1986 in Australian television

Events

Television

5 January - SBS ceases VHF transmissions on Channel 0 in Sydney and Melbourne.
20 January - Neighbours makes its debut on Network Ten and comes to dominate the 7:00pm weeknight timeslot.
25 January - American sitcom starring Soleil Moon Frye and George Gaynes Punky Brewster receives its Australian television debut on Seven Network.
28 January - Australian news and current affairs program The 7.30 Report debuts on ABC.
30 January - Debut of Australian soap opera Prime Time on Nine Network. It was the very last soap opera from Australia ever produced with exterior location scenes shot on film and interior scenes shot on videotape.
10 February - Australian soap opera Return to Eden premieres on Network Ten.
13 March - Australia's popular and influential TV sketch comedy The D-Generation which was created and written by a group of students from Melbourne University who had gained local notoriety for their stage work such as Marg Downey, Michael Veitch and Tom Gleisner debuts on ABC.
16 March - SBS expands into Perth and Hobart.
31 March - ABC airs extra morning programs for children for the first time due to school term breaks from 10:00am to 12:00pm.
7 July - Last and final episode of the Australian soap opera Return to Eden airs on Network Ten.
23 July - The Royal Wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson is broadcast on all television stations except for SBS.
5 August - British police procedural television series The Bill premieres on ABC.
19 September - Nine Network celebrates 30 years of television with a two-hour special featuring footage from some of TV's most popular and most remembered programs and personalities.
27 October - Neighbours airs on the BBC in the UK for the first time.
30 October - The Movie Show begins on SBS.
November - Pbl Mini series Cyclone Tracy + The Great Bookie Robbery air on Channel Nine
11 December - Final episode of the Australian soap opera Prisoner airs on Network Ten.
15 December - ABC airs extra morning programs for children during the Summer Holidays from 10:00am to 12:00pm until February where School Term 1 will begin.
December - The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, owners of HSV-7 & ADS-7 are sold to Rupert Murdoch's News Limited for $1.8 billion. As News Limited owned ATV-10 at this time, HSV-7 is sold to Fairfax in February 1987 for $320 million.
Australian children's series Mr. Squiggle returns with a brand new series with Roxanne Kimmorley taking over as presenter.
AUSSAT satellites are launched, bringing television to remote areas for the first time.
The 1986 Commonwealth Games are telecast live on ABC from Edinburgh, Scotland.

Debuts

20 January - Off the Dish
28 January - The 7.30 Report
30 January - Prime Time
10 February - C'mon Kids
10 February - Return to Eden
9 March - A Fortunate Life
13 March - The D-Generation
20 March - The Girl from Steel City
31 March - Edge of the Wedge
3 April - Game of Life
6 May - The Video Comedy Show
9 May - Saturdee
15 May - Fame and Misfortune
26 May - The Flying Doctors
15 June - Don Spencer's Feathers, Furs or Fins
19 July - The Cartoon Company
29 July - The Noise
22 September - My Brother Tom
28 September/30 September - Whose Baby?
30 September - Studio 86
30 September - Filmstruck
2 October - The Haunted School
14 October - The Challenge
20 October - Sword of Honour
30 October - The Movie Show
10 November - ''Professor Poopsnagle's Steam Zeppelin''

New international programming

2 January - Malibu
4 January - La Linea
4 January - / Amigo and Friends
5 January - / The Mighty Orbots
5 January - / Snorks
6 January - Eye to Eye
7 January - / Kennedy
8 January - The Return
11 January - / The Transformers
23 January - The Jockey School
25 January - Punky Brewster
30 January - The Happy Apple
31 January - Submarine
31 January - Highway to Heaven
3 February - // Lucky Luke
10 February - Kane and Abel
11 February - Tales from the Darkside
12 February - Growing Pains
12 February - Who's the Boss?
24 February - Inside China
27 February - The Twilight Zone (1985)
4 March - A Death in California
5 March - Cold Warrior
20 March - Office Gossip
31 March - The Bunjee Venture
2 April - The Return of Bunjee
2 April - Stories from Next Door
2 April - Spooky
3 April - Paddington Goes to School
3 April - Cuckoo Land
4 April - Nobody's Hero
4 April - It's Punky Brewster
6 April - Turbo Teen
12 April - / Star Wars: Ewoks
12 April - / Star Wars: Droids
12 April - Robotech
15 April - Moonlighting
27 April - The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries
28 April - The Challenge of the Machine Men
30 April - Bits and Bytes
3 May - SuperTed
3 May - Do It
5 May - The Colbys
8 May - Sunday Blues
12 May - Longing to Fly
23 May - Smiley's People
23 May - Letty
31 May - Berrenger's
5 June - Wil Cwac Cwac
5 June - The Bear, the Tiger and the Others
10 June - Edge of Darkness
14 June - Treffpunkt: Deutschland
24 June - 'Allo 'Allo!
30 June - Fast Forward
10 July - Vayia's Treasure
15 July - Floyd on Fish
17 July - The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾
20 July - Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears
24 July - The Voyage of the Mimi
27 July - The Wuzzles
2 August - T-Bag
3 August - The Beiderbecke Affair
5 August - The Bill
7 August - Quaq Quao
10 August - Me and My Girl
11 August - Yes Prime Minister
12 August - Terry and the Gunrunners
13 August - The Morca Mystery
13 August - Fiery Skies
13 August - Doubletake
13 August - The Haunting of Cassie Palmer
16 August - / The Irish R.M.
17 August - / Spearfield's Daughter
21 August - Victoria Wood as Seen on TV
23 August - // M.A.S.K.
24 August - The Centurions
26 August - Street Hawk
6 September - / ThunderCats
11 September - Anna of the Five Towns
11 September - The Comic Strip Presents...
14 September - Mansfield Park
17 September - Finnegan Begin Again
18 September - Spenser: For Hire
19 September - Stookie
22 September - Going Bananas
23 September - The Croc-Note Show
25 September - I Had Three Wives
29 September - Small Wonder
30 September - Chessgame
6 October - All at No 20
15 October - The Last Precinct
26 October - Galtar and the Golden Lance
27 October - On Wings of Eagles
4 November - Lady Blue
7 November - Airwolf
10 November - 227
10 November - Call to Glory
10 November - The Magical World of Gigi
11 November - The Best Times
11 November - Foley Square
11 November - Mary
11 November - Lime Street
12 November - Our Family Honor
12 November - Detective in the House
13 November - Call to Glory
14 November - Riptide
17 November - Relative Strangers
23 November - Jem
25 November - MacGruder and Loud
27 November - Hawaiian Heat
12 December - Aspel and Co.
15 December - Roland Rat
15 December - Country GP
15 December - Let's Read with Basil Brush
18 December - You Again?
21 December - Freud
21 December - He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special
22 December - // The Care Bears
28 December - The Flintstones' 25th Anniversary Celebration
29 December - The Hot Shoe Show
29 December - Television Parts
31 December - ''An Audience with Billy Connolly''

Changes to network affiliation

This is a list of programs which made their premiere on an Australian television network that had previously premiered on another Australian television network. The networks involved in the switch of allegiances are predominantly both free-to-air networks or subscription television networks. Programs that have their free-to-air/subscription television premiere, after previously premiering on the opposite platform are not included. In some cases, programs may still air on the original television network. This occurs predominantly with programs shared between subscription television networks.

Domestic

Program	New network	Previous network	Date
Neighbours	Network Ten	Seven Network
The Maestro's Company	ABC TV	SBS

Television shows

1950s

''Mr. Squiggle and Friends''

1960s

''Four Corners''

1970s

Hey Hey It's Saturday Young Talent Time Countdown 60 Minutes

''Prisoner''

1980s

Sale of the Century Wheel of Fortune Sunday Today Perfect Match Neighbours

''The Flying Doctors''