List of Australian television channels
Encyclopedia
Television broadcasting in Australia began on 16 September 1956 in 625-line black and white at TCN-9
in Sydney
, and has since expanded to include a broad range of public, commercial, community, subscription, narrowcast, and amateur stations across the country.
Colour television
in the PAL
625-line format went to a full-time basis on 1 March 1975, while subscription television, on the Galaxy platform, began in January 1995. Digital terrestrial television
was introduced on 1 January 2001 in Australia's five largest capital cities.
, the Special Broadcasting Service
, as well as more recently, National Indigenous Television
.
is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
, established in 1956. ABC1
, ABC2
, ABC3
and ABC News 24
are available nationally, in addition to the Australia Network
, focused at the Asia-Pacific
region.
ABC1
carries a variety of local and national news, current affairs, and sports coverage, as well as Australian arts and comedy programming. It is well known for broadcasting British programming, primarily from the BBC
, ITV
, and Channel 4
.
ABC2
, a second 'digital-only' channel began on 7 March 2005. Aimed at providing 'more choice, more often', the channel mainly provided repeats of popular ABC TV productions, such as Australian Story
and Stateline, and was prohibited by law from carrying programmes from a number of genres, however, since the removal of these restrictions the channel's content has been broadened considerably.
ABC3
, a third 'digital-only' kids channel began on 4 December 2009.
ABC News 24
, A digital news channel began recently
, founded to provide for the estimated 20% of Australians that speak a language other than English
in the home, aiming to complement the ABC
.
In recent years SBS TV
has begun to target a broader cross-section of the Australian community, in part because of the emergence of specialty subscription television channels aimed at such minorities. In addition to its free-to-air channels, SBS also has an interest in the World Movies Channel
.
SBS shows many non-English language films with English subtitles, and each morning shows news bulletins in foreign languages from around the world in its WorldWatch timeslot. In addition to this, a great deal of programming from the PBS, Arte
, BBC
and CBC
, and even Comedy Central
are shown.
Acquired entertainment programs include the US animated series South Park
, Queer as Folk
and Inspector Rex. In addition to news and current affairs programming such as SBS World News and Dateline, the network also commissions locally-produced documentaries, movies and comedy programs. Less-popular mainstream sports such as soccer, cycling and athletics are also shown.
SBS currently broadcasts two channels, SBS One, which is shown on all analogue and digital services, and SBS Two, launched in 1 June 2009 and only available on digital television.
, funded by the Commonwealth of Australia, is produced in Sydney
and broadcast via Imparja Television
's existing satellite capacity.
The idea for a national, indigenous television service was initially conceived by the National Indigenous Radio Service (the peak Indigenous radio group), which initially lobbied the government to start a new, nationwide indigenous television network. Although no major political party championed this cause, commercial broadcaster Imparja Television
stated in 2004 that it would run such a network, at least within its own license area. In 2005 the federal Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
considered funding such a station, and conducted a review process.
On 13 July 2007 NITV launched, replacing Indigenous Community Television on the Optus Aurora
remote satellite service.
which did not receive its third commercial station until 1988), while smaller cities or regions were granted a single license.
The process of aggregation began in 1989. Regional markets were merged and (usually) three licenses were granted in the new, aggregated, area. As some markets were formed by the merger of up to six different individual markets, this meant that some stations had to merge or form partnerships in order to remain competitive. Around the same time, many remote market regions were replaced with two satellite
market regions - one for regional Western Australia
, and one for remote central and eastern Australia - although each of these regions was only granted two licenses.
Some remained un-aggregated, and are today known as diary markets. Some of these were granted a second license, often to the same company that owned the existing license, while other existing two-license areas were also granted a third license, to a joint venture
company formed as a partnership of the two existing broadcasters. Examples of these include Tasmanian Digital Television
and Mildura Digital Television
, as well as the upcoming Darwin Digital Television service.
, Nine Network
and Network Ten
. Although primarily targeted at metropolitan areas, these names are also used in some regional areas (others choose to run the same programming as these stations, but use independent names).
Although the names of the metropolitan stations remain the same across cities, their ownership varies (see below).
networks, including WIN Television
, Prime Television
, the Golden West Network
, NBN Television
, Imparja Television
, Southern Cross Television
, Southern Cross Ten
, as well as the Seven Network
.
The majority of these stations are seen as clear extensions of the three metropolitan networks, typically made clear through their programming and identification. Stations in two channel markets generally look very much like one of the major commercial networks, with successful programs from a second network added in.
As with some of the major metropolitan stations, local content is often present only in the form of local news bulletin or locally-targeted advertising. The amount of local news provided varies from two-minute updates to full half-hour nightly news bulletins.
, Ten Network Holdings
, the WIN Corporation
, the Southern Cross Media Group, Prime Media Group, and Imparja Television Pty Ltd
.
Digital only services which are joint ventures between two broadcasters are in cyan. Digital only services in monopoly areas are in yellow.Officially, so called "digital only" services are supplementary licenses given through Section 38B of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992. As these markets switch off their analogue signals (as the regional SA markets have already done), the term "digital only" will become nonsensical, but the term is used here to prevent confusion.
The relationships between stations and their ownership do not necessarily align:
allocated licenses for a sixth television channel for non-profit community and educational use on a trial basis. The groundwork for community television was laid in the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, which defined a new service category, community television, for the first time.
Prospective community television providers were invited to apply for transmitter licenses, which were
granted to groups in Sydney
, Melbourne
, Brisbane
, Adelaide
and Lismore
. In February, 1995, the West Australian Community Broadcasting Association was appointed to manage access to the sixth channel in Perth
and Mandurah
on behalf of groups based in the two cities.
Licenses were also granted in 1996 to Hobart Access Community Television Inc in Hobart and Bendigo Community Television Inc in Bendigo
however these were not renewed. Similarly, a license for BushVision in Mount Gambier
was granted in 2005, but it later lapsed.
Permanent licenses for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth were allocated in 2004, while trial license remain in effect in Adelaide and Lismore.
The Australian Community Television Alliance
, established in March 2008 is the national representative organisation for community television. The CEO of TVS
Sydney
, Laurie Patton
, is the Secretary and represents ACTA on the Federal Government's Digital Switchover Taskforce Industry Advisory Group.
In addition to these, a number of community groups produce programming in regional areas, including Bushvision in Mount Gambier
http://www.bushvision.com, Queanbeyan Canberra Television (QCTV) in Canberra
, Hunter Community Television in Newcastle
http://novacast.0catch.com/, Illawarra Community Television (ICTV) in Wollongong http://www.communities.ninemsn.com.au/ICTV-GONGON and WARP Television in Bathurst
.
Groups in a number of areas including Bendigo
, Ballarat
, Victor Harbour and Hobart
have unsuccessfully applied for licences. Aurora Community Television
, Australian Multicultural Television, Ballarat Community Cable Television, Channel Vision (Canberra) and Satellite Community TV, although not licensed as community stations, provide similar services.
Community Television stations will go digital to launch in 2010.
currently 'controls' the common service that Austar and Optus resell. This service is known as the Foxtel Platform.
Austar
broadcasts into all of regional Australia (except Western Australia
), Tasmania
and Darwin
. Foxtel broadcasts in all capital cities, the Gold Coast
, the Central Coast and all of Western Australia
. Optus Television
operates only in the small parts of Sydney
, Melbourne
, Brisbane
and Adelaide
where it has laid cable.
SelecTV is the fourth provider of subscription television, and is controlled by WIN Corporation
. SelecTV is available throughout Australia via satellite and focuses on providing content in comparatively low priced packages to a number of specialised market segments; including Spanish
, Greek, and Italian
.
There are a number of other services that target specific language speaking groups, and regions in Australia. There are two small region based subscription television providers; TransTV Digital
which is available in Canberra
; and Neighbourhood Cable
which is available in Geelong, Ballarat
& Mildura.
There are also a number of satellite services that target specific language speaking groups, the largest being UBI World TV
, a non-English language service. GlobeCast TV and Pan Global TV are non-English language, Christian and sport channel platforms that are controlled by GlobeCast (France Télécom
). Various operators run their own subscription services on these platforms. In addition, there are other satellite subscription services available through other providers.
National IPTV operators include TPG IPTV
.
in Australia began as a test transmission in Sydney
using one of the reserved digital spectrum positions. Australian broadcast infrastructure company Broadcast Australia are undertaking the three year trial using the DVB-T
system. The trial consists of a number of services on one standard 7 MHz multiplex
, collectively known as Digital Forty Four
.
The services include; a combined program guide for the free-to-air broadcasters, named Channel 4
; a news, sport, and weather datacast channel provided by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
; a government and public information channel, known as Channel NSW
, which includes real time traffic information and surf webcams; the Australian Christian Channel
; the Expo Channel
; and various federal parliamentary audio broadcasts.
services in Australia:
One of the five narrowcast services is Westlink, of which is available to satellite users throughout Australia, and is rebroadcast terrestrially in Bunbury
and Albany
. The service is funded by the Government of Western Australia
and is primarily used for educational purposes but also for teleconferencing, training and corporate services.
bands include frequencies standard televisions can receive, which have led to amateur radio operator
s making use of this by broadcasting video
.
The frequency overlap occurs roughly where television channel 16 lies. Typically, channel 16 is used for amateur television transmissions; however, other frequencies are sometimes utilized, especially those used by satellite television services. Most transmissions can be viewed and heard on an analogue television, but some transmissions require additional or other equipment.
conducts three test transmissions per week on Channel 16, including a three hour live to air program on Wednesday nights.
The Central Coast Amateur Radio Club also has an amateur television repeater (VK2RTG) on Channel 16.
VK2RTS broadcasts from Lawson near Katoomba on Channel 16. Club activity is on Monday nights between 8pm and 10pm.
A Voice liaison and control frequency of 147.325 MHz (+600 kHz duplex) is used.
VK2RFM broadcasts from Oakdale near Camden on 1250 MHz FM which can be viewed with an analog satellite receiver.
Club activity is Tuesday nights between 8pm and 10pm. The liaison and control frequency is 147.400 MHz simplex.
Both repeaters cover the entire Sydney basin. They are operated by the Sydney Amateur Television Group and may be activated and used at any time from the control channels.
UHF TV Channel 35 was used until July 2001 when the Australian Communications and Media Authority
reassigned the channel for digital television.
is Melbourne's main amateur television station, and is available via Channel 16 at the lower end of the UHF TV Band (below channel 28). The amateur television repeater is located on Mount Dandenong.
There are a small number of amateur television enthusiasts (amateur radio operators with Television transmitting equipment) who transmit to Melbourne and surrounds via VK3RTV.
These include VK3AAZ,VK3AOB,VK3AGJ,VK3BFG,VK3BCU,VK3CH,VK3FMD,VK3GMZ,VK3IV,
VK3JDA,VK3JDG,VK3KBL,VK3KHB, VK3KOS,VK3LA,
VK3MN,VK3PB,VK3TMS,VK3TVZ,VK3XOK,VK3XKD
and VK3XZA.
VK3RTV is now a 2 channel digital television facility on 446 MHZ. The new system features two standard definition digital channels.
Bendigo in Central Victoria also has an Amateur Television Transmitter (VK3RBO) on the 13 cm band. This can be received using surplus microwave dishes and downconverters. The station is known to show episodes of the Amateur Television Program 'Amateurlogic'.
TCN
TCN stands for:* Take Care Now, a private company providing out-of-hours medical cover in England* TanenbaumCHAT North Campus, a private Hebrew high school in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada* TCN-9, a Sydney television station...
in 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...
, and has since expanded to include a broad range of public, commercial, community, subscription, narrowcast, and amateur stations across the country.
Colour television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in the PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
625-line format went to a full-time basis on 1 March 1975, while subscription television, on the Galaxy platform, began in January 1995. Digital terrestrial television
Digital television in Australia
Digital television in Australia comes in many forms:* Australian digital terrestrial television, branded as Freeview* VAST, a free-to-view satellite service, replacing Optus Aurora....
was introduced on 1 January 2001 in Australia's five largest capital cities.
Public television
Australia has three national public broadcasters, the Australian Broadcasting CorporationAustralian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
, the 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...
, as well as more recently, National Indigenous Television
National Indigenous Television
National Indigenous Television, commonly referred to as NITV, is an Australian television network broadcasting throughout Australia via satellite.-History:...
.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
ABC TelevisionABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
, established in 1956. 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...
, 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...
, ABC3
ABC3
-Future shows:Programming confirmed for future broadcast will include:* After School Care * Bindi's Boot Camp * Bushwacked! * Dance Academy * Dancing Down Under...
and 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...
are available nationally, in addition to the Australia Network
Australia Network
Australia Network, originally Australia Television International and later ABC Asia Pacific, is a free-to-air international satellite television service operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation since 2006. The television and online service broadcasts 24 hours a day on 7 days a week, to...
, focused at the Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific
Asia-Pacific or Asia Pacific is the part of the world in or near the Western Pacific Ocean...
region.
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...
carries a variety of local and national news, current affairs, and sports coverage, as well as Australian arts and comedy programming. It is well known for broadcasting British programming, primarily from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, and Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
.
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...
, a second 'digital-only' channel began on 7 March 2005. Aimed at providing 'more choice, more often', the channel mainly provided repeats of popular ABC TV productions, such as Australian Story
Australian Story
Australian Story is a national weekly documentary series, produced and broadcast on ABC Television.Since 1996 Australian Story has featured many Australians from diverse backgrounds and reputations...
and Stateline, and was prohibited by law from carrying programmes from a number of genres, however, since the removal of these restrictions the channel's content has been broadened considerably.
ABC3
ABC3
-Future shows:Programming confirmed for future broadcast will include:* After School Care * Bindi's Boot Camp * Bushwacked! * Dance Academy * Dancing Down Under...
, a third 'digital-only' kids channel began on 4 December 2009.
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...
, A digital news channel began recently
Special Broadcasting Service
SBS Television is a division of the Special Broadcasting ServiceSpecial 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...
, founded to provide for the estimated 20% of Australians that speak a language other than English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in the home, aiming to complement the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
.
In recent years SBS TV
SBS TV
SBS One is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally...
has begun to target a broader cross-section of the Australian community, in part because of the emergence of specialty subscription television channels aimed at such minorities. In addition to its free-to-air channels, SBS also has an interest in the World Movies Channel
World Movies
World Movies is an Australian subscription television channel dedicated to foreign films, available on Foxtel, Optus TV and Austar. The channel features foreign film, documentaries, independent cinema, and interviews with international movie stars....
.
SBS shows many non-English language films with English subtitles, and each morning shows news bulletins in foreign languages from around the world in its WorldWatch timeslot. In addition to this, a great deal of programming from the PBS, Arte
Arte
Arte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, and even Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
are shown.
Acquired entertainment programs include the US animated series South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, Queer as Folk
Queer as Folk (US TV series)
Queer as Folk is an American and Canadian television series co-production, produced by Showtime and Temple Street Productions, which was based on the British series of the same name, created by Russell T Davies...
and Inspector Rex. In addition to news and current affairs programming such as SBS World News and Dateline, the network also commissions locally-produced documentaries, movies and comedy programs. Less-popular mainstream sports such as soccer, cycling and athletics are also shown.
SBS currently broadcasts two channels, SBS One, which is shown on all analogue and digital services, and SBS Two, launched in 1 June 2009 and only available on digital television.
National Indigenous Television
National Indigenous TelevisionNational Indigenous Television
National Indigenous Television, commonly referred to as NITV, is an Australian television network broadcasting throughout Australia via satellite.-History:...
, funded by the Commonwealth of Australia, is produced in 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...
and broadcast via 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...
's existing satellite capacity.
The idea for a national, indigenous television service was initially conceived by the National Indigenous Radio Service (the peak Indigenous radio group), which initially lobbied the government to start a new, nationwide indigenous television network. Although no major political party championed this cause, commercial broadcaster 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...
stated in 2004 that it would run such a network, at least within its own license area. In 2005 the federal Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (Australia)
The department's strategic policy areas include:* National Broadband Network* Postal and telecommunications policies and programs* Spectrum management* Broadcasting policy* Digital economy* Regional communications* Cybersafety and e-security...
considered funding such a station, and conducted a review process.
On 13 July 2007 NITV launched, replacing Indigenous Community Television on the Optus Aurora
Optus fleet of satellites
This is a list of the satellites operated by Optus, an Australian telecommunications company. The satellite communications facility is located at Belrose on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.-A-Class:*Satellite Type: Hughes HS-376...
remote satellite service.
Commercial television
In order to allow for commercial licensing, the country was divided into a number of license areas. When these were drawn up in the 1950s, each major city or regional area - about 50 in all - was considered its own market region. In each of the five major capitals, three commercial licenses were granted (the exception being PerthPerth, 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....
which did not receive its third commercial station until 1988), while smaller cities or regions were granted a single license.
The process of aggregation began in 1989. Regional markets were merged and (usually) three licenses were granted in the new, aggregated, area. As some markets were formed by the merger of up to six different individual markets, this meant that some stations had to merge or form partnerships in order to remain competitive. Around the same time, many remote market regions were replaced with two satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
market regions - one for regional Western Australia
Western Australia
Western 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 one for remote central and eastern Australia - although each of these regions was only granted two licenses.
Some remained un-aggregated, and are today known as diary markets. Some of these were granted a second license, often to the same company that owned the existing license, while other existing two-license areas were also granted a third license, to a joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
company formed as a partnership of the two existing broadcasters. Examples of these include Tasmanian Digital Television
Tasmanian Digital Television
Tasmanian Digital Television is a digital television station in Tasmania, Australia. It is jointly owned by the WIN Corporation and Macquarie Media Group, and largely managed by WIN Television.-Introduction:...
and Mildura Digital Television
Mildura Digital Television
Ten Mildura is a joint venture television station between Prime Media Group and Win Television. Based in Mildura, Victoria, Australia, it is a digital-only Network Ten affiliate, and began broadcasting on 1 January 2006....
, as well as the upcoming Darwin Digital Television service.
Metropolitan
There are three main metropolitan networks, the Seven NetworkSeven 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...
and 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...
. Although primarily targeted at metropolitan areas, these names are also used in some regional areas (others choose to run the same programming as these stations, but use independent names).
Although the names of the metropolitan stations remain the same across cities, their ownership varies (see below).
Regional and remote
There are a number of regional televisionRegional television in Australia
Regional television is a term given to local television services in areas outside of the five main Australian cities .-1960s:...
networks, including 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...
, Prime Television
Prime Television
PRIME7 is an Australian television network owned by Prime Media Group Limited. Prime Television launched on 17 March 1962 as CBN/CWN in Orange and Dubbo, New South Wales, and has since expanded to cover regional New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory as a Seven Network...
, the Golden West Network
Golden West Network
GWN7 is an Australian television network owned by the Prime Media Group that is based in Bunbury, Western Australia. The Golden West Network launched on 10 March 1967 as BTW-3 in Bunbury, and has since expanded to cover regional and remote Western Australia, servicing all areas except metropolitan...
, 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, as well as the 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...
.
The majority of these stations are seen as clear extensions of the three metropolitan networks, typically made clear through their programming and identification. Stations in two channel markets generally look very much like one of the major commercial networks, with successful programs from a second network added in.
As with some of the major metropolitan stations, local content is often present only in the form of local news bulletin or locally-targeted advertising. The amount of local news provided varies from two-minute updates to full half-hour nightly news bulletins.
Ownership
The ownership of television stations is divided primarily between a small group of business that includes Nine Entertainment Co., the Seven West MediaSeven West Media
Seven West Media Limited is an ASX-listed media empire and is Australia’s largest diversified media business, formed by the sale of Seven Media Group to West Australian Newspapers Holdings Limited...
, Ten Network Holdings
Ten Network Holdings
Ten Network Holdings Limited, is one of Australia's major media companies. It is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.-Assets:While originally focusing on running a television network, Ten has recently diversified into a range of other media areas over the past decade...
, the 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...
, the Southern Cross Media Group, Prime Media Group, and Imparja Television Pty Ltd
Imparja Television Pty Ltd
Imparja Television Pty Ltd is a commercial television company 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...
.
Digital only services which are joint ventures between two broadcasters are in cyan. Digital only services in monopoly areas are in yellow.Officially, so called "digital only" services are supplementary licenses given through Section 38B of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992. As these markets switch off their analogue signals (as the regional SA markets have already done), the term "digital only" will become nonsensical, but the term is used here to prevent confusion.
The relationships between stations and their ownership do not necessarily align:
| Region Sub-markets |
Seven | Nine | Ten | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney Metropolitan area (includes Central Coast and Katoomba) |
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... Seven West Media |
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... Nine Entertainment Co. |
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... Ten Network Holdings |
|
| Northern NSW Newcastle, Central Coast, Taree, Coffs Harbour, Lismore, Tamworth, Gold Coast (QLD) |
Prime7 Prime Media Group |
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... Nine Entertainment Co. |
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... Southern Cross Media Group |
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| Southern NSW Wollongong, Canberra (ACT), Dubbo, Orange, Wagga Wagga |
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... WIN Corporation |
|||
| Griffith | Prime7 WIN Corporation |
Ten Griffith WIN Corporation |
||
| Melbourne Metropolitan area (including Geelong) |
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... Seven West Media |
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... Nine Entertainment Co. |
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... Ten Network Holdings |
|
| Regional VIC Albury (NSW), Wodonga, Shepparton, Ballarat, Bendigo, Gippsland |
Prime7 Prime Media Group |
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... WIN Corporation |
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... Southern Cross Media Group |
|
| Mildura | Ten Mildura Prime Media Group/WIN Corporation |
|||
| Brisbane Metropolitan area (includes Gold Coast and southern Sunshine Coast) |
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... Seven West Media |
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... Nine Entertainment Co. |
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... Ten Network Holdings |
|
| Regional Queensland Maroochydore, Toowoomba, Wide Bay, Rockhampton, Mackay, Cairns, Townsville |
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... WIN Corporation |
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... Southern Cross Media Group |
||
| Adelaide Metropolitan area (includes Murray Bridge) |
Nine Adelaide WIN Corporation |
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... Ten Network Holdings |
||
| Western SA Spencer Gulf, Broken Hill (NSW) |
Southern Cross7 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... Southern Cross Media Group |
Nine Sydney Southern Cross Media Group |
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... Southern Cross Media Group |
|
| Eastern SA Mount Gambier, Riverland |
WIN7 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:... WIN Corporation |
WIN 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:... WIN Corporation |
Network Ten 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... WIN Corporation |
|
| Perth Metropolitan area |
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... Seven West Media |
Nine Perth STW -Mathematics:*The Shimura-Taniyama-Weil conjecture, a generalization of Fermat's last theorem.-Music:*Stop the War Coalition, an anti-war group in the United Kingdom*Salt the Wound, a deathcore band-Other:... WIN Corporation |
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... Ten Network Holdings |
|
| Regional/Remote WA Bunbury, Albany, Esperance, Kalgoorie, Geraldton, remote areas |
GWN7 Prime Television Limited |
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... WIN Corporation |
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.... Prime Media Group/WIN Corporation |
|
| Tasmania Hobart, Launceston |
Southern Cross7 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... Southern Cross Media Group |
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... WIN Corporation |
Ten Tasmania MMG/WIN Corporation |
|
| Darwin (includes Batchelor) |
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... Nine Entertainment Co. |
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:... MMG/Nine Entertainment Co. |
||
| Remote Central & Eastern Australia (includes Alice Springs, Mount Isa, Katherine, and Norfolk Island) |
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... Imparja Television Pty Ltd |
Ten Central MMG/Imparja Television Pty Ltd |
Community broadcasting
In 1993 the Australian Broadcasting AuthorityAustralian Broadcasting Authority
The Australian Broadcasting Authority was an Australian government agency whose main roles were to regulate broadcasting, radiocommunications and telecommunications....
allocated licenses for a sixth television channel for non-profit community and educational use on a trial basis. The groundwork for community television was laid in the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, which defined a new service category, community television, for the first time.
Prospective community television providers were invited to apply for transmitter licenses, which were
granted to groups in 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, 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 Lismore
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
. In February, 1995, the West Australian Community Broadcasting Association was appointed to manage access to the sixth channel in 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....
and Mandurah
Mandurah, Western Australia
Mandurah is the second-largest city in Western Australia and is located approximately south of the state capital, Perth.The city attracts a large number of tourists, including many international visitors...
on behalf of groups based in the two cities.
Licenses were also granted in 1996 to Hobart Access Community Television Inc in Hobart and Bendigo Community Television Inc in Bendigo
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
however these were not renewed. Similarly, a license for BushVision in Mount Gambier
Mount Gambier, South Australia
Mount Gambier is the largest regional city in South Australia located approximately 450 kilometres south of the capital Adelaide and just 17 kilometres from the Victorian border....
was granted in 2005, but it later lapsed.
Permanent licenses for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth were allocated in 2004, while trial license remain in effect in Adelaide and Lismore.
The Australian Community Television Alliance
Australian Community Television Alliance
The Australian Community Television Alliance is a not-for-profit industry association representing free-to-air community television channels licensed by the Australian Government under the Cth...
, established in March 2008 is the national representative organisation for community television. The CEO of TVS
TVS
-Television, Tele-Networking:* TVS Electronics, Computer peripherals manufacturing company from India* TVS Motors, motor manufacturing company from India* TVS, aka Television Sydney, free TV channel in Sydney, Australia...
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...
, Laurie Patton
Laurie Patton
Laurie Patton is an Australian media, IT and events industry executive. In 2010 he was a member of an Expert Panel for a review of the Australian Government's investment in the Indigenous broadcasting and media sector...
, is the Secretary and represents ACTA on the Federal Government's Digital Switchover Taskforce Industry Advisory Group.
In addition to these, a number of community groups produce programming in regional areas, including Bushvision in Mount Gambier
Mount Gambier, South Australia
Mount Gambier is the largest regional city in South Australia located approximately 450 kilometres south of the capital Adelaide and just 17 kilometres from the Victorian border....
http://www.bushvision.com, Queanbeyan Canberra Television (QCTV) in 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...
, Hunter Community Television in Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
http://novacast.0catch.com/, Illawarra Community Television (ICTV) in Wollongong http://www.communities.ninemsn.com.au/ICTV-GONGON and WARP Television in Bathurst
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
.
Groups in a number of areas including Bendigo
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
, Ballarat
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
, Victor Harbour and 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...
have unsuccessfully applied for licences. Aurora Community Television
Aurora Community Television
Aurora Community Channel is an Australian subscription television channel that screens locally produced community television programs. It was launched on the 1 March, on the Foxtel, Austar and Optus Digital Networks and can be found on channel 183...
, Australian Multicultural Television, Ballarat Community Cable Television, Channel Vision (Canberra) and Satellite Community TV, although not licensed as community stations, provide similar services.
Community Television stations will go digital to launch in 2010.
Subscription television
Three of the four major providers of subscription television in Australia carry a common service; however they have a number of differences. FoxtelFoxtel
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....
currently 'controls' the common service that Austar and Optus resell. This service is known as the Foxtel Platform.
Austar
Austar
Austar is an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity is Subscription Television but it is also involved with internet access and mobile phones...
broadcasts into all of regional Australia (except Western Australia
Western Australia
Western 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...
), Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and 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...
. Foxtel broadcasts in all capital cities, the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, the Central Coast and all of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western 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...
. Optus Television
Optus Television
Optus Television is the cable television division of Australian telecommunications company Optus.-History:Its immediate predecessor was Optus Vision, a joint venture between, Optus and Continental Cablevision with small shareholdings by media companies Publishing and Broadcasting Limited and Seven...
operates only in the small parts of 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...
, 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...
, 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...
and 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...
where it has laid cable.
SelecTV is the fourth provider of subscription television, and is controlled by 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...
. SelecTV is available throughout Australia via satellite and focuses on providing content in comparatively low priced packages to a number of specialised market segments; including Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
, Greek, and Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
.
There are a number of other services that target specific language speaking groups, and regions in Australia. There are two small region based subscription television providers; TransTV Digital
TransACT
TransACT Capital Communications is an Australian telecommunications company based in Canberra which provides broadband internet access, fixed telephony, cable television services, and mobile phone services in Canberra and a subset of these services in Queanbeyan, throughout South-east New South...
which is available in 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...
; and Neighbourhood Cable
Neighbourhood Cable
Neighbourhood Cable is a telecommunications provider based in regional Victoria, Australia . Neighbourhood Cable owns and operates Hybrid Fibre Coaxial cable networks in three Victorian regional cities:* Mildura* Ballarat* Geelong...
which is available in Geelong, Ballarat
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...
& Mildura.
There are also a number of satellite services that target specific language speaking groups, the largest being UBI World TV
UBI World TV
UBI World TV is an Australian digital satellite pay television service that broadcasts predominantly ethnic channels. It launched in late 2004 and currently offers over 80 channels in its lineup from over 20 countries in over 12 languages.The company also provides entertainment and information...
, a non-English language service. GlobeCast TV and Pan Global TV are non-English language, Christian and sport channel platforms that are controlled by GlobeCast (France Télécom
France Télécom
France Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
). Various operators run their own subscription services on these platforms. In addition, there are other satellite subscription services available through other providers.
National IPTV operators include TPG IPTV
Total Peripherals Group
TPG Telecom is the fourth largest Australian ISP and IT company. The company was formed from the merger between Total Peripherals Group and SP Telemedia...
.
Datacasting
DatacastingDatacasting
Datacasting is the broadcasting of data over a wide area via radio waves. It most often refers to supplemental information sent by television stations along with digital television, but may also be applied to digital signals on analog TV or radio...
in Australia began as a test transmission in 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...
using one of the reserved digital spectrum positions. Australian broadcast infrastructure company Broadcast Australia are undertaking the three year trial using the DVB-T
DVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
system. The trial consists of a number of services on one standard 7 MHz multiplex
Multiplex (TV)
A multiplex or mux is a group of TV channels that are mixed together for broadcast over a digital TV channel and separated out again by the receiver...
, collectively known as Digital Forty Four
Digital Forty Four
Digital Forty Four was a Sydney-only trial datacasting service which was licensed by the Australian Broadcasting Authority in March 2004 for an initial three year run until late 2007...
.
The services include; a combined program guide for the free-to-air broadcasters, named Channel 4
Channel 4 (Australia)
Channel 4 is a free-to-air digital-only channel. It is only available in Sydney, Australia.Channel 4 is an electronic program guide that lists ABC, Channel Seven, Channel Nine, Channel Ten and SBS, by showing what is on each channel now, then flashes to what is coming up next. The station logo,...
; a news, sport, and weather datacast channel provided by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
; a government and public information channel, known as Channel NSW
Channel NSW
Channel NSW was a community information digital television channel that was currently running under trial in the Sydney area. The service was provided and operated by the Government of New South Wales...
, which includes real time traffic information and surf webcams; the Australian Christian Channel
Australian Christian Channel
The Australian Christian Channel is a Christian channel featured on subscription-based television in Australia. The Australian Christian Channel is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on Foxtel, Austar, Optus, TransACT, and Neighbourhood Cable....
; the Expo Channel
Expo Channel
Expo Channel is an Australian home shopping channel. It is owned by Direct Group Pty Ltd, a marketing and direct sales company based in Sydney, which also owns sister channel TVSN.-History:...
; and various federal parliamentary audio broadcasts.
Narrowcasting
There are currently five narrowcastNarrowcasting
Narrowcasting has traditionally been understood as the dissemination of information to a narrow audience, not to the general public. Narrowcasting involves aiming media messages at specific segments of the public defined by values, preferences, or demographic attributes. Also called niche...
services in Australia:
- GTV-35 (BroomeBroome, Western AustraliaBroome is a pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The year round population is approximately 14,436, growing to more than 45,000 per month during the tourist season...
- link) - iTV-64 (DarwinDarwin, Northern TerritoryDarwin 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...
- link) - Norfolk TVNorfolk TVNorfolk TV is a television channel on Norfolk Island broadcasting information and news about the island, children's shows in the morning and some sitcoms in the afternoon. It is the only terrestrial television channel native on Norfolk Island, the Island is also served by satellite television from...
(Norfolk IslandNorfolk IslandNorfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
) - WestlinkWestlinkWestlink or West-link could refer to:*Westlink M7, an urban freeway connecting the northern and southern suburbs of Sydney, Australia.*Westlink, the A12 dual-carriageway through Belfast, Northern Ireland....
(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...
) - Snowy Mountains Television (Jindabyne, New South WalesJindabyne, New South WalesJindabyne is a town in south-east New South Wales, Australia that overlooks Lake Jindabyne near the Snowy Mountains, in Snowy River Shire. It is a popular holiday destination, especially in winter, due to its proximity to several ski resorts throughout the Kosciuszko National Park, including...
)
One of the five narrowcast services is Westlink, of which is available to satellite users throughout Australia, and is rebroadcast terrestrially in Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
and Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
. The service is funded by the Government of Western Australia
Government of Western Australia
The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...
and is primarily used for educational purposes but also for teleconferencing, training and corporate services.
Amateur broadcasting
The Australian amateur radioAmateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
bands include frequencies standard televisions can receive, which have led to amateur radio operator
Amateur radio operator
An amateur radio operator is an individual who typically uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other similar individuals on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators have been granted an amateur radio...
s making use of this by broadcasting video
Amateur television
Amateur television is the transmission of Broadcast quality video and audio over the wide range of frequencies of allocated for Radio amateur use. ATV is used for non-commercial experimentation, pleasure and public service events...
.
The frequency overlap occurs roughly where television channel 16 lies. Typically, channel 16 is used for amateur television transmissions; however, other frequencies are sometimes utilized, especially those used by satellite television services. Most transmissions can be viewed and heard on an analogue television, but some transmissions require additional or other equipment.
New South Wales
Television Gladesville (VK2TVG) in SydneySydney
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...
conducts three test transmissions per week on Channel 16, including a three hour live to air program on Wednesday nights.
The Central Coast Amateur Radio Club also has an amateur television repeater (VK2RTG) on Channel 16.
VK2RTS broadcasts from Lawson near Katoomba on Channel 16. Club activity is on Monday nights between 8pm and 10pm.
A Voice liaison and control frequency of 147.325 MHz (+600 kHz duplex) is used.
VK2RFM broadcasts from Oakdale near Camden on 1250 MHz FM which can be viewed with an analog satellite receiver.
Club activity is Tuesday nights between 8pm and 10pm. The liaison and control frequency is 147.400 MHz simplex.
Both repeaters cover the entire Sydney basin. They are operated by the Sydney Amateur Television Group and may be activated and used at any time from the control channels.
UHF TV Channel 35 was used until July 2001 when the Australian Communications and Media Authority
Australian Communications and Media Authority
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is an Australian government statutory authority within the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy portfolio...
reassigned the channel for digital television.
Victoria (2 Digital ATV Channels)
VK3RTVVK3RTV
VK3RTV is an amateur television station based in Melbourne, Australia. The station's repeater is located on Mount Dandenong and is one of a number of audio and video repeaters licensed to Amateur Radio Victoria...
is Melbourne's main amateur television station, and is available via Channel 16 at the lower end of the UHF TV Band (below channel 28). The amateur television repeater is located on Mount Dandenong.
There are a small number of amateur television enthusiasts (amateur radio operators with Television transmitting equipment) who transmit to Melbourne and surrounds via VK3RTV.
These include VK3AAZ,VK3AOB,VK3AGJ,VK3BFG,VK3BCU,VK3CH,VK3FMD,VK3GMZ,VK3IV,
VK3JDA,VK3JDG,VK3KBL,VK3KHB, VK3KOS,VK3LA,
VK3MN,VK3PB,VK3TMS,VK3TVZ,VK3XOK,VK3XKD
and VK3XZA.
VK3RTV is now a 2 channel digital television facility on 446 MHZ. The new system features two standard definition digital channels.
Bendigo in Central Victoria also has an Amateur Television Transmitter (VK3RBO) on the 13 cm band. This can be received using surplus microwave dishes and downconverters. The station is known to show episodes of the Amateur Television Program 'Amateurlogic'.