2003 in Australian television

Events

• 10 February – 5 years since the last show, Ray Martin returns to the hosting role on Nine's A Current Affair.
• 19 April – Rove McManus wins the 2003 TV WEEK Gold Logie.
• 25 June – Neighbours producers has announced that star Delta Goodrem will not renew her contract with the Network Ten series when it expires in next month. She is expected to be seen on-air until September.
• 27 June – TEN axes vintage episode reruns of Neighbours earlier through the 1991 series after very bad ratings and on the following Monday June 30, TEN launches the one hour afternoon news bulletin instead. In 2002 Neighbours rated only 70,000 viewers during the whole 1990 series.
• 30 June – Two of the ABC's digital television service channels ABC Kids and Fly TV closed down due to funding cuts from the Federal Government.
• 13 July – The Australian version of the Endemol-hit decision making game: Deal or No Deal, premieres on the Seven Network hosted by Weekend Sunrise host Andrew O'Keefe, offering a top prize of a staggering two million dollars before lowering the top prize to $200,000 next year.
• 21 July - Regina Bird wins season 3 of Big Brother, becoming the show's first female winner.
• 27 July - The Australian version of Pop Idol debuts on Network Ten.
• 28 September – Shaun Faulkner wins the fourth and final season of The Mole, taking home $104,000 in prize money. Petrina Edge is revealed as the Mole, and Nathan Beves is the runner-up.
• 10 October - After protests from the community during the Vietnam War, SBS TV has chosen to cancel its broadcasts of the state-run news service across Vietnam.
• 23 October – Axed-Neighbours star Delta Goodrem wins the GOLD ARIA for Single of the Year at the 2003 ARIA Awards, along with 6 trophies, including John Farnham being inducted to the Hall of Fame and blasted the speakers loud to 1985's "You're The Voice".
• 19 November – The first series of Australian Idol was won by Guy Sebastian defeating Shannon Noll, along with his very first single, Angels Brought Me Here debuting at #1 on the ARIA Top 50 singles and Video Hits Top 20 singles chart reaching 4 time Platinum and album Just as I Am debuted at #1 and was reached 6 times Platinum. In 2010, Angels Brought Me Here ranked #1 on the ARIA end of decade singles chart.
• 5 December - After six years of reading the news together, Ross Symonds and Ann Sanders are both stood down as presenters of Seven News Sydney following years of dismal ratings to rival National Nine News Sydney. Ian Ross replaced them as of 2004.
• 22 December – Australian children's comedy series The Ferals returns to air on ABC after a very long absence since 1995. Rather than airing in the afternoons on Mondays at 5:00pm, the series now airs at 11:20am weekday mornings.
• December - Channel Nine takes a new record as the network wins all 40 weeks of ratings.

Debuts

Seven Network

Network Ten

New International Programming

Program	Network	Debut date
Red Cap Red Cap [4]	ABC TV	2003-09-19 !19 September
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy Queer Eye for the Straight Guy [5]	Network Ten	2003-09-29 !29 September
Wire, The The Wire [6]	Nine Network	2003-11-18 !18 November
Fimbles	ABC TV	3 February
Rubberdubbers	ABC TV	11 August
Beyblade	Network Ten	2003

Subscription television

Domestic

International

Program	Channel	Debut date
Bruiser[8]	UKTV	2003-01-04 !4 January
World of Pub[9]	UKTV	2003-02-01 !1 February
Roger Roger[9]	UKTV	2003-02-25 !25 February
Punk'd [10]	MTV	2003-07-01 !1 July
Chalk[11]	UKTV	2003-07-19 !19 July
That's So Raven[12]	Disney Channel	2003-08-18 !18 August

Free-to-air premieres

This is a list of programs which made their premiere on Australian free-to-air television that had previously premiered on Australian subscription television. Programs may still air on the original subscription television network.

International

Program	Free-to-air network	Subscription network	Date
Jackass [13]	Network Ten	MTV	2003-02-05 !5 February

Subscription premieres

This is a list of programs which made their premiere on Australian subscription television that had previously premiered on Australian free-to-air television. Programs may still air on the original free-to-air television network.

Domestic

International

Program	Subscription network	Free-to-air network	Date
Degrassi Junior High Degrassi Junior High [7]	Nickelodeon	ABC TV	2003-01-28 !28 January
Pie in the Sky [15]	UKTV	ABC TV	2003-02-01 !1 February
Sunburn[16]	UKTV		2003-03-16 !16 March
Sk8 / Sk8 [17]	Nickelodeon		2003-05-05 !5 May
Kids of Degrassi Street, The The Kids of Degrassi Street [18]	Nickelodeon	ABC TV	2003-07-28 !28 July
Viva S Club Viva S Club [18]	Nickelodeon		2003-07-28 !28 July
Blobheads Blobheads [14]	Nickelodeon		2003-10-17 !17 October
North Square[19][20]	UKTV	ABC TV	2003-11-12 !12 November
Henry's World Henry's World [14]	Nickelodeon	ABC TV	2003-10-1 !1 October

Specials

Program	Channel	Debut date
2003 Kids' Choice Awards[17]	Nickelodeon	2003-05-10 !10 May
2003 Teen Choice Awards[21]	Fox Kids	2003-10-15 !25 October

References