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Digital terrestrial television in Australia

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Digital terrestrial television in Australia commenced on January 1 2001, in the country's five most populous cities, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. It is anticipated that between 2010 and 2012 it will replace Analogue PAL transmissions. Although approximately 96% of the population has access to at least one digital service,[1] in March 2007, only 28% of Australia's 7.8 million households had adopted free-to-air digital television.[2] Digital services are available in most areas, however parts of Western Australia, and Central Australia have yet to begin transmissions.[3]

The new means of broadcast has brought with it a number of enhancements, primarily higher-quality picture and sound, but also datacast and multi-view services such as video programme guides, high definition, and now-and-next programme information. There are a number of additional channels, datacasting, as well as high definition services, available to digital terrestrial television viewers in Australia. Digital-only content is subject to availability and differs greatly in various television markets.

History

Planning

Planning for digital terrestrial television in Australia can be traced back to 1993, when a group of specialists was drawn from the then-Australian Broadcasting Authority, Department of Transport and Communications, in addition to broadcasters and manufacturers. The ABA Specialist Group was intended to bring together studies taking place in a number of Australian forums and investigate potential options and policies relating to digital television.[4]

In 1995 the group released a report, Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting in Australia, containing the preliminary conclusions of the group. It found that premature regulation of the new platform may stifle the market-driven development of the service, that it should be based upon existing standards, and should not restrict the ability of broadcasters to tailor local content.[4] It was too early at the time to make decisions relating to what standard should be used, when transmissions should commence, and whether analogue television should be phased out.

The final report, of the same name, was released in 1997.[5] It recommended that Australia should adopt a single system following detailed trials of potential systems, that it should be implemented with high definition capabilities from the outset, that each licensed commercial or public service should have access to a full 7Mhz channel for its services, and that the eventual termination of analogue PAL services should be driven by market factors and subject to regular review.[6] The year 2000 was highlighted as a potential target date for the commencement of permanent digital terrestrial broadcasting.[6]

Response

Australian LCN Allocation[3]
Primary User Allocated Numbers
ABC Television 2, 20-29, 200-299
SBS Television 3, 30-39, 300-349
Seven Network 7, 70-79, 750-799
Nine Network 9, 90-99, 950-999
Network Ten 1, 10-19, 100-149
Seven Affiliates 6, 60-69, 650-699
Nine Affiliates 8, 80-89, 850-899
Ten Affiliates 5, 50-59, 550-599
Datacasting 4, 40-49, 450-499

The Australian Broadcasting Authority's response, titled Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting, recommended that the Australian Government support the early introduction of digital broadcasting as a free-to-air service with the loan of a 7Mhz channel for each broadcaster, in order to enable high-definition television from the outset.[6] The Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations supported this, as well as freedom for its members to launch multi-channel services. At the same time, the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association, questioned the commercial viability of HDTV, were opposed to the idea of multi-channeling, and argued for a competitive system that would allow the entry of new players.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation stated that it wished to run up to four multichannels at different times of the day or alternatively offer a HDTV service. It claimed that up to $100 million would be needed to prepare for these services, half of which would need to be government-funded.[6] Other interested parties, such as internet service provider OzEmail argued for the provision of spectrum for interactive services, while Telstra, shareholder in the subscription television provider Foxtel, supported ASTRA's argument for a competitive bidding process for digital spectrum.[6]

Legislation

On March 24, 1998, Minister for Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts, Senator Richard Alston, announced the government's decisions for the introduction of digital television. The plan allowed commercial and public broadcasters 7Mhz of spectrum free of charge for 8 years to simulcast services in both digital and analogue, after which it was to be returned to the Commonwealth.[6] Digital terrestrial television was to commence on January 1, 2001 in metropolitan areas, with expansion to regional areas to have been completed by the start of 2004.[6]

Following this, commercial broadcasters would be required to provide minimum levels of high definition content, will be required to pay fees if they chose to provide datacast services, and would be prohibited from using their spectrum for multichanneling of subscription services. In addition, the prohibition on new free-to-air broadcasters would be extended until December, 2008.[6]

Amendments were subsequently made to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 and the Radiocommunications Act 1992, which set out ownership and programming conditions for broadcasting licenses (administered by the ABA) and regulatd the usage of spectrum, respectively.[6]

On June 18, 1998, the Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Selection Panel announced the choice of the European DVB-T system for digital terrestrial television was announced .[7] The panel was a group of representatives comprised of representatives from the country's public, commercial and regional broadcasters, the Department of Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts, as well as the Australian Broadcasting Authority.

Launch

When digital television launched on January 1, 2001, the majority of households did not know of or were unable to buy a set top box in order to receive the signal. [8] Digital Broadcasting Australia was established in late 2000 to help make the transition to digital television as seamless for consumers as possible. It includes representatives from free-to-air broadcasters, manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers and was intended to provide information about commencement dates, coverage, and the functionality and availability of equipment.[9]

Content

Additional channels

File:Abc2promo.jpg
ABC Television's second, digital-only, channel, ABC2, launched March 7, 2005.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in August, 2001 the ABC Kids Channel and Fly TV. The two multichannels, available only through digital means, showed a range of programming targeted at younger and teenage viewers.[10] Similarly, the Special Broadcasting Service launched the SBS World News Channel in 2002, a digital-only service offering a number of foreign-language news programmes seen in its morning WorldWatch timeslot.

Funding issues meant that in May, 2003 the Australian Broadcasting Corporation closed ABC Kids and Fly TV.[11] In the same year, Tasmanian Digital Television became the first digital-only commercial station to be launched in the country, under Section 38A of the Broadcasting Services Act. The new station was a joint venture between existing commercial networks Southern Cross Broadcasting and WIN Television.[12] Tasmanian Digital Television, affiliated to Network Ten, was initally avalable only in Hobart, before expanding to Launceston and, by early 2009[13], the remainder of the state. The introduction of this fifth channel resulted in significantly higher digital television takeup in Tasmania than other parts of the country.[14]

ABC2, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's second attempt at a digital-only channel launched on March 7, 2005.[15] The service showed a range of repeated news, current affairs, children's and educational programmes originally shown on ABC TV as well as a number of original programmes launched later on, such as Australia Wide, Short and Curly and Late Night Legends.

Mildura Digital Television, a joint venture digital-only Network Ten affiliate similar to Tasmanian Digital Television commenced in January, 2006. The station is owned by WIN Television and Prime Television.[16] A similar channel in Darwin is expected to be launched by Southern Cross Broadcasting and PBL Media in early 2008.[17] In addition to Darwin Digital Television, the Australian Communications and Media Authority set a designated time for a third digital-only commercial television service in remote and regional Western Australia, on August 24, 2007. Both the WIN Corporation and Prime Television Limited, owner of the Golden West Network, will have until November 21, 2007 to apply for a sole or jointly owned licence.[18]

Channel A and B

In 2006, the Australian Communications and Media Authority announced that it would allocate additional, digital-only datacasting licenses to promote the uptake of digital terrestrial television.[19][20] The first of the two, named Channel A, expected to be allocated in August-September, 2007,[20] is intended to be available for free-to-air, datacasting, and community television to be received on a standard terrestrial television receiver. Channel B, to be allocated in October-November, 2007[20] was intended for other uses, such as mobile television.[19]

A discussion paper inviting comments on the potential use of these channels was released in March, 2006. The invitation ended on February 5, 2007, and submissions were received from a wide range of interest groups including the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association, FreeTV Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, as well as National Indigenous Television and Fairfax Media, amongst others.[21]

Community television stations, and the Community Broadcasting Assocation of Australia, have lobbied for the mandatory inclusion of community television stations on the new Channel A service at no cost,[22] a proposal recommended earlier this year by a Government Standing Committee report on digital community television.

Datacasting

File:SevenOlympicExtra.jpg
Olympic Extra provided by the Seven Network for the duration of the 2004 Summer Olympics.

A number of broadcasters, primarily commercial networks, have provided a number of digital-only datacast or multivew services on separate channels - in particular during major sporting events. The Seven Network, for instance, provided two additional channels as part of its coverage of the 2003 Rugby World Cup - one providing alternate commentary, the other with statistics and game information.[23] Seven also ran a similar service during its coverage ot the 2004 Summer Olympics showing news headlines, a medal tally, and event results.[24] Similarly in 2005 for the Melbourne Cup, Australian Open, Australian Open Golf, and the One-Day International series from the United Kingdom, the Seven Network provided a multi-view datacast service.[25] As well as this, the Nine Network and NBN Television both provided a multi-view service with additional text information during Pompeii: The Last Day.

The Digital Forty Four video program guide available to digital viewers in Sydney.

Digital Forty Four, a trial datacasting service, began in Sydney in 2003. The service included at launch an electronic program guide, ABC News, Sport and Weather datacast service, the Australian Christian Channel, shopping channel Expo and a number of federal parliament audio streams. The service, licensed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority for three years, is currently under review.[26]

All three metropolitan networks provide video programme guide datacast channels in addition to their standard and high definition channels. Seven Guide, Nine Guide, and Ten Guide show the coming 24 hours' worth of programming in addition to, in some cases, news and weather headlines. MyTalk, a similar datacasting service, was launched by Southern Cross Broadcasting in April, 2007 provides a hybrid of a television channel and a website, with forum and blog topics, television listings, and local news.[27]

During ABC2 and ABC HD's downtime, the ABC shows programme information and weather, with music from ABC DiG radio.

High-definition

At a minimum, all digital television broadcasters in Australia provide a 576i standard definition service, in addition to high definition. With the notable exception of the Golden West Network and WIN Television in Western Australia, all commercial broadcasters provide 1080i, while ABC TV provides a 720p high definition simulcast. SBS TV currently broadcast in 576p (technically enhanced definition, although under Australian regulations considered high definition) with plans to move to 720p high definition in 2008.[28]

Quotas on high definition content - a minimum of 1040 hours per year - were imposed by the Australian government in July, 2003 on broadcasters in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. The same requirement was extended in April, 2005 to stations in Darwin, regional New South Wales and regional Queensland, and in January, 2006 in Mildura.[29] As of July 13, 2007 commercial television networks in Australia are permitted to provide multichannels, however only in high definition.[30]

References

  1. ^ "Australia Now: Broadcasting and online content". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  2. ^ "Australian household adoption of free to view digital television continues to rise". Digital Broadcasting Australia. 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  3. ^ a b "List of markets with free to view digital television coverage". Digital Broadcasting Australia. 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-24. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help) Cite error: The named reference "ratings" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "Digital - THE BIGGEST advance in TV since color in the 1970's?". Australian Broadcasting Authority. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  5. ^ "ABA to release report on digital terrestrial television broadcasting". Australian Broadcasting Authority. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Bills Digest No. 178 1997-98: Television Broadcasting Services (Digital Conversion) Bill 1998". Australian Parliamentary Library. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  7. ^ "Digital Television System Recommendation" (Press release). Federation of Australian Commercial Television Stations. 1998-06-18. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
  8. ^ "The 7.30 Report: Does anyone care about digital television?". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2001. Retrieved 2007-08-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  9. ^ "Digital TV to commence on 1 January 2001". Australian Broadcasting Authority. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  10. ^ "ABC Kids Channel" (Press release). Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. 2001-08-17. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  11. ^ "Government digital disaster as ABC cuts ABC Kids and Fly TV" (Press release). Lindsay Tanner MP, Shadow Minister for Communications. 2003-05-26. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  12. ^ "New digital commercial television service for Tasmania" (Press release). Australian Broadcasting Authority. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  13. ^ Smith, Linda (2007-08-22). "TV war hostility". The Mercury. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  14. ^ Stedman, Michael (2004-06-10). "Northern homes brace for digital TV revolution". The Examiner. p. 13. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  15. ^ "ABC2 launched at Parliament House". ABC New Media & Digital Services. dba.org.au. 2005-03-11. Retrieved 2007-03-31.
  16. ^ "Sunraysia to access digital TV channel". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2005-02-01. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
  17. ^ "New digital commercial television service for Darwin" (Press release). Australian Communications and Media Authority. 2007-05-18. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
  18. ^ "Designated time for a third digital-only commercial television service" (Press release). Australian Communications and Media Authority. 2007-08-24. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
  19. ^ a b "MR 156/2006" (Press release). Australian Communications and Media Authority. 2006-12-12. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  20. ^ a b c "ACMA - Digital television". Australian Communications and Media Authority. 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  21. ^ "IFC 2006 - Submissions for allocation of spectrum for new digital TV services". Australian Communications and Media Authority. 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  22. ^ "Digital conversion of community television (CTV)". Australian Communications and Media Authority. 07-05-29. Retrieved 2007-08-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "FTA digital TV becoming clear". bandt.com.au. 2003-11-13. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  24. ^ "Seven creates digital television and multiple-platform coverage for the Olympic Games" (PDF). Seven Network. 2004-07-06. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  25. ^ "Seven commits to digital television coverage for cricket" (PDF). Seven Network. 2005-06-06. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  26. ^ "ACMA seeks comment on extending datacasting trial in Sydney" (Press release). Australian Communications and Media Authority. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  27. ^ "Regions to get TV-web hybrid". The Australian. 2007-03-01. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  28. ^ "SBS chooses 720p High Definition". Digital Broadcasting Australia. 2006-12-14. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
  29. ^ "Digital TV: free to view - High Definition". Digital Broadcasting Australia. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  30. ^ "New Media Framework for Australia" (Press release). Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. 2006-07-13. Retrieved 2007-08-22.

See also

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