2006 in Australian television

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Events

• 1 January – Mildura Digital Television, a joint venture between WIN Television Mildura and Prime Television, goes on air in the Mildura area of Victoria as a Network Ten digital-only affiliate.

• 2 January – The Seven and Ten Networks outbid Channel Nine and are awarded the rights to broadcast the AFL from 2007–2011 for a record $780 million. Also around this time, Seven announce that they have won the rights to broadcast the V8 Supercars from 2007 onwards.

• 30 January – Channel Nine launches a new logo and major revamp, dropping the famous dots and replacing it with a stand-alone nine in a blue box.

• 9 February – The Nine Network announces Eddie McGuire in his new role as the network's new CEO.

• 20 February – Television Sydney formally launches after three months of testing, giving Sydney community television for the first time in almost two years.

• 1 April - The final season of Blue Heelers goes to air now on Saturday Nights, pitting it against ABC's The Bill and Network Ten's AFL coverage.

• 3 April - After weeks of poor ratings Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? airs for the final time on Monday Nights. It returns for a short period following an 18-month break due to McGuire's role as CEO for the Nine Network.

• 9 May - Then Sunrise weatherman and future Family Feud host Grant Denyer and his partner Amanda Garner win the fourth season of Dancing with the Stars.

• 21 May – Brant Webb and Todd Russell speak to A Current Affair host Tracy Grimshaw about their time underground in Beaconsfield in a 2 hour special called The Great Escape. They are paid a reported $2.6 million by Channel Nine for the right to talk to them.

• 4 June – After 12 years and a record-breaking 510 episodes, the last episode of the Seven Network show Blue Heelers goes to air.

• 30 June – Australian soap opera Neighbours Broadcasts its 5000th episode, which sees Paul Robinson trapped in a mineshaft by his son Robert.

• 31 July - Jamie Brooksby wins the sixth season of Big Brother.

• 14 September – Today Tonight host Naomi Robson is deported from Indonesia after doing a story on a West Papuan boy called Wa Wa who, supposedly, was going to be eaten by cannibals. This sparks a war of words between Seven and Nine, who ran the original story on Wa Wa in May on 60 Minutes. Naomi presents her final edition of Today Tonight on 1 December.

• 16 September – Television in Australia turns 50. The next day, this is commemorated with a live TV special from Star City, Sydney on the Seven Network.

• 29 September Backyard Blitz finishes its 6 year run on the Nine Network. Jamie Durie leaves Nine and signs up with the Seven Network, the next year, he dances his way on Dancing with the Stars.

• 30 September – The Fox Footy Channel ceases broadcasting. It is replaced by Fox Sports 3 and Fox Sports News on 1 October.

• 18 October – PBL announces the sale of 50% of the Nine Network, including its 50% stake in ninemsn and ACP to CVC Asia Pacific for $4.5 billion.

• 26 November – Irishman Damien Leith defeats 17-year-old Jessica Mauboy to be based only on Sony BMG after being crowned the title of Australian Idol 2006 at the Sydney Opera House.

• 28 November - AFL player Anthony Koutoufides (Kouta) and his partner Natalie Lowe win the fifth season of Dancing with the Stars.

• 10 December - Network Ten broadcasts V8 Supercars for the final-ever time, before handing the television rights to the Seven Network. Ten later revived the V8 Supercars coverage 9 years later.

Ratings

Main article: List of Australian television ratings for 2006

New Channels

• 1 October – Fox Sports 3
• 1 October – Fox Sports News
• 15 November – Al Jazeera English
• 1 December – Sci Fi Channel

Premieres

Free-to-air television

Program	Network	Debut date
RAN – Remote Area Nurse	SBS TV	5 January
The Chaser's War on Everything	ABC TV	17 February
Head 2 Head	ABC TV	18 February
Can We Help?	ABC TV	9 June
jtv	ABC TV	29 July
First Tuesday Book Club	ABC TV	1 August
Good Game	ABC2	19 September
Operatunity Oz	ABC TV	8 October
Speaking in Tongues	SBS TV	7 November
Food Safari	SBS TV	6 December

Seven Network

Date	Program
26 February	Where Are They Now
28 May	It Takes Two
13 August	You May Be Right Axed after four episodes
16 August	The Master Axed after one episode but returned later in the year
22 August	The Force: Behind the Line
6 September	Police Files: Unlocked
8 October	The Real Seachange

Nine Network

Date	Program
13 February	Bert's Family Feud
19 February	Clever
21 February	Magda's Funny Bits
11 May	Hello/Goodbye
29 May	What's Good For You
21 June	Wine Me, Dine Me
30 June	Mortified
11 July	Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice
25 July	Quizmania
14 August	Two Twisted
2 October	What a Year
19 October	Big Questions
5 November	Do It

Network Ten

Date	Program
30 January	9am with David and Kim
13 February	The Biggest Loser
15 February	Bondi Rescue
5 April	Thank God You're Here
30 May	The Wedge
7 July	H2O: Just Add Water
12 July	Honey, We're Killing the Kids
1 August	Cyber Shack
1 August	Yasmin's Getting Married
17 August	David Tench Tonight
22 August	Real Stories
25 October	Tripping Over
21 December	Puzzle Play

Pay TV

Date	Program	Channel
5 January	Crown Australian Celebrity Poker Challenge	FOX8
29 November	An Aussie Goes Barmy	FOX8

New International Programming

ABC TV

Program	Channel	Debut date
Doc Martin	ABC TV	18 February
Worst Week of My Life, The The Worst Week of My Life	ABC TV	5 April
Bleak House	ABC TV	9 July
Sensitive Skin Sensitive Skin	ABC TV	15 September
IT Crowd, The The IT Crowd	ABC TV	27 September

SBS TV

Date	Program
30 January	Garth Marenghi's Darkplace
17 July	City of Men
2 December	Russian Dolls: Sex Trade
12 December	Top Gear

Seven Network

Date	Program
1 February	Prison Break
25 October	The Unit
5 December	SCU: Serious Crash Unit
5 December	Life As We Know It

Network Ten

Date	Program
13 February	One Piece (4Kids version)
13 February	Mew Mew Power
21 September	Jericho
3 December	Wild at Heart

Subscription television

Program	Channel	Debut date
Entourage	Arena	1 January
Hannah Montana	Disney Channel	21 April
Surreal Life, The The Surreal Life (Beginning with season 3, seasons 1 and 2 aired later)	VH1	June
Kept	VH1	June
Emmerdale	UKTV	2 July
Strange Love	VH1	5 September
SuperGroup	VH1	6 September
So NoTORIous	VH1	2 October
House of Carters	E!	4 November
Celebrity Fit Club Celebrity Fit Club	VH1	2 December

Programming Changes

Changes to network affiliation

This is a list of programs which made their premiere on an Australian television network that had previously premiered on another Australian television network. The networks involved in the switch of allegiances are predominantly both free-to-air networks or both subscription television networks. Programs that have their free-to-air/subscription television premiere, after previously premiering on the opposite platform (free-to air to subscription/subscription to free-to air) are not included. In some cases, programs may still air on the original television network. This occurs predominantly with programs shared between subscription television networks.

Program	New network	Previous network	Date
Sonic X	Seven Network	Network Ten	18 November
Futurama	Network Ten	Seven Network	13 December

Subscription premieres

This is a list of programs which made their premiere on Australian subscription television that had previously premiered on Australian free-to-air television. Programs may still air on the original free-to-air television network.

International

Program	Subscription network	Free-to-air network	Date
Lost	Fox8	Seven Network	27 November

Television shows

1980s

• Wheel of Fortune (1981–1996, 1996–2003, 2004 – present)
• Neighbours (1985–present)
• Home and Away (1988–present)

1990s

• Hotline (1990–2007)
• Australia's Funniest Home Videos (1990–present)

2000s

2001

2002

2003

• Australian Idol (2003–present)
• Deal or No Deal (2003–present)

2004

• Border Security: Australia's Front Line (2004–present)
• Dancing with the Stars (2004–present)

2005

• Medical Emergency (2005–present)

Ending this year

Date	Show	Channel	Debut
4 June	Blue Heelers	Seven Network	18 January 1994
28 July	Wheel of Fortune	Seven Network	21 July 1981
27 August	Business Sunday	Nine Network	2 March 1986
4 September	You May Be Right	Seven Network	13 August 2006
29 October 2006	Operatunity Oz	ABC TV	8 October 2006
26 November	Sportsworld	Seven Network	1987
9 December	Head 2 Head	ABC TV	18 February 2006
20 December	In the Box	Network Ten	21 December 1998