Freeview to launch in 2009

Australia’s free-to-air commercial television networks together with the nation’s public broadcasters today formally announced the establishment of Freeview.

The consortium has been formed to help drive take-up of the free-to-air digital television platform in Australia.

Freeview shareholders include the ABC, SBS, the Seven Network, the Nine Network, Network Ten, Prime, WIN and Southern Cross. The ABC’s Director of Television, Kim Dalton, will Chair the not-for-profit organisation.

Mr Kim Dalton says Freeview will work to ensure all Australians continue to enjoy the great range of programming offered by free-to-air broadcasters as the nation transitions from the analogue to the digital platform.

“This is an extraordinary step forward for the free-to-air broadcasters. Together we have pioneered digital television in Australia, investing millions in infrastructure and converting our equipment and studios accordingly. Now it’s time for Australians to reap the rewards; Freeview will offer viewers more channels, great content and the very best quality picture and sound,” Mr Dalton said.

From next year, Government legislation will allow the commercial free-to-air networks to broadcast an additional standard definition (SD) channel each, in addition to their primary SD channels, and their recently added high definition (HD) channels. The three new channels, together with the two ABC and two SBS channels and their respective HD channels, will bring to 15 the suite of channels to be marketed under the Freeview umbrella.

To receive all the Freeview channels, consumers will need an HD digital-set-top box, digital video recorder or an integrated digital television.

Freeview will be launching an awareness campaign in the coming months to ensure consumers are ready for when the full suite of 15 Freeview channels are available next year.

Ahead of the launch, Freeview is working with manufacturers to ensure appropriate technical standards are met on all television or digital set-top-box equipment that will carry the Freeview badge.

Freeview will work closely with all relevant areas of Government to ensure consistent messaging.

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  • Steven

    I think what the Federal Government should do is to also allow all the players in the Freeview consortium to set up a digtial satellite (DSAT) add-on package with extra channels to compliment the digital terrestrial (DTT) offering. The existing DTT multiplex structures for each network are really not enough to accomodate more than just 3 SD channels in total (unless a lot of time-sharing was involved with, say, 2 different services per SD channel) when a mandatory HD channel and the option of a few local digital radio services are also sharing the same multiplex.

    Therefore, in order to offer the most variety and to cover specific programming niches (children/family, music, sport, arts, nostalgia, documentaries, home-life programs, shopping, religion and 24-hour news), a companion Freesat service is necessary.

    The structures are already in place for this to happen and GlobeCast is already leading the way with a plethora of free channels over on Optus D2 offering a reasonable mix of ethnic programs, religion and 3 English language news channels so far. All that is needed is for the Freeview players to jump on board and contribute a few niche Freesat channels of their own to add to this growing lineup, and a massive marketing campaign to promote DSAT/DTT combo receivers and dishes at affordable prices.

    Under this arrangement, the DTT half of this operation would have an entirely regional focus and the DSAT half would provide all the niche channels unencrypted for a national audience. Each network would be required to offer a couple of extra channels each exclusively on DSAT to ensure this – this is what the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 are curently doing for Freesat in the UK.

  • Evie

    This is great news but they dont tell you WHEN it will start only states 2009 it could be December 2009 we need a bit more information please……

  • mr tv

    15 channels what a joke! All of the European countries have more than 20 to 25 channels each from 10 years ago and a country as good as Australia we only have 15? Australia needs to get its act together and do it fast! We are way back on the entertainment side of things.

  • Katie

    I suppose this will all be for those in the City as usal while country people once again get stuck with the same-ole same-ole Anyway most of the prgrams are the same all over Australia – Just one vast monopoly with one vast censoring mechanism

  • Traci Leon

    I purchased a digital settop box about 12 months ago. I live in Blandford N.S.W., and when I purchased this box, I was let to believe that it would be awesome. I purchased it from Harvey Norman in Muswellbrook. Well my digital settop box is still sitting in storage, because I do not get digital signals at Blandford, so the box is of absolutely no use to me where I live. So, please explain to me, if I do not get a digital signal for my settop box to operate from, how do I get all these new fandangled channels that everyone is talking about. I have to pay money for Austar (Foxtel/Optusnet) so that I can get some good programmes to watch, because the quality of the reception is crap.

    Can someone please explain to me how this is going to help the people in the country? As usual, everything seems to be aimed at the bigger market of the condensed city, and us country folk will once again miss out.

    It is disguisting that we pay more for our fuel, groceries, electricity, rates etc. only to find that our taxes are spent making life easier for our city friends, their roads are better, their facilities (parks/gardens/playing fields) are better, they get the digital signal for the new free to air channels, and yet we are all paying the same amount of income tax. I had to define income tax because we in the country pay more goods and services tax than our friends in the city.

  • honeybee

    15 new channels and we the Australian public are ment to get all excited about that.If the programs on the new ones are going to be anything like the rubbish that is broadcasted now boy are we in for a real treat.haha NOT What an absolute waste of tax payers money.Freeview my arse we never get nothing for nothing we the tax payers pay for it with our taxes and then we will have to go out and buy either a new television or set box to make it work.Then it will only be a matter of time before there is some sort of cost put on it for us to keep it.Television only shows mostly american crap now so really what do we all have to look forward to in the furture? MORE CRAP that will cost us all MONEY.

  • Ken

    Bullshit as usual from the Government of the day. 15 new chanels! Ha! Just had a look at the freeview web page and from what I can see we will be lucky to get 3 new channels. Ie. 7 + 7SD + 7HD isn’t that what we can get now? Give us a break and try tell the truth at some stage!!! Truth means buggar all in advertising.

  • Grant

    Yes it will be crap and yes we will all pay you better beleive it. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Its like anything they make the people ask for it actually they hype it up until the people scream out for it.
    Then they introduce it Like the recyclable garbage bins. We scream out to recycle then we pay to have the bins and they profit from that which they make the money out of in recyclable goods also,then we get fines if the recyclables bin has incorrect rubish in it.

    They just make more and more to charge us and own us.People open your eyes. all this Apparenty extra crap they are putting on to your telivision is to keep you off the streets IE: Inside your home infront of your little box numbing your mind. Ignorance is Bliss isnn’t it. When are we going to have a revolution in this country.

    The governments of the day and the past must be held accountable god knows they hold us accountable if we make mistakes for anything its about time we hald the beating stick.

  • Grant

    Phone up your antenna people and tell them to come and install a new areal that treceives digital reception to your setop box. ask them if you will receive a good strong digital signal in your area. then if you get a digital Receiver antenna ask the installer to tune in your channels.
    You also need to setup the guide in most setop box boxes.

  • martin

    just read freeview homepage it says 15 channels in addition to sd and hd,but pop over to the available channels and sd and hd are included in the 15 channels. some more bs from some over paid advertisers

  • Andrew Bailey

    when did thay say the new CH are cameing in 2009 the CH i know of is
    CH\1\TEN HD
    CH\2\ABC
    CH\3\SBS
    CH\5\SC10
    CH\6\PRIME
    CH\7\SEVEN
    CH\8\NBN
    CH\9\NINE
    CH\10\TEN
    CH\12\TEN HD
    CH\20\ABC HD
    CH\21\ABC 1
    CH\22\ABC 2
    CH\23\ABC 3
    CH\30\SBS HD
    CH\31\SBS 2
    CH\33\SBS WORLD NEWS
    CH\50\SC10 HD
    CH\60\PRIME HD
    CH\61\PRIME VIEW 1
    CH\62\PRIME VIEW 2
    CH\63\PRIME VIEW 3
    CH\70\7 HD
    CH\71\7 Digital 1
    CH\72\7 Digital 2
    CH\73\7 Digital3
    CH\80\NBN HD
    CH\81\NBN Digital 2
    CH\90\9 HD
    CH\99\9 GUIDE
    all this is in central coast in New South Wales if yous didn’t know

  • Anonymous

    I am soooooo over this 15 free digital channels garbage! I cant even get a decent annologue reception! So far I have spent a grand getting a digital areial, having my areial mast rasied (twice)new coax, new sockets and all to no avail! then they tell me go buy a digital set top box… I do… no reception! it appears that I live in a “dropout” zone and there is nothing more that anyone can do for me, “try a HD settop box instead of your SD” I go I buy a HD set topbox SURPRISE!!!! no freakin reception! It seems some moron in his infinant wisdom thinks that 1 digital tower (200kms from my home and over a massive hill and big bay) is enough coverage for most if not all victoria…. I got a secret…. IT’S BLOODY NOT!

    *kicks my soapbox back into the corner…*

  • Fan1986

    Freeview starts in April 2009 and will begin the start of fasing out analogue TV, to finish in 2012.

    To those in the country complaining, give it a break. You CHOOSE to live in the sticks so deal with it. You could also try replacing your antennae as some older ones don’t work with digital.

  • Anonymous

    Great, so its 15 of the SAME channels repeated over and over.

    How incredibly lame.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU5NehjbNE8&fmt=18 Anonymous

    Freeview Australia is such an unbelievable bollocks marketing exercise that offers nearly nothing new to the audience. Less, if you include the ad-skipping features. And the advertising doesnt tell you ANYTHING. we recut the ad so that it was actually honest about what free view is – think you might like it.

  • Anonymous

    Who needs 15 more channels! As we and our children get fatter and lazier as we all sit in front of the idiotbox perhaps the money for this should have been spent on more important projects.Instead the government should be offering no GST on food and essential living items such as electricity and water (not that we should waste it because it would be cheaper) free rainwater tanks and solar heating and stop taxing our saving accounts. Put all the money they spent on this crap of 15 more channels (which is apparently a lie) and put it into helping the people of Australia and it’s enviroment or no-one will be here to watch anymore channels. I am not an not a ‘go and tie myself to a tree’ enviromentalist but with 5 children it has become very important to me and I would rather my kids get out in the vegie patch or ride a bike than be enticed to watch more television. It is amazing to me how Australia’s let this kind of stuff happen and do nothing, then all we do is complain. We even complain about each other, stop complaining and start doing, if you are not ahppy with the ’15 new channels’ write to the government and tell them, tell them to spend the money on more important things.

  • http://www.throng.com.au/news/freeview-to-launch-in-2009 Scoffer

    Rural NT currently has 2 x SBS and 2 x ABC Digital channels. Southern Cross, or 7 Central as it was known, will be the third in about October? this year.

    Imparja has not publicised any commitment to Rural NT within the next few years with the result that some sponsors are pulling their advertising. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

    So, what are the other 10 channels for Rural NT? And will they be full of garbage with the endless monotony of cop shows, sport and footy etc like the present?

    The other concerning problem with Digital TV here is the weather. If a storm is nearby, say within 50Km, you can almost certainly guarantee that the signal will drop out, sometimes for hours. This NEEDS to be addressed urgently. If this happened in a capital City, it would be fixed due to the public uproar.

    Digital TV here is like using a formula one racing car on a mud track.

    Anyway, on a more positive note, at least Freeview is suposedly free and will hopefully provide a wider choice and variety of programs than the present (pending station availability and weather).

    SCOFFER

  • http://www.throng.com.au/news/freeview-to-launch-in-2009 Scoffer

    Are you for real? Let’s all live in the concrete jungle and then let’s see what you eat for breakfast. A lot of us “Sticks” people keep you shallow minded oxygen wasters fed.

  • Jim

    Alright, the sad truth about the Australian regional/rural population is that because of your smaller demographic size, you don’t have any real buying power in terms of advertising revenue (or even consumer revenue) for the networks to oblige giving you better service. Every level of our system is based on bottom lines and profit (Government especially). “Grant” earlier may have sounded a little radical in terms of his “revolution” so to speak; but the only real power we, the people yield is through what we choose to buy and how much of it. The regional and rural dollar simply doesn’t have as much pull as its urban counterpart (for the most part you’ll follow along with city dwellers anyway). Advertising space is cheaper for rural networks because advertisers really don’t care what you buy because it makes little difference to their bottom lines.

    Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this isn’t unfair (I grew up in a small country town) but this is how our system has evolved. But remember; you do control our food stocks and sustain our transport infrastructure, if the ‘revolution’ were to arrive, you’d be in a pretty good place strategically.

    The issue of advertising revenue does bring up another interesting point. This was mentioned in media watch some months ago. More channels – same amount of people – less people watching each channel – less value for money on advertising space – cheaper advertising space – less revenue for networks – less to spend on programming – drop in quality of Australian funded shows – less people watching Australian funded shows – less Australian funded shows – more horrible American and British shows. Looks like more of the same really. Maybe more viewers will switch to ABC and pay TV, where the quality lies. Who knows?

    I don’t even watch TV now, I (illegally) download any shows I want to watch via torrents. I think there will be a ‘revolutionary’ shift in the world media landscape pretty soon. This might the desperate dying act of the TV networks trying to chuck a bandaid on a gaping gunshot wound – the internet.