Although the dominance of FTA television as a mass communication medium has been unsurpassed for many decades, the industry is now facing challenges from a number of fronts as incumbent broadcasters cling to their lucrative oligopolies. Digital FTA TV has been held up in a vicious cycle since it was launched in 2001. Available digital content, beyond simply offering better picture qualities, has been nowhere near sufficient to help drive digital TV. The recent changes to media ownership and broadcasting regulations in Australia are likely to lead to further consolidation of radio operators and increased cross-media ownership. Competition from within and outside the industry, which is already strong, is predicted to increase. After decades of delays, digital radio will finally be introduced in Australia from January 2009. It however looks that the radio innovations for the foreseeable future will come from the Internet and other new media developments rather than from the radio broadcasting industry.
