Fictional network “8” I came up with many years ago - I call it Channel 8, with a network of digitals to go with it. In my scenario, to accommodate the “8” suite of digital channels, WIN and TEN merge (yes, unlikely, I know, and thought of long before CBS came along and also before the affiliation change) and use the “1” group of channels for both metro and regional. Channel 8 then can use the “8” group in all markets.
My main channel guide for a typical weeknight is something like this with the aim to NOT have nightly “so-called tent pole” reality (point of difference) and a network policy of no informercial programming ever, on any channel, at any time of the day. It also has the policy of “main channel” prime time content being 100% Australian.
Main channel - 8, 80 or 81 in HD - Typical ratings period programming (non-ratings would be much the same but possibly more repeats)
Mon-Fri (but not pub hols - national pub hols are programmed like weekends)
6.00am Overnight News Wrap
7.00am News
7.30am Morning Soap/Drama
8.00am News
8.30am Topical Chat Show (could start earlier and/or finish later)
9.00am Prime time replay from previous weeknight (3 hours)
12.00pm Midday News National
12.30pm Day time movie or made for TV movie (note US talk shows similar to Ellen would air on 82).
2.30pm Sitcom
3.00pm Sitcom
3.30pm Afternoon Soap/Drama
4.00pm Observational type show
4.30pm Afternoon News National
5.00pm Game show 1
5.30pm Game show 2 (both different game shows, not one hour long)
6.00pm Community/Local News
6.30pm News (First 10 and last 10 minutes produced for each market, middle 10 national - the news would be arranged something like this: 1st 10 min news relevant to its own market. 2nd 10 minutes national and international news common to all markets, last 10 minutes sport and weather relevant to each market. Ads fit in depending on amount of content - 2 ad breaks roughly located at 9 past and 19 past start time).
7.00pm Intensity (Game show, more serious than the 5pm and 5.30pm game show)
Sun-Thur
7.30pm Aus drama/Aus sitcoms/Aus comedy either 1hr or 2 x 30min
8.30pm Aus premium dramas, 1 hr once per week reality.
9.30pm Lighter shows, Aus panel shows, comedy, etc (Sunday - weekly version)
10.30pm 1030 News (national) (Sunday - Weekend sports wrap - sums up whole weekend of sport)
11.00pm Aus Late night show (Mon-Thur only) Sunday 11.00pm Weekly wrap - news and stuff
12.00am Aus Late Late show (Mon-Thur only) Sunday midnight - The Midnight show weekly - highlights from previous weeks’ late shows like interviews, performances, gags, etc.
1.00am Topical show (talk, etc, MA rating, with things you can’t get away with earlier)
2.00am repeats of Aus dramas
3.00am repeats
4.00am repeats
5.00am sitcom
5.30am sitcom
Sat & Sun day - News at 9am, 12pm and 6pm only, 30 minutes. Fri & Sat night - 7.30 onwards entertainment type programming including live shows, movies later. No marquee sports - too expensive - all money put into producing local content and acquiring international rights.
I will point out that this channel has the policy of strict adherence to times. As do all the channels in the Channel 8 group, allowing one to easily change between channels without worrying about the differences in minutes of start and finish times over all the channels and easy multi channel cross promotion. 8.30pm MEANS 8.30pm. Not 8.43, 8.54 etc - on all channels. Also live into SA (like the US do with 9/8 central), WA have the option to watch live on secondary channel as do QLD & NT during daylight savings.
The Channel 8 suite of channels includes:
Channel 8 - focused on Australian content in prime time (so called main channel) LCN 8 in SD, 80 in SD and 81 in HD)
82 - LCN 82 in HD - US, UK and international content. All the US content would air on this channel, also UK and other international content. With Prime Time live blocks from both UK and USA (USA live Airing from 10am, 11am or 12pm depending on time of year and daylight saving etc in east). As many shows as possible shown at same time as US, replayed in prime time same day.
83 - LCN 83 in HD - the youth aimed channel - with kids, teens, and 20-something type programming - MTV type content and the like.
84 - LCN 84 in HD - premium drama channel - the FTA version of Fox Showcase, mixed with Binge, Boxsets, and the like. It would air shows like quality HBO dramas, Aus content like Wentworth, etc.
85 - LCN 85 SD - News channel 24 hours. News on the hour, every hour, 24 hours a day (including 2-6am). On the half hours - current affairs shows, international news, 60 minutes type stories, longer news stories, specials, etc.
86 - LCN 86 SD - Breaking News Channel - Provides regular and rolling coverage of breaking news as it happens, when it happens. This channel allows the 85 News channel to maintain a regular schedule even during a major breaking news story and rolling coverage. In the absence of any breaking news at all, this channel replays different news bulletins from different markets.
87 - LCN 87 SD - The Replay channel. A time shift channel featuring delayed programming from 81, 82 and 83 in the east. In WA, this channel plays the main channel 2 hours earlier (3 in summer) during prime time so WA viewers can watch prime time channel 81 live with the east coast if they like. QLD and NT during daylight saving would get this channel as 1 hour ahead of their local main for same reason.
88 - LCN 88 SD - Pop up channel. Like what Foxtel does, different themes in large multi day programming blocks - eg - playing an entire series over all seasons over a number of days, movie themes, and the like.
89 - LCN 89 SD - promo channel - continually shows promos for shows on all other Channel 8 channels - bit like the old TV guide channels but better.
Using MPEG4, 4 HD channels and 5 SD are easily able to be accommodated within current bandwidth. As far as I am aware all markets metro and regional have allocation for one more FTA network. If we still have to have at least one channel in MPEG2, then that would of course be the main channel in SD on LCN8 and dropping 89 to fit in.
.
) would be one where there’s no or minimal ads (like SBS) and has its multiple channels for different genres of movies (like how Foxtel Movie channels are set up) and some magazine movie shows.
this is a ratings disaster