Conroy Tells Australians To Get Ready For Digital TV

Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Stephen Conroy, yesterday launched a new campaign, aimed towards getting Australia ready for digital television.

It will includes TV, radio and on-line ads as well as a system of equipment labelling and training for retail staff and will start this week. It is designed topromote the benefits of digital television over analog TV.

Conroy said, "Digital TV means new content, better sound and vision, and additional features for television viewers. From this week a campaign will begin to help Australia get ready for digital. There is no reason for people to wait to experience the benefits."

Education of consumers was the campaign’s main aim, he said: "For most people getting ready for digital will be a simple and inexpensive task but it is important that all Australians are well informed to make the switch. The digital television switchover is our biggest national format change since the swap to decimal currency and it is important that Australia get ready."

ABC KIDS Digital TV Channel - Born Again!

It's was on air when Australian digital TV broadcasts were in their infancy, circa 2003.
When people asked what new stations they could get with a digital box the ABC proudly put their hand up and directed them to their digital only channel, ABC Kids. But a couple of years later it was canned, due to "lack of government funding".

With the 2013 analogue TV switch-off looming, government is again looking at ways to convince the Australian viewing public that they really need digital TV. How will they do that? By providing extra services that are only available on digital. What a stroke of genius! Some fresh ideas! (unfortunately the same fresh ideas that were around even before digital began broadcasting.)

And guess what? ABC Kids is back!

At the Australian Broadcasting Summit held in Sydney on Wednesday, Australian Broadcasting Corporation MD, Mark Scott was quoted as saying, "We believe - as the government faces the challenge of driving audiences to take up digital television, to upgrade their television set or to buy a set top box - the biggest driver of that will be content," he said.
"The single biggest driver of the take-up of digital television would be the creation of a stand-alone television service for children by the ABC.
"Our content would be largely Australian content, we'd be commissioning more content that would see us working with the independent productions sector, providing a stimulus there.
"It would be commercial free and available in every Australian home."

Hmmm.....so ABC Kids is here for good this time? We'll wait and see....

ABC Digital TV Funding Delay

Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy says he recognises that the digital ambitions of the ABC have been constrained by funding.

Speaking at a subscription television conference in Sydney, Senator Conroy said pay TV had led the way in delivering new technology and innovation in digital TV.

The planned April launch of children’s channel ABC3 was put on hold after a Howard government election pledge to fund it was not matched by Labor.

Senator Conroy says the Government will concentrate on honouring its election promises in the May Budget, with the ABC’s three-year funding next up for consideration in 2009.

“The triennial funding for the ABC is in next year’s Budget, so there’ll be negotiations in the next 12 months I would imagine,” he said.

“The ABC will, I’m sure, present a very strong case about why their triennial funding envelope should be increased.”

Original story from The LAMP Watercooler 18th March 2008

Australian Broadcasting Corporation to Launch New Childrens Digital TV Channel

Federal Communications Minister Helen Coonan announced last Friday that the federal government would give $82 million to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to create a digital children's channel.

It would operate 15 hours a day and deliver programming for children up to 17 years of age.

Being commercial free, children would not be exposed to junk food advertising and other undesirable content.

The new service could be in operation by next year and would be expected to boost to the uptake of digital TV. It would also create opportunities for local producers of children’s TV.