Cable TV and Pay TV in Australia FAQ
Section 3: Pay TV channels available in Australia
3.1 What pay TV channels are available in
Australia?
Here is a summary of the channels available in Australia at
the moment. To see which pay TV services offer these channels,
please read Section 4.
Movie Channels
- Showtime
- Premium movies, mainly from Paramount, Columbia/Tristar,
Universal/MCA and 20th Century Fox. Available on Austar
and Foxtel.
- Encore
- Classic movies from the 50s to the 80's, mainly from
Paramount, Columbia/Tristar, Universal/MCA and 20th
Century Fox. Available on Austar and Foxtel.
- Movie One
- Premium movies, mainly from the Disney, Warner Brothers,
MGM and New Regency studios. Available on Optus
Vision.
- Movie Extra
- Made for TV movies and mini-series, as well as reruns
from Movie One. Available on Optus Vision.
- Movie Greats
- Classic movies from the 50's, to the 80's, mainly from
the Disney, Warner Brothers, MGM and New Regency studios.
Available on Optus Vision.
- TNT
- Classic movies mainly from MGM and Warner, similar to TNT
in Europe and Asia (not the US). Available on Austar,
Foxtel and Optus Vision.
- World Movies
- Highbrow and arthouse movies from around the world in
English and other languages. Available on Austar, Foxtel
and Optus Vision.
- Nightmoves
- Adult movie channel screening R rated movies. Available
on Foxtel and Optus Vision.
- See also fX in the general entertainment section.
Sports channels
- Fox Sports
- Sports, with a strong emphasis on international sports.
Similar to Star Sports in Asia and Prime Sports in the
US. Available on Austar and Foxtel.
- Fox Sports 2
- Second sports channel. Available on Austar and
Foxtel.
- Sky Channel
- Sports channel (mainly horse racing) during the day and
evening, and rock music videos from 10pm-2am. Currently
only available in pubs, clubs and hotels, however, may be
available on Foxtel and Optus Vision one day.
- ESPN
- Sports channel similar to ESPN in the US and Asia.
Includes programs from both ESPN and ESPN2 in the US.
Available on Optus Vision.
- Sports Australia
- Sports channel similar to ESPN but with an emphasis on
Australian sporting events, such as cricket, swimming,
rugby League, etc. Available on Optus Vision.
NOTE: Sports Australia is to close, to be replaced by a
new sports channel.
- Sports AFL
- A channel devoted entirely to Australian Rules Football.
Available on Optus Vision.
NOTE: Sports Australia is to close soon, to be replaced
by a new sports channel.
- Sports Australia 2
- This channel occasionally carries additional sporting
events to the other Optus Vision channels. Available on
Optus Vision.
NOTE: Sports Australia is to close soon, to be replaced
by a new sports channel.
Pay Per View channels
- Main Attraction
- Pay Per View channel featuring sporting events (mainly
boxing and wrestling), expanding to movies and concerts
in the future. Each event must be paid for before it can
be viewed. Available on Optus Vision.
- Event TV
- Pay Per View channel featuring sporting events (mainly
boxing and wrestling). Each event must be paid for
before it can be viewed. Available on Foxtel.
General entertainment / variety channels
- TV1
- Classic programs from the 50's to the early 90's, with an
emphasis on US sitcoms. Similar in style to TBS in the
US. Available on Austar and Foxtel.
- Arena
- Mostly first run programs, with an emphasis on British
programs, but there are also programs from the US,
Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Programs include
Brookside, Saturday Night Live, and Police Rescue.
Available on Austar and Foxtel.
- Fox
- Children's programs during the day, new and/or recent hit
series, variety and drama at night. Available on
Foxtel.
- fX
- Classic movies and general entertainment programs from
the Fox library. Available on Foxtel.
- The Disney Channel - Australia
- Family oriented programs from Disney. Available on Optus
Vision.
- Ovation
- Arts & entertainment channel, featuring arts related
events and documentaries. Available on Optus Vision.
- thecomedychannel
- Comedy channel featuring new and old comedy from
Australia, the US and the UK. Available on Austar and
Foxtel.
- UK TV
- Classic programs from the BBC, Thames Television and
Pearson's Television, and also Australian programs from
Grundy Television. Available on Foxtel.
- Hallmark Entertainment Network
- Family oriented programming from Hallmark Entertainment,
mainly consisting of movies and mini-series. Available on
Foxtel.
- Fox Soap / Fox Talk / Fox Travel / Fox History
- A channel with four different program formats depending
on the time of the day or day of the week. During
weekdays, Fox Soap features soap operas, Fox Talk
features talk shows on weekday evenings and overnight,
Fox Travel features programs about travel during the days
on weekends, while Fox History features programs about
history during the evenings and overnight on Weekends,
and is similar to The History Channel in the US and the
UK. Available on Foxtel.
- Lifestyle Channel
- Channel featurig infotainment shows about cooking,
gardening, etc. Available on Austar and Foxtel.
Documentary / education channels
- The Discovery Channel
- Documentary channel similar to The Discovery Channel in
the US, Europe, Asia and elsewhere. Available on Austar
and Foxtel.
- National Geographic Channel
- A documentary channeel. Available on Foxtel. Expected to
be available on Austar from October 1998.
- Odyssey
- A documentary channel. Available on Optus Vision.
- Horizon Learning Channel
- An education channel. Available on Optus Vision.
- See also Fox Soap / Fox Talk / Fox Travel / Fox History
in the General Entertainment section above.
Children's channels
- Nickelodeon / Nick At Nite
- Children's programs during the day and classic TV
programs at night. Similar to Nickelodeon / Nick At Nite
in the US and Europe. Programs include Ren & Stimpy,
Rocko's Modern Life, Gulah Gulah Island and Nick Arcade.
Available on Galaxy, Austar, East Coast Television and
Foxtel.
- Cartoon Network
- Cartoons. Similar to Cartoon Network in the US, Europe
& Asia. Available on Galaxy, Austar, Optus Vision and
Foxtel.
- See also Fox in the General Entertainment section.
Music video channels
- Channel [V] Australia
- Music videos, with general programs and specialty
programs focusing on house/techno, heavy metal,
alternative, soul, rock, and others. Available on Galaxy,
Austar, East Coast Television and Foxtel.
- MTV Australia
- An Australian version of the world famous music video
channel. Also includes general programs and
specialty programs, including MTV programs seen around
the world (e.g. Hit List UK) and local versions of other
MTV programs. Available on Optus vision.
- CMT (Country Music Television)
- Country music videos. Similar to CMT in the US, Europe
and Asia. Available on Austar Foxtel and Optus
Vision.
News channels
- Sky News Australia
- A 24 hour news channel similar to Sky News in the UK.
Available on Foxtel and Optus Vision.
- CNN International
- The world famous 24 hour news channel. Emphasis is on
news but there is also current affairs, talk shows, etc.
Available on Foxtel and Optus Vision.
- BBC World
- A 24 hour news channel operated by the BBC. Emphasis is
on news but also includes current affairs and some
documentaries. Available on Austar and Foxtel.
- WeatherVision
- A channel entirely about weather. Available on Optus
Vision.
- Foxtel Weather
- A channel entirely about weather. Available on
Foxtel.
Business news channels
- ABN (Asia Business News)
- This channel has merged with CNBC ans is now know as CNBC
Asia Business News
- Bloomberg Information TV
- Business News. Available on Foxtel.
- CNBC
- This channel has smurged with ABN and is now known as
CNBC Asia Business News.
- CNBC Asia Business News
- Business news and other business related programs.
Available on Austar, Foxtel and Optus Vision.
Home shopping channels
- TV Shopping Network
- Home shopping programs. Available on Austar (satellite
only), Foxtel and Optus Vision. This channel is also
available in parts of the Asia Pacific region via cable
and satellite.
Foreign language channels
- TeleItalia
- Italian language channel featuring news, sports, drama
and movies. This channel is no longer available but there
are rumours it may be resurrected on Foxtel.
- New World Television
- Chinese language channel featuring news and other
programs. This channel is no longer available.
- NHK
- Japanese language channel produced by NHK, the government
owned broadcaster in Japan. Available on Optus Vision.
- Television Oceania
- Japanese language channel featuring programs from Japan
and Australia in targeted towards Japanese tourists.
Available via Telstra Lasercast to about 50 hotels in
Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns.
- CTN (Zhong Tian Channel)
- Chinese language channel. This channel has been taken off
Optus Vision, and has been replaced by TVB-J, a new
chinese channel, from August 1998.
- TVB-J
- A new Chinese Channel from Hong Kong featuring general
entertainment. Available on Optus Vision fr.
- CCTV 4 (Chinese Central Television)
- Chinese language channel from China. Available on Optus
Vision.
- Antenna
- Greek language channel. Available on Optus Vision.
- Mega Channel Australia
- Greek language channel. Available on Optus
Vision.
- RAI
- Italian language channel. Available on Optus
Vision.
- ART
- Arabic language channel. Available on Optus Vision.
- LBC
- International version of domestic Lebanese channel.
Available on Optus Vision.
Community access channels
- Local Vision
- Community access channel with programs produced by
community groups and members of the public. NOTE: This
channel has been taken off the air from Optus Vision.
- Optus Vision Education Channel
- Community Access Channel featuring university courses,
personal classifieds, and perhaps other material between
programs. Available on Optus Vision.
Tourist information channels
- The Cairns Channel
- Tourist information channel. Available via Telstra
Lasercast to a limited number of hotels in Cairns.
There may also be some other tourist channels in Cairns and
the Gold Coast, aimed mainly at tourists staying in hotels.
3.2 What international channels are
available in Australia?
The following international channels are available in
Australia:
- Antenna
- ART
- BBC World
- Bloomberg Information TV
- The Cartoon Network
- CC TV 4
- CMT
- CNBC Asia Business News
- CNN International
- ESPN
- LBC
- NHK
- RAI
- TNT
- TVB-J
These channels are Australian versions of international
channels:
- Channel [V] Australia
- The Discovery Channel (Australia)
- The Disney Channel
- Encore
- fX
- Hallmark Entertainment Network
- MTV Australia
- National Geographic Channel
- Nickelodeon / Nick At Nite
- Showtime
- Sky News Australia
HBO is available in parts of Asia and New Zealand, however, I
don't know if HBO will be available here.
3.3 What other channels might be available
in Australia in the near future?
Here is a list of channels that will or ought to be available
in Australia in the near future.
Movie Channels
- A movie channel
- Channel 7 intends producing a movie channel featuring MGM
movies by 1999.
Sports channels
- Sky Racing Channel
- Sports channel featuring horse racing, greyhound racing,
etc. Will be available on Foxtel and Optus Vision from
September 5 1998.
- Three new sports channels
- Optus Vision will feature three new sports channels from
August 1, which replace Sports Australia, Sports
Australia 2 and Sports AFL. These are: a sports channel,
a weekend sports channel and a special events sports
channel. These channels may be available on Foxtel from
January 1999.
General entertainment / variety channels
- TBS - Turner Broadcasting System
- A general entertainment channel featuring older and newer
programs from Warner Brothers and Turner. This channel is
rumoured to be coming to Optus Vision in the near future.
- NBC
- This channel has ceased transmission in Asia and has been
replaced there by National Geographic Channel.
- Family Channel Australia
- Family oriented general entertainment. Similar to Family
Channel in the US but with additional Australian
programs. No idea when or if this channel will commence
operation.
- Australia Gold
- Classic Australian programs from the Crawford Library.
- a general entertainment channel
- Channel 7 intends producing a general entertainment
featuring programs from its program library.
Documentary / education channels
- Nature Study Channel
- Documentary and education channel focusing on nature,
wildlife, animals and conservation. This channel was
promised by Optus Vision for late 1996, but so far has
never materialised.
News channels
- World News Channel
- News, including many news programs from around the world
in English and other languages. May be available on
Galaxy, Foxtel, and/or Optus Vision in the future.
- Worldnet
- News, current affairs, US politics and documentaries.
Operated by the US government. May still be available in
Australia to a limited number of homes served by an early
Telstra cable TV trial (may have been discontinued by
now).
Religious channels
- The Christian Channel
- Religious channel. This channel was broadcasting a test
transmission for three days a week during February and
March 1998 but is no longer broadcasting.