Timeline of Australian television

This timeline of Australian television lists important station launches, programs, major television events, and technological advancements that have significantly changed the forms of broadcasting available to viewers of television in Australia. The history of television in Australia can be traced back to an announcement from the Menzies' government concerning plans for television services in Sydney and Melbourne.[1]

The new medium was introduced by Bruce Gyngell with the words "Good evening, and welcome to television".[2] Colour television was introduced in 1975, while subscription television, initially on the Galaxy platform, began in the mid-1990s. Digital terrestrial television was introduced on 1 January 2001 in Australia's five largest capital cities, later to be expanded to smaller cities and regional areas.

1920s

  • Experimental TV broadcasts began as early as 1929 in Melbourne on stations 3DB and 3UZ using the Radiovision system by Gilbert Miles and Donal McDonald.[3]
  • Thomas (Tom) M. B. Elliott experiments with an electromechanical version of television using the Nipkow disc technique that Baird employed.[4]

1930s

  • Other experimental transmissions followed in other cities, such as the 30 line Baird system in Brisbane in 1934[5][6] by Tom Elliott and Dr Val McDowall, members of the Royal Society of Queensland, at the amateur station (VK)4CM.[7][8] By 1938 Elliot demonstrated an electronic 180 line version.[6]

1940s

  • Broadcasting tests halted due to the advent of World War 2.[6]

1950s

1950
  • June: Robert Menzies' government announces a gradual introduction of television in Australia, with plans to launch an ABC Television station in Sydney and other areas subject to funding approval. As well as this, commercial television services in Sydney and Melbourne are planned with "any other capital city where it is felt that the applicant's capacity to provide a service justifies the issue of a licence".[9]
1953
  • January: The Menzies government amends the 1948 Broadcasting Act to provide legislative framework for commercial television licenses.[10]
1954
1956
1957
1959

1960s

1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968

1970s

1971
1972
  • 13 March: Soap opera Number 96 debuts, heralding the night 'Australian television lost its virginity'
  • 20 March: Brisbane channel BTQ7 claims Australia's first one-hour news bulletin, The Big News[40]
1973
  • In 1973, the only Australian designed and made precision colour television monitor, was produced for local use and international export. The broadcast quality monitor (LDN5006) was developed by Willem Sparrius, Project Engineer at Philips subsidiary company Electronics Engineering Communications and produced at their South Oakleigh plant.[42][43]
1974
  • 29 August: GSW-9 Albany begins broadcasting as a relay of VEW-8 Kalgoorlie.
  • October: Colour test transmissions begin on Australian television.
  • 8 November: Countdown begins on ABC.
1975
  • 1 March: At midnight, colour television is introduced across the country. The main networks celebrate with their own unique slogan - Come to Colour (ABC TV), Seven Colors Your World (Seven Network), Living Color (Nine Network) and 0 - First in Color (0-10 Network).[14]
1976
1977
1979

1980s

1980
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989

1990s

1990
1991
1992
  • 1 January: Aggregation begins to take place in Victoria.[46]
  • 3 February: Midday news program The World at Noon is launched on ABC TV.[44]
  • 3 February: Former Europe correspondent for the ABC Ian Henderson takes over as newsreader for the 7.00 pm weeknights ABC News in Victoria.
  • 8 May: An educational television series for children called Lift Off begins being broadcast on ABC every Friday afternoon at 2:00pm. The show will later air on weekdays at 4:30pm on 29 June and on Saturday evenings at 6:00pm on 19 September.
  • 20 July: Children's TV series Bananas in Pyjamas begins on ABC.
  • 27 November: Parliament passes a bill permitting the ABC to provide subscription television services.[44]
1993
1994
1995
  • 26 January: Galaxy launches Australia's first subscription television service on MMDS.[51]
  • 19 September: Australia's first cable TV provider, Optus Vision, begins broadcasting.[52]
  • 22 October - Foxtel was founded and introduced into Australia.
  • 4 December: State editions of The 7.30 Report are merged into a single national program, presented from Sydney by Kerry O'Brien.[44]
1996
1997
1998
1999

2000s

2000
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics' opening ceremony becomes one of the highest-rating programs in Australian television history.
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
  • 1 January: ABC TV becomes ABC1 and changes its logo along with ABC2.[87]
  • 17 March: The Nine Network launches its new high definition multichannel, 9HD.
  • 28 April: Darwin Digital Television, a Network Ten affiliate, is launched.
  • 7 May: SBS TV changes its logo and its on-air look and along with it comes a new slogan - "Six Billion Stories and Counting" and SBS HD become 720p.
  • 3 August: Nine airs the last ever edition of long-running Canberra-based political program, Sunday after 27 years.
  • 8 – 24 August: SBS TV partners up with the Seven Network for joint coverage of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
  • 20 October: Nine relaunches National Nine News as Nine News.
  • 24 November: Freeview Australia is launched across Australia at 6:29pm
2009
  • 26 March: One HD launches - the first commercial digital-only network in Australia.
  • 3 May: Nine launches The Morning News Hour and The Late News (renamed Nightline)
  • 1 June: SBS TV becomes SBS ONE and SBS TWO launches on digital television.
  • 9 August: GO! launches on Channel 99 in Nine-owned areas and Channel 88 in WIN/NBN areas.
  • 1 November: 7TWO launches on Channel 72 in Seven-owned areas.
  • 4 December: ABC3 launches on Channel 23. ABC for Kids on 2, a block on ABC2 from 9am (on weekends, 6am) to 6pm, launches.

2010s

2010
  • 1 March: Television Sydney commences digital broadcasting on Channel 44.
  • 10 April: Digital-only community station West TV launches in Perth, replacing Access 31.
  • 28 May: C31 Melbourne commences digital broadcasting on Channel 44.
  • 7 June: 31 Brisbane commences digital broadcasting on Channel 44.
  • 10 June: West Digital Television, a Network Ten affiliate, commences digital broadcasting in Western Australia.
  • 22 July: ABC News 24 launches on channel 24 by the ABC as Australia's first free-to-air English news channel. (SBS originally had an international news channel)
  • 25 September: 7mate launches on Channel 73 by the Seven Network, replacing 7HD on Channel 73 in Seven-owned areas and 63 in Prime areas. 7TWO changed its theme to a Best of British-oriented format.
  • 26 September: GEM launches on Channel 90 in Nine-owned areas and Channel 80 in WIN/NBN areas replacing 9HD, two days late due to technical issues.
  • 5 November: C31 Adelaide launches digital broadcasting on Channel 44 as 44 Adelaide, as allocated to all metropolitan community television services.
  • 1 December: WIN Television commences broadcast of Network Ten in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA).
2011
  • 11 January: Eleven launches on Channel 11 in Metro and Channel 55 in Regional areas.
  • 16 January: The Big Red "7" logo expands to Prime & GWN as names Prime7 and GWN7
  • 2 May: Central Digital Television, a Network Ten affiliate, commences digital broadcasting in remote areas. ABC for Kids on 2 rebrands as ABC4 Kids, and expands its time to 6am to 7pm.
  • 8 May: One HD rebrands as One, launching the format with entertainment targeting 25 to 54-year-old men.
  • 18 July: Play School celebrates 45 years
  • 28 July: 7TWO, GO!, GEM, One, Eleven & 7mate in Albany/Bunbury.
  • 16 September: Australian Television's 55th anniversary.
  • 18 September: Television 4 launches on Channel 64.
  • December: Television 4 rebrands as TV4ME launches on Channel 64 in Prime areas and Channel 74 in Seven-owned areas.
  • 11 November - February 2012: 7TWO, GO!, GEM, One, Eleven & 7mate in Mount Gambier/Riverland.
2012
  • 13 January: WIN Television commenced broadcasting of GEM, GO!, One, and Eleven in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA).
  • 4 March: NBN Television (The first regional television station in NSW as NBN-3 Newcastle) celebrates broadcasting for 50 years to Newcastle and Northern NSW, from as far south as the Central Coast to as far north as the Gold Coast and as far west as Gunnedah.
  • 26 March: Extra launches on Channel 94 in Eastern Seaboard Metro Markets and Channel 84 in the Northern NSW market.
  • 20 April: WIN Television commenced broadcasting of 7mate in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) on LCN 60.
  • 1 May: WIN Gold launches on Channel 84 and Channel 94 in metropolitan areas Perth and Adelaide.
  • 5 May: WIN Gold rebrands as Gold.
  • 5 June: WIN Television commenced broadcasting of 7TWO in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) on LCN 66.
  • 24 September: Network Ten to commence broadcasting of datacasting channel TVSN on LCN 14.
  • 27 November: Shutdown of analogue television services: Northern NSW
  • 12 December: NITV commences free-to-air broadcast via SBS
2013
  • Conversion from analogue to digital television is completed: Shutdown of analogue television services: Adelaide SA (2 April); Tasmania (9 April); Perth WA (16 April); Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast QLD (28 May); Regional and Remote WA (25 June); Darwin NT (30 July); Sydney, Central Coast NSW (3 December); Melbourne VIC, Remote Central and Eastern Australia (10 December).
  • 1 April: SBS relaunches digital channel SBS TWO (SBS 2) with a focus on the under-40 age group.
  • C31 Melbourne, C31 Adelaide, C31 Perth, C31 Brisbane, and TVS C31 Sydney goes to Digital 44.
2014
  • 2 February: GO! changes its branding and logo to new ones.
  • 7 July: ABC4 Kids expands its time to 5am to 7pm on ABC2.
  • 21 July: ABC1 rebrands as ABC.
2015
  • 2 March: ABC4 Kids rebrands as ABC Kids.
  • 18 March: Neighbours celebrates 30 years.
  • 5 July: SBS ONE rebrands as SBS.
  • 29 August: Racing.com (A Horse Racing channel) launches on channel 78 in metro places and channel 68 in regional places.
  • 17 November: Food Network (SBS's fourth channel featuring food shows) launches on Channel 33, replacing SBS 3.
  • 26 November: 9Life launches on channel 94, along with a relaunch of 9HD on channel 90. GEM is renamed 9Gem and moved to channel 92 and GO! is renamed 9Go! and moved to channel 93 with the quality of 9Gem changed from HD to SD.
2016
  • 28 February: 7flix launches on channel 76.
  • 1 March: NBN relaunch 9HD. 9Life launches for NBN audiences.
  • 1 March: WIN relaunch their version of 9HD, WIN HD. 9Life launches for WIN audiences.
  • 2 March: Ten relaunch Ten HD and the quality of One changes from HD to SD.
  • 30 April: 4ME shuts down, being replaced by a simulcast of ishop tv (simulcast later removed in June).
  • 10 May: Seven relaunch 7HD (HD simulcast of Seven in Melbourne and Adelaide, HD simulcast of 7mate in other markets) and the quality of 7mate changes from HD to SD.
  • 1 July: Southern Cross Austereo switches affiliation from Network Ten to the Nine Network in Southern NSW, Australian Capital Territory, Regional Queensland, Regional Victoria and Tasmania.
  • 1 July: WIN Television switches affiliation from the Nine Network to Network Ten in Southern NSW, Australian Capital Territory, Regional Queensland, Regional Victoria, Mildura, Regional WA, Tasmania and Eastern SA.
  • 17 July: 9Life relaunches in Southern NSW, Australian Capital Territory, Regional Queensland and Regional Victoria due to the affiliate swap.
  • 18 July: Play School celebrates 50 years.
  • 16 September: 60th anniversary of television in Australia.
  • 19 September: ABC3 rebrands as ABC Me.
  • 15 November: SBS 2 rebrands as SBS Viceland.
  • 6 December: ABC relaunch ABC HD and the quality of ABC News 24 changes from HD to SD.
2017
  • 1 January: ABC Kids expands its time to 5am to 7.30pm, ABC2 also expands its time to 7:30pm to 2am.
  • 23 March: Southern Cross Television relaunches a high definition simulcast of their main channel, Southern Cross HD, in Tasmania on channel 60.
  • 8 April: SBS launches a high definition simulcast of SBS Viceland on channel 31.
  • 10 April: ABC News 24 rebrands as ABC News.
  • 31 May: WIN Television purchases NRN from Southern Cross.
  • 4 December ABC2 rebrands as ABC Kids/Comedy.

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