Channel
Australia was an Australian
subscription television music channel that was available on
Foxtel
NXE Australia Pty Ltd, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company that operates cable television, direct-broadcast satellite, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April ...
,
Optus TV and
Austar satellite and cable services. It was also previously available in New Zealand on TelstraSaturn's cable TV service in
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
,
Kapiti and
Christchurch
Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
, until a channel shake-up occurred under new owners
TelstraClear in 2002.
Channel
was targeted at the youth market, and played both mainstream and alternative music from local and international artists. Although it used the name Channel
in Australia, it had little association with the
international affiliates and used the name under the license of
News Corporation
The original incarnation of News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp. and also variously known as News Corporation Limited) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media corporation founded and controlled by media mogul Ru ...
via
STAR TV.
Previously called Red, Channel
commenced broadcasting in April 1995 on the now defunct
Galaxy
A galaxy is a Physical system, system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar medium, interstellar gas, cosmic dust, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek ' (), literally 'milky', ...
service. The name change to Channel
came about after owners XYZ Entertainment (now
XYZnetworks) and Channel
International came to agreement over naming rights in March 1997. The first channel manager of Channel
was ex Network TEN Video Hits Producer Donna Andrews. After the successful launch, ex radio man Barry Chapman took over. In 2004, the launch of Foxtel Digital and other digital
cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
and
satellite
A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...
services saw a second
branded channel begin broadcasting called
V Hits (formerly Club
, which is a 24-hour music channel that focuses more on music without TV shows.
Channel
closed on 25 March 2016, replaced with a two-hour timeshift channel of
Hits. Starting from 27 February 2016,
saw programming changes, which included the end of all programs which involved VJs and other personnel. This was followed by the relaunch of
Hits as the main music clip channel, featuring only music videos and countdowns. The closure came as viewers increasingly sought music videos from online sources rather than on television, which had resulted in a steady decline in
s viewership.
As a result of the closure, three staff members were made redundant, and
Danny Clayton's contract with the network (which was set to expire midyear) was not renewed.
However, in 2017 Foxtel refocused
Hits to Foxtel
and
Hits +2 became
+2; a time-shift channel. On 1 July 2020,
was replaced by
NickMusic
Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
, bringing the Channel
brand in Australia to an end after 25 years on television.
s
Previous Current s
*
Danny Clayton (2004 – March 2016)
*
Carissa Walford (July 2011 – March 2016)
*
Generik (April 2015 – March 2016)
*
Bert McCracken (April 2015 – March 2016)
*
Bambi Northwood-Blyth (April 2015 – January 2016)
Former s
*
Marty Smiley (July 2012 – July 2015)
*Tasha Yulia (July 2012 – unknown)
*Megan Connolly
*Billy Russell (December 2009 – 2013)
*
Jane Gazzo (May 2007 – June 2012)
*
Kyle Linahan (July 2009 – June 2011)
*
Renee Bargh
Renee Bargh (born 18 October 1986) is an Australian entertainment reporter, who is best known as a host of ''Channel V Australia, Channel Australia''. She is currently the weekend co-host and correspondent for ''Extra (American TV program ...
(March 2008 – June 2010)
*Nick Bennett
*Kelly Burchill
*Stephen Bourke
*Alle Brunning
*
Maynard
*Mary Datoc
*
Andrew G
Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...
*Donna Gubbay
*Nathan Harvey
*
Deni Hines
*Kyla Irlam
*
Jabba
*
Maya Jupiter
*
James Kerley (2007 – December 2009)
*Mike Kerry
*Jake Grigg (Guest presenter)
*
James Mathison
*Andrew Mercado
(1999 – 2004)
*Paula McGrath
*Leah McLeod
*
Molly Meldrum
*
Chloe Maxwell
*
Toni Pearen
*
Leah Purcell
*
Yumi Stynes
Dave Lawson is one of the hosts of 'The Dave and Kerley Show' but is not considered a
Channel Presenter Search 2012
Over six thousand people applied for a chance to become a Channel
presenter. These applicants were shortlisted to a top 20, with 4 finalists announced on Saturday 16 June 2012.
Programming
*V Music Video Chart
*The Revolution with Bert McCracken
*V Indie
*V Popped
*The Connect
*The Big Mix featuring Messed Up with Generik
*iTunes Weekly Countdown
*V Ripe Clip of The Week
*V Vs
*V 10 Most Requested Video
*V Buzz Artist
*Guerrilla Gigs
*V Island Parties
*Oz Countdown: Top 40
*Festival of V
*V 10 Hottest Tracks Right Now
*V Late Night
*
B430
*
Cash Cab (2007–2014)
*
The Dave & Kerley Show (2008)
*
The Riff (2013–2015)
*V LOUD
*
whatUwant - previously By Demand (2002–2008)
*The Informer (2000–2001)
*The Buzz (1998–1999)
*Freestyle (2006–2009) with
Maja Jupiter
Oz Artist of the Year
The
Channel V Oz Artist of the Year was an annual award presented by Channel V Australia some times at the
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...
.
Hits
On 12 January 2007, Club
was rebranded as Channel
� and began showing a more varied range of video clips. Channel
remained as a more entertainment orientated channel and began broadcasting in widescreen on the same day. Channel
boasted programming including:
The Dudesons,
BDO & various music specials.
On 15 November 2009, Channel
� was relaunched as
Hits.
References
External links
Official Site
{{Music of Australia
Defunct music video networks
Defunct television channels in Australia
Music video networks in Australia
Television channels and stations established in 1995
Television channels and stations disestablished in 2016
1995 establishments in Australia
English-language television stations in Australia
Foxtel