The last bounce for Ten’s AFL

Network Ten has announced that it will walk away from AFL coverage at the end of this year’s season as it will not seek to enter into an agreement to take over any of the Seven Network’s commitment to the game from next year.

Network sports director David Barham told The Age:

"It is a bit of a shame. It's the choice of the network. It's purely a business decision.  Everyone is disappointed but understands the decision.

"We are really, really proud of what we achieved. I am proud of the people that I have worked with over the years. I think Ten should be recognised for the contribution it made to the game because no-one has done more for broadcasting the game than the Ten Network in NSW and Queensland.

"We put more game into NSW and Queensland in prime time than any other broadcaster in the history of the game. That was one of the reasons they (AFL) are expanding into these northern markets because of the real back-breaking work the Ten Network did over the last 10 years."

Ten’s commitment to AFL started with the 2002 season when they teamed up with Nine and Foxtel in a landmark five-year deal that saw the game’s television broadcast rights taken off Seven, which had broadcast the AFL and its predecessor – the VFL – for all but one season since 1957.

For the 2007-2011 rights deal, Ten partnered with Seven in a deal worth $780 million – at the time the largest sports broadcasting rights deal ever in Australia – with some games sold off to Foxtel.

Ten’s commitment to AFL was strengthened in 2009 with the launch of high-definition sports channel One, where AFL was the flagship of the schedule.  The channel enhanced its AFL coverage with programs including One Week At A Time.

Ten had been a bidding partner with Seven for the 2012-2016 contract but withdrew from the process at the last minute following the arrival of interim CEO Lachlan Murdoch. 

Under Murdoch, Ten has also wound back some sports programming from One in favour of special interest and general entertainment programming.  The removal of AFL from the schedule may see more changes to the channel’s schedule.

The Ten decision is expected to see its commentary team moved on, although Stephen Quartermain is expected to stay on as the network’s main sports anchor for Ten News in Melbourne. 

The future of One’s One Week At A Time and Ten’s long-running Before The Game beyond the end of this year is uncertain though there is some speculation that the latter may go across to Seven, a network whose track record with AFL-themed entertainment programming has been rather patchy.

In securing the free-to-air rights to the 2012-2016 seasons, Seven had the option of on-selling some of its weekly commitment of four free-to-air games to another network.  Up until now Ten was believed to be considering taking on two weekly games.  Nine is not believed to have been interested.

Now from 2012, Seven will broadcast four weekly games plus the Brownlow Medal, all finals and the Grand Final.  The network is also expected to utilise its high-definition channel 7mate for selected coverage outside of Victoria.

General manager for Seven Melbourne, Lewis Martin paid tribute to Ten’s commitment to broadcasting AFL:

“We are excited about the prospect of carrying all the AFL games for which we bid.  But we wish to acknowledge that Channel Ten has been a terrific AFL broadcast partner for the past five years, and their commitment to the game over the past decade. We understand and empathise with how difficult these decisions can be.”

Foxtel will broadcast all nine weekly games, including re-broadcasting Seven’s coverage, and finals excluding the Grand Final.

Source: The Age, Herald Sun

Ten reworks ‘unsustainable’ One HD

Two years ago the Ten Network took on a brave gamble when it launched Australia’s first full-scale digital commercial channel, the sports-themed One HD.  It was a niche channel that while it rated well against the pay-TV sports channels, it had to also take on the broadly-themed commercial networks, a situation made even more difficult when Seven and Nine started rolling out general entertainment channels such as 7TWO, 7mate, GO! and GEM to enhance their broadcast offerings.

While Ten, under its previous management, insisted that One HD was embracing a program genre that would be immune to the pressures of internet downloads and that it was paying a dividend to the network, the unfortunate reality is that the channel was not a match for the many other free-to-air channels in the ratings.  Last week One HD was the lowest ranked of all the commercial channels across the five capital cities – scoring 1.2% market share following Seven (23.7%), Nine (19.3%), Ten (15.5%), 7TWO (4.6%), GO! (4.1%), Eleven (3.6%), 7mate (3.5%) and GEM (2.9%).  (Of the national broadcasters, ABC1 (13.7%), SBS1 (4.5%), ABC2 (2.1%), SBS2 (0.7%), ABC News 24 (0.7%) and ABC3 (0.5%).)

On many nights One HD failed to rate higher than a whole percentage point. 

The performance of One HD and Ten’s high-cost news and current affairs expansion has come under scrutiny from the network’s new management following the departure of CEO Grant Blackley.  And in half year financial results announced today, Ten Network Holdings reported a profit of $49.3 million, a 16 per cent drop when compared to the same half year period last year.

Ten has already moved to attempt to save its news line-up from ratings collapse – with 6PM With George Negus (pictured) moving to the 6.30pm timeslot and the expansion of the 5.00pm news bulletin to 90 minutes, and re-instating the weekend 5.00pm bulletin.  The changes made have seen some short-term ratings gains, though with daylight saving ending this week it is hard to tell if that increase wouldn’t have happened anyway.

Following a recent period of experimentation in playing general entertainment programming in prime-time on One HD, today it has been announced that Ten will be revamping the channel from Sunday 8 May with a move towards general entertainment, movies and non-sport special interest programs on weeknights to supplement its existing sports programming on weekends.  The new-look One HD has a ratings target of 2.5 per cent of the market, targeting 25-54 year old males.  (Ten has a target audience of 18-49 year-old viewers, while Eleven is aimed at the 13-29 age group.)

In announcing the channel’s revamp, Ten’s interim CEO Lachlan Murdoch said the channel was at a ‘dead end’:

“One was underperforming from a ratings point of view; rating below a single share point was simply unsustainable and unable to contribute to our earnings.  We were at a dead end with One as it stood.”

While Mr Murdoch is interim CEO and an owner of nine per cent of the Ten Network business, he is also a director of the giant News Corporation which has significant interests in pay-TV operator Foxtel and in its Fox Sports channels.

Some of the programs to appear on the new-look One HD include Extreme Fishing, Ice Road Truckers, Everest Beyond The Limit, An Idiot Abroad, COPS, Sons Of Anarchy, Breakout King, Terriers and Lights Out.  The channel will also feature a movie line-up of titles such as Pitch Black, Doom, Jarhead, The Last King Of Scotland, 28 Weeks Later and Babylon AD.

In other programming changes, the network has also announced a new addition to Ten’s schedule with the upcoming launch of The Bolt Report, a Sunday morning news commentary program headed by newspaper columnist Andrew Bolt.  The new program is set to debut on 8 May in the 10.00am Sunday timeslot, with Ten’s long-running Meet The Press moving to 10.30am.

Source: The Age, Ten, Herald Sun

A decade of digital TV

Australian television first entered the digital age on 1 January 2001 – a decade ago today.

On that day all five networks – ABC, Seven, Nine, Ten, SBS – commenced full-time standard-definition digital transmission in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth as part of the initial roll-out of digital television.  High-definition signals were not to launch until later in the year.

Regional areas and other cities were to gradually be covered by digital broadcasts as ABC, SBS and regional broadcasters upgraded their infrastructure to include digital in the years that followed.  Indeed, even now, some regional and remote areas are still yet to receive commercial television channels, either the primary or multi-channels, in digital.

However, very few would have actually witnessed those first digital transmissions on 1 January 2001.  With the government making last-minute changes to digital broadcasting standards as late as towards the end of 2000, very few manufacturers had been able to commit to producing compatible receiving equipment much before the launch date.  Even after 1 January, major retailers may have had a handful of set top boxes (STB) on display but would be lucky to have had any to actually sell.  Broadcasters themselves even had to scramble for the few tuners that were available.  Colin Knowles, head of ABC’s digital roll-out, told The Sunday Age late in December 2000 that he had only been able to secure five units nationwide which would be used for signal testing.  The commercial networks were forced to underwrite the initial roll-out of digital tuners, just to get them in the stores, but even then only a few thousand were expected to be in the marketplace nationwide by the end of February.

As well as the lack of supply, the cost of even the most basic set top box came with considerable cost as manufacturers sought to recoup their development costs for the new technology.  A standard definition STB would have likely cost anything from $700 recommended retail – and a high-definition box would set you back over $1000.  In both cases, the tuners only served to downgrade the digital signal to one that can be displayed through a traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) TV – so a high-definition tuner would not display high-definition when used on a CRT TV, it just meant that you could view high-definition channels.

As for television sets with integrated digital tuners – ten years ago they were still yet to hit the market and before they arrived a standard-definition set was estimated to set you back around $5000 – even more if you wanted a high-definition set, estimated to cost anything around $8000.  Prices for digital tuners would inevitably come down but it was not going to happen quickly, particularly given the high price tag for early adopters.

And in introducing digital television, the government had placed restrictions on offering more channels – even though the technology supported it – seemingly as a concession to the pay-TV lobby.  Only ABC and SBS were initially allowed to set up multi-channels and even then they had rigid restrictions on what they could actually air on them.  Basically, anything resembling entertainment was not allowed.  News bulletins were only allowed if they were in foreign languages.  Specific program genres like education, children’s and arts programs would be allowed.  Not really the sort of programming to encourage people to run out and buy digital tuners en masse.

As well as offering widescreen, crystal clear pictures and improved sound quality, digital television also offered multi-view broadcasts on sporting events – a feature that has been used maybe once or twice as a pilot in the early years of digital television, but not since.  Indeed, the networks were even lacking in providing widescreen broadcasts of some sporting events, a genre that seems a natural fit for widescreen transmission, in the earlier years.

ABC’s first ventures in digital multi-channelling – ABC Kids and youth channel Fly TV – were launched late in 2001 but due to budget constraints were shutdown less than two years later.  SBS later launched the World News Channel, providing continuous broadcasts of foreign language news bulletins and not much else.

Is it any wonder that viewers didn’t immediately adopt digital TV?  With such a lack lustre introduction by the broadcasters and heavy restrictions by government, the take-up of digital tuners by the viewing public was less than spectacular.

By the middle of the decade it was realised that the government’s initial planned cut off date for analogue television – 2008 – was fast approaching and the viewing public was far from being ready.  The date for the analogue shutdown was postponed and incentives were put in place to encourage viewers to make the transition to digital TV.  Some of the rigid genre restrictions on multi-channels, such as ABC2 launched in 2005, were being lifted and areas like Tasmania, Mildura and Darwin, all lacking a third commercial channel, were being allowed a digital-only commercial channel operated by the existing local commercial broadcasters.

By 2007, networks were allowed to start offering exclusive high-definition content, not in simulcast with the analogue or standard-definition signals, which led to Seven, Nine and Ten launching HD-specific channels which offered limited amounts of exclusive programming, though this was mostly restricted to off-peak daytime or late-night timeslots so that major prime-time programming was still able to viewed in high definition.

Late in 2008, the free-to-air broadcasters collaborated to launch a joint initiative, Freeview, to promote digital television to the wider audience on behalf of all networks – emphasising the multi-channel platform and  subscription-free nature of free-to-air digital television as an alternative to pay-TV, and later the promotion of Freeview-branded equipment such as PVRs, though this specifically-branded equipment is not mandatory for receiving or viewing digital television but would be needed to have access to the Freeview electronic program guide (EPG) which is now in operation.

In 2009 the commercial networks were permitted to launch a second standard-definition channel.  Network Ten took the first, and most radical, step and re-launched its Ten HD channel into a 24/7 sports channel, One HD, which was simulcast as its second standard-definition channel.  Ten figured that sport was the most desired programming genre for high-definition and would be the genre least affected by internet downloads, and offering a sports format would act as a deterrent for viewers adopting pay-TV.  The downside is that Ten’s main channel was now denied any high-definition programming.

The Nine Network followed later in 2009 with a youth-focused standard-definition channel, GO!, which also included a catalogue of classic titles from the 1960s and 1970s.  Seven’s first digital-only channel, 7TWO, presented largely an extension of the Seven brand with a mix of general entertainment programming with some exclusive titles.  In more recent times 7TWO has focused more firmly on British programming such as soap operas, lifestyle programming and classic comedy and drama.

The Federal Government allowed ABC a budget increase to enable it to set up a children’s channel, ABC3, by the end of 2009.  But, while SBS was denied its requests for more funding for its digital initiatives, the World News Channel was re-worked into SBS2 in June 2009, offering the same news bulletin format during the day but with a wider scope for programming in the evenings, including lifestyle programming, foreign-language drama series and movies.

In 2010, ABC sacrificed its high-definition channel to launch its 24/7 news channel, ABC News 24, as a free-to-air competitor to pay-TV channels like Sky News.  Seven and Nine also followed suit by ceasing the simulcast their main channel in high-definition and instead offering a full-scale third unique channel, even though their high-definition channels, 7mate and GEM, would feature a lot of vintage and standard-definition programming not designed or intended for high-definition viewing.  For viewers that had hoped to see their favourite prime-time programs or signature events like sporting telecasts in high-definition, it is a disappointment – although this scenario may only be an interim phase to allow more channels across their limited broadcast allotment until the complete shutdown of analogue television which may then allow the networks the opportunity to re-assess and potentially extend their digital channel offerings.

Network Ten announced in August last year that it would replace its standard-definition simulcast of One HD with an entertainment-focused channel, Eleven, to launch early in 2011.

With all this activity by the national and commercial broadcasters, the community TV sector was all but left out of the equation entirely.  Federal governments, both past and present, had denied the community TV sector access to the digital platform even though it had given various handouts and concessions to the national and commercial broadcasters – such as free broadcasting spectrum, infrastructure rebates and the commercial networks gaining a $250 million license rebate from the Federal Government.  It wasn’t until late 2009 that temporary broadcast capacity was granted to the community TV sector and relevant channels in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth are now broadcasting in digital.

Since early 2009 the Federal Government has commissioned a quarterly survey, Digital Tracker, to monitor the conversion rate of households to digital television.  The first Digital Tracker survey, covering the period January to March 2009, reported that 47 per cent of households Australia-wide had converted at least one television set to digital.  The most recent survey, covering the period June to September 2010, found that 75 per cent of households had made the switch to digital.

It has not been until 2010 that the first analogue shutdowns were implemented.  Mildura/Sunraysia was the first area to make the change from analogue transmission in June 2010, with regional South Australia following last month.  Regional Victoria and Queensland will follow during 2011, with all remaining areas scheduled to convert from analogue television by 31 December 2013.

Source: The Sunday Age, 24 December 2000. Sun Herald, 10 December 2000.  Sydney Morning Herald, 1 January 2001.

WIN SA gets digital upgrade

The regional South Australian branch of WIN Television has been assigned additional broadcast capacity to enable it to provide local viewers with the commercial networks’ multi-channels after the switch-off of analogue transmissions.

WIN currently has a commercial monopoly in the Mount Gambier and Riverland markets – currently providing local signals of the Seven, Nine and Ten networks.  But because WIN only has a single digital frequency to broadcast these three channels, it does not have capacity to consider high-definition or additional standard-definition channels such as 7TWO, GO!, GEM, 7mate or One.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has announced that WIN will receive additional broadcast frequencies in Mount Gambier and Riverland to enable the local broadcast of digital-only channels.  The new frequencies will become available only after the local analogue switch-off which is scheduled for next Wednesday.

The broadcaster will also be the recipient of government assistance as part of a $34 million package offered to broadcasters in smaller regional markets by the Federal Government to assist with the digital transition.

WIN has to now decide which of the multi-channels it will choose to broadcast to the local market, and the timetable for rolling out those channels. 

The new broadcast capacity being assigned to WIN follows a similar allocation by ACMA to Southern Cross Media, covering the markets of Spencer Gulf and Broken Hill (NSW).

Source: ACMA

Regional viewers offered digital equality

The Federal Government has partnered with regional broadcasters to ensure that viewers in remote and regional areas will have access to the same amount of channels as their capital city counterparts.

In a media release issued today, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy announced that the Government will provide $34 million over four years to enable commercial broadcasters in regional South Australia, remote and regional Western Australia, and remote and central Australia to install the transmitters that will give viewers access to all digital TV channels via terrestrial broadcast:

“This is an historic outcome for regional Australia   For decades, viewers in smaller TV licence areas have put up with having only two commercial TV channels, often missing out on some of the country’s most popular programming.

“True equalisation of TV services in Australia was long considered impossible; the Gillard Government is proud to have achieved the realisation of what has been a long-held dream for many people in regional and remote Australia as part of the digital switchover program.”

The Government promises to provide 50 per cent of capital and operational costs for the new transmitters until the end of the transition period from analogue television in 2013, with regional broadcasters meeting the remaining and ongoing costs.

Commercial channels will initially be offered in standard definition only, while the full suite of ABC and SBS channels – including high-definition channels ABC News 24 and SBS1 HD – will be offered.

Once the rollout of the digital TV channels is completed, if any viewer is still unable to access the channels via terrestrial broadcast then they can access the channels through the VAST platform, announced earlier this year.

Regional South Australia – comprising Loxton/Riverland, Mount Gambier/South East, Spencer Gulf and Broken Hill (NSW) markets – is due to lose all existing analogue signals on 15 December this year.  Viewers in these markets can currently access ABC, SBS and local versions of all three commercial networks in digital but as yet none of the extra commercial channels, such as GO!, GEM, 7TWO, 7mate, One or the upcoming channel, 11 – although Southern Cross, covering Spencer Gulf and Broken Hill, has already been assigned broadcast capacity to start broadcasting additional channels after the analogue switch-off is completed in the area.

Commercial operators in Western Australia – Prime (GWN) and WIN – are only now rolling out the first stage of digital transmission, giving viewers access to GWN, WIN and the new Ten West, but today’s announcement will lead to a roll-out of the additional commercial channels. 

Regional commercial broadcasters WIN, Prime, Southern Cross and Imparja will announce the rollout schedule for the new channels in coming days.

Source: DBCDE

Digital channel update: SA, Broken Hill, Darwin

Some developments today in the rollout of digital television services in some of the smaller markets.

Darwin’s Nine Network station, NTD,  has today officially switched on local relays of digital channels GO! and GEM – hence completing the rollout of both channels to all capital cities either via Nine or WIN.  The new channels can be found in Darwin on digital channel 99 and 90 respectively, with GEM broadcasting in high-definition format only.

Meanwhile, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has announced that it has assigned extra digital channel capacity for the local broadcaster covering the Spencer Gulf region in South Australia, and Broken Hill, NSW.

Southern Cross Media, which currently provides Southern Cross Television (Seven Network affiliate) and Southern Cross Ten, has been allowed extra capacity to provide additional digital channels to the local regions.  Southern Cross’ existing digital frequency currently has room only for the primary channels – Southern Cross, Southern Cross Ten and the soon-to-launch local relay of the Nine Network – meaning that local viewers have not had access to any of the new digital channels that have been launched by the capital city networks.

The decision as to which channels will be broadcast on the new frequency lies with Southern Cross Media.

The Regional South Australian markets, including Spencer Gulf and Broken Hill, will lose all existing analogue signals on 15 December 2010.

Source: ACMA

GEM’s last minute scratching

Viewers expecting to see the debut of the Nine Network’s new digital channel GEM at midday yesterday (Friday) were left underwhelmed when the channel failed to appear.

When Nine originally announced GEM almost two weeks ago, it was always clear that the channel was to officially launch this Sunday but, in a move designed to take some of gloss away from new rival 7mate which launches today, the channel was to start screening programs from midday yesterday.

Instead, digital channel 90 (and channel 80 in regionals) continued as the high-definition simulcast of the main Nine Network channel.

The failure of GEM’s appearance is apparently due to “technical issues” although Nine’s lack of pre-launch promotion for the channel probably ensured that not many viewers were aware of its pending debut anyway.  This lack of any pre-launch promotion, or any advice to viewers that GEM is replacing Nine’s HD simulcast, plus yesterday’s non-appearance all add fuel to speculation that the channel appears to be little more than a rushed-to-air effort to catch up to Seven’s 7mate and following Ten’s announcement of its new entertainment channel, 11.

Nine has now re-scheduled GEM to debut at 6.00am Sunday – meaning that their attempt to spoil Seven’s launch of 7mate has failed.  Although whether viewers actually care who was first by the sake of a day or two is largely irrelevant as this attempted one-upmanship is really just about network egos and is just another chapter in the unending battle between Seven and Nine.

But assuming there are no further delays, GEM’s schedule for Sunday is as follows:

6am Movie: Kim
8.30 Movie: Spring And Port Wine
10.30 Movie: Thousands Cheer
1.05pm Movie: Life With Father
3.35 Movie: The Jazz Singer
6pm The New Adventures Of Old Christine
6.30 Wife Swap USA
7.30 Random Acts Of Kindness (new episode)
8.30 Movie: The Bodyguard
11.10 The New Adventures Of Old Christine (rpt from 6pm)
11.40pm Wife Swap USA (rpt from 6.30pm)

GEM will be available via the Nine Network (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth) on digital channel 90 and via regional networks WIN (Queensland, Southern NSW, ACT, Victoria, Tasmania) and NBN (Northern NSW, Gold Coast) on digital channel 80, and from next month GEM and its counterpart GO! will be available on the Nine Network’s Darwin station.  A high-definition tuner, PVR or set-top-box will be required to view GEM.

GEM will also be available to Foxtel cable subscribers.

Southern Cross rolls out more channels

Regional broadcaster Southern Cross Media has announced the launch of new digital channels for Darwin, Tasmania and Spencer Gulf/Broken Hill markets.

Southern Cross Television will be providing the Seven Network’s new digital channel, 7mate, in Darwin (on digital channel 70) and Tasmania (digital channel 60) from 24 October.  The channel launches on the Seven Network stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Regional QLD this Saturday.

Viewers will need a high-definition capable digital tuner, PVR or set top box to access 7mate.

The company has also announced that it will be providing a relay channel of the Nine Network to viewers in the Spencer Gulf/Broken Hill region from 31 October.  Southern Cross is the only commercial TV broadcaster in that region and currently provides two channels – GTS/BKN (with Seven Network programming) and Southern Cross Ten – with provision for special event programming (such as sports) from the Nine Network.  Both GTS/BKN and Southern Cross Ten are broadcast in analogue and digital.

The new Nine relay will be broadcast exclusively in digital.

Regional South Australia, including Spencer Gulf and Broken Hill, is scheduled to lose all analogue television transmission on 15 December.  After the analogue shutdown the potential may exist for Southern Cross Media to gain access to additional broadcast spectrum which would allow it to start to relay the commercial networks’ digital multi-channels.

Source: TV Tonight, Freeview

GEM: Friday and Saturday

Nine’s new digital channel, GEM, is to be officially launched next Sunday, 26 September, but just to get the edge over the launch of 7mate the channel starts programming this Friday, 24 September from 12.00pm:

Friday 24:
12pm Movie: Singin’ In The Rain
2pm Movie: Gypsy
5pm The Ellen DeGeneres Show (rpt from Nine)
6pm The New Adventures Of Old Christine
6.30 Friends
7pm The Zoo
7.30 Getaway (rpt from Nine)
8.30 Movie: Jindabyne
11pm Movie: Critic’s Choice

Saturday 25:
1am Friends (rpt from 6.30pm)
1.30 Getaway (rpt from 7.30pm)
2.30 Movie: Jindabyne (rpt from 8.30pm)
4.50 Dangerman
5.50 GEM Presents
6am Movie: The Bridal Path
8am Movie: Critic’s Choice (rpt from 11pm)
10am Movie: The Yearling
12.45pm Movie: Northwest Passage
3.20pm Movie: The Madwoman Of Chaillot
6pm The New Adventures Of Old Christine
6.30 Deadly Surf
7pm Animal Emergency
7.30 Special: Every Heart Beats True – The Jim Stynes Story (rpt from Nine)
8.30 Movie: Evil Angels
11pm Movie: Gypsy (rpt from Friday)

(Programs and times are for the Melbourne market, other areas or time-zones check local guides)

GEM – replacing the existing 9HD channel – will be available via the Nine Network (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth) on digital channel 90 and via NBN (Northern NSW, Gold Coast) and WIN (Southern NSW, ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland) on digital channel 80.  GEM will be available on the Nine Network’s Darwin channel from next month.  Viewers will need a high-definition tuner or set top box to be able to access the channel.

GEM is also available on Foxtel for cable subscribers only on Channel 209 from 24 September.

7mate: Opening Night

The opening night’s schedule for Seven’s new high-definition channel, 7mate, which launches next Saturday, 25 September:

6pm That ‘70s Show
6.30 Gene Simmons Family Jewels
7pm How I Met Your Mother
7.30 Scrubs
8pm My Name Is Earl
8.30 Punk’d
9pm Family Guy
9.30 Movie: Anchorman

Although 7mate actually makes its debut from 12.15pm next Saturday afternoon with the high-definition simulcast of the AFL Grand Final.

(Programs and times are for the Melbourne market, other areas or time-zones check local guides)

7mate will be available via a high-definition tuner or set top box, and can be found on digital channel 73 via the Seven Network (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Regional QLD) or digital channel 63 via Prime Television (Regional NSW, Regional Victoria, ACT, Gold Coast).

Regional update on digital channel roll-out

The Nine Network’s two major regional affiliates, WIN and NBN, have both announced that they will launch Nine’s new digital channel, GEM, in their respective regional markets on the same day as in the capital cities.

GEM, providing an entertainment-based line-up aimed at female viewers aged 35+, will be available in WIN’s and NBN’s respective digital coverage areas (excluding South Australia and Western Australia) on high-definition digital channel 80.  The new channel will be officially launched on Sunday 26 September.  WIN’s Perth and Adelaide channels, STW9 and NWS9, will also broadcast GEM from the same day on high-definition digital channel 90.

Viewers of the Nine Network’s Darwin channel will be able to view both channels GO! and GEM from early October, following upgrades to the channel’s transmission infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Tasmanian viewers may soon learn that they will be getting the Seven and Ten networks’ new digital channels, 7mate and 11.  Southern Cross Media, representing both Southern Cross Television and Tasmanian Digital Television, has previously said that they were not committing to carrying the new channels in the short term. 

It now appears that Southern Cross will be relaying the male-focused 7mate channel from mid-October, after the Commonwealth Games, while TDT could be carrying the new channel 11 from when it launches on the mainland in the new year.  There is no indication yet, however, whether Southern Cross Ten in regional NSW, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT will be carrying 11.

Southern Cross has had to consider significant investment and upgrade of its Canberra-based broadcast facility to allow it to provide the new channels, at a time when the broadcaster’s parent company has had to wear a $82.7 million loss from the last financial year.  Most of this loss was attributed to an American subsidiary which has been sold off, but the pressure is obviously on the Australian business to off-set the losses as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Prime Television in NSW, Victoria, ACT and the Gold Coast is expected to carry 7mate from when it launches in the capital cities next Saturday, 25 September.

Source: The Mercury, Freeview, Ninemsn

Nine’s GEM balances gender ledger

The Nine Network has announced its new digital channel – GEM – targetting females aged 35+.

The new channel, which will broadcast in high-definition and replace the existing high-definition simulcast of the main Nine channel, is expected to debut on Friday 24 September – just a day before the launch of Seven’s new male-focused channel, 7mate. The channel will have its official launch on Sunday 26 September.

Programming details for GEM, an acronym for “General Entertainment and Movies”, are fairly scant at present (Updated: More details in Nine press release, below) but it is reported to include programs like Secret Millionaire, The Big C, Weeds and Wife Swap as well as re-purposed news and current affairs content and a commitment to maintaining some of Nine’s sports content in high-definition – how the latter ties in with the proposed target demographic is unclear though it is a move that will please sports fans.

There is also no word if GEM will be carried by regional affiliates such as WIN or the Nine-owned channels NBN in Northern NSW and NTD8 in Darwin.

The launches of GEM and 7mate, while they provide more channel choices, will effectively mean two fewer high-definition simulcasts of network television – leaving SBS as the only network providing a high-definition simulcast of its main channel.

While ABC and Network Ten moved away from high-definition simulcasts, they did so to launch well-defined and well-branded unique channels, ABC News 24 and One HD, while GEM and 7mate from the outset (with the limited information that either channel has released to the public) appear to be a thinly-spread array of re-run material, a lot of which pre-dates high-definition production, with a handful of first-run programs that vaguely resemble a demographic-focused approach – a line-up that could just as well have been used to boost the content offerings of their existing channels 7TWO and GO instead of short-changing viewers who will now no longer have the option to see Australia’s two most popular networks in high-definition. The networks will argue that this is the only means in which they can offer a third channel as they are limited in how they can deliver multiple channels pending the complete shutdown of analogue transmission in 2013.

A formal announcement of GEM is expected from Nine later today.

UPDATE @ 16:25 AEST 13.9.2010: Media Release from Nine:

NINE ANNOUNCES A NEW GEM

Following on from the outstanding success of the GO! multi-channel, the Nine Network today announced plans for a third channel, GEM, which will launch on Sunday, September 26 aimed at the sophisticated, discerning viewer.

GEM will be a mix of new content, classic comedies, cherished drama series, all-time favourite movies, and all of Nine’s sport coverage in high definition.

GEM is designed to complement Nine’s premium channel, and the network’s number one multi-channel, GO!, attracting females 35+ and grocery buyers.

Leading the GEM lineup is the acclaimed new US drama series The Big C, starring Laura Linney as a woman making the most of her life after being diagnosed with cancer. Also starring Oliver Platt and Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe, The Big C’s recent premiere achieved record ratings for the US Showtime network.

The cult favourite Weeds will also be seen on GEM in a new season. Other first-run imports include Southland, Miami Medical, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and the lifestyle programs Wife Swap, Secret Millionaire USA, The Chopping Block USA and How Clean Is Your House?

Also on GEM will be a new season of Random Acts of Kindness (previously seen on Nine) featuring Shelley Craft, Scott Cam, Dr Andrew Rochford and Simmone Jade Mackinnon, treating everyday Australians to well-deserved rewards.

Rounding out the schedule will be the classic comedy Friends, stripped to air every week night, Aussie gold dramas McLeod’s Daughters, Sea Patrol and The Alice, and the hit US crime shows CSI, CSI Miami, CSI New York, The Closer and Cold Case, along with great movies such as Million Dollar Baby, The Aviator, 21 Grams and Being Julia.

Nine CEO David Gyngell said GEM would build on the network’s tearaway success with the GO! channel, which by a big margin is Australia’s most popular multi-channel across the key demographics and total people.

“GEM is what its title suggests – a general entertainment and movie channel, carefully crafted and targeted like GO! before it, to appeal to a wide audience cross-section and complement Nine’s existing successful brands,” Mr Gyngell said.

GEM will also include news and current affairs programs that will be different but complementary to those on the main channel. “We have a very significant investment in news and current affairs and some of that content will be repackaged to the style of GEM,” Mr Gyngell said.

High definition sport will be seen on GEM until the digital switchover in December 2013.

To receive GEM from September 26, viewers need to tune in to channel 90 on an HD-capable digital TV, PVR or set top box. If you have an analogue television you will need to connect your old TV to an HD-capable digital set top box, PVR, or digital recorder and tune in to channel 90.

Source: Media Spy

ACMA green lights 3D grand finals

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has granted temporary licences to both the Seven and Nine networks to allow them to broadcast the AFL and NRL grand finals respectively in 3D.

The temporary licences for both networks are applicable for the period from 18 September to 8 October and cover the markets of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

The AFL Grand Final is to be held on 25 September and the NRL Grand Final is scheduled for 3 October.

The broadcasts will be on digital channel 40 and will require a 3D compatible receiver and eyewear to view in 3D.  ACMA points out that because the trials are on a lower strength signal to normal television services that some viewers may still not receive the 3D telecast even if they have a compatible set and are within the relevant licence areas.

ACMA has also pointed out that it will not be issuing any further licences for 3D TV trials pending its review into 3D broadcasting on free-to-air television.  The authority is currently reviewing reports received from the Nine Network and SBS from their recent 3D TV trials conducted for the NRL State Of Origin and the FIFA World Cup.

Coverage of the AFL Grand Final in 3D in the major capital cities will be of cold comfort to viewers in Tasmania who appear unlikely to be able to view the game even in high-definition, as the high-definition broadcast forms the launch of the Seven Network’s 7mate channel which is not likely to air in Tasmania in the short term.

Source: ACMA

New channels on Tassie waiting list

The recent announcements of new digital channels 7mate and 11 have yet to be followed up with confirmation from local affiliates that they will be carried in Tasmania.

Craig Davies, Tasmanian general manager for Southern Cross Media (representing both Southern Cross Television and Tasmanian Digital Television), told The Mercury that neither of the new channels will appear in Tasmania at the same time as they launch on the mainland, but added that an announcement is coming:

"We are not sure of the timeframe because we haven't got an agreement from Seven or Ten to bring these channels into Tasmania and we also do not have the capacity to broadcast these channels into Tasmania (but) it is within our best interests to get them on air as soon as we possibly can.”

Mr Davies added that further extensions to Southern Cross’ network infrastructure, based in Canberra, is needed to bring the new channels to Tasmania.

The delay will mean that Tasmanian viewers may be denied the opportunity to see the high-definition broadcast of the AFL Grand Final, as it will serve as the opening program on Seven’s 7mate channel. The standard-definition broadcast is expected to be relayed via Southern Cross Television as normal.

The delay in bringing Ten’s new youth-focused channel, 11, to Tasmania via TDT may impact on fans of Neighbours and The Simpsons as both shows are set to move exclusively to 11 when it launches in the new year.

Both new channels 7mate and 11 are also expected to carry a significant schedule of exclusive programming not available on the main Seven and Ten channels.

The launch of Seven’s first digital channel, 7TWO, was delayed to Tasmania by one month and Ten’s sports channel, One HD, was delayed by approximately three months. However, Nine’s digital channel GO! was broadcast via Tasmania’s local affiliate, WIN, from the beginning.

The Nine Network is also expected to announce an additional digital channel soon.

Tasmania is a market of around 500,000 viewers – making it one of the smallest populations for a competitive market in Australia – yet in the space of ten years it has gone from two commercial channels (WIN and Southern Cross) to six commercial channels (WIN, Southern Cross, TDT, 7TWO, GO!, One HD) and also receives the full suite of digital channels offered by ABC and SBS.

Meanwhile, Prime Television, the Seven Network affiliate serving the regional markets of New South Wales/ACT and Victoria, have said they will be carrying 7mate from the time it launches on 25 September.

Source: The Mercury, Regional TV Marketing

Prime welcomes 7mate aboard

Regional broadcaster Prime Television has today announced that it will be carrying the Seven Network’s new high-definition channel, 7mate, starting on the same day as its launch on Seven’s digital platform.

The decision to air 7mate from day one contrasts last year’s situation where 7TWO was broadcast on Seven for almost two months before it launched on Prime.

The Seven Network announced the upcoming launch of 7mate last week – with the channel promising a program line-up targeting males aged 16-49.  The channel is scheduled to launch on 25 September starting with the high-definition simulcast of Seven’s coverage of the AFL Grand Final.

7mate will be broadcast on digital channel 73 on the Seven Network stations, and on digital channel 63 on Prime.

Prime Television broadcasts through the regional markets of New South Wales and Victoria, including the Australian Capital Territory and the Gold Coast.   Prime’s WA outlet, GWN, may be unlikely to carry the channel for some time as the network is still in the early stages of its digital roll-out across WA and existing multi-channels such as 7TWO are yet to appear there.

There is speculation that the surprise announcement of 7mate has prompted the Nine and Ten networks to fast-track their third channels to air – though neither network has given any definite or clear indication of their strategy for the third channel.  Nine is rumoured to be considering anything from a crime-themed channel to movies to classic TV programming, while Ten is considered likely to pursue a general entertainment channel or something with a more defined youth focus to tackle the ratings growth of Nine’s GO!

Source: Freeview

Grand Final to kick start 7mate

The Seven Network earlier today made a surprise announcement of the launch of its new digital channel, 7mate.

The new channel, to broadcast in high-definition on digital channel 73, is designed to target male audiences aged 16-49 – a demographic that advertisers can sometimes find hard to target.

7mate will launch on 25 September with its first program being a HD simulcast of Seven’s coverage of the AFL Grand Final before breaking off from Seven with its own program line-up.

Curiously, the ‘mate’ branding was one of a range of ‘dummy’ trademarks registered by Seven almost a year ago in the lead-up to the launch of digital channel 7TWO.

David Leckie, chief executive officer of the Seven Media Group, welcomed the new channel:

“Seven is Australia’s most-watched network and our suite of multi-channels delivers more viewers than anyone else.  7mate is the next step in building on our leadership in broadcast television. 7mate is going to be great.”

“The launch of 7mate delivers us a tremendous platform of channels targeting specific audience demographics – leveraging our primary channel’s success with women and 7TWO’s targeting of a 25+ adult audience.”

“We’re delighted to be the first commercial network to move to three channels. With 7HD we were first into multi-channelling for the commercial networks and this is another significant step for our television business.”

Some of the programs to appear on 7mate include Family Guy, American Dad, Last Comic Standing, 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, That 70s Show, Scrubs and Crank Yankers.

Drama series for 7mate include Caprica, Warehouse 13 and Stargate Atlantis, while reality shows will include Jersey Shore, Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels, Monster Garage and Pawn Stars.  Factual shows will include Fifth Gear, Life After People, The Boneyard, Ax Men, Mega Movers, Mega Structures, Air Crash Investigations and Shockwave.

The launch of 7mate as a high-definition channel will effectively force the main Seven Network program line-up off the high-definition signal, meaning that signature programs such as Packed To The Rafters, Dancing With The Stars, City Homicide and US shows including Desperate Housewives, Bones and Criminal Minds may no longer be available in high-definition.  This mirrors a similar change made by both ABC and the Ten Network in the launch of their new digital channels ABC News 24 and One HD.

It is unclear at this stage what arrangements have been made to have 7mate carried on regional affiliates Prime and Southern Cross Television.

ABC News 24 hits a million viewers

ABC’s new high-definition news channel ABC News 24 has clocked up over a million viewers in its first ratings survey.

The channel, which launched on 22 July, only started reporting ratings data from last Sunday.  The first week of the channel’s ratings data shows that 1.3 million viewers in the five capital cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth) watched ABC News 24 for at least 5 consecutive minutes during the week.

Despite the promising audience numbers ABC News 24 only reported an overall prime-time audience share of 0.5 per cent of free-to-air only households in the five cities.  This is compared to ABC’s other digital channels ABC2 on 1.7 per cent and ABC3 on 0.6 per cent.  So it would appear that ABC News 24 is attracting plenty of browsers but they are not necessarily staying tuned long enough to have a greater impact overall.  But it is only early days for the channel and at the same time it is only available as a high-definition channel, effectively blocking access to any digital viewers with standard-definition tuners.

ABC1 reported an audience share of 14.8 per cent, giving the national broadcaster a total of 17.6 per cent across its four channels.

In a media release from ABC, news director Kate Torney welcomed the results:

“To achieve a reach of 1.3 million for the first week of available audience figures is great news and assures us that people are switching on ABC News 24.  There’s obviously a news focus at the moment with the election campaign, but for a launch of a new channel we are pleased with the results.”

The Seven Network (Seven + 7TWO) won the week with 28.6 per cent, followed by Nine/GO! on 27.7 per cent and Ten/One on 20.8 per cent.  SBS managed an overall total of 5.2 per cent across its two channels.

Breaking the numbers down to individual channels, Seven (24.9 per cent) won ahead of Nine (23.6), Ten (19.1), ABC1 (14.8) and SBS1 (4.6), followed by digital channels GO! (4.2), 7TWO (3.7), ABC2 and One HD (1.7 per cent each), ABC3 and SBS2 (0.6 per cent each) and ABC News 24 (0.5).

Source: TV Tonight

ABC News 24 programming unveiled

The initial program schedule for ABC’s news channel, ABC News 24, has been unveiled just a few days before the channel’s launch.

The new channel, broadcasting on high-definition channel 24, kicks off at 7.30pm AEST this Thursday. The launch special will air in simulcast with ABC1 at 7.30pm (local time).

The prime-time schedule for the first five days of ABC News 24 looks like this (all times in AEST):

Thursday 22:
7.30pm ABC News 24 Launch: ABC News Special (repeated 12.05am Friday 23 June on ABC24), 8.30 The Drum. A spin-off from ABC’s news opinion website The Drum, 9pm The World. International news, 10pm ABC News, 10.30 Newsline With Jim Middleton (from the Australia Network), 11pm ABC News, 11.28 One Plus One

Friday 23:
6pm ABC News, 6.05 The Drum, 6.45 The Quarters, 7pm ABC News, 7.32 One Plus One (rpt), 8pm ABC News, 8.32 Australian Story (rpt), 9pm The World, 10pm Four Corners (rpt), 10.46 Media Watch (rpt), 11pm ABC News, 11.30 Foreign Correspondent (rpt)

Saturday 24:
6pm ABC News, 6.32 Australian Story (rpt), 7pm ABC News, 7.32 7.30 Select (rpt), 8pm Documentary: Terror In The Skies, 8.54 The 7.30 Report (rpt), 9pm The World,
9.32 Foreign Correspondent (rpt), 10pm ABC News, 10.32 Dynasties (rpt), 11pm ABC News, 11.32 Message Stick (rpt)

Sunday 25:
6pm ABC News, 6.32 Foreign Correspondent (rpt), 7pm ABC News, 7.32 One Plus One (rpt), 8.02 Insiders (rpt), 9.02 The World, 9.33 Asia Pacific Focus (rpt), 10pm ABC News, 10.32 7.30 Select (rpt), 11pm ABC News, 11.32 Family Fortunes (rpt). (Note: The Sunday schedule is now likely to be affected by live coverage of the federal election debate, scheduled for 6.30pm)

Monday 26:
6pm ABC News, 6.05 The Drum, 6.45 The Quarters, 7pm ABC News, 7.32 Catalyst (rpt), 8pm ABC News, 8.32 Lateline Business, 9pm The World, 10pm ABC News, 10.30 Newsline, 11pm ABC News, 11.28 The 7.30 Report (rpt)

Two-minute news updates either on the hour or on the half-hour feature throughout the day and evening.

Mornings will include ABC News Breakfast (simulcast with ABC2 in EST states) and overnights will include news and current affairs programming from BBC.

ABC News 24 will also include time-shifted schedules for regular ABC programs including Midday Report, Landline, Stateline, At The Movies, Talking Heads, Message Stick, Compass and Q&A.

More detailed program listings are online at Yahoo7 and YourTV, while complete guides for the first week of ABC News 24 can be downloaded from TV Tonight and What’s On The Tube.

ABC News 24 to launch 22 July

ABC has finally announced the launch date for its new 24-hour news channel, ABC News 24.

The new channel, broadcasting Australia-wide on digital channel 24, will launch at 7.30pm (AEST) on Thursday 22 July.

In an email to ABC staff, General Manager Mark Scott acknowledged the effort in getting the channel to air and looked forward to a new era in news broadcasting:

"It has been a remarkable effort to get us to this point and my thanks go to all concerned."

"We are keen to get on air and provide what I am sure will be outstanding coverage of the 2010 federal election campaign on News 24.”

"A 24/7 news channel is a significant challenge and doubtlessly we will face intense scrutiny from our competitors, but we are looking to make a strong start and to get better every day.

"I know our audiences are going to appreciate having the great work of ABC journalists in Australia and around the world available free of charge, at all times - on television, online and on mobile."

Launching the channel will be ABC News 24 Launch – ABC News Special which will be on ABC1 at 7.30pm and on ABC News 24 at the same time in the eastern states.  The channel will broadcast from new custom-built studios in the broadcaster’s Ultimo headquarters in Sydney.

ABC News 24 will be broadcast live across Australia, regardless of timezone and will be instantly available through all ABC digital TV transmitters which currently cover around 97.7 per cent of the Australian population. 

Viewers will need a high-definition digital TV or set-top-box to access the channel.  Those with existing digital TVs or tuners may need to complete a re-scan to pick up the new channel. 

The new channel will also be available on Foxtel channel 202, Austar channel 24 and will be streamed live from ABC News Online, ABC iView and also via an iPhone application.

ABC News 24 will also be facing some fierce opposition, both on and off screen.  Since the channel was first announced back in January, News Limited (who is a joint venture partner in Sky News Australia with the Seven and Nine networks) has criticised the national broadcaster and through its newspapers, such as The Australian, has questioned and attacked the ABC’s ability to provide a 24-hour news channel and its appropriateness in doing so as a taxpayer-funded venture.

ABC and Sky News Australia will also soon be competing for the Government’s multi-million dollar contract to operate the international television service, Australia Network, on behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the next five years.  The network, which broadcasts to 44 countries, is currently being operated by ABC.  

Source: ABC, ABC News

New deal for remote digital TV

Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy has announced a landmark deal that will see digital TV made available to viewers in remote and regional parts of Australia not accessible by terrestrial digital television.

A joint venture company, Viewer Access Satellite Television (VAST), has been formed between Macquarie Southern Cross Media and Imparja Television to provide digital TV, in standard and high definition, via satellite to eligible viewers in the central and eastern states.  Macquarie Southern Cross currently provides a Seven-affiliated television service to central and outback Australia, and Imparja provides a Nine Network affiliate to the same area.

VAST will provide access to programming from Seven, Nine and Ten networks as well as ABC and SBS.  This will include access to new channels ABC2, ABC3, SBS2, 7TWO, GO! and ONE and a dedicated local news channel as well as ABC’s upcoming 24-hour news channel.  Viewers in Queensland and Northern Territory will be able to view standard-definition channels via VAST in Brisbane time, while viewers in South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Tasmania will receive standard-definition channels in Sydney time.  High-definition channels will be available across the entire coverage footprint in a single time zone.

Viewers in the Mildura/Sunraysia region that may lose access to television signals with the shutdown of local analogue television services on 30 June 2010, and not able to receive the equivalent local digital signals, will now be able to access the VAST service.  VAST will also be available to eligible households in regional and capital city markets that are not able to receive terrestrial digital television.

Eligible households wishing to access VAST will receive a $400 subsidy from the Government.  To access the VAST service, viewers will need to purchase a new satellite set top box with an access ‘smart card’, a satellite dish and cabling.  Viewers currently accessing satellite free-to-air TV via Optus Aurora will be able to change over to the VAST service with the purchase of a new set top box.

The Government is currently in negotiation with the licencees of television stations in regional Western Australia – Prime and WIN – with a view to providing the same access to digital TV via satellite in WA.

Source: DBCDE