The ABC's coverage of Sydney New Year's Eve is widely panned for the second consecutive year, with criticism of technical issues, lame skits and awkward interviews. Ratings were however slightly higher than the previous year.
The City of Sydney announces it will put its 2015–16 Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks coverage to tender, following the conclusion of ABC's two-year contract.
OzTAM reveals final ratings data for the 2014 television year, which takes into account consolidated viewing figures. It shows Seven Network was the most watched network with 30.1% share, Channel Seven was most watched primary channel with 21.7% share and GO! the most watched multichannel with 4.7% share. The most watched program of 2014 was the 2014 AFL Grand Final at 2,828,000 metro viewers. The Nine Network won all three key demographics except 55+ which was won by Seven Network. The most watched non-sport program (and second overall) was the announcement of the winners of My Kitchen Rules with 2,712,000 viewers. The highest-rated multichannel program was day six of the 2014 Commonwealth Games with 582,000 viewers on One, and The Hunger Games movie was most watched non-sport program with 458,000 viewers on GO! The second round semi-final AFL match between Hawthorn Hawks and Port Adelaide was most watched program on subscription television with 479,000 viewers on Fox Footy, and sport made up the entire list of top-20 most watched programs on Foxtel.
Foxtel's movie streaming service Presto launches a television spin-off of its movie streaming service entitled Preto TV, as a joint venture with Seven West Media, the first of three major streaming companies launching in early 2015.
Channel Seven, Channel Nine and ABC Brisbane, as well as ABC News 24 and Sky News Australia nationally, broadcast coverage of the 2015 Queensland state election. Nine's coverage of 146,000 metro Brisbane viewers outrages other local coverage, with ABC News 24 outrating Sky News in national coverage.
Seven aired Super Bowl XLIX for the first time, as part of a five-year broadcast deal with the NFL, shared with ESPN. It would be watched by 354,000 viewers on Seven (up 144,000 viewers on the previous year broadcast on One), and another 94,000 on ESPN.
In a rare programming move, Channel Seven will not air a traditional 6pm Seven News bulletin in capital cities, instead airing a documentary Inside the Siege: The Untold Story, featuring exclusive interviews with Melissa Doyle on the survivors of the 2014 Martin Place siege.
The second part of telemovie The House of Hancock goes to air with last minute edits and a disclaimer, following legal action from the series' subject Gina Rinehart, on the grounds of defamation.
Millionaire Hot Seat gives away $540,000 to a contestant, a record for both the show and Australian afternoon game shows, eclipsing $535,500 given away by rival show Million Dollar Minute five months earlier.
Channels Seven, Nine and the ABC in Sydney, as well as ABC News 24 and Sky News Live nationally, will provide coverage of the 2015 NSW state election. ABC Sydney's coverage was most watched with 157,000 viewers while Sky's national coverage rated lowest with 49,000 viewers.
The final of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup becomes the most watched event of the year to date, with an average estimated 3.81 million national viewers watching the event between both Channel Nine and Fox Sports.
It is revealed Prime Minister Tony Abbott will meet in private with the CEOs of Seven, Nine and Ten during the week ahead to discuss possible media reform, which could result in mergers between companies.
Dee and Darren Jolly win The Block taking home A$935,000 following the auction, the highest win in the shows' history. Collectively, the four couples took home $3,165,000 making it the most money given away in a single episode by any television program worldwide.
Residents from the Sydney suburb of Mount Druitt and the Mayor of Blacktown Stephen Bali lead a call for SBS ONE to dump its three part series Struggle Street, labelling it "poverty porn" and saying the series unfairly portrayed participants in the docu-series and stereotyping locals. Blacktown Council stages a protest using garbage trucks outside SBS offices in Artarmon. The series goes to air as planned, winning its timeslot nationally and is the most watched program on television that night in Sydney, with the controversy claimed for the record ratings.
The Government cuts AU$1 million in funding to Screen Australia, who in turn warn it may result in reduced funding of Australian produced television programs.
SBS will broadcast the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals and finals live for the first time in Australia, with Australia competing and voting for the first time in the annual event.
The Morning Show regular and radio presenter Glenn Wheeler speaks for the first time since awaking from a coma following a motorcycle accident in January.
Sunrise co-host David Koch quits as chairman of the Organ and Tissue Authority after a Today Tonight story questioned the group's spending of public money, and additionally lashes out at Assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash for launching an inquiry after being lobbied by a third party lobby group.
A2 Milk Company begins legal precedings against ABC program The Checkout, accusing the program of deceptive and misleading conduct, which the ABC will defend.
Foxtel announces it will purchase a 15% stake of Ten Network Holdings for AU$77 million. The deal also sees Ten take a 24.99% stake in Multi Channel Network (MCN) and the option to take a 10% stake in Presto within two years.
No Victorian horse races will be broadcast on television due to the Racing Victoria failing to get all Melbourne clubs support for a new broadcast deal with the Seven Network at the same time a deal with existing broadcaster Sky Racing expired.
Seven News Sydney presenter Mark Ferguson renews his contract with the Seven Network with a record AU$1.75 million a year for the next five years. They have also signed Ferguson to host the advertisements for the network's Sydney News Bulletin.
Racing Victoria gets all its members to agree to a new broadcast deal, which allows all Victorian horse racing events to be broadcast after a one-week absence. Races will be broadcast on a new Seven West Media owned digital channel which will officially launch in August.
The ABC is widely criticised for allowing convicted criminal Zaky Mallah to ask a question of the panel on Q&A. During the live program, Mallah suggests the actions of the Australian Government meant Muslims were justified in joining terrorist group Islamic State. The Government launches an inquiry into the ABC's handling of the incident and security procedures at the broadcater's Ultimo studios.
The Seven Network's Martin Place newsroom is evacuated following an electrical fault. The network's Sydney news bulletin fails to get to air, with the Melbourne bulletin airing for 30 minutes in Sydney followed by an episode of Border Security: International.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott demands his frontbench ministry boycott Q&A following Zaky Mallah's controversial appearance on the program two weeks prior.
The Australian Government announces it will review local content laws, following complaints by the Australian production industry that networks are using New Zealand content to fulfill local content quotas, which count as Australian productions under the Australia-NZ Economic Trade Agreement.
The Seven Network launches court action against the Nine Network, claiming the latter's new reality cooking series The Hot Plate has infringed the copyright of Seven's My Kitchen Rules.
The Seven Network, Foxtel and Telstra announce a new AFL broadcasting deal, totalling AU$2.508 billion (or $418 million per year) for the 2017–2022 seasons.
Channel Seven announces it has acquired the broadcast rights for the first 7 seasons of The Big Bang Theory, after a deal with distributor Warner Bros starting in October. The Nine Network previously had full rights.
Personalities and staff from Seven, Nine, TEN, ABC, 2UE, 2GB, Fairfax and News Corp gather for a benefit to support The Morning Show regular Glenn Wheeler, who is recovering from an accident earlier in the year.
Network Ten gets an injunction against the Daily Mail Australia after the latter publishes photos looking through a hotel window of the final couple of The Bachelorette before the show's finale aired.
Channel Seven, 7two and 7mate officially launch a live stream online, geo-located to local markets, although channel streaming is available in the week before the official launch.
The Block contestant Suzi Taylor is taken to hospital following being found unconscious on the set of the program. She was released the same day suffering exhaustion.
Changes by the Australian Communications & Media Authority to the commercial television code of practice come into effect, with sweeping changes including allowing M and MA15+ rated programs to air an hour earlier from 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm respectively, PG rated programs to air all day, dumping the AV15+ rating as well as changes to alcohol and gambling advertising.
In the Mid-Year Economic Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) released by the Federal Government, Screen Australia cops a $10.3 million cut, the third cut in under two years. Additionally, SBS gains $4.1 million.
For the 2015 calendar year, the Seven Network had the highest consolidated metro ratings share with 29% of the audience. Channel Seven was the most watched primary channel (20.4% share) and 7Two was the most watched multichannel (4.7% share). Of the twenty most watched programs, 13 programs were sports coverage, including the most watched program being the 2015 AFL Grand Final with 2.64 million viewers. The highest rated non-sport program was the announcement of the seventh season winner of MasterChef Australia with 2.2 million viewers.[159]
On subscription television, all but one of the top twenty most watched titles was sport, including the 2015 Cricket World Cup Final on Fox Sports 3, which topped the list with 616,000 viewers. The only non-sport program making the list was Game of Thrones which averaged 356,000 across its season.[159]
Criterion for inclusion in the following list is that Australian premiere episodes will air in Australia for the first time on a new channel. This includes when a program is moved from a free-to-air network's primary channel to a digital multi-channel, as well as when a program moves between subscription television channels – provided the preceding criterion is met. Ended television series which change networks for repeat broadcasts are not included in the list.
List of domestic television series which changed network affiliation
This is a list of programs which made their premiere on Australian free-to-air television that had previously premiered on Australian subscription television. Programs may still air on the original subscription television network.
List of international television programs which premiered on free-to-air television for the first time
This is a list of programs which made their debut on Australian subscription television, having previously premiered on Australian free-to-air television. Programs may still air (first or repeat) on the original free-to-air television network.
List of international television programs which premiered on subscription television for the first time
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