Network Ten Channels to Cease Broadcast in Three Regional Australian Markets

Residents in the Mount Gambier, Riverland, and Griffith regions of South Australia and New South Wales are facing a significant loss of television services as Network Ten's distribution deal with WIN Television expires on June 30. This situation, where viewers could lose access to Network Ten and its associated channels, underscores the precarious state of regional media in Australia.

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As of 30 June, 2026, WIN Network's Program Supply Agreement with Network Ten for the Riverland, Mount Gambier and Griffith markets will end.

This is not an isolated incident. Last year, these same areas experienced a four-day blackout when a similar agreement with the Seven Network lapsed. The closure of Mildura Digital Television, a joint venture involving WIN, further illustrates the shrinking footprint of traditional broadcasting in regional Australia. The situation in Mildura, where Channel 10 is now unavailable, serves as a stark precedent.

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WIN has made the Communications Minister and the Department of Communications aware of this.

Media veterans like Peter Mahoney, with decades of experience, lament the "tearing out of the heart" of regional media. He contrasts the current lean operations, with perhaps 20 staff at a local newspaper, to the 150 employed in the 1980s. This decline is attributed to financial pressures and a dwindling local advertising base, exacerbated by the rise of online services that siphon revenue away from traditional outlets.

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I refer back to the 80s when I was at 2WG [in Wagga Wagga], there were 40 on the staff. When I was at the Daily Advertiser, there were 150. There's lucky to be 20 at the Advertiser now. There are just not the people; they've just torn the heart out of regional media.

Politicians like Barker MP Tony Pasin recognize the challenges faced by regional businesses, comparing the television distribution issue to the difficulties plaguing regional airlines. He points to the shrinking advertising market and sparse populations as factors making business models harder to sustain. This loss of services creates a "disconnect" between regional communities and their urban counterparts, impacting cultural and informational access.

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WIN Television will tell you … their business model is getting harder and harder to sustain, less and less regional advertising, populations are shallow. It's a similar problem, a completely different sector … but a similar problem to the problem around regional airlines.