Timeline of Australian Television

2000s

15 September: The 2000 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony is broadcast by the Seven Network - one of the highest-rating programs ever shown on Australian television.

1 January: Digital terrestrial television is introduced to audiences in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
8 June: Prime Television axes local news services in Canberra, Wollongong and Newcastle.
4 September: Southern Cross Broadcasting acquires Telecasters Australia, gaining control of Ten Queensland, Ten Northern NSW, Seven Darwin and Seven Central.
1 August: ABC Television launches its first digital-only multichannel, the ABC Kids Channel.
1 November: Fly TV, sister channel to ABC Kids, launches.

18 February: Prime Television New Zealand and Publishing and Broadcasting Limited form a partnership for the supply of Nine Network programming to the New Zealand network.
1 April: Southern Cross Broadcasting acquires Spencer Gulf Telecasters, gaining control of Central GTS/BKN in parts of regional South Australia and Broken Hill.
22 June: The SBS World News Channel is officially launched by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Richard Alston.
22 November: Ten Capital's local news bulletin, Ten Capital News, is axed.

22 May: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation decides to close the ABC Kids Channel and Fly TV.
22 December: Tasmanian Digital Television, a Network Ten affiliate, launches.

17 March: Trial datacast service Digital Forty Four begins in Sydney.
23 April: Community station C31 Adelaide launches.
18 July: Senator Helen Coonan becomes the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

7 March: ABC2 launches with an episode of Landline at 6.35 am.
10 March: ABC2 is officially inaugurated by Senator Helen Coonan, at the Australian Parliament House in Canberra.
1 July: The Australian Broadcasting Authority and Australian Communications Authority are replaced by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
21 November: Community station Television Sydney commences broadcasting.
12 December: The Australian Government renews ABC Television's contract to manage the Asia Pacific television service for five years, providing A$100 million in funding.

1 January: Mildura Digital Television, a Network Ten affiliate, launches.
8 February: Prime Television Limited sells Prime Television New Zealand to Sky Television for NZ$30 million.
18 July: Play School celebrates 40 years
16 September: Australian Television's 50th anniversary.

13 March: Channels are reserved for the introduction of digital television to remote areas such as Alice Springs, Mount Isa, and regional Western Australia.
28 March: The Australian Communications and Media Authority extends Digital Forty Four's trial datacast license.
18 May: ACMA grants a license to Darwin Digital Television, owned by PBL Media and Southern Cross Broadcasting.
30 May: Southern Cross Broadcasting announces the sale of Adelaide station NWS-9 to WIN Television for $105 million.
8 June: WIN Television completes its takeover of STW-9 Perth for $163.1 million.
13 June: C31 Adelaide's trial license is extended for a further twelve months.
13 July: National Indigenous Television launches as Australia's 'third public broadcaster'.
14 September: Network Ten announces Ten HD.
15 September: The Seven Media Group announces a high definition multichannel, to be launched in December 2007.
23 September: The Australian Government proposes a relaunch of the ABC Kids Channel, to be called ABC3.
15 October: The Seven Media Group launch Seven HD, a high definition multichannel.
16 December: Network Ten launch Ten HD, a high definition multichannel.
18 December: Minister for Communications, Stephen Conroy announces switch-off of analogue television signals will take place between 2010 and 2013.

1 January: ABC TV becomes ABC1 and changes its logo along with ABC2.
7 March: The Nine Network launches its new high definition multichannel, Nine HD.
28 April: Darwin Digital Television, a Network Ten affiliate, is launched.
7 May: SBS TV changes its logo and its on-air look and along with it comes a new slogan - "Six Billion Stories and Counting" and SBS HD become 720p.
3 August: Nine airs the last ever edition of long-running Canberra-based political program, Sunday after 27 years.
8 – 24 August: SBS TV partners up with the Seven Network for joint coverage of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
20 October: Nine relaunches National Nine News as Nine News.
24 November: Freeview Australia is launched across Australia at 6:29pm

26 March: Ten's sports channel One HD launches - the first commercial digital-only network in Australia.
3 May: Nine launches The Morning News Hour and The Late News (renamed Nightline)
1 June: SBS TV becomes SBS One and SBS Two launches on digital television.
9 August: Nine's first general entertainment digital channel GO! launches on Channel 99 in Metro and Channel 88 in Regional.
1 November: Seven's first general entertainment digital channel 7TWO launches on Channel 72 in Metro and Channel 62 in Regional.
4 December: ABC3 launches.

Timeline of Australian Television - 2000s