Commercial and pay television services are regulated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992.
The ACMA plans the broadcasting spectrum, manages broadcasting licences, helps develop codes of practice, administers program standards and investigates compliance with broadcasting rules.
The Broadcasting Services Act also sets rules for audience reach, cross-media holdings (where a single company owns different media outlets) and how many commercial television licences can be issued.
Commercial free-to-air television
Commercial free-to-air TV broadcasters must follow the rules set out in their licence conditions, the ACMA program standards and the relevant industry code of practice when broadcasting content.
The codes help ensure commercial TV services meet community expectations. These codes help to:
- maintain standards for content
- provide guidelines for news and current affairs programs
- set rules for classification, advertising, and program promotions
- manage complaints.
If you have a complaint about something you've seen on commercial TV, contact the broadcaster directly. If you're not happy with the response, you can complain to the ACMA.
Foreign ownership rules
Australia's media industry is classified as a sensitive sector under the Australian Government's Foreign Investment Policy. This means foreign investors seeking more than 5% equity in an Australian media company must apply for prior approval from the Treasurer. Approval may be granted subject to certain conditions.
Foreign persons with interests of 2.5% or more in Australian media business must report that interest to the ACMA. The ACMA maintains a Register of Foreign Owners of Media Assets, which includes information about foreign stakeholders and their interests in media assets.
For more information, visit the Foreign investment in Australia website.
Pay television
Pay TV services are available to subscribers on payment of subscription fees. These services are funded by subscriptions and some advertising revenue.
Pay TV broadcasters must follow any rules set out in their licence conditions, the ACMA program standards and the relevant industry code of practice when broadcasting content.
The codes help ensure pay TV services meet community expectations and help to set standards for content, advertising, program classification, and complaints handling.
If you have a complaint about something you've seen on pay TV, contact the broadcaster directly. If you're not happy with the response, you can complain to the ACMA.
Other services
Other subscription television services include Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services that are provided with some internet services, including channel packages from Foxtel and content packages offered by providers such as Fetch TV.
They also include Subscription Video-on-Demand (SVOD) services offered directly over the internet, such as Stan and Netflix.
Last reviewed: 30 September 2026