This timeline of Australian television lists important station launches, programs, major television events, and technological advancements that have significantly changed the forms of broadcasting available to viewers of television in Australia. The history of television in Australia can be traced back to an announcement from the Menzies' government concerning plans for television services in Sydney and Melbourne.
The new medium was introduced by Bruce Gyngell with the words "Good evening, and welcome to television". Colour television was introduced in 1975, while subscription television, initially on the Galaxy platform, began in the mid-1990s. Digital terrestrial television was introduced on 1 January 2001 in Australia's five largest capital cities, later to be expanded to smaller cities and regional areas.
1920s Experimental TV broadcasts began as early as 1929 in Melbourne on stations 3DB and 3UZ using the Radiovision system by Gilbert Miles and Donal McDonald.Australian TV – The First 25 Years by Peter Bielby, page 173. Thomas (Tom) M. B. Elliott experiments with an electromechanical version of television using the Nipkow disc technique that Baird employed.Television: The Elusive Goal by Kevin Poulter. SiliconChip Australia 13 June 2006.
1930s Other experimental transmissions followed in other cities, such as the 30 line Baird system in Brisbane in 1934 by Tom Elliott and Dr Val McDowall, members of the Royal Society of Queensland, at the amateur station (VK)4CM. pp121-123 pp. 751,760 By 1938 Elliot demonstrated an electronic 180 line version.
1940s Broadcasting tests halted due to the advent of World War 2.
1950s 1950 June: Robert Menzies' government announces a gradual introduction of television in Australia, with plans to launch an ABC Television station in Sydney and other areas subject to funding approval. As well as this, commercial television services in Sydney and Melbourne are planned with "any other capital city where it is felt that the applicant's capacity to provide a service justifies the issue of a licence". 1953 January: The Menzies government amends the 1948 Broadcasting Act to provide legislative framework for commercial television licenses. 1954 The Royal Commission on Television affirms the need to introduce television under a dual system of ownership, similarly to the Menzies plan. 1956 13 July: Test transmissions commence in Sydney on TCN-9 in monochrome. 16 July: HSV-7 Melbourne commences test transmissions in monochrome. 16 September: TCN-9 Sydney launches at 7.00pm. Announcer John Godson is the first voice heard and Bruce Gyngell is the first person seen in-vision, introducing This is Television. 27 October: TCN-9 officially opens. 4 November: HSV-7 Melbourne officially launches. 5 November: The Australian Broadcasting Commission begins television broadcasting with ABN-2 Sydney. 19 November: ABV-2 Melbourne launches 22 November: 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne commence, televised by ABV-2 & HSV-7 and during GTV-9 test transmissions. 2 December: ATN-7 officially opens. 1957 19 January: Sir Dallas Brookes officially inaugurates GTV-9 Melbourne. 6 May: GTV-9 launches the nightly variety show In Melbourne Tonight with Graham Kennedy. 1959 9 January: Melbourne and Sydney are linked by microwave for the first time, allowing programs to be broadcast live to both cities concurrently. 1 July: Mr. Squiggle and Friends begins on ABC. 16 August: QTQ-9 Brisbane begins transmission. 5 September: NWS-9 Adelaide officially launches. 16 October: TVW-7 Perth launches. 24 October: ADS-7 Adelaide launches. 1 November: BTQ-7 Brisbane launches. 2 November: ABQ-2 Brisbane launches.
1960s 1960 11 March: ABS-2 Adelaide launches. 7 May: ABW-2 Perth begins transmission. 23 May: TVT-6 Hobart opens, bringing television to Tasmania. 4 June: ABT-2 Hobart commences broadcasting. 1961 19 August: Current affairs program Four Corners begins on ABC. 9 December: GLV-10 Traralgon is the first regional station to open. 23 December: BCV-8 launches in Bendigo while GMV-6 began in Shepparton. 1962 4 March: NBN-3 Newcastle begins broadcasting. 17 March: CBN-8 Orange launches. 18 March: WIN-4 Wollongong begins. 27 April: BTV-6 Ballarat begins transmission. 12 May: RTN-8 Lismore begins broadcasting. 26 May: TNT-9 begins transmission to Launceston and northern Tasmania. 2 June: CTC-7 Canberra officially commences transmissions. 1 July: Frank Packer (owner of TCN-9 Sydney) buys GTV-9 Melbourne, forming the National Television Network, the first in the country. 13 July: DDQ-10 Toowoomba begins transmission. 1 November: TNQ-7 launches in Townsville. 18 December: ABC-3 Canberra launches. 1963 7 September: RTQ-7 Rockhampton begins broadcasting. 1964 19 June: RVN-2 Wagga Wagga launches. 1 August: ATV-0, Melbourne's third commercial station, launches. 7 September: AMV-4 Albury commences broadcasting.
1965 23 January: NRN-11 Coffs Harbour begins broadcasting. 5 April: TEN-10 Sydney begins transmission. 10 April: WBQ-8 Wide Bay/Maryborough and NEN-9 Tamworth begin transmission. 12 May: NRN-11 Coffs Harbour begins broadcasting. 12 June: STW-9 Perth opens. 1 July: TVQ-0 Brisbane launches. 26 July: SAS-10 Adelaide launches. 27 September: NEN-9 Tamworth begins transmission. 27 November: STV-8 Mildura launches. 1 December: Australia's first regional television network is formed when CWN-6 Dubbo opens as a direct relay of CBN-8 Orange. 15 December: MTN-9 Griffith commences transmission. 1966 25 March: SES-8 Mount Gambier officially launches. 18 July: Play School begins on ABC 27 May: ECN-8 Taree launches. 7 September: FNQ-10 begins transmission in and around Cairns. 1967 10 March: BTW-3 Bunbury becomes the first regional television station in Western Australia. 10 April: ABC TV current affairs program This Day Tonight premieres. 15 June: Test colour television transmissions are made for the first time in Australia by ATV-0. 1968 TVW-7 conducts its first Telethon. 1 March: GTS-4 Port Pirie launches. 9 August: MVQ-6 launches in Mackay. 16 August: BKN-7 Broken Hill opens. 1969 20 July: The Apollo 11 Moon landing is televised live by television stations in Australia.
Undated: First fully colour capable production facility opened in Sydney (Video Tape Corp, in East Roseville).
1970s 1971 4 January: Long running US children's educational series Sesame Street begins on ABC. 18 June: VEW-8 Kalgoorlie begins broadcasting. 13 August: ABD-6 launches as Darwin's first television station. 11 September: ITQ-8 Mount Isa begins broadcasting. 9 October: Hey Hey It's Saturday starts off as a Saturday morning cartoon program for children on Nine Network. 22 November: A Current Affair, hosted by Mike Willesee, makes its first appearance on the Nine Network. 11 November: NTD-8 is officially launched by Administrator of the Northern Territory, Fred Chaney. 1972 13 March: Soap opera Number 96 debuts, heralding the night 'Australian television lost its virginity' 20 March: Brisbane channel BTQ-7 claims Australia's first one-hour news bulletin, The Big News 1973 In 1973, the only Australian designed and made precision colour television monitor, was produced for local use and international export. The broadcast quality monitor (LDN5006) was developed by Willem Sparrius, Project Engineer at Philips subsidiary company Electronics Engineering Communications and produced at their South Oakleigh plant."Double Dutch", The Herald, 14 July 1973"Oakleigh to be World Headquarters", Philips Reporter, August 1973 1974 29 August: GSW-9 Albany begins broadcasting as a relay of VEW-8 Kalgoorlie. October: Colour test transmissions begin on Australian television. 8 November: Countdown begins on ABC. 1975 1 March: At midnight, colour television is introduced across the country. The main networks celebrate with their own unique slogan – Come to Colour (ABC TV), Seven Colors Your World (Seven Network), Living Color (Nine Network) and 0 – First in Color (0-10 Network). 1976 26 November: RTS-5A Loxton launches in the Riverland district. 1977 21 January: GTW-11 Geraldton begins broadcasting, completing the roll-out of regional commercial television across Australia. 24 September: The Victorian Football League Grand Final is broadcast live to viewers in Melbourne for the first time. 1979 11 February: Current affairs program 60 Minutes debuts on the Nine Network. 7 April: The Special Broadcasting Service begins test transmissions on ABV-2 Melbourne and ABN-2 Sydney, with foreign-language programming shown on Sunday mornings.
1980s 1980 20 January: Melbourne's ATV-0 converts to ATV-10; after nearby La Trobe Valley regional station GLV-10 converts to GLV-8 to facilitate this change, which concurrently frees up the frequency for Channel 0/28 later that same year. 14 July: Game show Sale of the Century debuts on the Nine Network. 24 October: Channel 0/28 is launched by Bruce Gyngell in Sydney and Melbourne. 1982 28 June: The Nine Network Australia premieres Today. 1983 1 July: The Australian Broadcasting Commission becomes the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 16 October: Channel 0/28 expands into Canberra, Cooma and Goulburn, and changes its name to Network 0-28. 1984 4 February: Hey Hey It's Saturday moves from its morning timeslot to the 9.30 pm timeslot. July: The 1984 Summer Olympics are broadcast on Network Ten. 26 July: US-French-Canadian animated series Inspector Gadget begins on ABC. 1985 18 February: Network 0-28 once again changes its name to SBS, and begins daytime transmissions. 4 March: ABC National, a one-hour national news and current affairs program shown from 6.30 pm, replaces ABC TV's half-hour 7.00pm state news bulletins. 18 March: Soap opera Neighbours begins on the Seven Network. 30 June: SBS Television expands into Brisbane, Adelaide, Newcastle, Wollongong, and the Gold Coast. 24 October: The ABC Board elects to abandon ABC National. 1986 5 January: SBS Television phases out its second VHF 0 channel. 16 March: SBS launches in Perth and Hobart. 19 August: Treasurer Paul Keating, in his budget speech, announces the amalgamation of the ABC and SBS. 1987 26 March: Bob Hawke calls off the proposed amalgamation of the ABC and SBS. 17 April: Rage begins on ABC. 27 December: Adelaide stations SAS-10 and ADS-7 swap frequencies to become SAS-7 and ADS-10. 1988 1 January: Nine Network first use of SNG (Satellite News Gathering) in Australia. Transmission from Kingoonya SA for Australia Live 88 which showcased Australia remotely in a four hour broadcast. 2 January: Imparja Television launches in remote eastern and central Australia from studios in Alice Springs. 17 January: Home and Away premieres on the Seven Network as a two-hour pilot and begins as a regular weeknight soap opera the following evening. 20 May: NEW-10 launches in Perth. 10 September: TVQ-0 Brisbane becomes TVQ-10. 1989 31 March: Aggregation begins in southern New South Wales.
1990s 1990 Imparja Television begins producing 15-minute local news bulletins inserted into its National Nine News simulcast, entitled Imparja Local News. 27 January: Long running children's wrapper program Saturday Disney which airs television shows from The Walt Disney Company begins on Seven Network. 3 September: Children's TV series Johnson and Friends begins on ABC. 21 December: James Valentine leaves The Afternoon Show after his final day of presenting the weekday afternoon magazine program. 24 December: WIN Television purchases Network Ten affiliate-to-be Star Television and switches its affiliation to the Nine Network for Queensland. 31 December: Regional Queensland is aggregated. 1991 10 February: US animated comedy series The Simpsons begins on Network Ten. 14 June: SBS TV is permitted by the government to broadcast five minutes of advertising per hour, as a form of additional funding. 31 December: Northern New South Wales is aggregated. 1992 1 January: Aggregation begins to take place in Victoria.