44 Adelaide
44 Adelaide, now branded Channel 44 or C44, is Adelaide's free-to-air community television service, combining locally produced programming with selected national and international content.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
44 Adelaide is the former on-air identity of Channel 44, a free-to-air community television service based in Adelaide, South Australia. The station operates within Australia's community broadcasting sector and is intended to provide programming that reflects local interests, community activity and voices that may not receive substantial coverage on commercial or public broadcasters. Its schedule has included locally produced programs alongside content sourced from other Australian community television services and international producers. The service began broadcasting on 23 April 2004 under the name C31 Adelaide, using analogue UHF channel 31. It followed the collapse of Adelaide's earlier community television operation, ACE TV, whose temporary licence had been cancelled after breaches of licence conditions. In 2003, C31 Adelaide Ltd received the Adelaide community television licence and subsequently launched the C31 service. Although community television stations in several Australian capital cities received permanent licences around this period, the process for allocating a permanent Adelaide licence was discontinued in 2006, leaving the station dependent on later regulatory arrangements and extensions. A major technical and branding transition occurred on 5 November 2010, when the service moved to digital channel 44 and adopted the name 44 Adelaide. Its analogue transmission ended on 31 May 2012. The station introduced a new logo in 2013 and changed its public identity again in 2014 to Channel 44, commonly shortened to C44. The name 44 Adelaide therefore remains an important historical brand identity, while Channel 44 is the later and continuing station name. The station's existence has been shaped by Australian communications policy. In 2014, the federal government announced that community television licensing arrangements would end in December 2015. The deadline was subsequently extended several times, first to the end of 2016 and then through a sequence of further short-term extensions. These included extensions to June and December 2017, June 2018, June 2020 and June 2021, followed by a further three-year extension in 2021. The repeated extensions reflected continuing uncertainty over the future use of the spectrum allocated to community television and the broader restructuring of Australian media regulation. In April 2016, Channel 44 began moving part of its distribution strategy online by streaming its television service through its website. This expanded access beyond the Adelaide terrestrial footprint and allowed local material to be viewed by audiences elsewhere. The online service also became important as traditional broadcast licensing remained subject to government decisions. Channel 44 has also participated in sector partnerships. In November 2020, it partnered with the South Australian Film Corporation's First Nations Advisory Committee, established under the corporation's First Nations Screen Strategy 2020–2025. This connected the station with a wider South Australian effort to support First Nations screen representation and development. A legislative change in 2024 allowed Channel 44 to remain on air until the Australian Communications and Media Authority determines that its broadcast spectrum should be reallocated for another purpose. The change provided a more durable basis for continued transmission than the series of short-term extensions that had characterized the previous decade. The service's identity history includes the slogan "Bringing You the Community through TV" from 2010 to 2016 and the later positioning line "Adelaide – It's Your 44."
History
Before Channel 44, Adelaide's community television presence was represented by ACE TV, operated by Adelaide Community and Education Television Inc. ACE TV held a temporary licence from May 1994, but its licence was cancelled in December 2002 after breaches of licence conditions. The service had already made its final broadcast in May 2002. Following ACE TV's closure, C31 Adelaide Ltd received the Adelaide community television licence in 2003. The resulting service, C31 Adelaide, commenced broadcasting on 23 April 2004 using analogue UHF channel 31. The launch placed Adelaide within the developing network of community television services operating in Australia's capital cities. These stations were designed to support local production and community participation, but their regulatory status differed from that of commercial and national public broadcasters. In 2004, most community television services in Australian capital cities obtained permanent licences or entered processes intended to provide longer-term authorisation. Adelaide's permanent-licence process began in the same period but was terminated in mid-2006. The two prospective applicants, including C31 Adelaide, were not granted a permanent licence for different reasons. This unresolved regulatory position became a defining feature of the station's later history. On 5 November 2010, the service moved from analogue channel 31 to digital channel 44 and adopted the brand 44 Adelaide. The analogue signal was ultimately switched off on 31 May 2012. The station refreshed its logo in 2013 and changed its name to Channel 44, or C44, in 2014. The earlier 44 Adelaide identity remains associated with the digital transition and with the station's effort to present itself as a distinct Adelaide community platform. The station's future became particularly uncertain after the federal government announced in September 2014 that community television licensing would end in December 2015. The deadline was later moved to the end of 2016. Further extensions were granted through a series of government decisions: the licence period was extended to June 2017, then December 2017, and later June 2018. In connection with a wider media-reform agreement involving the Nick Xenophon Team, another extension carried the service through June 2020. A further 12-month extension was granted in June 2020. In June 2021, the government provided another three-year extension shortly before expiry, following amendments tabled by South Australian Senator Rex Patrick. These successive decisions enabled Channel 44 to continue broadcasting while questions concerning spectrum allocation and the future regulatory framework remained unsettled. Channel 44 also adapted its distribution model. In April 2016, it began streaming its television channel live on its website. Online distribution broadened the potential audience for Adelaide-made content and reduced the service's dependence on a single local terrestrial transmission area. It also offered a practical way to maintain reach during a period in which the station's broadcast authorisation was repeatedly subject to renewal. In November 2020, the South Australian Film Corporation's First Nations Advisory Committee was launched in partnership with Channel 44 as part of the First Nations Screen Strategy 2020–2025. The relationship reflected the station's role in the South Australian screen ecosystem and its capacity to provide a platform for community and culturally specific content. In 2024, legislation was changed so that Channel 44 could remain on air until the Australian Communications and Media Authority decides to reallocate the relevant broadcast spectrum for another purpose. This replaced the immediate uncertainty of repeated short extensions with a continuation arrangement tied to a future spectrum decision. The station's identity has evolved from C31 Adelaide to 44 Adelaide and then Channel 44/C44, while its underlying purpose has remained the provision of locally relevant community television for Adelaide and South Australia.
- 2024
Broadcast continuation tied to future spectrum reallocation
[1]Legislative changes allow the station to stay on air until the ACMA reallocates its broadcast spectrum for another purpose.
- 2020
First Nations screen partnership
[1]Channel 44 partners with the South Australian Film Corporation's First Nations Advisory Committee under the First Nations Screen Strategy 2020–2025.
- 2016
Online live streaming begins
[1]Channel 44 begins streaming its service through its website, extending access beyond Adelaide.
- 2014
Station adopts Channel 44 and C44 identity
[1]The service is renamed Channel 44, commonly abbreviated as C44.
- 2013
Logo refresh
[1]44 Adelaide introduces a new logo during its period as the digital community television service.
- 2012
Analogue service is switched off
[1]The station ends its analogue transmission on 31 May.
- 2010
Digital transition and 44 Adelaide rebrand
[1]The station moves to digital channel 44 on 5 November and changes its identity to 44 Adelaide.
- 2006
Permanent-licence process is terminated
[1]The process for awarding a permanent Adelaide community television licence is ended without C31 receiving one.
- 2004
C31 Adelaide launches
[1]C31 Adelaide begins broadcasting on 23 April on analogue UHF channel 31.
- 2003
C31 Adelaide Ltd receives the Adelaide community television licence
[1]C31 Adelaide Ltd becomes the licensee associated with the new Adelaide community television service.
Products and positioning
A locally oriented community television platform for Adelaide, emphasizing accessible local production, community participation and programming relevant to South Australian audiences.
Community television broadcasting · 2004
Channel 44 free-to-air service
The station's principal offering is a free-to-air community television service for Adelaide. Its programming combines locally made productions with selected content from interstate Australian community television and international sources. The schedule is oriented toward material relevant to local communities and provides an outlet for producers and subjects that may be underrepresented on commercial television.
Digital video distribution · 2016
Channel 44 online stream
Introduced in 2016, the website stream distributes the Channel 44 service beyond its Adelaide terrestrial coverage area. It supports the station's community mission by allowing locally relevant programming to reach viewers elsewhere, while also providing an additional distribution channel during continuing uncertainty around broadcast licensing.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020First Nations Screen Strategy partnership
South Australia
Channel 44 partnered with the South Australian Film Corporation's First Nations Advisory Committee as part of the First Nations Screen Strategy 2020–2025.
Outcome. The partnership placed Channel 44 within a South Australian initiative supporting First Nations screen development and representation.
- 2016Adelaide – It's Your 44
Adelaide · South Australia
The later station identity emphasized local ownership and Adelaide relevance after the digital transition and the expansion into online streaming.
Outcome. The identity became the station's continuing positioning line.
- 2010Bringing You the Community through TV
Adelaide
The identity line used from 2010 to 2016 presented the station as a television service focused on community representation and local relevance during the transition from C31 to 44 Adelaide.
Outcome. The slogan was later replaced as the station moved toward the 'Adelaide – It's Your 44' identity.
Brand decisions
2024
Continue broadcasting until spectrum reallocationOtherBackground
The station had previously relied on a series of short-term licence extensions while the future of community television spectrum was considered.
Action taken
Legislation was changed to allow Channel 44 to remain on air until the ACMA reallocates the spectrum for another purpose.
Aftermath
The change provided a longer-term continuation mechanism without setting a fixed immediate shutdown date.
2016
Expand distribution through online streamingStrategyBackground
The planned end of community television licensing threatened the continuity and reach of terrestrial services.
Action taken
Channel 44 began streaming its channel live through its website.
Aftermath
Local programming became accessible to viewers outside Adelaide's broadcast footprint.
2014
Rebrand from 44 Adelaide to Channel 44StrategyBackground
After the digital transition and a 2013 logo refresh, the station continued refining its public identity.
Action taken
The service adopted Channel 44, commonly shortened to C44.
Aftermath
Channel 44 became the continuing station name, while 44 Adelaide remained a significant former brand identity.
2010
Move from analogue channel 31 to digital channel 44Generation changeBackground
The station needed to adapt to Australia's digital television environment while retaining its community broadcasting role.
Action taken
On 5 November 2010, it moved to digital channel 44 and adopted the 44 Adelaide brand.
Aftermath
The analogue signal remained until 31 May 2012, after which the service operated as a digital broadcaster.
Sources1 sources
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