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]
1949
Television began in Australia in mid-1949. The Australian Government decided to form a small company to broadcast Australian Sport to the people at home who can't get or afford to go to stadiums, fields and sport courts.
The Television channel for this broadcast was known as "Channel One" and was broadcast on channel service ALG-01.
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]
13 July: Test transmissions commence in Sydney on TCN-9 in monochrome.[12]
16 July: HSV-7 Melbourne commences test transmissions in monochrome.[13]
16 September: TCN-9 Sydney launches at 7.00pm. Announcer John Godson is the first voice heard and Bruce Gyngell is the first person seen in-vision, introducing This is Television.[14]
13 March: Soap opera Number 96 debuts, heralding the night 'Australian television lost its virginity'
20 March: Brisbane channel BTQ-7 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]
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
26 November: RTS-5A Loxton launches in the Riverland district.
1977
21 January: GTW-11Geraldton begins broadcasting, completing the roll-out of regional commercial television across Australia.
20 January: Melbourne's ATV-0 converts to ATV-10; after nearby La Trobe Valley regional station GLV-10 converts to GLV-8 to facilitate this change, which concurrently frees up the frequency for Channel 0/28 later that same year.
18 February: Network 0-28 once again changes its name to SBS, and begins daytime transmissions.[45]
4 March: ABC National, a one-hour national news and current affairs program shown from 6.30 pm, replaces ABC TV's half-hour 7.00pm state news bulletins.[44]
27 December: Adelaide stations SAS-10 and ADS-7 swap frequencies to become SAS-7 and ADS-10.[45]
1988
1 January: Nine Network first use of SNG (Satellite News Gathering) in Australia. Transmission from Kingoonya SA for Australia Live 88 which showcased Australia remotely in a four hour broadcast.
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.
18 December: Minister for Communications, Stephen Conroy announces switch-off of analogue television signals will take place between 2010 and 2013.[86]
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.
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.
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 its 45-year anniversary.
28 July: The channels: 7TWO, GO!, GEM, One, Eleven & 7mate, became available in Albany/Bunbury.
16 September: Television in Australia celebrates its 55th anniversary.
18 September: Television 4 launches on Channel 64 in Prime areas.
December: Television 4 rebrands as TV4ME and launches on Channel 74 in Seven-owned areas.
11 November – February 2012: 7TWO, GO!, GEM, One, Eleven & 7mate launches 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 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.
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.
30 November: The Australian Communications & Media Authority introduced sweeping changes to the ratings system for commercial networks. Among them were allowing M and MA15+ programs to air an hour earlier then they were previously allowed, from 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm respectively, PG programmes can air all day, dissolving the AV15+ classification, as well as changes to when adverts with higher classifications program can air.[88][89]
1 March: NBN relaunches 9HD, as well as 9Life launching for NBN audiences.
1 March: WIN relaunches their version of 9HD, WIN HD. 9Life launches for WIN audiences.
2 March: Ten relaunches Ten HD and the quality of One changes from HD to SD. WIN also relaunches WIN HD and launches 9Life in some areas after technical issues on the previous day.
30 April: 4ME shuts down, being replaced by a simulcast of ishop tv (simulcast later removed in June).
10 May: Seven relaunches 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.
17 May: Your Money ceases to broadcast on channel 95/85.[91]
June: 9Gem HD launches on the space vacated by Your Money; in Darwin on 14 June; in Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth on 20 June; and in Sydney and Melbourne on 21 June.[92]
20 June: WIN Television axes four local news bulletins, which were, the Central West, Riverina, Border North East (Albury-Wodonga) and the Wide Bay because of insufficient commercial viability to fund those regional news operations.[93]
2020s
2020
16 January: Seven launches a high definition simulcast of 7mate on channel 74.[94]
^ abcLee, R. (2003). "Chapter 9: Radio and Television, 1905–1970". Linking a Nation: Australia's transport and communications 1788–1970. Australian Heritage Council. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
^Porter, Charles (1961). "Broadcasting in Queensland"(PDF). Journal of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) pp. 751,760
^"Cabinet Minutes, Agendum 51A". Australian Archives. 29 June 1950.
^"Report of the Royal Commission of Enquiry into Television". Canberra: Commonwealth Printer. 1954. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ abcd"Australian Television: the first 24 years". Melbourne: Nelsen/Cinema Papers. 1980: 3. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^Moran, Albert; Keating, Chris (2009). The A to Z of Australian Radio and Television. Scarecrow Press. p. xxvi. ISBN978-0810868564.
^"Digital switchover date confirmed". Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. 18 December 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2008.