Free TV has proposed a four-step plan to ensure the long-term sustainability of regional television broadcasting as Mildura Digital Television (MDT) prepares to close on 30 June.

The Regional Broadcasting Continuity Bill, introduced recently, contains short-term measures to address the imminent closure of MDT, which from 1 July, will prevent approximately 70,000 people in Mildura from accessing broadcasts from the network, which delivers Network 10 programming to the region.

Bridget Fair, Free TV CEO, said: “The Regional Broadcasting Continuity Bill introduced today contains two short-term legislative tweaks in response to the imminent closure of Midura Digital Television (MDT) on 30 June, but long-term structural measures are now urgently needed to ensure the future viability of regional commercial television services in Australia.”

The current legislation would allow Mildura viewers to install a satellite dish at their own expense to receive the remote area VAST service to replace their Network 10 services. However, Fair agues that this is not a "fair or reasonable solution" given that new satellite installation can cost upwards of $800. “In a cost-of-living crisis this is simply not realistic for many Australians just to access the television services that are available for free to everyone else,” she said.

Fair added that without urgent substantive action by Government, more licence areas are likely to follow. “Regional broadcasting has been the subject of numerous detailed Government reviews conducted by the likes of Korda Mentha and Boston Consulting Group over the past five years. Yet we still have no plan from Government to ensure the long-term sustainability of this critical media sector," said Fair.

According to Free TV, regional commercial broadcasters spent $35 million on local news bulletins in FY23, $5 million more than the previous year. All commercial television broadcasters comply with additional regulatory requirements such as a 55% Australian content obligation and accessibility requirements. Australian commercial television broadcasters pay the highest spectrum taxes in the world.

“With content spend going up, and revenue going down, the costs of providing regional TV services across the wide Australian land mass are a serious concern—particularly when you consider the excessive spectrum tax they pay every year. The tax was introduced as a temporary measure in 2017 and should have been abandoned years ago,” Fair said.

Free TV is also calling on the Government to abolish the spectrum tax, amend the Prominence and Anti-Siphoning Bill, review regulatory imposts on commercial TV stations, and implement direct funding support for markets where services are not commercially viable.

“The solutions to keeping the lights on for regional TV are squarely in the hands and control of the Albanese Government," Fair said. “Regional broadcasters know their audiences love local news, community stories and sport, and that local businesses need regional TV to reach local customers. But without the Government’s long-term support more services are at risk, and these social and economic benefits for regional Australia will be lost”.