International Development and the Pacific minister Alex Hawke said Papua New Guinea,Solomon Islands and Fiji are the first of seven countries to receive the content,which also includesBetter Homes&Gardens,Border Security,60 Minutesand Legomasters.
The programs are part of a $17.1 million three-year PacificAus television initiative,announced last year,which will seek to provide the region with 1000 hours of content annually free of charge. Papua New Guinea'sNational Broadcasting Corporationand EMTV, and Fiji'sMai TVwill be able to broadcast the content from this week.
Loading
“The PacificAus TV initiative is a terrific demonstration of shared cultural ties and links between Australia and the Pacific. While Papua New Guinea,Solomon Islands and Fiji are the first to switch on to the Pacific TV initiative,Vanuatu,Kiribati,Tuvalu and Nauru will follow in the coming months,” Mr Hawke said.
Television shows will be distributed through portal or satellite and then incorporated into local broadcast services to meet their audience and programming requirements. Free TV has ordered satellite dishes for broadcasters in markets like Tuvalu and Nauru.
“We are excited to share with our Pacific neighbours so many of the quality television programs that Australian audiences know and love,” Free TV chief executive Bridget Fair said.
The government's initiative aims to increase Australian voices and to help the countries strengthen their independent media at a time when Chinese media is steadily growing throughout the region.