CDT (TV station)

CDT is an Australian digital television station broadcasting in remote central and eastern Australia. It is jointly owned by Southern Cross Austereo (owner of Southern Cross Central) and Imparja Television Pty Ltd (owner of Imparja Television) and operates under the company name Central Digital Television.[1]

IDQ / CDT

IDQ: Mount Isa, Queensland CDT: Remote Central and Eastern Australia
Channels	Digital: Various Virtual: 10
Programming
Affiliations	10
Ownership
Owner	Southern Cross Austereo Imparja Television Pty Ltd (Central Digital Television Pty Ltd)
History
First air date	30 June 2010 (30 June 2010)
Call sign meaning	IDQ: ITQ Digital Queensland CDT: Central Digital Television

The station is available via satellite and terrestrial platforms[2] and free-to-air on a number of digital terrestrial transmitters, in remote areas of Australia.

The station is similar to other joint venture services already available in Tasmania, Mildura, Darwin and Western Australia. Officially, the service's call sign is CDT in the Remote Central and Eastern Australia TV2 licence areas, and IDQ in the Mount Isa TV1 licence area (reflecting the status of existing Southern Cross Television station ITQ).

History

Central Digital Television began broadcasting Ten Central, One HD and One SD as digital satellite channels on 30 June 2010, the same day as the Viewer Access Satellite Television service was partially launched. Southern Cross Central and Imparja Television also commenced broadcasting digital satellite channels on the same day. The launch of the commercial digital channels coincided with the first analog television transmitter switch off in Mildura, Victoria. This was so viewers in the area who lost adequate television coverage were able to utilise VAST as an alternative source.[3]

On 10 December 2010, VAST officially launched and began granting access to viewers in the Remote Central and Eastern Australia licence areas. This brought digital television to satellite viewers in the Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia for the first time.[3] Digital terrestrial transmissions began in Alice Springs, Northern Territory and Mount Isa, Queensland on 2 May 2011,[4] with other areas launching between 2012 and 2013.

Programming

CDT is affiliated to Network Ten, but sources programming from two stations. Ten Central North is based on TVQ Brisbane, and airs Ten Eyewitness News Brisbane nightly at 5pm, as well as sports and events live in the Brisbane market. Ten Central South, Eleven and One are based on TEN Sydney, including news and sports such as Ten Eyewitness News Sydney. Both Ten Central channels also air programming produced by Southern Cross Austereo. Eleven is the same as it is in every region.

Availability

Terrestrial

Central Digital Television broadcasts free-to-air digital television channels Ten Central, One and Eleven via terrestrial transmissions in many regional cities and towns. The service is licensed to broadcast within the Remote Central and Eastern Australia TV2 and Mt Isa TV1 licence areas,[5] which include Alice Springs, Bourke, Ceduna, Charleville, Coober Pedy, Cooktown, Katherine, Longreach, Mount Isa, Roma and Weipa, as well as others.[6]

Satellite

A digital satellite transmission of CDT's channels is available free-to-view on the VAST service in all states and territories of Australia, except Western Australia. One is broadcast as a single high definition channel to all viewers, while Ten Central and Eleven are each split into two separate standard definition channels.[2] Ten Central North and Eleven North are broadcast in Australian Eastern Standard Time for viewers in Northern Territory and Queensland (Northern Australia TV3 licence area), and Ten Central South and Eleven South in Australian Eastern Summer Time for viewers in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Norfolk Island (South Eastern Australia TV3 licence area).

See also

• Network Ten
• Southern Cross Central
• Imparja Television

External links

• Central Digital Television
• Southern Cross Austereo

References

1. "New digital-only service coming to remote central and eastern Australia". Australian Broadcasting and Media Authority. 19 May 2010. Archived from the original on 25 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
2. "Viewer Access Satellite Television service for Central and Eastern Australia". digitalready.gov.au. March 2013. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
3. "Annual Report 2010/2011: Broadcasting and Digital Television". Department of Communications (previously DBCDE). October 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
4. "Commercial digital television services switch on in Alice Springs and Mt Isa on 2 May". Australian Communications and Media Authority. 29 April 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
5. "Commercial TV Broadcasting Licences" (PDF). Australian Communications and Media Authority. 1 August 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
6. "Imparja's Plan for Digital Broadcasting" (PDF). Imparja Television. July 2010. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2013.