West Digital Television
| Company type | Joint venture |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting, Television network |
| Founded | June 10, 2010 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Regional and remote Western Australia |
| Products | Free-to-air digital television channels (10, 10 Drama, 10 Comedy) |
| Owner | Seven West Media and WIN Corporation (joint venture) |
West Digital Television is a digital TV network in Australia, jointly owned by Seven West Media and WIN Corporation. It delivers free-to-air content through digital terrestrial transmitters throughout regional and remote areas of Western Australia, and is also accessible free-to-view via the Viewer Access Satellite Television platform. The network initially launched as a Network 10 affiliate on 10 June 2010 and maintained this partnership until 1 July 2016, when it transitioned to the Nine Network. On 1 July 2021, West Digital Television reverted to Network 10, broadcasting a direct feed from NEW-10 Perth.
West Digital Television's operational model mirrors joint ventures found in Tasmania, Mildura, Darwin, and Central and Eastern Australia. Since Seven Regional WA comprises three individual stations licensed in Albany/Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, and Geraldton, along with a fourth covering the remainder of the state under the Remote Commercial Television Licence framework, West Digital Television’s network consists of four distinct stations. Each station operates under the trading name West Digital Television Pty Ltd.
History
On 18 June 2009, the Australian Communications & Media Authority issued new "Section 38B" broadcasting licences to a joint venture between Prime Media and WIN Television. This entity, West Digital Television, launched Ten West on 10 June 2010, marking the beginning of digital commercial television services in locations such as Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Mawson Trig, and Mingenew.
In April 2011, West Digital Television expanded its reach by joining the Viewer Access Satellite Television service. On 28 July 2011, multi-channels One and Eleven became available to viewers in Regional WA, coinciding with the introduction of digital commercial television in Bunbury.
Transition to Nine
On 1 July 2016, WIN’s stations affiliated with the Nine Network switched their allegiance to Network Ten. This change displaced West Digital Television’s existing affiliation and required it to negotiate a new agreement with Nine Network. However, WDT was unable to finalize an affiliation deal with Nine before the switchover date, citing active refusals from Nine. Consequently, WDT temporarily halted regular programming, substituting it with continuous scenic footage accompanied by a scrolling message explaining the service interruption.
By 7:30 p.m. WST on 2 July 2016, West Digital Television resumed broadcasting Nine Network content, joining coverage that included the ongoing 2016 Australian federal election.
Reverting to Network 10
On 12 March 2021, Nine announced it would resume its affiliation with WIN Television across most regional markets—including Western Australia—starting from 1 July 2021 under a contract extending for at least seven years. As part of this arrangement, WIN agreed to allocate half of its regional advertising revenue to Nine Entertainment Co. and provide advertising slots for Nine’s media assets on WIN’s radio and television platforms. Additionally, WIN manages advertising sales for Nine's owned-and-operated stations NBN and NTD. Nine CEO Hugh Marks highlighted that expanding access to Nine’s premium content and collaborating on national as well as local news were critical factors influencing the shift from Southern Cross Austereo.
In June 2021, Network 10 announced it would return to Southern Cross Austereo as its regional affiliate in markets including the ACT & Southern NSW, regional Victoria, and regional Queensland, effective from 1 July 2021. This ended WIN's five-year partnership with Network 10. Since Southern Cross Austereo does not operate in Western Australia’s television market, Network 10 aligned with West Digital Television in that region starting on the same date, adjusting channel allocations accordingly.
The related joint venture in Mildura, known as MDV and co-owned by Seven and WIN, ceased operations on 1 July 2024 due to sustained financial deficits. While West Digital Television had also planned closure, it secured $32.9 million in additional government funding for its satellite service contract, enabling continued broadcasting throughout regional Western Australia.
Programming
The network retransmits a live feed from NEW-10 Perth, featuring both programs and events created in Perth. Between 2016 and 2021, it aired a direct feed from STW-9 Perth. West Digital Television itself does not generate any local content.
News
West Digital Television broadcasts the Perth edition of 10 News simultaneously with NEW-10, which is produced collaboratively by TEN-10 in Sydney and NEW-10 in Perth. It also airs the 5pm weekend news from TEN-10 Sydney. Previously, it simulcast the Perth edition of Nine News from STW-9, as well as weekend bulletins from TCN-9 Sydney and STW-9 Perth.
Availability
The network’s channels are accessible statewide through digital terrestrial and satellite platforms. The following table shows the logical channel numbers (LCN) assigned to its digital channels.
| LCN | Service |
|---|---|
| 5 | 10 HD |
| 50 | 10 Drama |
| 55 | 10 Comedy |
Terrestrial
West Digital Television runs four stations serving regional and remote areas of Western Australia—namely SDW (South West), VDW (Goldfields), GDW (Mid West), and WDW (all other regions). These stations correspond to the licence zones of Seven Regional WA and transmit free-to-air digital channels including 10, 10 Drama, and 10 Comedy. Terrestrial signals reach regional hubs such as Albany, Broome, Bunbury, Carnarvon, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, and Merredin.
Satellite
The identical set of channels is also provided free-to-view via the Viewer Access Satellite Television service. This satellite coverage extends to eligible audiences throughout the Western Australia TV3 licence region, covering the entire state along with Christmas Island and the Cocos/Keeling Islands.