Full digital TV service for regional and remote Australia
As part of its digital switchover program, the Government will provide $34 million over four years to enable commercial television broadcasters in terrestrial licence areas in regional South Australia, remote and regional Western Australia, and remote and central Australia to deliver all digital TV channels to their audiences via terrestrial broadcast.
“This is a historic outcome for regional Australia,” Senator Conroy says.
“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.
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“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.”
In combination with the newly established Viewer Access Satellite Television (VAST) service for viewers in remote licence areas and reception black spots, this measure will provide every Australian with the ability to access the full range of commercial free-to-air digital television services – including digital-only channels Go!, GEM, 7Two, 7Mate, ONE, and the soon-to-be-launched Eleven.
The funding will assist regional commercial broadcasters to install new transmitters in the relevant regional and remote licence areas, which will give them the capacity to transmit all new digital TV channels.
“This means viewers in these areas will receive the same number of commercial channels as people in capital cities,” Senator Conroy says.
“All they need to do is install a set top box or, if they prefer, buy a new digital TV and connect it to their existing aerial – just like people in capital cities.”
The Government will provide 50% of capital and operational costs for the new transmitters until the end of the switchover program in 2013; regional commercial broadcasters are meeting the remaining and ongoing costs.
Commercial channels will initially be provided in these markets in standard definition.
ABC and SBS services – including ABC2, ABC3, ABCNews24, and SBSTwo – will also be provided via both terrestrial and satellite broadcast, and will include the high definition channels offered by the national broadcasters.
Regional commercial broadcasters WIN, Prime, Southern Cross and Imparja will announce the rollout schedule for the new channels in coming days.
“The Government welcomes the cooperation and assistance of regional commercial broadcasters in making the full benefits of digital TV available to their customers,” Senator Conroy says.
“Once the rollout of these new channels is completed, any viewer anywhere in Australia who cannot access the full suite of commercial digital TV channels via terrestrial broadcast will be able to access VAST,” Senator Conroy said. “This will end once and for all the digital divide in TV services between regional and remote Australians and those living in our cities.”
Funding for this initiative will be fully offset from monies held in the Contingency Reserve to support Australia’s switch from analogue to digital television, which will be completed nation-wide by the end of 2013.
The initiative was announced in the 2010-11 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook released earlier today.
For general enquiries contact 1800 20 10 13.
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