Australian FreeView Launches Tonight…
Tonight will be the launch of a new organisation or marketing concept called FreeView which has been put in place to facilitate the transition from Analogue Television to Digital Television. Revealed on media discussion forum Media Spy last week, tonight all five networks will start an advertising blitz in what is called a ‘roadblock’ showing the FreeView announcement all at the same time. All of the details will be revealed about FreeView at 6:29pm with the idea that no one in Australia will miss out, unless you are watching pay TV.
The next question people will have on their mind’s is what is FreeView? The simple answer is don’t panic, if you have digital television already then you have it. FreeView is just a marketing umbrella for all of the free to air networks in order to get people to switch over to digital before the analogue signal is turned off in 2013. To get what is now going to be called FreeView just buy your usual integrated digital television or digital set-top box, nothing has or will change.
FreeView will be used to promote also that there will be 15 free channels on the digital platform which are likely to consist of…
ABC1
ABC2
ABC HD
Seven (Prime or GWN)
Seven HD (Prime HD)
New Seven Network Multi-channel (to be announced)
Nine (WIN or NBN)
Nine HD (WIN HD or NBN HD)
New Nine Network Multi-channel (to be announced)
Ten (Southern Cross)
One (New 24 hour sports channel)
One HD (High Definition version of the above channel)
SBS
SBS HD
SBS World News Channel
In further news Robin Parkes has been announced as the first general manager of FreeView who is currently the chief operating manager or law firm Thomson Playford Cutlers and has no previous TV experience. ABC TV’s Kim Dalton said about the appointment, “The other thing she brings is a set of skills across her career, which are about dealing with diverse stakeholders — and the broadcasters are a highly competitive group working in a competitive industry, but we have carved out this shared vision we are going to work towards. That’s going to take some sensitivity and somebody with an ability to work with a diverse group of people and bring us together and keep us focused.”
Over the next two years it is expected that $50 to $60 million will be spent on the advertising of FreeView on the networks a senate enquiry has heard. It is also expected that Seven and Nine will not reveal their new channels for 2009 just yet.
Tonight viewers will also be introduced to a new 14 day Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) which forced pay TV operator Foxtel to increase theirs to 14 days also.
Additional Source: 
Filed Under: ABC • ABC HD • ABC1 • ABC2 • Network Ten • Nine HIGH-DEF • Nine Network • One HD • SBS ONE • SBS World News Channel • Seven HD • Seven Network
First flaw. Pay TV viewers will see this too, unless Foxtel cuts the feed…
[...] to a report on What’s On The Tube, all of the major free-to-air television networks (ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine and Ten) would be [...]
I sincerely hope Freeview is broadcast on Pay TV,
as Satellite Pay TV reaches More People, with Perfect Reception,(Think about the black-out spots)
Pay TV & Freeview can benefit from Co-Existing.
GWN doesn’t even get digital! FreeView (or correctly Freeview) won’t make a difference if there’s not even digital yet, and the start date keeps getting pushed back!
Living in a remote area in Arnhem Land, NT known as Gove (Nhulunbuy) it is hard to get anything other than AusStar via satellite.
Will the ‘freeview’ umbrella be used to upgrade existing broadcasting points and will those broadcasting points broadcast all freeview channels? We currently only get 2, delayed 7 and imparja 9.
I really miss being able to watch the sport on 10 and the great shows on SBS.
If anyone knows more details about the freeview project please let me know.
Mike
http://www.goveonline.com
If you press the Austar button twice, the freeview channels are there but are not being broadcast yet.
so o.k we get freeview but up at lake eildon vic we only hd 2 & sbs no 7,9 or 10.i asked around & was told eildon was last on the line for hd t.v.anyway does anyone know what will be on these new channels?
Make sure you have a good quality digital receiver and you will get your perfect picture! A quality digital antenna- even better. I’m in Darwin NT and running off an old aerial and cable, but have a good Digital receiver, and have perfect picture on all channels including digital 10. All we had was snow before, and that is the case with most people here in Darwin. Sure Austar supplied FTA with their cable system, but they are in the process of decommissioning the cable system at the moment. People who want to get picture perfect FTA need to get them selves prepared. Austar expects to have every one on Satellite Pay tv by the end of March 09, and unless you are upgrading to their Mystar, you will not be getting quality picture on FTA channels, and certainly not digital channels.
Do you have a digital receiver? What receiver are you using to get Imparja? Just interested as I deal in Digital receivers, and would like to know the isssues you experience with FTA in remote areas.
With the exception of ABC & SBS most of the programmes on 7,9,10 are not worth analog never mind HD digital. There is to much reality TV and not enough entertainment or documentary.
if you get imparja then u have sateliet