Two major pay-TV operators in Australia said that subscription television will be 100 percent digital in the country in less than two years. Austar CEO John Porter and Foxtel CEO Kim Williams said Oct. 24 their sector intends to convert 100 percent of subscription television homes to digital and switch off analog services in early 2007.

Foxtel and Austar have combined around 1.1 million digital TV subscribers. Both subscription platforms committed to launch at least two, 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week composite high-definition television (HDTV) digital channels by 2008.

“The subscription television industry has already invested more than 1 billion Australian dollars ($748.9 million) in world-class digital platforms that have been built for the future. HDTV in the future will become more important to broadcasters and to consumers,” Porter said.