2014 in Australian television

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This is a synoptic list of events and premieres which occurred, in 2014 in Australian television, the 59th year of continuous operation of television in Australia.

Events

1 January – Foxtel launches two new subscription channels Syfy and TV Hits, which replace SF and TV1 respectively.^[1]^[2]
31 January – Chris Bath presents her final bulletin for Seven News after deciding to stand down and concentrate on her full-time Sunday Night role. Mark Ferguson replaced her the following Monday (3 February).
2 February – The Nine Network's GO! channel unveils a new logo, on-air package and demographic (women 20–40), with a revamped timetable with Kids WB, dropping reality TV catch-up programming which they now air on the Network's primary channel only.
13 March – Foxtel launches Presto, an online streaming service allowing subscribers to access content available on Foxtel Movies separate from a full Foxtel subscription.^[3]
20 March – Showcase wins the Channel of the Year award at the 2014 ASTRA Awards.^[4]
10 April – Two new subscription channels—Disney XD and Foxtel Movies Disney—launch on the Foxtel platform.^[3]
6 July – Adam Dovile and Lisa Lamond win the second series of House Rules and New Zealand animated kids show The Barefoot Bandits premieres on Eleven with the voices of Josh Thomson (The Project) as Fridge, Laura Daniel (Jono and Ben) as Riley and Tammy Davis (Outrageous Fortune) as Tane.^[5]
17 July - John Walton dies (aged 62). Actor of stage, television and film, he was best known as Dr. Craig Rothwell in The Young Doctors.^[6]
20 July – The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reverts its flagship ABC1 television channel to its former ABC name.^[7]
21 July – Anja Nissen wins the third season of The Voice.^[8]
3 August – BBC Worldwide is set to launch a new premium drama and comedy subscription channel known as BBC First which will be available on the Foxtel platform.^[9]^[10]
13 August – Meyne Wyatt becomes the first Indigenous Australian actor in Neighbours' 29-year history to have a leading role when he makes his debut in the soap as Nate Kinski.^[11]
18 August – The Nine Network secures film rights to revive Paramount Pictures along with DreamWorks, taking them from Network Ten after cost-cutting measures.
17 September – Johann Wagner wins the first season of The Recruit and was drafted as a rookie to the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).^[12]
28 September – Australia Network is shut down to be replaced by a similar 24-hour television and online service known as Australia Plus Television.^[13]
1 October – The Antenna Awards are returning to Australian community TV stations.
18 November – The Abbott government reduces ABC's annual budget by A$50m, or roughly 5%.^[14]
21 November – Network Ten revives the Sony Pictures output deal. Erin Brockovich was the first film to air on TEN.
25 November – AFL player David Rodan and his partner Melanie Hooper win the fourteenth season of Dancing with the Stars.
26 November – Ryan Ginns wins the eleventh and final series of Big Brother.^[15]
1 December – Network Ten revives the Universal Pictures output deal. Bird on a Wire was the first film to air, but screened on ONE.
1 December – The Seven Network wins the ratings year for the eighth consecutive time topping total people, primary channels, reality (My Kitchen Rules, House Rules & The X Factor), breakfast (Sunrise), weekend breakfast (Weekend Sunrise), morning television (The Morning Show), advertisement breaks, news updates, movies, Sport (AFL, Tennis & Melbourne Cup) and suitable only for people over 55, while Nine wins all three demos.
7 December - The Seven Network broadcasts Supercars Championship for the final-ever time, before handing the television rights to Fox Sports and Network Ten.

Deaths

Date	Name	Age	Broadcast notability
14 February	James Condon	90	Actor, scriptwriter and voice artist who appeared in numerous radio and television series, including The Story of Peter Gray and Number 96, he was the husband of Neighbours star Anne Haddy^[16]^[17]
22 February	Charlotte Dawson	47	Television personality and hostess best known for her role as a judge on Australia's Next Top Model.^[18]
26 April	Joan Bruce	86	British-born Australian actress of stage and screen, best known for soap opera Certain Women and voice artist in animated film Dot and the Kangaroo.^[19]
30 April	Ian Ross	73,	Television newsreader best known for his roles on Today and Seven News in Sydney.^[20]
8 May	Harry Potter	72	Journalist with Network Ten from 1978 to 2010.^[21]
27 June	Ian Cook	68	News director.^[22]
24 July	Pete Michell	43	Television presenter for Seven Adelaide.^[23]
1 August	Michael Johns	35	Singer and reality television participant, who competed in the seventh season of American Idol.^[24]
17 September	Elaine Lee	74	South African-born Australian actress best known for soap opera Number 96 as Vera Collins
24 October	Mike Dorsey	83	British-born Australian actor known for Number 96 as Reginald "Daddy" McDonald and The Young Doctorsas Sir Clifford Langley and was also a music tour promotor.^[25]
31 December	Coralie Condon	99	Actress, writer, producer, composer and presenter based in Perth and known as "The First Lady of Western Australian Television"^[26]

Premieres

Domestic series

More information Program, Original airdate ...

List of domestic television series premieres
Program	Original airdate	Network	Source
Darren Robertson's Charcoal Kitchen	2 January	LifeStyle Food	^[27]
Get Ace	19 January	Eleven	^[28]
Meet the Frockers	23 January	LifeStyle You	^[29]
Coastwatch Oz	30 January	Seven Network	^[30]
Hello Birdy	1 February	ABC	^[31]
Haunting: Australia	3 February	Syfy	^[32]
Hoopla Doopla!	10 February	ABC 4 Kids (ABC2)	^[33]
Young, Lazy and Driving Us Crazy	13 February	Seven Network	^[34]
Love Child	17 February	Nine Network	^[35]
Move It	17 February	GO!	^[36]
Fat Tony & Co.	23 February	Nine Network	^[37]
The Real Housewives of Melbourne	23 February	Arena	^[38]
Inside Story	26 February	Nine Network	^[39]
Janet King	27 February	ABC	^[40]
Secrets & Lies	3 March	Network Ten	^[41]
Lost with the Boys	6 March	Tenplay (online)	^[42]
Plonk	11 March	Eleven	^[43]
The Face Australia	18 March	Fox8	^[44]
The Tipping Points	23 March	NITV	^[45]
The Pits	6 April	Network Ten	^[46]
Wacky World Beaters	6 April	ABC3	^[47]
The Gods of Wheat Street	12 April	ABC	^[48]
Crimes that Shook Australia	16 April	Crime & Investigation Network	^[49]
Worst Year of My Life, Again	26 April	ABC3	^[50]
Jonah from Tonga	2 May (online streaming) 7 May	ABC iview ABC	^[51]
The Flamin' Thongs	9 May	ABC3	^[52]
Unplanned America	12 May	SBS 2	^[53]
Bogan Hunters	13 May	7mate	^[54]
When Loves Comes to Town	20 May	Nine Network	^[55]
Old School	23 May	ABC	^[56]
ManSpace	26 May	GO!	^[57]
What Really Happens in Bali	27 May	Seven Network	^[58]
Taking on the Chocolate Frog	2 June	Studio	^[59]
The Voice Kids	22 June	Nine Network	^[60]
The Skinner Boys: Guardians of the Lost Secrets	6 July	GO!	^[61]
Kinne	8 July	7mate	^[62]
The Call of the Wallaby	15 July	Fox Sports 1	^[63]
The Recruit	16 July	Fox8	^[64]
Sam Fox: Extreme Adventures	20 July	Eleven	^[65]
Village Vets Australia	24 July	The LifeStyle Channel	^[66]
Wild Australia	5 August	Nat Geo Wild	^[67]
The Dreamhouse	7 August	ABC	^[68]
Back Seat Drivers	12 August	ABC2	^[69]
Bringing Sexy Back	12 August	Seven Network	^[70]
Utopia	13 August	ABC	^[71]
The War That Changed Us	19 August	ABC	^[72]
Living with the Enemy	3 September	SBS	^[73]
Blue Zoo	8 September	ABC3	^[74]
Crash Test Mummies & Daddies	10 September	ABC2	^[75]
Keneally and Cameron	19 September	Sky News Australia	^[76]
SellOut	22 September	7TWO	^[77]
Gold Coast Cops	29 September	Network Ten	^[78]
The Thursday Night Sport Show	2 October	One	^[79]
Party Tricks	6 October	Network Ten	^[80]
Fashion Bloggers	15 October	Style Network	^[81]^[82]
The Big Adventure	19 October	Seven Network	^[83]
The Embassy	19 October	Nine Network	^[84]
Outback Rangers	1 November	Nat Geo Wild	^[85]
Black Comedy	5 November	ABC	^[86]