CDT (TV station)


CDT is an Australian digital television station broadcasting in remote central and eastern Australia. It is jointly owned by Southern Cross Austereo and Imparja Television Pty Ltd and operates under the company name Central Digital Television.
The station is available via satellite and terrestrial platforms and free-to-air on a number of digital terrestrial transmitters, in remote areas of Australia.
The station is similar to other joint venture services already available in Tasmania, Mildura, Darwin and Western Australia. Officially, the service's call sign is CDT in the Remote Central and Eastern Australia TV2 licence areas, and IDQ in the Mount Isa TV1 licence area.

History

Central Digital Television began broadcasting Ten Central, One HD and One SD as digital satellite channels on 30 June 2010, the same day as the Viewer Access Satellite Television service was partially launched. Southern Cross Central and Imparja Television also commenced broadcasting digital satellite channels on the same day. The launch of the commercial digital channels coincided with the first analog television transmitter switch off in Mildura, Victoria. This was so viewers in the area who lost adequate television coverage were able to utilise VAST as an alternative source.
On 10 December 2010, VAST officially launched and began granting access to viewers in the Remote Central and Eastern Australia licence areas. This brought digital television to satellite viewers in the Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia for the first time. Digital terrestrial transmissions began in Alice Springs, Northern Territory and Mount Isa, Queensland on 2 May 2011, with other areas launching between 2012 and 2013.

Programming

CDT is affiliated to Network Ten, but sources programming from two stations. Ten Central North is based on TVQ Brisbane, and airs Ten Eyewitness News Brisbane nightly at 5pm, as well as sports and events live in the Brisbane market. Ten Central South, Eleven and One are based on TEN Sydney, including news and sports such as Ten Eyewitness News Sydney. Both Ten Central channels also air programming produced by Southern Cross Austereo. Eleven is the same as it is in every region.

Availability

Terrestrial

Central Digital Television broadcasts free-to-air digital television channels Ten Central, One and Eleven via terrestrial transmissions in many regional cities and towns. The service is licensed to broadcast within the Remote Central and Eastern Australia TV2 and Mt Isa TV1 licence areas, which include Alice Springs, Bourke, Ceduna, Charleville, Coober Pedy, Cooktown, Katherine, Longreach, Mount Isa, Roma and Weipa, as well as others.

Satellite

A digital satellite transmission of CDT's channels is available free-to-view on the VAST service in all states and territories of Australia, except Western Australia. One is broadcast as a single high definition channel to all viewers, while Ten Central and Eleven are each split into two separate standard definition channels. Ten Central North and Eleven North are broadcast in Australian Eastern Standard Time for viewers in Northern Territory and Queensland, and Ten Central South and Eleven South in Australian Eastern Summer Time for viewers in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Norfolk Island.