Australian community television will lose access to the airwaves and instead be moved onto the internet as the Federal Government makes plans to sell off the country’s sixth broadcasting spectrum.
Australia’s five community licensees, in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth will need to move off broadcast television screens by the 31st of December 2015, at which point the Government will sell the broadcast spectrum, with telecommunications companies likely to show interest.
The spectrum is also known as the “sixth channel”, in addition to the five given to national commercial broadcasters, SBS and the ABC. The AAP reports, it would be a valuable asset for telecommunications companies or even commercial TV stations because of its low frequency, which allows it to carry transmissions further.
Speaking this morning, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the government believes this is the best outcome for community television. “It will deliver wider audiences, at less cost on a wider range of devices and the ability to do more than linear broadcasting,” he said.
“The internet is not new. It is the universal uber-platform to which most people in Australia are connected 24/7.” However, community television bodies have reportedly been surprised by the decision, which has left many of them contemplating their demise.
Operations manager at Melbourne’s Channel 31, Matt Field told AAP the move will likely mean the end of Australian community television, as local stations will find it difficult to convince advertisers to move their support to an online-only platform.
He added that the industry had not been consulted on the changes. “It’s a pretty devastating decision,” he said. Fairfax notes that many of Australia’s most loved television personalities, such as Rove McManus and Hamish & Andy, made their break into the industry through community TV, as did many of the nation’s writers, producers, directors, and production staff.
