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66 channels
Australian television strikes a fascinating balance between its public service stalwarts and fiercely competitive commercial networks. The ABC, Australia's public broadcaster, delivers a broad diet of news, current affairs, and homegrown dramas, often with a distinct national voice. Then there's SBS, the Special Broadcasting Service, a genuine outlier in the global landscape; it’s a multicultural network broadcasting in dozens of languages, championing diversity through subtitled foreign dramas, documentaries, and news bulletins tailored for specific communities. This commitment to multilingual content truly sets Australian TV apart from many Anglophone nations, acknowledging the country's diverse linguistic fabric that includes communities speaking languages like Bengali, Bosnian, Hindi, and Malay. On the commercial front, Seven, Nine, and Ten wage a nightly war for eyeballs. Primetime generally kicks off around 7:00 PM with blockbuster reality formats – think local versions of MasterChef or The Block – followed by domestic dramas or imported series. News is a big deal, with the 6:00 PM bulletins being fiercely contested territory for network bragging rights. Sports, however, are arguably the biggest draw. Aussie Rules Football and Rugby League dominate winter weekends, while cricket reigns supreme in summer. Free-to-air broadcasters often carry major games, embedding sport deep into the national viewing habit. While international content from the UK and US is plentiful and almost exclusively subtitled (dubbing is generally reserved for kids' shows), there’s a strong appetite for local productions. Iconic soap operas like Home and Away have shaped generations, and contemporary dramas often reflect uniquely Australian stories and landscapes. This mix of public service, commercial rivalry, multicultural outreach, and a deep love for sport creates a TV culture that feels both familiar to global audiences and distinctively Australian.