12 February – British Swiss children's animated TV series Pingu (which started off as a segment on the Seven Network's The Book Place) makes its air on ABC for the very first time starting off with the first two episodes at 8:25am. It will later broadcast several more episodes on 24 March at 3:55pm and again in several months on weekdays at 10:25am, 9:25am, 7:25am (for Sundays), 8:25am (for a second time) and at 4:55pm (until 1 January 1999 in all states and on 8 January 1999 in Western Australia).
16 February – The pink rabbit Mixy from The Ferals/Feral TV presents her very own children's weekday morning block on ABC starting from 7:30am to 10:00am.
16 February – British children's TV series Teletubbies debuts on ABC.
29 June – British sitcom Father Ted premieres on the ABC two years after its debut on the Nine Network.
20 July – Hey Hey It's Saturday launches its Red Faces documentary series and spin off Gonged But Not Forgotten, premieres at 8:30pm, on the Nine Network
31 July – The Wiggles' first self-titled television series, screens on the Seven Network.
27 November – After 25 years, The Midday Show is retired by the Nine Network. A Current Affair draws with a final goodbye with Ray Martin in the hot-seat before retiring for the very last time. Martin was replaced by Mike Munro from December 1998. Martin returns to the program 5 years later. On the same night, Brian Naylor retires from reading Melbourne's National Nine News after 20 years; he is replaced by Peter Hitchener, who remains in this role as of today.
December – The remote Central & Eastern Australia markets are aggregated, with Imparja taking a Nine Network affiliation & Seven Central (formerly QSTV) taking a joint Seven & Network Ten affiliation.
20 December – The pay television station, Disney Channel Australia introduced pay television Foxtel to a children's group called The Wiggles who debuted in a TV special taking place in Disneyland, California titled The Wiggles in Disneyland, this was later screened on the Seven Network. Future Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman hosts the 1998 Carols in the Domain, live on the Seven Network.
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.
^TIPPET, GARY; PAUL HARRIS; PAUL KALINA; DARRIN FARRANT (2 July 1998). "Programs – Wednesday". The Age. Melbourne, Australia: Fairfax Media. p. 32. Retrieved 27 December 2009. For those who tuned in to this re-run of the sitcom – which kicked off on Monday with the rarely-seen pilot
^Joyce, James (11 July 1998). "Prime skips Heartbeat". Newcastle Herald. Newcastle, Australia: Fairfax Media. p. 2. Retrieved 27 December 2009. TV1 has picked up the rerun rights to Shaun Cassidy's short-lived American terror series American Gothic (originally screened on Ten) and will air the twisted drama from December 5.
King Leek[2]
Paul Reiser: Three and Half Blocks From Home[1]
Father Ted
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The Adventures of Tintin[10]
Secret Life of Toys