FEARS CHANNEL TEN COULD BE AXED IN TWO AUSTRALIAN STATES - AFTER SHUTDOWN IN MAJOR CITY CAUSED OUTRAGE
There are fears for Channel 10's will be axed in two Australian states after the network's broadcast shut down in a major city over the weekend.
Ten stopped airing live in Mildura, Victoria at midnight on Sunday, prompting outrage from locals.
Network 10 does not own its regional stations and relies on distribution from joint-venture operations, with Mildura Digital Television's broadcasts ending due to rising costs.
Now fears have emerged for Ten's future in Tasmania and the Northern Territory as broadcasters are making 'tough decisions' amid the difficult climate.
Ten's The Project shared its fears that similar shutdowns could take place around Australia in a shock ripple effect.
The program claimed the Northern Territory and Tasmania could be next in the firing line, alongside with areas in regional Western Australia.
'It's feared Mildura is just the tip of the iceberg, and similar signal shutdowns could happen across Australia, threatening jobs, and access to local content, news and sport,' the long-running panel show said.
'And next in the firing line? Regional WA, the NT and all of Tasmania.'
In Tasmania, Network 10 operates as Tasmanian Digital Television (TDT) - a joint venture between Southern Cross Austereo and the WIN Network.
However, TDT has acknowledged all regional broadcasters are currently struggling and having to make 'tough' decisions to protect their businesses.
'Like MDT there are a number of joint ventures around Australia that will be running on a knife’s edge and TDT is no exception,' they told Pulse Tasmania.
'While SCA and WIN have no plan for its closure, all ongoing arrangements are very short term. There is constant assessment, not only for TDT, but the future of all regional broadcast services.'
SCA, who own 7 Tasmania and 50 per cent of TDT, said 'no discussions' have taken place about a switch-off but stressed that the government needs to step in to help.
'TDT is profitable. There are no plans for TDT to shut down in the next three years,' a SCA spokesperson told the publication.
Network 10 had to switch-off Mildura's free-to-air signal after asking the government for help, and branded the decision as 'grossly unfair' for the area's 60,000 residents.
The network's affiliate MDT - a joint operation run by Seven and the WIN Network - was forced to stop broadcast after 18 years due to falling advertising revenue and rising costs.
Local viewers have been mourning the loss of some of Ten's hugely popular shows like MasterChef, Australian Survivor and Have You Been Paying Attention?.
Another 500,000 residents in Western Australia narrowly escaped the same fate with Western Digital Television – an affiliate of Ten owned by WIN and Seven West Media.
The operator ditched its July 1 switch-off plans thanks to last-minute funding from the Federal Government in a $32.9million seven-year lifeline, according to AFR.
Mildura's 60,000 residents were left enraged by the decision to switch off the area's free-to-air signal, leaving them only able to view the channel online via 10Play.
Residents no longer have access to Ten or its BOLD and Peach channels, and viewers complained that the decision isolates fans who don't have smart TVs or aren't tech-savvy.
'I feel sad for the region not just myself,' Elizabeth - a resident in the Mildura area - told TV Tonight about the switch off.
Another local, called Nikki, added: 'On a social scale, it affects those who can't afford smart TVs and internet connections the most.
'And those who aren't digitally savvy. It reinforces both social and geographic disadvantage in our region.'
Resident Cindy added the decision was a 'shame' and pointed out that for years, Channel Nine was the only commercial station available in the area.
'And it was only in my early 20s that we even got Channel Seven,' she told TV Tonight.
Though they still have access to 10Play, some locals argued that internet speeds around Mildura, which is 541kms from Melbourne, are not always reliable and say watching live is their best option.
Last month, Network 10 urgently called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for 'urgent' assistance to help prevent the switch off.
In May, Mildura Digital Television announced they were shutting down on June 30, with Network 10 sharing their disappointment over their inability to keep broadcasting in the area.
'We remain bitterly disappointed that the people of Mildura won't have the same access to all free-to-air broadcast channels as people living in cities,' a Network 10 spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
'This is grossly unfair for those people but also for all regional Australians.
'We continue to call on the Federal Government to intervene and ensure that every Australian, no matter where they live or how much they earn, has the same access to all local free to air TV broadcast channels and the local content they love and enjoy such as vital news and emergency information, epic sports, comedies and entertainment.
'It's also a reality check for the Federal Government who must listen and act now to update the impending prominence laws to ensure every connected TV in Australian homes today and in the future, has local free to air apps like 10 Play automatically downloaded and easily accessible on screens.'
Chris Halios-Lewis, Mildura Digital Television's chairman and WIN's chief financial officer explained that the decision to switch off was down to commercial reasons.
'The state of the regional advertising market means MDT is unable to justify the cross subsidy of delivering Ten programs to the Mildura television market,' the Australian Financial Review reported in May.
He added: 'Without the subsidy provided by the joint venture owners, MDT will be insolvent and no longer a going concern.'
The future of the embattled Network 10 is uncertain as it continues to bleed television shows, amid sliding ratings and an ad revenue crisis.
In May, on-air talent Dave Hughes and Osher Günsberg publicly confirmed two of Channel Ten's biggest reality TV shows, The Masked Singer and The Bachelor, have been axed from the network.
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