SBS THREE

Updated March 28, 2013

Here is the list of digital channels updated as at March 28, 2013. All channels in SD (standard definition), unless otherwise stated.

ABC
ABC1 – 2 & 21
ABC2 – 22
ABC3 – 23
ABC News 24 – 24 (HD Channel). Also on 20 is some areas.
ABC HD channel 20 phased out to make way for ABC News 24 on channel 24.

SBS
SBS ONE – 3 & 31
SBS TWO – 32
SBS ONE HD – 30 (HD Channel, simulcast of SBS ONE)
SBS also transmits channels 33 and 34 (until early December 2012) which are clones of SBS ONE
NITV – 34 from December 12, 2012

Seven
Seven – 7, 70 & 71
7TWO – 72
7mate – 73 (HD Channel)
7HD that used to be on 70 no longer exists.
74 – TV 4ME – Information / infomercial / paid program channel

Nine
Nine – 9
GO! – 99
GEM - 90 (HD Channel)
GEM replaced 9HD or Nine High Def ch 90.
Extra – 94 – Information / Infomercial / paid programming channel from March 26, 2012
Extra2 – 95 – appeared as part of Nine’s digital channel matrix March 28, 2013. So far, as I can only say it is the Sydney market only.

Ten
Ten – 10
ELEVEN – 11
ONE – 12 & 1
SD simulcast of ONE formerly on ch 12 was dropped to make way for ELEVEN
TVSN – Channel 14 (Home Shopping)

Community
Ch 31, TVS and the like now digital in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth on digital ch 44

Special / part time
TV 4ME – Essentially 24 hour infomercial channel launched December 2011 on channel 74 in 5 metro and regional QLD, part of Seven’s multi-plex
Extra – Essentially 24 hour infomercial channel launching March 26 2012 on channel 94 in at least the 3 eastern state capitals, part of Nine’s multi-plex
3D Channel – 40 (HD, used only for 3D trials in 2010, not currently on the air)
3D Channel – 95 (HD, used for London Olympics daily 3D highlights during the 2012 Olympics)
Extra2 – 95 – appeared March 28 (Sydney market).

Regional (eastern states).
Prime
Prime Main Channel – 6, 60 & 61
7TWO on Prime – 62
7mate on Prime – 63 (HD Channel)
Prime HD channel 60 no longer exists. Note: 7mate on ch 60 in some markets.
64 – TV 4ME. Regional NSW, VIC, ACT. Essentially same as 74.

NBN/WIN
Main Channel – 8
GO! – 88
GEM - 80 (HD Channel)
Extra – 84

SC10
SC10 Main channel – 5
ONE HD – 50 (HD channel).
Eleven – 55

Special
Television 4 / TV 4ME – 64. Launched September 18, 2011. Only those who are in Prime markets will get this channel.
Extra – 24 hour infomercial channel launched March 26 2012 on channel 84. Known as WIN GOLD in WIN markets.

Digital channel summary.

Main channels
Nine – 9.
Seven – 7, 70 & 71
Ten – 10
ABC1 – 2 & 21
SBS ONE – 3 & 31. Available in HD on ch 30.

Digital Channels (in launch order)
ABC2 – 22 Launched 2007
ONE – 1 & 11 (at the time, now 1 & 12) Launched March 27, 2009
SBS TWO – 32 Launched June 1, 2009 (replacing SBS News channel)
GO! – 99 Launched August 9, 2009
7TWO – 72 Launched November 1, 2009
ABC3 – 23 Launched December 3, 2009
ABC News 24 – 24 Launched July 22, 2010
7mate – 73 Launched September 25, 2010
GEM – 90 Launched September 26, 2010
ELEVEN – 11 Launched January 11, 2011
Community – 44 Various dates for various mator markets
TV4 – 74 – Launch December 2011. Five city metro and regional QLD
Extra – 94 – from March 26, 2012 – Syd / Melb / Bris
TVSN – 14 – September 24, 2012. Metro markets only
NITV – 34 – December 12, 2012.
Extra2 – 95 – from March 28, 2013 (Sydney market only so far – subject to confirmation from other markets).

Still to come:
SBS THREE – 33 – possible for late 2013 / 2014.

Regional (NSW, VIC, ACT)
Main channels
WIN, NBN - 8.
Prime - 6, 60 & 61
SC10 - 5, 55
ABC1 – 2 & 21
SBS ONE – 3 & 31. Available in HD on ch 30.

Digital Channels
ABC2 – 22
ONE - 50
SBS TWO – 32
GO! - 88
7TWO – 62
ABC3 – 23
ABC News 24 – 24
7mate – 63
GEM – 80
ELEVEN – 55
TV4 – 64 Launched September 18, 2011. Prime regional markets only. Read more here.
Extra – 84 from March 26. NBN regionals, can’t confirm WIN at this point.

Could SBS THREE be what many have suggested should happen – the free to air version of the National Indigenous Channel NITV? NITV is currently only carried by Pay TV, meaning many of its potential audience miss out. 

The proposal would see SBS join forces with the National Indigenous TV network to create the channel, with its structure and editorial control still to be negotiated.

Whereas four-year-old NITV is only available through pay-TV transmission, this move would instantly create a national, free-to-air Indigenous channel.

However, the proposal demonstrates that there is no appetite in Canberra for NITV to become a stand-alone third broadcaster alongside the ABC and SBS, as some at the network had once envisioned.

The proposal flows from last year’s review of the Indigenous broadcasting sector headed by Neville Stevens which reported to the government in January.

A source confirmed that the review team had been been briefed on the government’s preferred approach.

The source noted that the review recommended that a national Indigenous channel should be widely available free-to-air but raised serious reservations about the current structure of NITV. The review also rejected suggestions that NITV become a third public broadcaster.

Senator Conroy said there was strong support for a national Indigenous TV service in the community.

“The Australian Government is determined to ensure that the resources allocated to Indigenous broadcasting are delivering the best outcomes for Indigenous people,” he said in a statement.  “The government’s aim is to provide a national platform for free-to-air delivery of predominantly Australian Indigenous content without the creation of a third national broadcaster.

“SBS is well placed to facilitate the evolution of this service and bring Indigenous television on to a free-to-air platform. I have asked the SBS board to consider whether it is in a position take on this important role and the NITV board to advise on the matters it regards as critical to the efficacy of the model from an Indigenous perspective.

“I look forward to hearing from NITV and SBS as to how such a service might best be delivered.”

Senator Conroy said the principal objective of a new Indigenous service “would be to increase the amount and overall quality of original Australian Indigenous content on free-to-air television”.

NITV chairman Ken Reys welcomed the proposal for an SBS Indigenous channel.

“We see this as a potential opportunity to achieve a long awaited ambition of securing national free-to-air transmission for Indigenous television,” he said. “There are many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and millions of other Australians who currently don’t have access to NITV.”

However, he said the NITV board needed to be satisfied on some issues before formalising its support.

“For example, the channel would need to be dedicated to Indigenous programming and under Indigenous editorial control, with secure funding,” he said. “We would also like to ensure the continued broadcasting of the only national daily television news produced and presented from an Indigenous perspective.

“Indigenous editorial control is particularly important to retaining the trust of Indigenous Australians and to the ability of the channel to contribute to the government’s ‘closing the gap’ policy objectives. And we would want the new carrier always to acknowledge the special place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia’s national story.”

2009 was the year the second digital channels launched: ONE HD, SBS TWO replacing SBS News, GO!, 7TWO and ABC’s third channel ABC3.

2010 was the year we saw the HD main channel simulcasts of ABC1, Seven and Nine given up to make way for even more digital channels – none of which could be described as an ideal use of each network’s available HD stream.

In 2011, the only new channel that we know for sure will be launched is ELEVEN.

Will there be any more free to air channels or have we reached as far as it will go prior to the switch off of analogue in 2014?

When ELEVEN launches, there will in fact be 15 distinct free to air digital channels (plus community TV in some areas).

Seven, Nine and Ten are currently only allowed to provide two standard definition channels and one high definition channel. The ABC are able to have one extra standard definition channel than the commercials, while SBS remain the only network with an HD channel that simulcasts their main channel.

What the ABC are doing with three standard definition channels and one high definition channel is the most you can get out of the current available bandwidth to each network – although some would argue that even this is pushing it too far and the quality of each of the individual channels within the multiplex are poor.

But it stands to reason, that if the ABC can have four channels, with one being HD, why can’t the others? Technically they can, but it does come down to licensing. The only way we would see more channels comes out of Seven, Nine or Ten would be if licensing conditions changed to allow them to do the same as the ABC.

In talks relating to the anti-siphoning list during 2010, the suggestion was raised of the commercial networks being allowed to have a 4^th digital channel to help cover more sporting broadcasts without sacrificing regular programming content. Therefore there is a possibility of 4^th channels.

If this was to happen – Seven, Nine and Ten – were allowed to have a 4^th channel, I believe the provision of such should be highly conditional. Given that the third channels for Seven and Nine have effectively removed ALL main channel HD content, and ONE did the same for Ten nearly two years ago, any suggestion of a 4^th channel should re-instate the HD content that we are now missing out on.

New conditions for HD content should go FAR beyond the 20 hours per week that was put in place nearly a decade ago, when hardly anyone owned or could even afford an HD TV.

The way I would like to see the 4^th channel work is as per the following rules, which would revent a network from using it as a 4th unique channel and income stream. Keep in mind, this is all opinion based, and hypothetical – there is nothing anywhere at this stage that suggests 4^th channels will actually happen any time soon, if at all.

1. The 4^th channel will be the HD channel. The first three channels all revert to SD.

2. The HD channel must show HD content for at least 18 hours a day. In 2011, there is no reason why the networks could not easily fill this amount of HD content daily. Just about every TV show in the US is made in HD, most locally are as well.

3. The HD channel should provide an HD simulcast of the main channel during specified prime time hours – say 6pm – 10.30pm nightly.

4. The HD channel cannot be used as a distinct 4^th channel. It must be either simulcasting the main channel or broadcasting HD content seen on the other digital channels the network owns. This rule gives the flexibility for Ten for example to still show HD sports when available while showing Ten content in HD during prime time. The only possible exception would be if sport runs over time and the network chooses to return to normal programming on the main channel while leaving the HD channel to continue with the sport.

5. In some cases, HD shows could be time shifted. If, for example, a network has two or even three shows airing in one night that they own in HD, they could opt to show the main channel HD shows live (by rule 3, it has to be the main channel programming during specified prime time hours), then play shows seen on their other channels in HD at different times.

6. The reverse of point 5, a show would be allowed to air on the HD channel before it airs on one of the SD channels so long as it occurs within a 7 day period. This would allow HD premieres to come before they air in SD on other channels. The result of points 5 and 6 do cause there to be four different shows on at once but it does mean that anything seen on the HD channel is also seen on an SD channel even at a different time.

The fourth channel scenario, coupled with these rules in fact will benefit everybody.

It would mean, that all of a network’s content is seen over their three SD channels, while most, if not all of a network’s content available in HD would be seen on their HD channel. It would mean prime time main channel content is seen in HD again, while other content available in HD that may be seen on other channels can also be seen in HD as well as SD.

It would mean that sport would be able to be seen in HD without impacting on the regular programming of other channels. It would mean that all people with digital set top boxes whether they have HD or not can see all shows that a network offers.

Such a solution would surely please everybody over the next three years until analogue is switched off.

Then – later in the decade when we start using MPEG-4 and all three of a network’s channels can be upgraded to HD, the 4^th channel would become redundant, and could then be used in reverse to provide an SD MPEG-2 signal of either the main channel or a mix of the three channels for those with old digital tuners.

Again – the only new FTA channel we know will happen for sure in 2011 is ELEVEN. While there is room for SBS THREE, funding issues will most likely mean it does not happen any time soon. SBS should focus more on revamping the offerings over their two channels in any case before they think of a third. SBS ONE is now regularly beaten in channel shares by one or more of the commercial digital channels from Seven and Nine.

It’s amazing to think that this time last year – just 12 months ago – multi channelling in Australia was limited to just ABC2, SBS NEWS and part time HD break aways from Seven, Nine and Ten. The SBS NEWS channel essentially played nothing more than non stop foreign news bulletins – the same news shown now on SBS ONE and TWO. The number of free to air channels was 7 full time and 3 part time channels.

In the last 12 months, we have seen Ten launch ONE HD, SBS switch from SBS NEWS to SBS TWO, Nine launch GO – the most successful multi-channel to date, and Seven launch 7TWO. In December, the ABC launched their 3^rd channel ABC3. The channel count now is 11 full time channels.

In 2010, we will see more channels added. ABC last month announced their decision to launch a 24 hour news service using the ABC HD signal, while both Nine and Ten announced new channels as part of their 2010 programming package. Seven, when 7TWO was launched made a vague indication to the prospect of a 3^rd channel but nothing more has been said.

ABC’s new news channel (which I’ll call ABC4 for now – the name may end up being ABC NEWS or NEWS TV (like they already have News Radio)) will be the 4^th full time channel for the ABC, but it will come at the expense of ABC HD – which currently is a full time simulcast of ABC1 allowing a few shows to be seen in HD.

Both Nine and Ten are well into their plans for their respective third channels, but neither will be up and running prior to June 30. Now, it has come out that SBS are also looking into a 3^rd channel (I’ll call it SBS THREE for now) which would be news based. That would mean that both the ABC and SBS would offer free to air full time news channels.

Assuming that Seven also launches a third channel in 2010 (and why wouldn’t they if arch rival Nine do, and Ten have one up as well), the total number of free to air digital channels will be 16 by the end of the year – with all 5 free to air networks having 3 channels, other than the ABC with 4.

Add to that, community TV which starts going digital in March (in Sydney, it will be digital channel 44), then some people will have 17 free to air digital channels.