Nine HD To Launch March 17…

It has been revealed in the Australian Financial Review today that the Nine Network will launch its much awaited Nine HD service on all of its east coast stations as well as the Win Corporation owned Nine stations in Adelaide and Perth. Sorry regional viewers but no word on if WIN and NBN will carry the channel.

The channel will offer to viewers a block of programming simulcasting with the main channels and show, time-shifted versions of its news and entertainment shows as well as showing new programs such as ‘breakaway’ documentaries, movies and mini-series that have not been shown on the main channel.

Friday Night Football (NRL) coverage on Nine will be shown on both the main and HD channel at the same time, with industry sources saying that the network was going to consider showing the NRL life on the HD channel and delay the coverage on the main channel. This has been dismissed as it will be in breach of the governments anti-siponing rules which are in place so that broadcasters show certain sporting events on their main channel, as well to stop the free to air networks holding onto sporting events so that pay TV has no access to them.

The Seven Network has had success with its new channel with chief executive David Leckie saying, “The HD channel is getting some advertisers and viewers and will break even this year, but it is not the main game. The main game is the new standard definition channel. That will be exciting.”

While over at Ten, Ten HD has been showing golf and NASCAR races and will also be offering some of the Indian Premier League cricket matches on the HD service from next month.

So get ready for 2009 when the rules are softened to allow commercial broadcasters to launch a new standard definition channel, Seven is already planning its next two channels, with no word from the other two commercial stations on their intentions.

Nine HD will start on Monday 17th March and What’s On The Tube will be there just like it was when it was first to show you 7HD’s launch and when Ten HD started.

Source: Australian Financial Review, March 10 2008.

Technorati tags: Channel Nine, Nine Network, Nine HD, 7HD, TEN HD

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