World Cup Free to Air and 2018 FIFA Soccer Live Aussie TV Fixtures!

There are more than two-dozen Free to Air channels in Australia (also known as Free View) including the five major channels presented below, ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine and Ten. The content found on Free to Air TV, whether it be Sports such as the Rugby World Cup or a popular television series, are either developed in-house, contracted through a partnership with their regional affiliate, or purchased through an open bidding process with competing carriers for the program’s broadcast rights.

SEVEN

Channel 7 is a leading provider of free to air sports and entertainment in Australia, and no better example was the Olympics. The action was exclusive to Seven with 1,000 hours of Live free to air coverage.

2018 FIFA World Cup TV Preview

Enjoy the 2018 FIFA World Cup as the Socceroos battle the world’s best teams for the right to advance to the knock-out stage. This year’s event is hosted in Russia, and you can stream the World Cup live online with SBS (all Group matches) or Optus Sport (all 64 games live).

When: June 15 – July 16
Where: Western Russia

2018 World Cup Live SBS TV Times (AEST)

Sat June 23 Live: Belgium v Tunisia 10.00pm (SBS/Optus)
Sun June 24 Live: S. Korea v Mexico 1.00am (SBS/Optus)
Sun June 24 Live: Germany v Sweden 4.00am (SBS/Optus)
Sun June 24 Live: England v Panama 10.00pm (SBS/Optus)
Mon June 25 Live: Japan v Senegal 1.00am (SBS/Optus)
Mon June 25 Live: Poland v Colombia 4.00am (SBS/Optus)
Mon June 25 Live: Uruguay v Russia 11.55pm (SBS/Optus)
Mon June 25 Live: S. Arabia v Egypt 11.55pm (SBS/Optus)
Tue June 26 Live: Spain v Morocco at 4.00am (SBS/Optus)
Tue June 26 Live: Iran v Portugal at 4.00am (SBS/Optus)

Watch or Stream the 2018 World Cup Live!

Thanks to Optus streaming issues, SBS, the Australian World Cup free to air provider, will televise each and every Group match live and free on TV, as well as through The World Game website, and later on SBS On Demand. SBS will air all Socceroos World Cup matches free, plus every Group game, two quarter-finals, the semi-finals and final.

Optus will be televising all 64 World Cup matches live across multiple platforms with dedicated 24/7 football channels carried on Optus’ subscription TV platform, Optus TV with Fetch, Chromecast and Apple TV. Optus is also live streaming the World Cup free on their Sport app and website, having waived their $14.99 fee through August 31.

ABC

Australia’s revered Free to Air Broadcaster has, for decades, brought both entertainment and fiercely independent news & current affairs to the entire nation, from capital cities to the smallest outback towns. Making the most of its often limited funds, the ABC has long been one of the most trusted institutions in the country.

TEN

Australia’s youngest commercial TV network, Ten was seen as the home of the juggernaut singing contest Australian Idol and the Aussie version of Big Brother. More recently, Ten’s audience has broadened and its programming has expanded to match it, with Masterchef Australia drawing in millions of viewers as the flagship local production. Much of channel Ten’s television content is sourced from overseas these days, but there’s still plenty of local flavour, not the least from Neighbours – one of the longest-running drama series in the history of television.

NINE

Known as the pioneer of live entertainment in Australia, Nine spent decades as the most popular TV network in the country. The Nine Network of today has high-budget shows such as Underbelly and Australia’s Got Talent sharing space with huge live-to-air hits like the Telstra NRL premiership, the morning news show Today along with 60 Minutes and A Current Affair, as well as reality show juggernaut The Block – which attracts millions of viewers to every episode.

SBS

Arriving in 1980, SBS started life as a government-funded alternative public broadcaster with a brief to provide programming for Australia’s large and ever-expanding multicultural population. In recent years it’s expanded on that original concept, and while they still provide a vast array of programs and news services in various languages, SBS places a strong emphasis on entertainment as well. The network is also famous for its international TV programming – a selection of movies from around the globe.

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