Australia logo) on their Australian packaging.
Sony Computer Entertainment Australia added Freeview compatibility to the PlayStation 3
's PlayTV
digital television tuner in October 2009 with the 1.21 firmware update. The update disabled ad-skipping, reduced fast forward and rewind speed to 30x and removed the ability to copy recordings to other devices. Unlike other Freeview-endorsed devices, these restrictions can be easily bypassed on the PlayStation 3
.
, a far less data hungry standard than current MPEG-2
. The standard allows higher quality transmissions or more television channels in future, and Freeview has said that the television networks will not broadcast with this codec until the majority of the population has a device that can receive it.
The federal government has not approved any change in television broadcasting standards, and Australian broadcasters have not announced a timetable for switching to MPEG-4
broadcasting.
Hard drive-based recorders must offer a minimum of 160 GB internal storage, with Digital Rights Management applied to recordings copied off the device. Restrictions must also be in place to ensure recordings can not be accessed if the hard drive is removed from the recorder.
Phase 1 Freeview devices are not required to feature the MHEG-5
technology that Freeview intends to use to support its EPG. From April 2009, Freeview was still negotiating an MHEG-5
licensing deal. and it was not signed until July 2009.
Freeview has agreed that manufacturers can sell Phase 1 devices without MHEG-5
for another three years, and are not required to label such devices as Phase 1.
Freeview announced details of its EPG on 28 June 2010, with plans for a consumer launch in September 2010. The new EPG will be based on the same EPG data available to all digital TV devices via the broadcast signal, but it will also monitor Content Reference Indicator (CRID) data embedded in the broadcast signal. The CRID data will allow recorders to detect when a program is running over schedule and continue recording.
After initial confusion as to whether non-Freeview devices would still have access to the EPG, Freeview chief executive Robin Parkes confirmed the broadcast EPG would remain. Only Freeview-endorsed PVRs featuring the "Freeview EPG" logo will have access to the new Freeview EPG, although the Freeview-endorsed TiVo recorder will extract CRID data from the broadcast signal to update its own EPG (with permission from the networks), rather than relying on Freeview's EPG data.
Australian EPG provider IceTV's high court victory over the Nine Network, securing its right to supply a third-party EPG service, may influence Freeview's long term plans for the broadcast and MHEG-5
EPG services. The ruling may also affect whether third-party EPG providers have the right to extract CRID data from the broadcast signal without permission from the networks, as the CRID data will not be encypted according to Freeview marketing director Chelsea Wymer.
Freeview has finalised its license to use MHEG-5
but initially lacked a license to use the traditional information grid pattern EPG which is covered under patents under owned by Macrovision
. Freeview announced details of an agreement with Macrovision
in July 2009.
(HD). Restrictions on the number of multi-channels permitted by commercial broadcasters will end after digital switchover. The public broadcasters - ABC and SBS - are not subject to multichannelling restrictions.
The commercial broadcasters are permitted to broadcast three separate channels. When the HD and SD channels show the same program, they use different streams - one in standard-definition, the other in high-definition.
Notes:
1. Metro refers to urban, suburban and greater parts of Melbourne
, Sydney
, Perth
, Adelaide
and Brisbane
only. (It does not include Canberra
, Darwin
, Hobart
, or the large regional cities.)
2. Regional includes most other areas outside of the larger state captials, with the following exceptions:
3. For more commercial TV licensing information, see Television broadcasting in Australia.
technology is the frontrunner to deliver the service.
Currently, the ABC, SBS, Seven Network, Nine Network and Ten Network each offer "catch up" internet television services in Australia
, allowing viewers to watch local and foreign content after it has been shown on their respective channels, while OneHD allows online streaming of select sporting content, including live streams of Formula One
.
technology Freeview intends to use to support its Electronic Program Guide.
In addition to the lack of detail, minimal information was given by Seven and Nine Network management regarding new channel launch dates. The original Freeview announcement stated planned May releases for the launch of new digital channels by both networks, while a later Seven release mentioned mid-2009 and then October for its secondary channel launch.
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
, and coincides with the expansion to 3 digital channels for each FTA network. Freeview emphasises its members' 17 free over-the-air channels, and provides an enhanced electronic program guide
Electronic program guide
Electronic program guides and interactive program guides provide users of television, radio, and other media applications with continuously updated menus displaying broadcast programming or scheduling information for current and upcoming programming...
(EPG) across all channels. Freeview also certify televisions, set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
es and personal video recorders
Digital video recorder
A digital video recorder , sometimes referred to by the merchandising term personal video recorder , is a consumer electronics device or application software that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card or other local or networked mass storage device...
(PVR) which meet their requirements.
The Freeview brand was launched in November 2008 with teaser commercials promising 15 channels in 2009. The first new "Freeview" channel started on 26 March 2009 with Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
's One sports channel. Further advertising began on 26 April 2009, with the first Freeview certified devices appearing in retailers from May 2009. In June 2010, the second phase of devices, marked as "Freeview EPG" devices, became available in retail stores, designed to work with the newly launched interactive EPG.
Launch
The brand was launched on 24 November 2008 at 6:29 p.m. through the use of a 60-second advertisement shown on all networks, in a roadblock.The proper service was launched in 2009 along with a number of Freeview badged set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
es and integrated digital television
Integrated Digital Television
An Integrated Digital Television set is a television set with a built in digital tuner, be it for DVB-T, DVB-S, DVB-C, DMB-T/H, ATSC or ISDB. Most of them also allow reception of analogue signals . They do away with the need for a set top box for converting those signals for reception on a...
s. At least four manufacturers intend to release Phase 1 Freeview devices which do not support MHEG-5
MHEG-5
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group...
.
Freeview has been criticised as being ambiguous and light on details, with criticism that certification is more about restricting devices than enabling them. The introduction of channels replacing the previous High Definition simulcasts led to complaints that regular programming was no longer broadcast in high-definition.
Ownership
The non-profit Freeview organisation comprises the free-to-air licencees; Australian Broadcasting CorporationAustralian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
, Special Broadcasting Service
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
, Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
, Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
, Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
, WIN Corporation
WIN Corporation
The WIN Corporation is a Wollongong based media company, that owns the WIN Television network, NWS, and STW in Australia.It began broadcasting in Wollongong with one station in 1963. Bruce Gordon acquired control of the company in 1979 and initiated a period of growth which has seen the Network...
, Prime Media Group
Prime Television Limited
Prime Media Group Limited is an Australian-based media corporation, owner of regional television network Prime7 in eastern Australia, the GWN7 in regional Western Australia, and a number of radio stations in Queensland....
and Southern Cross Broadcasting
Southern Cross Broadcasting
Southern Cross Broadcasting Limited was a diversified Australian media company, that owned and operated a variety of media businesses, primarily radio and television.-History:...
.
An ABC release stated these groups are shareholders of Freeview, though a company search revealed all shares are owned by the Nine Network.
Freeview certification requirements
Part of the Freeview initiative is to certify set-top boxSet-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
es as capable of receiving free-to-air digital television broadcasts (both standard and high definition). Although certification requirements have not been formally released, Phase 1 Freeview devices will be high-definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
, and capable of more advanced video encoding (MPEG-4
MPEG-4
MPEG-4 is a method of defining compression of audio and visual digital data. It was introduced in late 1998 and designated a standard for a group of audio and video coding formats and related technology agreed upon by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group under the formal standard ISO/IEC...
). Recorders will not be able to skip over ads, and must enforce digital rights management.
Phase 2 requires Freeview devices to feature the MHEG-5
MHEG-5
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group...
technology, which Freeview uses to support its interactive electronic program guide
Electronic program guide
Electronic program guides and interactive program guides provide users of television, radio, and other media applications with continuously updated menus displaying broadcast programming or scheduling information for current and upcoming programming...
and its future enhancements.
The Freeview advertising for their 17-channel platform and certified products, combined with the Australian government's commercials warning of the closure of analog TV transmissions, is intended to help consumers buy appropriate devices.
Freeview has threatened PVR manufacturers such as DViCO with legal action if they include the Freeview (UK) logo (which looks very similar to the Freeview Australia logo) on their Australian packaging.
Sony Computer Entertainment Australia added Freeview compatibility to the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
's PlayTV
PlayTV
PlayTV is an HDTV/DVR add-on unit for the PlayStation 3 video game console. It allows the PS3 to act as an HDTV or DTV receiver as well as a digital video recorder for recording television programmes to the hard drive for later viewing...
digital television tuner in October 2009 with the 1.21 firmware update. The update disabled ad-skipping, reduced fast forward and rewind speed to 30x and removed the ability to copy recordings to other devices. Unlike other Freeview-endorsed devices, these restrictions can be easily bypassed on the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
.
High-definition
To obtain Freeview certification, devices must include at least one high-definition digital tuner, supporting the HD formats of 576p, 720p and 1080i.Video Decoding
Freeview devices must be capable of receiving and decoding H.264/MPEG-4 AVCH.264/MPEG-4 AVC
H.264/MPEG-4 Part 10 or AVC is a standard for video compression, and is currently one of the most commonly used formats for the recording, compression, and distribution of high definition video...
, a far less data hungry standard than current MPEG-2
MPEG-2
MPEG-2 is a standard for "the generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information". It describes a combination of lossy video compression and lossy audio data compression methods which permit storage and transmission of movies using currently available storage media and transmission...
. The standard allows higher quality transmissions or more television channels in future, and Freeview has said that the television networks will not broadcast with this codec until the majority of the population has a device that can receive it.
The federal government has not approved any change in television broadcasting standards, and Australian broadcasters have not announced a timetable for switching to MPEG-4
MPEG-4
MPEG-4 is a method of defining compression of audio and visual digital data. It was introduced in late 1998 and designated a standard for a group of audio and video coding formats and related technology agreed upon by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group under the formal standard ISO/IEC...
broadcasting.
Digital video recorder restrictions
Freeview devices can not skip an ad block - they can skip 10 minute blocks, and fast forward and rewind at 30x speedsHard drive-based recorders must offer a minimum of 160 GB internal storage, with Digital Rights Management applied to recordings copied off the device. Restrictions must also be in place to ensure recordings can not be accessed if the hard drive is removed from the recorder.
Enhanced EPG (MHEG-5) - phase 2
Freeview Phase 2 certified devices will use a new electronic programming guide (EPG).Phase 1 Freeview devices are not required to feature the MHEG-5
MHEG-5
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group...
technology that Freeview intends to use to support its EPG. From April 2009, Freeview was still negotiating an MHEG-5
MHEG-5
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group...
licensing deal. and it was not signed until July 2009.
Freeview has agreed that manufacturers can sell Phase 1 devices without MHEG-5
MHEG-5
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group...
for another three years, and are not required to label such devices as Phase 1.
Freeview announced details of its EPG on 28 June 2010, with plans for a consumer launch in September 2010. The new EPG will be based on the same EPG data available to all digital TV devices via the broadcast signal, but it will also monitor Content Reference Indicator (CRID) data embedded in the broadcast signal. The CRID data will allow recorders to detect when a program is running over schedule and continue recording.
After initial confusion as to whether non-Freeview devices would still have access to the EPG, Freeview chief executive Robin Parkes confirmed the broadcast EPG would remain. Only Freeview-endorsed PVRs featuring the "Freeview EPG" logo will have access to the new Freeview EPG, although the Freeview-endorsed TiVo recorder will extract CRID data from the broadcast signal to update its own EPG (with permission from the networks), rather than relying on Freeview's EPG data.
Australian EPG provider IceTV's high court victory over the Nine Network, securing its right to supply a third-party EPG service, may influence Freeview's long term plans for the broadcast and MHEG-5
MHEG-5
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group...
EPG services. The ruling may also affect whether third-party EPG providers have the right to extract CRID data from the broadcast signal without permission from the networks, as the CRID data will not be encypted according to Freeview marketing director Chelsea Wymer.
Freeview has finalised its license to use MHEG-5
MHEG-5
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group...
but initially lacked a license to use the traditional information grid pattern EPG which is covered under patents under owned by Macrovision
Macrovision
Rovi Corporation is a globally operating, US-based company that provides guidance technology, entertainment data, copy protection, industry standard networking and media management technology for digital entertainment devices and services...
. Freeview announced details of an agreement with Macrovision
Macrovision
Rovi Corporation is a globally operating, US-based company that provides guidance technology, entertainment data, copy protection, industry standard networking and media management technology for digital entertainment devices and services...
in July 2009.
Non-compliant devices
Existing digital television devices should continue to operate without Freeview certification, with the following caveats:- Only HD devices can view the HD channels
- If the TV networks start transmission in MPEG-4MPEG-4MPEG-4 is a method of defining compression of audio and visual digital data. It was introduced in late 1998 and designated a standard for a group of audio and video coding formats and related technology agreed upon by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group under the formal standard ISO/IEC...
in the future, non-MPEG-4 capable boxes will not be able to receive those channels - Non Compliant devices (and Phase 1 Freeview devices) will not have the enhanced EPG, which may be encoded to prevent non certified boxes reading it. Initially the enhanced EPG will contain the same data as the broadcast EPG, although eventually it may feature higher quality and more accurate information to use for scheduling recordings.
Government labelling scheme
As well as Freeview labelling, the Australian Government has its own scheme for identifying digital ready televisions and set top boxes. Freeview branded set top boxes are labelled as 'High Definition Ready' under the government scheme, however non-Freeview boxes can also be labelled in the same way, leading to viewer confusion as to whether the Freeview channels will be receivable on those set top boxes without the branding.Channels
Since 2009, each commercial free-to-air broadcaster has been permitted to transmit two channels in Standard Definition (SD) and one in High DefinitionHigh-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
(HD). Restrictions on the number of multi-channels permitted by commercial broadcasters will end after digital switchover. The public broadcasters - ABC and SBS - are not subject to multichannelling restrictions.
Channel numbers
The digital television standard allows for multiple channel numbers to point to the same television stream. All the broadcasters use this - it can appear that there are several separate channels when they each point to the same transmission.The commercial broadcasters are permitted to broadcast three separate channels. When the HD and SD channels show the same program, they use different streams - one in standard-definition, the other in high-definition.
Channel table
Not all channels are available in all areas, duplicate channel numbers listed in notes. Commercial channels are assigned separate LCNs in regional areas to metro areas, government owned channels have the same LCN nationwide.| LCN (Metro1) |
LCN (Regional2) |
Common Channel Name | Genre/Type | Picture Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | ABC1 ABC1 ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on... |
Primary | 576i SD | Duplicate on LCN 21. | |
| 24 | ABC News 24 ABC News 24 ABC News 24 is an Australian 24-hour news channel launched and owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The channel replaced the former ABC High Definition simulcast of ABC1 and commenced broadcasting at 7:30pm 5:30 on Thursday, 22 July 2010.-Pre-launch:The ABC announced in January 2010... |
News | 720p HD | ||
| 22 | ABC2 ABC2 ABC2 is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 7 March 2005, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia... |
Additional ABC1 programming (7pm-2am) | 576i SD | Shared Channel Space with ABC 4 Kids ABC 4 Kids ABC 4 Kids is a preschool children's block, broadcast on the Australian television channel ABC2. Launched on 2 May 2011, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia... |
|
| 22 | ABC 4 Kids ABC 4 Kids ABC 4 Kids is a preschool children's block, broadcast on the Australian television channel ABC2. Launched on 2 May 2011, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia... |
Pre-School 0-5 (6am-7pm) | 576i SD | Shared Channel Space with ABC2 ABC2 ABC2 is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 7 March 2005, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia... |
|
| 23 | ABC3 ABC3 -Future shows:Programming confirmed for future broadcast will include:* After School Care * Bindi's Boot Camp * Bushwacked! * Dance Academy * Dancing Down Under... |
Children 6-15 (6am-9pm) | 576i SD | ||
| 3 | SBS One | Primary / Foreign language | 576i SD | Duplicates on LCN 33, 34. | |
| 30 | SBS HD | High definition simulcast (Primary) | 720p HD | ||
| 32 | SBS Two | Foreign language | 576i SD | ||
| 7 | 6 | Seven Seven Network The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach... |
Primary | 576i SD | As Prime7, GWN7 or Southern Cross Television Southern Cross Television Southern Cross Television, or Southern Cross, is an Australian television network available in Tasmania, Darwin, Regional South Australia, and Central Australia. Although the programming varies from region to region, all areas are affiliated with the Seven Network and, in some areas, have a dual... in regional areas. As Seven Queensland Seven Queensland Seven Queensland is an Australian television station, licensed to, and serving the regional areas of Queensland. The station is owned and operated by the Seven Network from studios located in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, using the callsign STQ, which stands for Sunshine Television,... in regional Queensland. Duplicates on LCN 70, 71 (or 60, 61 - in most regional areas). |
| 72 | 62 | 7Two 7Two 7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm.... |
British (primetime) / Entertainment | 576i SD | Darwin LCN: 72 |
| 73 | 63 | 7mate 7mate 7mate is an Australian free-to-air high definition digital television channel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010.The network stated that 7mate would contain sport and regular programs aimed primarily at a male audience, with programming drawn from a combination of new... |
Male oriented / Entertainment | 1080i HD | Tasmania LCN: 60, Darwin LCN: 70 |
| 74 | 64 | TV4ME | (Text service) | 576i SD | |
| 9 | 8 | Nine Nine Network The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia... |
Primary | 576i SD | As WIN Television WIN Television WIN Television is an Australian television network owned by the WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single Wollongong-only station, and has since expanded to 24 owned-and-operated stations with transmissions covering a... , NBN Television NBN Television NBN Television is a television station based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The station was inaugurated on 4 March 1962 as the first regional commercial television station in New South Wales, and has since expanded to 39 transmitters throughout the northern half of New South Wales and... , or Imparja Television Imparja Television Imparja Television is an Australian television network servicing remote eastern and central Australia, that began broadcasting on 2 January 1988. It is based in Alice Springs, where it has a studio and satellite uplink facility. Notably, it is controlled by Australian Aborigines through ownership... in most regional areas. Or as monopoly license3 stations Southern Cross Nine and WIN SA SES/RTS SES/RTS, part of the WIN Television network, are Australian television stations licensed to, and serving Mount Gambier and Riverland in South Australia. The station commenced transmissions on 25 March 1966.-History:... |
| 90 | 80 | GEM GEM (Australian TV channel) GEM is an Australian free-to-air high definition digital television channel, launched by the Nine Network on Sunday 26 September 2010 at 6am... |
General Entertainment & Movies | 1080i HD | |
| 99 | 88 | GO! Go! (Australian TV channel) GO! is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel launched by the Nine Network on Sunday 9 August 2009.-Origins:... |
Youth oriented / Entertainment and Movies (primetime/overnight) | 576i SD | |
| 10 | 5 | Ten Network Ten Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country... |
Primary | 576i SD | As Southern Cross Ten Southern Cross Ten Southern Cross Ten is an Australian television channel broadcast by the Macquarie Media Group in Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and South Australia. The channel is owned by the Macquarie Media Group as is affiliated to Network Ten... in most regional areas. Or as joint venture license3 stations Ten Mildura, Ten Tasmania, Ten Darwin DTD (TV station) Darwin Digital Television is a digital television station in Darwin, Northern Territory. It is jointly owned by Nine Entertainment and the Macquarie Media Group .-History:... , Ten Central Central Digital Television Central Digital Television is a digital television station broadcasting in remote central and eastern Australia. It is jointly owned by the Southern Cross Media Group and Imparja Television Pty Ltd and is an affiliate of Network Ten and Southern Cross Ten. It is similar to services already... , Ten West Ten West Ten West is the official name for a digital television station broadcasting in rural Western Australia. It is jointly owned by the WIN Corporation and Prime Television Limited and is an affiliate of Network Ten, broadcasting a direct feed of NEW-10 from Perth.... , or monopoly license3 stations Ten Griffith and Ten SA MGS/LRS MGS and LRS are television stations in South Australia. Both are relays of ADS-10 in AdelaidePrior to 2004, SES/RTS was the only commercial television station broadcasting in Mount Gambier and the south east of South Australia. The station broadcast a mixture of programs derived from the Seven... . The majority of the joint venture services are also known as- |
| 1 | 50 | One | General, Movies & Sport | 1080i HD | Metro Duplicate on LCN 12 |
| 11 | 55 | Eleven Eleven (TV channel) Eleven is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel, which was launched by ElevenCo, on 11 January 2011.-Joint venture:... |
Entertainment (6.30pm-11.30pm) Classic American TV (11.30pm-6.30pm |
576i SD | |
| 44 | -- | Community TV | Local Community TV | 576i SD | As TVS Television Sydney TVS, or Television Sydney , is a free-to-air community television station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia.-History:Transmissions officially commenced on analogue UHF channel 31 in February 2006 after three months of technical trials... in Sydney, C31 in Melbourne, West TV West TV West TV or WTV, previously New Visions 31, is a free-to-air community television station that began broadcasting in standard definition digital format on logical channel 44 in Perth on 10 April 2010 at 10 am.-History:... in Perth, 31 Digital in Brisbane and 44 C31 Adelaide 44 Adelaide is a community television station broadcasting in Adelaide, South Australia on the Channel 31 frequency since 23 April 2004. It was previously known as C31 before it started transmitting in Digital.... in Adelaide. |
Notes:
1. Metro refers to urban, suburban and greater parts of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
only. (It does not include Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, or the large regional cities.)
2. Regional includes most other areas outside of the larger state captials, with the following exceptions:
- In GriffithGriffith, New South WalesGriffith is a city in south-western New South Wales, Australia. It is also the seat of the City of Griffith local government area. Like the Australian capital, Canberra and the nearby town of Leeton, Griffith was designed by Walter Burley Griffin. Griffith was named after Sir Arthur Griffith the...
the commercial multichannels are not yet broadcast. - In Regional Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, and Regional South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
not all multichannels are available in all locations. - In Remote Central and Eastern Australia the Freeview range of channels is almost exclusively delivered by the VASTViewer Access Satellite TelevisionThe Viewer Access Satellite Television service, or VAST, is a satellite television platform in Australia, providing digital television and radio services to remote and black spot areas using the Optus C1 satellite. It is partly funded by the Australian Government and managed through a joint-venture...
satellite platform.
3. For more commercial TV licensing information, see Television broadcasting in Australia.
Online Video Portal
Through Freeview, the free-to-air broadcasters have signed a new initiative for an industry-wide video hub - details of what content will be carried is unknown. A consultant has been commissioned to advise on vendor partnerships, and ABC's iViewABC iView
ABC iview is a video on demand and Catch up TV service run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The service became available on 24 July 2008. This was the next step after the podcasting of programmes since July 2006. Currently, this site is only viewable to users in Australia. The site...
technology is the frontrunner to deliver the service.
Currently, the ABC, SBS, Seven Network, Nine Network and Ten Network each offer "catch up" internet television services in Australia
Internet Television in Australia
Internet television in Australia consists of five major PPV providers, in addition to several niche television streaming offerings. Australia's five major networks all offer previously broadcast content to watch via the Internet or via podcasts - drawing on both domestic and foreign...
, allowing viewers to watch local and foreign content after it has been shown on their respective channels, while OneHD allows online streaming of select sporting content, including live streams of Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
.
Criticisms
Freeview has been criticised as being ambiguous and light on details, with criticism that certification is more about restricting devices than enabling them. TEN Network's simulcast of "One" in HD & SD was criticised by some as being a single channel, as it is not unique content and the introduction of One HD means TEN Network's non-sports programming is no longer broadcast in HD. Freeview certification will include at least two phases, with the Phase 1 Freeview devices not required to feature the MHEG-5MHEG-5
MHEG-5, or ISO/IEC 13522-5, is part of a set of international standards relating to the presentation of multimedia information, standardised by the Multimedia and Hypermedia Experts Group...
technology Freeview intends to use to support its Electronic Program Guide.
In addition to the lack of detail, minimal information was given by Seven and Nine Network management regarding new channel launch dates. The original Freeview announcement stated planned May releases for the launch of new digital channels by both networks, while a later Seven release mentioned mid-2009 and then October for its secondary channel launch.