Community TV offered last-minute lifeline

Just days before community television’s 1 July deadline to vacate the terrestrial spectrum, the aging sector has been given a lifeline.

Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield announced that the Turnbull Government would be providing community television broadcasters in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth with a further six months to transition their services to online streaming.

“The decision has been taken following representations from Coalition and crossbench colleagues,” he said.

Broadcasters were first notified in 2014 that they would have to vacate by 31 December 2015 and use the internet as their distribution platform.

They were granted a further 18 months and additional government funding of up to $450,000 to assist with the transition.

Now, an extension through to 31 December 2017 will enable stations in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth to finalise arrangements. Stations in Sydney and Brisbane have also transferred to online-only.

“Spectrum is a scarce and valuable community resource which the Government needs to manage in a way that delivers best value to the Australian public,” Fifield’s statement explained.

According to OzTAM ratings data from 2009-2013, community television’s peak prime time audience declined over that period from an average of 9,000 viewers to 6,000 viewers when all five services were operating. As of 2016, this figure had further declined to 4,000 viewers.

The government is now considering a variety of options for using the vacated broadcast spectrum, including for the trialling of next-generation broadcasting technologies that could enable new services for viewers, such as the terrestrial broadcast of ultra-high definition 4K television.

Community television channel C31 Melbourne and Geelong welcomed the government’s decision, believing that their vocal supporters had most likely had an impact on the government’s change of heart.

“We will use the next six months to continue the progress we’ve made over the last three years, whilst giving us along with our friends at WTV in Perth and Channel 44 in Adelaide a fighting chance to make an online transition work,” they explained in a statement.

PHOTO: C31 Melbourne (Facebook)