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Niche Television Services to Cease Broadcasting in Sydney
29 Jan 2010
Broadcast Australia has today received notification of a final extension of the Sydney market niche digital television channel trial licence known as Digital FORTY FOUR to 30 April 2010, but is disappointed that the Australian Communications and Media Authority has announced its intention not to renew the trial licence beyond this date.
The free to view, digital only, niche channels that Broadcast Australia provides to Sydney viewers includes National Indigenous Television, Australian Christian Channel, Expo home shopping channel, Teachers TV, Federal Parliament, a news, sport and weather headlines channel from the ABC and a digital programme guide that includes the new free to air digital multi-channel programme information such as GO!, 7-Two, ABC2 and SBS2.
"We don't believe the public interest is being well served with this decision" Graeme Barclay, Broadcast Australia Group CEO said. "The release of the Government's Digital Dividend Green Paper in early January is manifestly a consultation or discussion document seeking views on the nature and shape of the future digital dividend and as such we don't see this as representing any movement in Government policy on niche digital television services. The release of digital dividend spectrum is still several years away and the spectrum we are using is currently unassigned awaiting Government clarity on its future allocation. It therefore seems counter productive to remove these niche digital television services from Sydney viewers at a time when the Government wants to see more people adopt digital technology".
"We continue to passionately believe in the value to the industry and the community of niche programming being available on a free to air basis" Barclay continued. "We will be arguing in our response to the Green Paper that it is possible and practical to achieve the target of releasing 126 MHz of digital dividend spectrum and still have sufficient to enable new services, such as those being carried by Broadcast Australia in Sydney today, to be carried on a permanent basis. In this respect we look forward to the completion of the consultation started by the Green Paper and to the allocation of currently unassigned spectrum for new digital TV services ".
Broadcast Australia is currently using Channel 35 for the Sydney trial and confirms that the Sydney Community TV service will begin digital services in March 2010 using Channel 29. "There is no conflict here. Broadcasting the community television service does not require the trial services to be shut down".
Image Caption: Graeme Barclay, Broadcast Australia Group CEO, disappointed at the ACMA decision not to renew the trial licence for Digital FORTY FOUR.
