PacificAus TV Initiative to Boost Australian Content in Pacific Markets

The newly established PacificAus TV initiative will provide free access to premium Australian television programs to broadcasters across the Pacific.

The initiative enables additional Australian content to be provided to existing Pacific broadcasters to air within their program schedules. It begins with audiences in Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, and, over the coming months, PacificAus TV will also roll out to additional Pacific nations, including Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru.

PacificAus TV came from a partnership between Free TV Australia and the Federal Government. PacificAus TV has sourced content from Australian commercial television networks and other content providers to supply Pacific partner broadcasters with premium Australian content across the Pacific, free of charge.

The aim is for 1,000-plus hours of Australian television content to be provided each year for the next three years, covering lifestyle programs, factual programs, children’s programs, drama, reality TV and sport. Programs include Neighbours, Better Homes & Gardens, Totally Wild, Border Security, 60 Minutes, The Voice, MasterChef, 800 Words, Paramedics and LEGO Masters. Regarding sports, Free TV Australia is in the process of finalizing agreements for live matches and review shows from Australian sporting codes, including football, netball, cricket, rugby league and AFL.

The initiative is worth A$17.1 million over three years.

Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said: “Our close neighbors across the Pacific can now enjoy more Australian television content including lifestyle programs, news, drama and sports on their local free-to-air television stations through the initiative. I want to acknowledge the efforts of Free TV, which made this possible.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, said: “Having the opportunity to watch the same stories on our screens will only deepen the connection with our Pacific family. For decades, many Pacific countries have had access to Australian programs and televised sporting matches and this initiative will expand those entertainment options.”

Assistant Defence Minister and Minister for International Development and the Pacific, the Hon Alex Hawke MP, added: “The PacificAus TV initiative is a terrific demonstration of shared cultural ties and links between Australia and the Pacific. While Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Fiji are the first to switch on to the Pacific TV initiative, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru will follow in the coming months,” Minister Hawke said.

“We are excited to share with our Pacific neighbors so many of the quality television programs that Australian audiences know and love,” said Bridget Fair, CEO of Free TV Australia. “Through our Pacific partner broadcasters PacificAus TV will offer the best of Australian drama, entertainment, children’s programming, sport and lifestyle shows to viewers in our region.”