TV

While Australian television became famous around the world for shows such as Neighbours and Home and Away, intriguingly, both shows which were made for export rather than to thrill Aussie audiences,  Australian free-to-air TV isn’t going to win an award anytime soon. According to The Australian national newspaper, “Across the networks there is little to excite for next year (2009). Television audiences may find themselves disappointed as the same old fare is served up again.” Sound familiar? However, criticism aside there is plenty of options available to you and plenty of recognisable favourites which you’ll still be able to view.

As with most countries, Aussie TV is split between free-to-air channels, of which there are five Channels 7,9, 10, SBS and ABC and the paid for options, which are Austar (the largest) and Foxtel, both essentially Australia’s versions of Sky TV, and which cover different areas of the country. These offer a wide variety of shows and packages, including the usual sport, movie, news, documentary and music channels.

Interestingly there is also SelecTV which offer viewers a mix of channels from around the world, including foreign language stations. Available throughout Australia there are Greek, Italian and Spanish packages on offer, as well as some UK channels.

While there is a mix of movies, current affair shows, soaps and news on freeview, as with much of today’s television, reality TV seems to rule the airwaves. There are also many mainstream shows that will strike a chord with European audiences, such as Masterchef, Big Brother, Ten Years Younger in Ten Days and From Ladette to Lady, as well as the usual smash-hit American shows, such as CSI.

Depending on where you live, there are a huge number of regional channels to choose from. You can find out more about these at yourTV.com.au which offers an overview of the entire Australian TV network.