This is a list of the current channels available on digital terrestrial television in Australia. The commercial channels available to viewers depend on location and station ownership. The process of aggregation during the late 80s to mid 90s saw regional stations take on affiliations with metropolitan channels for programming, a practice that has continued into digital television with affiliated stations carrying various multichannels from their metropolitan counterparts. Metropolitan in this list therefore refers to the capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, where stations were historically owned and operated by the networks rather than affiliates. Regional and remote in this list refers to all other areas which also cover the capitals of Canberra, Hobart and Darwin. In areas not covered by terrestrial transmissions, the digital channels are provided by the free-to-view VAST satellite platform. The television channels on this platform are all encoded in H.264 (MPEG-4) and subject to a MPEG-LA controlled transmission patent licensing tax which is included in the VAST broadcaster cost and varies on viewership figures. Terrestrial transmissions, which do not inccur a patent licensing tax, have mostly transitioned to H.264 (MPEG-4), with select channels still using H.262 (MPEG-2).
Public broadcasters
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Special Broadcasting Service
Commercial network broadcasters
Southern Cross Media Group
STQ Regional QLD services broadcast on 6x LCNs where signal overlap with BTQ Brisbane occurs.
Southern Cross Media Group also co-owns 10 affiliates West Digital Television (with WIN Corporation), Tasmanian Digital Television (with WIN Corporation), Darwin Digital Television (with WIN Corporation), Central Digital Television (with Imparja Television) and horse racing channel Racing.com (with Racing Victoria). TVSN is owned by Direct Group.
Nine Entertainment
Nine Entertainment also co-owns adventure channel 9Rush (with Warner Bros. Discovery).
Paramount Australia & New Zealand
Commercial affiliate broadcasters
WIN Corporation (Primary Nine affiliate)
WIN Corporation also co-owns 10 affiliates West Digital Television, Tasmanian Digital Television and Darwin Digital Television (with Southern Cross Media Group).
Imparja Television (Remote Nine affiliate)
Imparja Television also co-owns 10 affiliate Central Digital Television (with Southern Cross Media Group).
Joint venture stations (10 affiliates)
West Digital Television is co-owned by Southern Cross Media Group and Nine affiliate WIN Corporation.
Tasmanian Digital Television is co-owned by Southern Cross Media Group and Nine affiliate WIN Corporation.
Central Digital Television is co-owned by Southern Cross Media Group and Nine affiliate Imparja Television.
Darwin Digital Television is co-owned by Southern Cross Media Group and WIN Corporation.
Local broadcasters
Open narrowcasting services
Community television
VAST satellite services
ICTV is available via terrestrial television in Alice Springs and Broome, and via VAST in other areas.
Discontinued channels
Digital Forty Four
The following channels were only available in Sydney as the Digital Forty Four suite of channels. The datacast trial began on 17 March 2004 and ended on 30 April 2010.
Discontinued stations
Notes
See also
Australian and New Zealand television frequencies Digital television in Australia Internet television in Australia
References