TEN Network: chronology
Chronology
This chronology is indicative only.
Sponsored links
Context is provided by the broader communications and media timeline on this site.
Beginnings
1948 Australian Broadcasting Control Board (ABCB) established
1953 Television Act establishes ABC as national television authority
1959 ADS-7 in Adelaide (now ADS-10) launched
1962 Universal Telecasters Queensland incorporated
1962 United Telecasters Sydney Ltd (UTSL) incorporated
1963 Ansett Transport Industries (ATI) subsidiary Austarama Television (ATV) gains Channel 0 licence in Melbourne
1963 ATV and UTSL agree on programming alliance
1964 ATI launches ATV-0 (later ATV-10)
1964 ATI buys 49.9% of Universal Telecasters Queensland (TVQ-0)
1965 TVQ-0 (later 10) Brisbane launched
1965 UTSL's ATN-0 launched in Sydney
1970 ATI buys remainder of TVQ-0
1971 ABC begins co-productions
1977 Murdoch buys 46% stake in Sydney Channel Ten television, sells WIN-TV Wollongong station
1974 Ten Sydney is first commercial station to broadcast in colour
1979 Robert Holmes a Court's Bell makes unsuccessful bid for ATI
1979 Murdoch's News makes unsuccessful bid for H&WT
1979 gains 50% of Ansett Transport Industries (ATI) and control of Channel Ten Melbourne
1979 ATV-0 Melbourne becomes ATV-10
1980 ATI sells 66% of TVQ-0 Brisbane to Ampol Petroleum and 34% to radio Broadcasting Station 2SM Pty Ltd
1980 0-10 Network rebadged as Network Ten
1983 Bond Corporation buys control of STW 9
1984 Qintex buys TVQ-0 Brisbane from Ampol and Broadcasting Station 2SM
1985 Rupert Murdoch becomes US citizen
1985 Westfield Capital Corporation buys 20% stake in Northern Star holdings in anticipation of churn
Westfield and Northern Star
1986 News sells stake in Network Ten Holdings to Westfield Capital Corporation for $840m
1986 Northern Star buys NEW Perth, CTC-7 Canberra and ADS-7 Adelaide
1986 ADS-7 becomes ADS-10
1986 Qintex sells TVQ-0 to Darling Downs Television
1987 Universal Telecasters Queensland becomes Network TEN Queensland
1987 Murdoch gains control of H&WT for $1.8bn, sells HSV-7 Melbourne to Fairfax for $320m
1987 Fairfax sells Seven network flagships (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) to Skase's Qintex group
1987 Bond buys Nine flagship tv stations in Sydney and Melbourne from Packer for around $1bn and gains control of Nine Network
1987 Northern Star buys TVQ-0 Brisbane from Darling Downs Television, establishes TEN tv network
1987 Stokes and Jack Bendat sell Golden West regional tv network to TEN
1988 NEW-10 launched in Perth as city's third commercial channel
1989 Westfield Capital sells its 51.3% of Northern Star, with 19.7% to Cosser's Broadcom (for $22m) and 31.6% to institutional investors. Sale transfers control of TEN Network flagships
1989 Charles Curran's Capital Television buys Canberra, Adelaide and Perth stations from Northern Star
1989 aggregation of regional television starts
1990 Westpac bank puts receivers into TEN network
1990 Packer regains control of Nine network Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane stations for around $250m
1991 Westpac bank does debt for equity swap, assuming ownership of network flagship stations as Television & Telecasters Ltd
1991 Special Broadcasting Service Act 1991
1992 Broadcasting Services Act 1992
Going Canadian?
1992 Asper's CanWest buys control of Television & Telecasters Ten stations - which become TEN Network Holdings Ltd - for $245m using complicated ownership structure
1993 pay-tv operator Australis lists on stock exchange
1994 Packer takes option to buy 15% of telco Optus for $318m
1994 Ten buys 14.9% stake in Southern Cross Broadcasting
1994 Ten takes 14.9% stake in Telecasters Australia
1994 Optus and Continental Cablevision announce joint venture to build cable tv network
1994 Seven joins then withdraws from Optus Vision partnership with Nine network and Optus
1995 Ten buys Adelaide ADS-10 from Curran's Capital Television
1995 Ten buys Perth NEW-10 from Capital Television
1995 Souther Cross buys Canberra Ten station from Capital Television
1996 Australian Competition & Consumer Competition blocks merger between Foxtel and ailing Australis
1997 CanWest increases stake in New Zealand's TV3 to 100%
1997 CanWest launches TV4, New Zealand's second commercial tv network
1997 Optus buys out Optus Vision partners
1997 Ten Network Holdings listed on Australian stock exchange
1998 Australis goes into receivership
1998 Packer gains 25% stake in Foxtel
2000 CanWest buys 70% of RadioWorks NZ, second largest radio group
2000 forms Scape online group as joint venture with Village Roadshow
2000 Ten announces acquisition of 60% interest in online and outdoor advertiser Eye Corp for $188m
2001 Scape Entertainment goes into receivership
2001 sells 14.8% stake in Telecasters Australia to Southern Cross
2002 Ten acquires remaining 40% of Eye
Sponsored links