Regional viewers have run out of road, with WIN Television confirming Network 10 channels will disappear from free-to-air television in three markets after a temporary three-month rescue deal failed to produce a longer-term solution.
The switch-off will affect viewers across Griffith & MIA, the South Australian Riverland and Mount Gambier, where Network 10, 10 Drama and 10 Comedy will broadcast for the final time on Friday 9 October 2026.
The decision comes after WIN Television and Paramount spent the past three months trying to find a way to keep the services running.
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There will be no further extension.
For regional viewers, it means a shutdown first revealed by TV Blackbox in May 2026 had only been delayed — not avoided.
And for Australia’s television industry, the closure provides another warning about the increasingly shaky economics behind maintaining traditional free-to-air television in smaller regional markets.
WIN Television confirmed the decision in a media release issued late on Friday eveing, saying the temporary arrangement with Paramount had reached its end.
“The short-term agreement with Paramount has concluded.
WIN and Paramount recognise that providing these Network 10 services in these markets is no longer viable.
This is a business decision that reflects the realities of regional broadcasting.”
The shutdown has been months in the making.
TV Blackbox first revealed on 18 May 2026 that WIN Network intended to stop broadcasting Network 10 services in the Riverland, Mount Gambier and Griffith markets after its program supply agreement came to an end.
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At the time, the channels were due to disappear from free-to-air television from 1 July 2026.
A WIN Network spokesperson told TV Blackbox:
“As of the 30 June, 2026, WIN Network’s Program Supply Agreement with Network 10 for the Riverland, Mount Gambier and Griffith markets will end.
WIN has made the Communications Minister and the Department of Communications aware of this”
The original plan would have removed Channel 10, 10 Drama, 10 Comedy and Nickelodeon from terrestrial television in the affected regions.
Network 10 responded publicly the following day, criticising the planned withdrawal and warning that streaming would not be a straightforward replacement for every regional viewer.
A Network 10 spokesperson told TV Blackbox back in May:
“We know this change is a real and unfair disruption for many regional viewers, especially those with limited internet access or less familiarity with streaming technology.
“We are disappointed by WIN’s decision to stop broadcasting Network 10 in the Riverland, Mount Gambier and Griffith markets.
“As more advertising shifts to digital platforms, it is important for the Government to continue to support regional broadcasters so essential local services communities rely on can be maintained.
“While aerial transmission in these areas is outside our control, viewers who can access streaming can still find us on the 10 app on connected TVs and mobile devices, or at 10.com.au.”
Then, just before the original shutdown deadline, viewers were handed a temporary lifeline.
On 29 June 2026, TV Blackbox revealed WIN and Paramount had struck a short-term agreement to keep the channels on air for another three months.
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The arrangement pushed the immediate shutdown beyond 30 June while the companies searched for what WIN described as a path forward.
A WIN spokesperson said at the time:
“We have agreed on three months to attempt to find a path forward and address the structural challenges in parts of regional Australia that have brought us to this point.”
Under that temporary deal, TV Blackbox understood Network 10 would provide its programming without charge and cover WIN’s transmission costs until 30 September 2026, despite receiving no advertising or other revenue from the affected markets.
Network 10 also said it would continue working with WIN in an effort to preserve coverage.
“Network 10 remains committed to regional Australian audiences and will continue to explore every opportunity with WIN to keep our content as widely available as possible.”
That search has now ended without a permanent deal.
In its latest statement, WIN Television pointed to the underlying economics of regional broadcasting, saying transmission costs remain high while traditional television audiences and advertising revenue continue to be eroded by digital competition.
“Regional markets carry high transmission and infrastructure costs, while digital disruption continues to erode audiences and advertising revenue.
These economics will continue to make it challenging to maintain services across regional Australia.”
That is the bigger story behind the switch-off.
For decades, free-to-air television was treated as a service viewers could simply expect to receive.
Turn on the television, connect an aerial and the major commercial networks were there.
That assumption is becoming harder to maintain.
The infrastructure needed to broadcast television across regional Australia remains expensive, while audiences and advertising dollars continue moving towards digital platforms.
In smaller markets, broadcasters are increasingly being forced to decide whether the money coming in can justify the cost of keeping terrestrial transmitters running.
In Griffith, the Riverland and Mount Gambier, WIN and Paramount have now concluded that it cannot.
The decision follows the loss of Network 10 broadcasts in Mildura in 2024, where WIN also withdrew the network’s services.
It means another group of regional viewers will now be pushed towards internet-delivered television if they want to continue watching Network 10 programming.
For many households, that will be manageable.
For others, it may not be so simple.
The earlier dispute highlighted concerns about viewers with unreliable internet connections, older Australians who are less familiar with streaming technology and households that continue to depend heavily on terrestrial television.
Nursing homes and rural properties were also among the examples previously raised when questions emerged about whether streaming could fully replace conventional television reception.
The issue has already spilled into politics during previous regional television disputes.
In 2025, a separate standoff between WIN Network and the Seven Network saw Seven programming disappear from the same regional markets for two days after the companies failed to reach agreement on new affiliate terms.
That blackout sparked political concern and was ultimately resolved after stern intervention by an AFL keen to maintain free-to-air national coverage of its competition.
This time, however, the shutdown is not a short-lived blackout in the middle of commercial negotiations.
The negotiations have happened.
The extension has been used.
And the two sides have still concluded the service is no longer viable.
That makes the decision more significant than a routine affiliate disagreement.
It shows that in some parts of regional Australia, the commercial case for maintaining all of the traditional free-to-air networks is beginning to fall away.
It does not mean terrestrial television is about to disappear across the country.
But it does mean the long-held idea that every major commercial network will remain universally available through an aerial can no longer be taken for granted.
Smaller regional markets are already feeling that change first.
If the same pressure from falling audiences, shrinking advertising revenue and high infrastructure costs continues, the debate over who pays to maintain regional television services is unlikely to disappear with these three transmitters.
For viewers in Griffith & MIA, the South Australian Riverland and Mount Gambier, that wider industry problem is about to become very real.
WIN Television acknowledged the impact of the decision in its announcement.
“WIN recognises this will be disappointing for viewers and thanks them for their understanding.”
Network 10, 10 Drama and 10 Comedy will air for the final time through WIN Television in Griffith & MIA, the South Australian Riverland and Mount Gambier on Friday 9 October 2026, after WIN Television and Paramount concluded no further extension of the regional broadcast arrangement was viable.
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