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WA region wins new license

Regional viewers in Western Australia will see new digital channels within 12 months.

nullarborRegional viewers in Western Australia are getting a new television service, after The Australian Communications and Media Authority allocated new broadcasting licences.

The new licences will provide services in digital mode within 12 months.

Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman said, “ACMA’s decision means that digital television is coming to all of Western Australia and that Western Australian audiences outside of Perth will have access to a third commercial service – provided that they make the switch to digital.

‘This decision follows consultations with the existing commercial television broadcasters in regional and remote Western Australia.”

ACMA says the new, digital-only licence has been issued to joint venture companies operated by existing licensees.

This week Foxtel CEO Kim Williams called on the government to allow for a fourth commercial television network to be market-driven instead of government regulated, and regional broadcaster Southern Cross announced ONE HD would start in Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT and Victoria from July 2nd.

Corrected.

9 Responses

  1. @ Kuttsywood: why should people living in the outback wait until 2013 to see Channel Ten again? Imagine how many programs from Ten they would have missed in the next three years (Neighbours, The Biggest Loser, MasterChef, Australian Idol, to name a few) because local channels Southern Cross and Imparja won’t show them? And in many cases you can’t simply go to the Ten website to watch videos to catch up.

  2. Re: Third outback east/central licence.

    I dare say the third satellite operator will be a J/V, like in WA.

    The bidding process will be the toughest ever seen, as possibly in the future, it may have to expand into metro markets, to assist DTV takeup.

    By my prediction, don’t expect broadcaster 3 in the outback, until 2013. Then it would be as easy as switching smartcards, from a analogue card, to a digital card similar to Foxtel’s, to get Ten and One.

  3. Freeview should be opened up for any one/group/body/consortium whom wishes to operate a new channel or network the current system protects the established operators. where is the diversity? corporate protectionism rules here in Australia

  4. There are now 2, and they are getting 1 more. Headline prob should say “WA region wins 1 new license” rather than “WA region wins 2 new licenses”

  5. so how many stations will that have now??, and what are they called.
    do they only have WIN or something, good to see this goverment actually cares about tv.

  6. This new channel will probably carry Channel Ten programming. It’s a long time coming for people in regional WA who are missing out on popular programs from Ten, such as MasterChef, because local station WIN won’t pick them up. Now when will the new licence be given to Central Australia and western Queensland so Ten programming can be shown there?

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