Regional Australians Are Losing Access to Broadcast TV — and No One Is Stepping In – On 1 July 2025, viewers in South Australia’s Mount Gambier and Loxton, and New South Wales’ Griffith region, will lose access to the Seven Network — including 7, 7mate, and 7two. That means no AFL, no Test cricket, no prime-time dramas, and no breakfast news from one of Australia’s major broadcasters.
It’s a big blow for regional audiences. But the official explanation — that Seven West Media (SWM) has chosen not to renew its broadcast agreement with the WIN Network — barely scratches the surface.
There’s a bigger story here. And it’s one viewers deserve to understand.
These regions are part of what the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) classifies as “solus” or “monopoly” markets — but that doesn’t mean there’s just one broadcast licence. In fact, each area has three commercial television licences, just like major metro regions. The difference is that, due to their smaller populations and unique market structures, all three licences have historically been allocated to a single operator — usually WIN — under arrangements designed by government to ensure service viability.
This model worked — until it didn’t. WIN would carry content from Seven, Nine, and Ten across its three stations. But the system collapses when commercial agreements unravel.
That’s exactly what’s happened here.
WIN and Seven couldn’t come to terms. As a result, WIN will stop carrying Seven’s content — not because it’s legally prohibited, but because it chooses not to. Seven, meanwhile, currently has no direct path into these markets.
But here’s the part missing from most mainstream coverage: Seven (or any other network) can apply to the ACMA to take over a licence and broadcast directly.
The ACMA confirmed to TV Central that up to three commercial television licences can operate in these regions. If a licence is surrendered — as was the case in Mildura in 2024 — the regulator can reallocate it via a price-based process. Alternatively, a third party, such as a local council or non-profit, may retransmit a distant signal.
So far, no one has stepped forward. That’s telling.
The brutal reality is that it’s simply not viable. Running a commercial TV station in places like Mildura, Mount Gambier, or Griffith is a loss-making operation. Paramount (Network 10) declined to comment, but it’s no secret that networks avoid applying for licences they know will bleed red ink. There is no current mechanism — financial, regulatory, or legislative — to offset that loss.
And yet the networks are walking away with little scrutiny.
Seven’s Position: Streaming, But No Signal
Seven did not answer direct questions about whether it intends to apply for a licence in any of the affected areas, or whether it has approached ACMA or government agencies about an independent return.
Instead, a spokesperson told TV Central:
“Seven is disappointed it has not been able to reach an agreement with WIN to broadcast Seven’s content in the Riverland and Griffith.
The communities living in the Riverland and Griffith are incredibly important to Seven and pleasingly, they will continue to have access to all of our content, including the AFL and Cricket, via our live and free streaming platform, 7plus.
Our ongoing commitment to regional markets is evidenced by our recent negotiation with Southern Cross Austereo to acquire its regional licences in Tasmania, Darwin, Spencer Gulf, Broken Hill, Mt Isa and Remote, Central and Eastern Australia. The acquisition is expected to be complete by 30 June 2025.”
In other words: Seven is choosing scale, not equity. It’s expanding into viable regional zones — and exiting those that aren’t.
But 7plus is no substitute for a TV signal in towns where broadband is unreliable, data is capped, and many households still lack a smart TV. For these communities, broadcast TV isn’t a convenience. It’s a cultural and informational lifeline.
Free TV Silent on Reform
TV Central put a detailed series of questions to Free TV Australia — the industry body representing commercial networks — on the cost of operating in solus markets and whether it supports subsidies or licensing reform.
The organisation declined to answer.
Among the questions posed:
- Has Free TV conducted modelling on the true cost of serving solus regions?
- Does it support a top-up model to cover losses?
- Is Free TV lobbying government for legislative reform, such as redrawing licence areas?
No answers were received. Their silence echoes that of the networks.
A Government Failure
This is no longer about one or two regional towns. It’s about a slow-motion collapse of regional free-to-air TV — and a policy vacuum at the federal level.
Communications Minister Anika Wells was asked whether the government:
- Believes anti-siphoning laws still hold meaning if regional viewers can’t access free-to-air sport
- Accepts that commercial broadcasters are abandoning unprofitable regions
- Will step in with public funding, reform of licensing boundaries, or enforce public service obligations (PSOs)
- Plans to review the Broadcasting Services Act or the regional licensing model
Update (2 July, 20025) Minister Wells has now responded with the following:
This is a disappointing outcome. Australians should have access to local media as these services provide vital connections, especially in regional areas.
The Government urges the parties to work together to deliver for these communities.
Minister Wells has asked regulatory body ACMA to investigate any potential non-compliance and alternative methods for delivering these services.
Yet the policy contradictions are glaring. The government insists on keeping events like AFL and cricket on free-to-air via anti-siphoning protections — but is allowing those protections to erode in regional areas where no signal remains.
A Broken Model
The commercial broadcast model for regional Australia is broken. And no one — not the networks, not the regulator, not the minister — seems willing to acknowledge that openly.
If networks will only service areas that break even or return a profit, then regional Australia will continue to fall off the map. The burden, then, falls to public policy — just as it does with electricity, healthcare, and broadband in remote communities.
One solution is a “top-up” model: the federal government underwrites the operating loss of broadcast services in solus markets. Not as a handout, but as an investment in national cohesion and equal access.
Another option is structural reform. Redrawing outdated licence areas — such as incorporating Griffith into the broader NSW zone, or merging South Australia’s fragmented regions — would create viable, scalable markets. But no network has publicly advocated for such changes.
Regional Australia Deserves Better
This issue is not just about failed negotiations. It’s about a system retreating quietly from the people it was meant to serve.
The responsibility is now in the networks’ court. But unless the government intervenes — with funding, reform, or obligation — the retreat will continue.
Broadcast TV in regional Australia is at risk of vanishing not with a bang, but a bureaucratic shrug.
And regional Australians are still watching.
TV Central Seven content HERE
Link to 7plus HERE
Link to WIN TV HERE
Regional Australians Are Losing Access to Broadcast TV — and No One Is Stepping In
