2020 in Australian television
This is a list of Australian television-related events, debuts, finales, and cancellations that are scheduled to occur in 2020, the 65th year of continuous operation of television in Australia.
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Events
February
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Following low ratings in Adelaide, Nine switches Millionaire Hot Seat and Nine News Adelaide's timeslots around. The first episode of Hot Seat in its new 4 pm timeslot is watched by just 5,000 viewers, easily beaten by Seven News in its 4 pm timeslot. | [1] |
March
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 14 (ongoing) | ABC News Channel, ABC, ABC iview, Sky News, Seven News, 7plus, Nine News & 9Now take major expensive coverage on the COVID-19 pandemic. | |
| 17 | Nine News suspends their regional 6:00 pm bulletins indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with reporters redeployed to the metropolitan bulletins in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Their news bulletins were to return on August 10 at a 5.30pm timeslot. | [2] |
May
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | Seven West Media, Announce they'll be Trimming 30% of Advertising across their Free-to-air Channels during General Programming. | [3] |
June
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seven News United States correspondent Amelia Brace and freelance photojournalist Timothy Myers were assaulted in Washington DC while covering the George Floyd protests on Sunrise. | [4] |
| 3 | In two separate incidents, Nine News European correspondents Sophie Walsh and Ben Avery were attacked while covering the George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom. Walsh was assaulted by a bystander during a live-cross to Nine's Adelaide evening news bulletin, while Avery was attacked while covering the story on the Today show. Neither were harmed. | [5] |
| 19 | The Seven Network axes its afternoon talk show The Daily Edition due to economic pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. | [6] |
| 22 | The Daily Edition host Ryan Phelan is sacked by the Seven Network after being charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault following a complaint made to police by his girlfriend. | [7] |
| 30 | The licence for Community television to broadcast will expire. | [8] |
| 30 | Pay television provider Foxtel ceases operations of its locally owned music television channels [V], MAX, Foxtel Smooth and the Country Music Channel. They were replaced by a new suite of music video networks operated by ViacomCBS Networks UK & Australia, which operates MTV, Nickelodeon, and free-to-air Network 10. | [9] |
July
August
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Emelia Jackson from Melbourne, Victoria wins the Back to Win Season of Masterchef Australia. | [10] |
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | TNT-9, the station of the Southern Cross Austereo-owned Seven Network affilate Seven Tasmania, goes off air during a Snowstorm on Newsreader's Rachel Williams' final bulletin in Nightly News 7 Tasmania. | |
| 10 | Ben Polson of Perth, WA wins the Fourth Season of Australian Ninja Warrior and First Ever Champion taking home $400,000. | [11] |
September
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| TBA | Network 10 will launch 10 Shake, its first new multichannel in over 9 years. It will feature content from its ViacomCBS sister networks Nick during the day, and MTV Australia from 6pm onwards. |
Late 2020
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| TBA | The first ever Today, Today Extra and A Current Affair are broadcast from the Nine Network's new North Sydney studios. On the same night, Nine News has a new studio set of its Sydney bulletin. |
Television channels
New channels
- 16 January - 7mate HD
- 5 April - 9Rush
- 1 July - Club MTV, MTV Hits Australia, MTV Classic Australia (Foxtel only), NickMusic, CMT
- September 2020 - 10 Shake
Channel closures
- 1 July - [V], MAX, CMC, Foxtel Smooth
Premieres
Domestic series
| Program | Original airdate | Network | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Gloaming | 1 January | Stan | [12] |
Deaths
- 5 January – (1968–2020) Tom Long, United States-born Australian actor best known for serials East of Everything, The Dish and SeaChange
- 11 May - (1918–2020) Hutton "Red" Gibson, American sedevacantist best known in Australia for his six-figure win on Ford Superquiz[13]
References
- ^ Knox, David (17 February 2020). "Update: Nine News". TV Tonight. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ Knox, David (17 March 2020). "Nine News suspends regional bulletins". TV Tonight. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "Seven is cutting the amount of advertising it will run". 24 May 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ Knox, David (2 June 2020). "Police strike Sunrise crew in Washington, DC". TV Tonight. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ Knox, David (4 June 2020). "Nine News journalists attacked in London clashes". TV Tonight. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ Knox, David (19 June 2020). "Axed: The Daily Edition". TV Tonight. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- ^ Marsh, Stuart (23 June 2020). "TV presenter Ryan Phelan charged over alleged domestic violence incident". Nine News. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ "Community television broadcasters granted two year licence extension" (Press release). Canberra. Department of Communications and the Arts. 1 June 2018. Archived from the original on 6 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ https://themusicnetwork.com/rip-foxtel-music-channels/
- ^ {{cite web|url= https://www.nowtolove.com.au/reality-tv/masterchef/masterchef-2020-emelia-jackson-intimidated-by-laura-sharrad-64668}
- ^ https://www.nineforbrands.com.au/media-release/history-is-made-with-ben-polson-crowned-australias-first-ninja-warrior.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Buckmaster, Luke (30 December 2019). "The Gloaming review – shades of Twin Peaks in fog-swamped crime drama". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ Gill, Alan (November 22, 1986). "Critics Say a 'Real' Pope Would Stay at Home; The Papal Tour". The Sydney Morning Herald.
Apart from siring Australia's highest-paid movie star, he recently won $100,000, plus a luxurious car, in a TV quiz program.