Network Ten to Launch New Terrestrial Channel TEN-HD

SYDNEY, September 17:
Australia’s Network Ten has announced plans to launch the new free-to-air
channel TEN-HD in December, which will offer its signature programs in
high-definition.

TEN-HD is Australia’s
first new commercial free-to-air television channel for the major mainland
metro markets in more than 40 years. For substantial periods of the day, TEN-HD
will break away from TEN's primary channel, offering alternative programming
and themed events focusing on genres such as live sport, entertainment, movies,
documentaries and science fiction. Each week, there will be 50 hours of
programming that won’t be broadcast on the main TEN channel. The schedule will
also include 11 hours of time-shifted programming per week, including TEN’s 5
p.m. News, and themed nights such as “Sci-Fi Saturday.” There will also be
extensions of TEN's big-event franchises, such as The Biggest Loser, Australian Idol, Big Brother and So You Think You Can Dance, along with HD documentary content from National Geographic.

Many of TEN's leading
shows are already in HD, comprising a substantial portion of the schedule,
including AFL, Australian
Idol, House, NCIS,
Californication, 9 a.m. with
David & Kim and Totally
Wild. All of TEN's current U.S.
shows, with the exception of animated programs such as The Simpsons and Futurama, are supplied in HD, and increasingly TEN is commissioning local
programs in that format. For
example, from next year, Neighbours
and the new “docu-comedy”

series from the creators
of Kenny will be shot in HD.
Early this year, TEN increased its transmission quality to 1920 pixels by 1080i
and 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, and is the only Australian network transmitting
this internationally accepted "true, full HD" broadcast standard.

Industry figures from
Digital Broadcasting Australia show that by March 2007, 28 percent of
Australian homes had free-to-view digital television, with HD-receiving
equipment comprising the fastest-growing segment of the market. Given the rate
of take-up, the Australian Digital Suppliers Industry Forum (ADSIF) predicts
that almost 10 million flat panel HD TVs will be purchased in Australia by
2012. At this rate, ADSIF estimates there will be at least one HD TV in the
vast majority of Australia's eight million homes in only five years.

Grant
Blackley, the CEO of TEN, said: "TEN-HD will excite and entertain
audiences across Australia like never before. We are no longer bound by a
single linear channel, and TEN-HD is a natural next step in our goal to make
our content as widely available as possible to consumers. TEN has always been
Australia's digital pioneer. We were the first network to start broadcasting in
digital, the first to launch a high-definition demonstration service, and we
remain the only Australian network transmitting in full HD and offering live HD
sport. Now, we'll be first to
market with a break-away HD channel, delivering unprecedented free
entertainment choice to Australian consumers. While viewers will continue to be able to enjoy everything
they know and love about TEN, they will also have an exciting new TEN channel
in TEN-HD. Best of all, TEN-HD is free, with no ongoing fees to pay."