Media Release

Improved Digital TV services for Northern NSW

Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, today said residents of Northern NSW can look forward to improved digital TV services in 2012.

Areas of Northern New South Wales including the North West Slopes and Plains, Northern Rivers, Richmond/Tweed, and Hunter districts are scheduled to switch off analog TV at the end of 2012. An exact date for the switchover in the Northern NSW region will be announced within the coming months.

The switchover for Northern NSW – the 6th switchover area – will result in a vastly improved viewing experience for over 540,000 households across the region and bring the area into line with one million households across the nation already enjoying the benefits of digital only free to air services.

“In preparation for switchover in Northern NSW local broadcasters are making significant infrastructure investments across the region, including upgrading local self-help transmission towers and establishing new digital TV services across Northern NSW,” Senator Conroy said.

Local broadcasters have confirmed their plans to work with tower owners to upgrade the following self-help towers across the region. Self help towers are typically owned by local councils and currently only able to broadcast analog TV.

Hunter                                   

• Stroud

Northern Rivers

• Elizabeth Beach and Pacific Palms
• Forster
• Maclean/Ashby
• Smiths Lake

North West Slopes and Plains

• Armidale North
• Uralla
• Warialda

Richmond Tweed

• Byron Bay
• Ocean Shores

Broadcasters have also confirmed the following locations as likely candidates for the establishment of new digital TV services. New digital TV services will be established by broadcasters in the following areas where there has previously been poor, or in some cases no, television coverage.

Hunter

• Anna Bay
• Belmont North
• Broken Back
• Warners Bay

Northern Rivers

• Boambee Peak
• Emerald Heights/Forest Glen
• Woolgoolga

“I applaud local broadcasters for their work in planning and negotiating with local communities across the region in anticipation for the upcoming switchover,” Senator Conroy explained.

“The partnership between Government and Broadcasters will mean that for the first time all households in Northern NSW will be able to watch the same number of digital TV channels as people in Newcastle or Sydney.”

Further details on these site upgrades will be provided as plans are developed.

Households in areas unable to receive terrestrial reception will not miss out and will be eligible to access the Government’s Viewer Access Satellite Television (VAST) service.

The Government funded VAST service provides all 16 free-to-air digital channels from the ABC, SBS and commercial broadcasters, plus a dedicated regional news channel and is working to close the divide that has existed for so long between rural and urban Australia.

The Government’s Satellite Subsidy Scheme is available to households that move to VAST as a result of self-help towers not being upgraded to digital by broadcasters.

“The Australian Government is committed to ensuring all Australian’s have access to digital TV and by the end of 2012, will have assisted five regions and over 1.9 million households across Australia in transitioning to a new era of digital-only TV,” Senator Conroy said.

For more information about the Digital Switchover  visit the Digital Ready Website www.digitalready.gov.au or call the Digital Ready Information Line 1800 20 10 13.

Date: 23 January 2012
Contact: Philip Dalidakis 0406 202 343