Radio on TV
Now you can listen to your favourite ABC radio stations on your digital free-to-air TV.
Where can I find these ABC radio channels on my TV?
For most TVs, the ABC radio stations will be automatically available (refer to the TV channel numbers below). In some instances you may be prompted by your digital TV to retune your television to receive the new channels (refer to the next question).
How do I tune my TV?
If your digital TV doesn’t automatically pick up these radio channels, you may need to manually retune your TV/set top box. Instructions on how to manually retune vary by TV make and model. We recommend you refer to your TV User Manual for specific instructions. General guidelines:
- Turn on your TV
- On your TV remote control press the Menu/Home/Settings button. A menu should appear on your TV screen. There should be instructions on screen about how to navigate the on-screen menu. As a rule, you use the arrow buttons on your TV remote control to navigate through the menu options.
- Look for a menu option that relates to your TV’s channel line up. It could be Channel Search, Settings, Configuration or Tuning then select Re scan or Auto retune. The TV should start searching for new channels. It should take about 4-5 minutes to scan for all available channels.
- Once completed, exit the on-screen menu and navigate to the TV channel in the above table to locate your ABC Radio channel.
- If you need further help with these retune instructions, an education promo is played daily Monday to Friday on ABC TV (channel 2/20) after Gardening Australia and before the midday news, stepping you through this process.
How can I find out what’s on these radio channels on TV?
Schedules for all ABC channels on TV (including the radio channels on TV) can be accessed via
- Your TV’s Guide – look for the TV Guide/Guide button your TV remote control
- Via ABC’s online Radio schedules are available via the stations websites accessed here
- For triple j’s schedule click here
- For triple j’s Unearthed schedule click here
- For Double J’s schedule click here
- For RN’s schedule click here
- For ABC Classic’s schedule click here
The ABC radio stations don’t appear on my TV. What’s wrong?
Accessing these ABC channels on your TV should be easy.
First, you need to ensure you have a digital TV (or a TV hooked up to a digital set top box) with access to free to air TV channels ie you receive your TV channels through an aerial/antenna.
If, when you turn to a channel number, the ABC radio service isn’t available, your TV may need to be retuned. Refer to the How do I tune my TV? question above.
Do I have a digital TV?
All TV sets sold in Australia are now digital TVs and have been for many years. Analogue TV ceased transmission in 2013. Some people may still have an old analogue TV and use a digital set top box. Your digital set top box should still be able to receive these radio services.
Why can I only get the capital city radio station on channel 25, not my local station (e.g. I live in Newcastle, but I can only listen to ABC Sydney)?
Your Local Radio (channel 25) feed is a state base feed, so your local State capital station will be broadcast on channel 25. You can still listen to your local regional station via your radio or on the ABC listen app.
The broadcast of the radio station via the TV seems to be out of synch with the radio broadcast. Why is that?
ABC Local, ABC RN, ABC Classic and triple j are all broadcast in local time. The other stations, ABC KIDS listen, ABC Country and ABC NewsRadio, are broadcast on the NSW schedule.
Is ABC Sport available via my digital TV?
ABC Sport is not available via your digital TV. Due to the complexity of TV sports rights, ABC Sport is not part of the TV line up. ABC Sport remains available via your radio or the ABC listen app, to find out more about the ABC Listen app, click here. To find out more about ABC sport, click here.
What if I want to listen to a radio program on demand on my TV?
If your TV is set up for casting, you can use the ABC listen app to cast on demand programs to your TV. To find out more about the ABC Listen app, click here.
