Freeview (Australia)

This article is about the Australian digital terrestrial television brand. For other uses of the branding, see Freeview.

Freeview Australia Limited
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryDigital television
Founded24 November 2008
Headquarters
Sydney
,
Australia
Area served
Australia
Websitewww.freeview.com.au

Freeview is the brand name of the digital terrestrial television platform in Australia intended to bring all of free-to-air (FTA) broadcasters onto a consistent marketing platform, to compete against subscription television, in particular Foxtel. The strategy coincided with the expansion to 3 digital channels for each FTA network and the phasing out of analogue television in Australia. Important services from Freeview include its free-to-air channels with an enhanced EPG (electronic program guide) across all channels. Freeview also certifies televisions, set-top boxes and personal video recorders (PVR) which meet its standards.

The Freeview brand was launched in November 2008 with teaser commercials promising 15 channels in 2009. The first new "Freeview" channel started on 26 March 2009 with Network 10's 10 Bold channel. Further advertising began on 26 April 2009, with the first Freeview certified devices appearing in retailers from May 2009. In June 2010, the second phase of devices, marked as "Freeview EPG" devices, became available in retail stores, designed to work with the newly launched interactive EPG built on MHEG-5.[1] This Freeview EPG ceased operating on 24 November 2017,[2] and Freeview is now focusing on its new Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) FreeviewPlus service which was launched in 2014 and incorporates an onscreen guide.[3]

  1. ^ Kidman, Angus (28 June 2010). "Freeview Finally Rolls Out Its EPG". Lifehacker Australia. Archived from the original on 1 July 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  2. ^ "Freeview announcement sunset MHEG" (Press release). Freeview Australia. 24 November 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  3. ^ Turner, Adam (11 September 2014). "Catch-up television service FreeviewPlus has lift-off". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 16 September 2014.