17 January – Australia soap opera Something in the Air premieres on ABC. It was the very first Australian television series to be filmed in widescreen.
1 February – Popstars becomes the first Australian reality talent show, earning massive ratings for the Seven Network, leading to Bardot, the end product of the show. It becomes the first Australian act to debut at the number 1 position with both its debut single and debut album.
8 February – Due to GTV-9's Burgo's Catch Phrase losing its ratings, the Seven Network's smash-hit puzzle show, Wheel Of Fortune changes the new cash values on the Wheel. The changes to top Dollars were from $500 to $750 in Round 1, $1000 to $1500 in Rounds 2 & 3 and $2000 to $2500 in Round 4. The Proton car Wedge is introduced on the wheel. The show's highest-rating 4000th Episode was screened on 13 June, then the Battle Of The Champions special was screened in September, before it followed with the Sydney Olympics.
8 February – Australia's Funniest Home Video Show returns and starts in 2000 with a new look format, a new theme song and a relocation from Sydney to Melbourne. Also on that month, it moved to "Every Saturday Nights" at 6:30 PM.
12 February – American supernatural drama, fantasy, action, horror series Buffy the Vampire Slayer airs on Seven Network for the very last time before changing broadcasts to Network Ten which won't happen until 30 November.
21 February – Nine Network's Australian game show Sale of the Century returns by rebranding their name to Sale of the New Century and celebrates 20 years on air.
27 February – The first ever reality TV show to debut in Australia, The Mole debuts on the Seven Network. Five more seasons follow.
6 March – Australian sports based talk show The Fat premieres on ABC.
24 April – Jan Moody wins the first season of The Mole, taking home $115,000 in prize money. Alan Mason is revealed as the Mole, and Abby Coleman is the runner-up.
9 December – Final episode of the Australian drama series SeaChange is broadcast on the ABC.
19 December – The Seven Network loses the TV rights to the AFL for the first time, since televised football began in 1957. The rights are won by a Nine Network-Network Ten-Foxtel consortium.
TV stations conduct test transmissions in digital.
This is a list of programs which made their premiere on an Australian television network that had previously premiered on another Australian television network. The networks involved in the switch of allegiances are predominantly both free-to-air networks or both subscription television networks. Programs that have their free-to-air/subscription television premiere, after previously premiering on the opposite platform (free-to air to subscription/subscription to free-to air) are not included. In some cases, programs may still air on the original television network. This occurs predominantly with programs shared between subscription television networks.
This is a list of programs which made their premiere on Australian subscription television that had previously premiered on Australian free-to-air television. Programs may still air on the original free-to-air television network.
100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd[2]
Rotten Ralph[2][3]
Radio Active[6]
Monster Rancher