Codes - Pay TV

Pay TV (or subscription) television licences are allocated under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, by the Australian Communications and Media Authority(ACMA).

There is a direct contractual arrangement between the supplier of the service provider and the subscriber. Pay TV operates by offering as a package a range of "niche" or specialised programming channels, which subscribers must pay to receive.

The Codes of Practice of Pay TV stations are designed to recognise the fundamental differences between mass appeal of free to air TV, and the niche nature of Pay TV.

The Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA), the Pay TV industry body, has a number of Codes found on their Codes of Practice page:

• Subscription Broadcast Television Code
• Open Narrowcast Television Code
• Subscription Narrowcast Television Code
• Open Narrowcast Radio Code
• Subscription Narrowcast Radio Code

Pay TV licensees and channel providers who provide a subscription TV drama service are required (under the provisions of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992) to spend 10% of their total program expenditure on new eligible drama.