This is a list of Australian television events and premieres which occurred, or are scheduled to occur, in 2012, the 57th year of continuous operation of television in Australia.
Events
22 January – Network Ten relaunch Young Talent Time for Sunday nights as part of its Super Sunday lineup. The show was later moved to Friday nights and was cancelled later in the year, due to low ratings. 30 January – Nine's Today show launches its closer widescreen package (which adds the "9" Watermark) and slogan "I Wake Up With Today". Mornings launches with Sonia Kruger and David Campbell as hosts. On the same night, Nine's A Current Affair launches its new look and slogan "(city name)'s No.1". 27 March – Leigh Sexton and Jennifer Evans win the third season of My Kitchen Rules. 29 March – Ajay Rochester and teammate Matthew Palmer win the first series of Excess Baggage. 15 April – Hamish Blake wins the Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at the 2012 Logie Awards. 22 April – The Nine Network wins its first official ratings week since September 2010, thanks mainly to the launch of The Voice. 4 May – Dance group Lil' Banditz Krew win the 2012 version of Young Talent Time, the show was cancelled one month later after a record of low ratings. 8 May – Margie Cummins wins the seventh season (the "Singles" edition) of The Biggest Loser. 16 May – Music and television personality Ian "Dicko" Dickson wins the second season of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia. 23 May – The opening game of the 2012 State of Origin series recorded 2.51 million metropolitan viewers, the highest-rated broadcast of the annual State of Origin series since the introduction of OzTAM ratings in 2001. 24 May – Subscription television providers Foxtel and Austar complete a merger transaction of the two companies, with services for customers migrating to one platform as of 1 July. 17 June – Singer Johnny Ruffo and his partner Luda Kroitor win the twelfth season of Dancing with the Stars. 18 June – Karise Eden wins the first season of The Voice. 21 June – Fox Sports wins the ASTRA Award for Channel of the Year at the 2012 ASTRA Awards. 30 June – After almost 30 years, Nine drops the US first-run syndicated entertainment television newsmagazine Entertainment Tonight following cutbacks on overseas purchases. Ten subsequently picks up the series. 1 July – Brad Cranfield and Lara Welham win the fifth season of The Block with a record profit of $506,000. 20 July – The Nine Network has decided not to renew the studio contract with Sony Pictures after 5 years of films and television broadcasting. In 2013, the Seven Network won the licence to its broadcasts. 25 July – Andrew De Silva wins the sixth season of Australia's Got Talent; Andy Allen wins the second season of Masterchef Australia. 28 July – 13 August – Nine and Foxtel broadcast the 2012 Olympic Games with live coverage on the Nine Network, GEM and Fox Sports from early evening until the following early morning. 13 August – Nine Network launch the ninth season of Big Brother Australia which has returned after a 4-year absence after Network Ten axed it in July 2008, hosted by Sonia Kruger. 15 August – Police officers Shane Haw and Andrew Thoday win the second season of The Amazing Race Australia. 19 August – Callum Hann, runner-up of the second season of MasterChef Australia, wins an All-Stars edition of the cooking program. 21 August – The Australian Rugby League Commission announces that the Nine Network and Fox Sports have retained the broadcast rights for rugby league in Australia, with the signing of a A$1.025 billion, five-year deal. 15 October – Seven's Melbourne news bulletin records a total of just 192,000 viewers – making it its least-watched bulletin since Christmas Day in 2007. 23 October – Mike Snell wins the only series of I Will Survive. 7 November – Benjamin Norris wins the ninth season of Big Brother Australia. Norris, the first openly gay person to win the program, proposed to his boyfriend, also named Ben, during the show's live finale. 20 November – Samantha Jade wins the fourth season of The X Factor, the first female artist to win the program. 22 November – Seven News sports reporter Leith Mulligan is sacked after the bulletin suffers an embarrassing wipeout in the ratings, losing all 40 weeks against the rival Nine News Melbourne. 26 November – Ten's Breakfast has its last edition, Ron Wilson leaves Ten after 3 decades, and Matt White leaves Seven's Today Tonight after 4 years. 29 November – Millie Lincoln and Chard Oldfield win the fourth season of Beauty and the Geek Australia. 8 December – Channel [V] announces Seth Sentry as the winner of its annual viewer-voted title of [V] Oz Artist of the Year.
Celebrity deaths 11 March – Ian Turpie (aged 68), host of The New Price Is Right from 1981 to 1986 and again in 1989. 20 March – Cliff Neville (age unknown), former 60 Minutes producer. 3 May – Edith Bliss (aged 52), reporter for Simon Townsend's Wonder World. 18 August – Alan Bateman (aged 76), television writer, producer and executive notable as the creator of Home and Away.
Channels New channels 16 February – A&E 17 February – Fox Footy 26 February – FX 26 March – Extra (Nine Network/NBN Television) 1 May – WIN Gold (WIN Television, Channel Nine Adelaide, Channel Nine Perth) 24 September – TVSN (Free-to-air) 12 December – NITV (re-launched as free-to-air)
Renamed channels 1 March – STUDIO (replacing STVDIO) 4 May – Gold (replacing WIN Gold) (WIN Television, Channel Nine Adelaide, Channel Nine Perth) 20 August – SoHo (replacing W) 23 July – SF (replacing Sci-Fi)
Ratings
Premieres
Domestic series
International series
Telemovies + Domestic telemovie premieres on Australian television in 2012 Telemovie Original airdate(s) Network Ref ABC1 Nine Network Dripping in Chocolate UKTV Beaconsfield Nine Network Mabo ABC1 Underground: The Julian Assange Story Network Ten Dangerous Remedy ABC1 Jack Irish: Bad Debts ABC1 Jack Irish: Black Tide ABC1
+ International telemovie premieres on Australian television in 2012 Program Original airdate(s) Network Country of origin Ref Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens Cartoon Network SingaporeUnited States Hemingway & Gellhorn Showcase United States
Miniseries + Domestic miniseries premieres on Australian television in 2012 Miniseries Original airdate(s) Network Ref Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms Network Ten Howzat! Kerry Packer's War Nine Network Devil's Dust ABC1
+ International miniseries premieres on Australian television in 2012 Miniseries Original airdate(s) Network Country of origin Ref Exile UKTV United Kingdom Hogfather ABC1 United Kingdom World Without End SoHo GermanyCanada
Documentary specials + Documentary Original airdate(s) Network(s) Ref Orchids: My Intersex Adventure ABC1 ABC1 Geoff Huegill: Be Your Best – Hunt For Gold Bio. MegaTruckers A&E Great Barrier Reef Nine Network 2 Hours Seven Network Giants Seven Network Tony Robinson's London Games Unearthed Sporting Nation ABC1 Inside Nine Network Muddied Waters 7Two Who Makes the News? ABC News 24 George Rrurrambu ABC1 Great Southern Land ABC1 Murdoch SBS One Possum Wars ABC1 Redesign My Brain ABC1 Sydney Harbour – Life on the Edge National Geographic Channel
+ Documentary Original airdate(s) Network(s) Country of origin Ref Missions that Changed the War United States Les Paul: Chasing Sound STVDIO United States Captains of the Final Frontier Sci Fi Channel United States Terror Island SBS One Norway How the Beatles Rocked the Kremlin STUDIO United Kingdom Secrets of Wild India Nat Geo Wild United Kingdom Our War – 10 Years in Afghanistan BBC Knowledge United Kingdom Jamie: Drag Queen at 16 LifeStyle You United Kingdom My Gorilla Life Nat Geo Wild Unknown No Woman, No Cry Discovery Home & Health United States Britain's Youngest Undertaker ABC2 United Kingdom Under Fire: Journalists in Combat SBS One Canada
Specials + Documentary Original airdate(s) Network(s) Ref Sydney Festival 2012 STVDIO Australia's Great Flood National Geographic Channel Big Day Out: 20 Years in 20 Days Channel [V] An Audience With The Cast of Annie Bio. Australia Celebrates 2012 ABC1 AAA: Summafieldayze MTV Australia Adam Hills: Inflatable ABC1 Nick Cave: triple J's Tribute ABC2 2011 AACTA Film Awards Nine Network The Australian Open of Surfing Concerts Channel [V] G'Day Soleil Nine Network Movie Extra Tropfest Movie Extra Meow Meow's Little Match Girl STUDIO (recall special) Fox Footy Puppetry of the Penis: Live at the Forum One 2012 All Star Supershow Network Ten Voices Reaching Out Nine Network 2012 Melbourne Comedy Festival Supershow Network Ten The X Factor: One Direction to Superstardom Seven Network Tina Arena: Live in Melbourne Studio 26th Annual ARIA Awards Go! 2012 Walkley Awards SBS One Shark Week Discovery Channel Convoy WIN Television Kylie 25: 25 Years in 25 Hours Max Celebrity Come Dine With Me Australia 2012 Asia Pacific Screen Awards SBS Two The Rolling Stones: One More Shot Main Event Maggie Beer's Christmas Feast ABC1 Homebake 2012 Channel [V] 2012 Carols by Candlelight Nine Network
+ Documentary Original airdate(s) Network(s) Country of origin Ref Radio 1's Big Weekend 2011 BBC Knowledge United Kingdom 17th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards Starpics United States Countdown to the Red Carpet: The 2012 Golden Globe Awards E! United States Live From the Red Carpet: The 2012 Golden Globe Awards E! United States 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards Fox8 United States Jamie Cooks Summer Network Ten United Kingdom 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards TV1 United States 2012 BAFTA Awards Starpics United Kingdom 54th Annual Grammy Awards Fox8 United States Whitney Houston: Last Days of a Legend E! United States Whitney Houston Memorial E! United States Arizona Republican Presidential Debate CNN United States 2012 Independent Spirit Awards STVDIO United States 84th Academy Awards Nine Network / Go!Starpics United States Charlie Sheen: Hollywood Black Book Bio. United States Aiming for Gold CNN United Kingdom Sport Relief 2012 UKTV United Kingdom One Direction: A Year in the Making Go! United Kingdom 2012 Billboard Music Awards Fox8 United States Bee Gees: In Our Own Time ABC2 United States 2011 Royal Variety Performance 7Two United Kingdom 66th Tony Awards Bio. United States 64th Primetime Emmy Awards Fox8Eleven United States All-Star Comedy Gala Network Ten Canada 2012 U.S. Presidential Election: Presidential Debate SBS OneABC News 24 United States Country Music Channel United States The 2012 STYLE Awards Style United States 2012 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Fox8 United States 12.12.12 - The Concert for Sandy Relief StarPics United States
Programming changes
Changes to network affiliation This is a list of programs which made their premiere on an Australian television network that had previously premiered on another Australian television network. The networks involved in the switch of allegiances are predominantly both free-to-air networks or both subscription television networks. Programs that have their free-to-air/subscription television premiere, after previously premiering on the opposite platform (free-to air to subscription/subscription to free-to air) are not included. In some cases, programs may still air on the original television network. This occurs predominantly with programs shared between subscription television networks.
Criteria for inclusion: Australian premiere episodes are airing on the new network.
+ Domestic television series which changed network affiliation in 2012 Program Date New network Previous network Ref Excess Baggage Go! Nine Network After the Bounce Fox Footy Fox Sports On the Couch Fox Footy Fox Sports Toasted TV Eleven Network Ten Lab Rats Challenge Seven Network Nine Network Saturday Disney 7Two Seven Network Network Ten (NSW and QLD only)One (VIC, SA and WA only) One Big Brother Nine Network Network Ten