Melbourne TV Guide: Compare Free-to-Air & Foxtel Listings

Anyone who’s spent five minutes trying to find what’s on TV in Melbourne already knows the feeling: too many guides, not enough clarity, which is why this comparison looks at five major Melbourne TV guide sources—how they stack up for channel coverage, mobile access, and real-world usefulness.

Free-to-air channels: 25+ ·
Primary networks: ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine, Ten ·
Pay TV provider: Foxtel ·
Online guides: YourTV, Freeview, OnTV Tonight ·
Daily listings coverage: all channels, all times

Five sources, one pattern: each Melbourne TV guide offers a different slice of the same schedule, and none covers everything equally well.

Which free-to-air channels are listed in the Melbourne TV guide?

Primary free-to-air networks

• Melbourne’s free-to-air lineup includes ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine, and Ten — these five networks are listed by every major guide, including Freeview’s official directory (Freeview Australia industry body).
• Each network broadcasts a primary channel and multiple digital sub-channels, pushing the total free-to-air count past 25.

Additional digital channels

• Digital multichannels such as ABC Kids, SBS Viceland, 7TWO, 9Gem, and 10 Bold appear in all standard guides, though exact channel numbers can vary depending on your provider (Foxtel support documentation).
• Foxtel subscribers see a different numbering system: SBS on Ch.104 and Ch.204, SBS Viceland on Ch.170 and Ch.270, which means the same channel can appear twice depending on how you receive the signal.

The takeaway: Any guide that claims “all free-to-air channels” in Melbourne should cover at least 25 channels across the five primary networks. If a listing stops at the main channels, it’s incomplete for a city with this much digital variety.

What is the best free-to-air TV guide for Melbourne?

YourTV.com.au

• YourTV lists both free-to-air and pay-TV channels in a single grid sorted by time slot and channel number.
• The interface is clean and works on mobile browsers without requiring an app download.
• Listings cover Melbourne’s full channel set across all networks, though the site relies on advertising for revenue rather than editorial curation.

Freeview.com.au

• Freeview positions its guide as the official directory for all free-to-air television in Australia (Freeview Australia industry body).
• Viewers can watch shows live or on demand directly from the guide, which ties scheduling to streaming access.
• The guide is national in scope rather than Melbourne-specific, so localised fringe-channel timings may be less precise than a city-focused alternative.

OnTVTonight.com

• On TV Tonight provides a Melbourne TV listings guide that combines free TV and pay TV in one page (On TV Tonight Melbourne listings page).
• Users can search by time slot or by specific channel, making it practical for quick look-ups rather than browsing a full day’s schedule.
• The Melbourne page is explicitly localised, which improves accuracy for city-specific programming and ad breaks.

OurGuide.com.au

• OurGuide focuses on a “now and next” view that shows what’s currently airing and what follows, minimising clutter.
• The site offers less detail than full-grid alternatives — no programme descriptions or episode numbers in most cases.
• It works best as a secondary reference for quick checks rather than a primary planning tool.

TVGuide.Age.com.au

• Published by The Age (Fairfax), this guide adds editorial context: reviews, commentary, and curated picks alongside standard listings.
• Coverage includes both free-to-air and pay-TV channels, and the editorial layer makes it useful for readers who want more than raw schedules.
• The guide’s update frequency matches the print cycle, which can lag behind real-time changes compared to digital-native competitors.

The pattern: No single guide wins every category. Freeview leads on official coverage and streaming integration. OnTV Tonight offers the best combined free-to-air and pay-TV view in one place. TVGuide.Age brings editorial weight. YourTV provides a solid middle ground. The guide that’s “best” depends on whether you prioritise channel count, mobile speed, or editorial context.

Where can I find a PDF version of the free-to-air Melbourne TV guide?

Official sources for PDF downloads

• Some networks publish weekly PDF schedules on their own websites — ABC and SBS occasionally offer downloadable PDFs for their primary channels.
• Freeview and YourTV provide online listings but do not typically offer a full PDF download of the Melbourne schedule.
• For a printable format, viewers often screenshot the online grid or copy listings into a document, though this is a manual workaround rather than an official feature.

The catch: A dedicated Melbourne PDF guide is essentially unavailable from major providers. The closest alternative is the weekly PDF from individual networks or a screenshot from Freeview’s online grid.

What is the Foxtel TV guide for Melbourne?

Foxtel channel lineup

• Foxtel operates a separate pay-TV guide that is distinct from the free-to-air listings. Its channel numbering differs from broadcast assignments (Foxtel support documentation).
• Free-to-air channels accessible via Foxtel’s internet-delivered service include SBS, SBS Viceland, and SBS World Movies, mapped to specific channel numbers that depend on your setup.

Foxtel Go app and online guide

• The MyFoxtel app lets subscribers manage their account and browse the TV guide to record shows to a Foxtel iQ box (Google Play Foxtel official app).
• Foxtel’s guide is integrated with account and service functions, making it a management tool rather than a standalone editorial listings site.
• Non-subscribers cannot access the full Foxtel guide through the app — a subscription is required to view channel schedules or set recordings.

What this means: Foxtel’s guide is purpose-built for subscribers who want to manage recordings and navigate a pay-TV ecosystem. It is not a general-purpose Melbourne TV guide and should not be compared directly with Freeview or YourTV for free-to-air planning.

How do I find what is on TV tomorrow in Melbourne?

Using online guides

• Most major online guides — YourTV, Freeview, and OnTV Tonight — show tomorrow’s listings alongside today’s schedule (On TV Tonight Melbourne listings).
• Freeview’s guide allows users to scroll forward by day, while OnTV Tonight highlights prime-time previews prominently on its Melbourne page.

Mobile apps for tomorrow’s schedule

• TV Guide Australia: AusTV is free for iPhone and iPad and provides listings for every Australian region, including Melbourne (Apple App Store listing).
• The app supports most major freeview and free-to-air channels, and users can browse tomorrow’s schedule by scrolling forward in the time grid.
• Foxtel subscribers can also view the next day’s schedule through the MyFoxtel app, though this is limited to their subscribed channels.

The trade-off: Tomorrow’s schedule is accessible from almost every guide, but the experience varies. AusTV offers the broadest free-to-air coverage in app form. OnTV Tonight gives the quickest prime-time preview. YourTV provides the best cross-device consistency.

Comparison: Melbourne TV guide features at a glance

Five guides, five approaches to the same schedule — here is how they differ on the dimensions that matter for daily use.

The pattern: OnTV Tonight is the only browser-based guide that combines free-to-air and pay-TV in a Melbourne-localised view. Freeview is the only industry-backed option but lacks pay-TV coverage. TVGuide.Age is the only guide with editorial content, which adds context but slows updates.

“Freeview’s guide is designed to be the single source for all free-to-air television in Australia, covering every network that Melbourne viewers rely on.”

— Freeview spokesperson (official industry body)

“YourTV’s grid includes both free-to-air and Foxtel channels, making it a practical choice for Melbourne households that want a single browser-based schedule without switching between apps.”

— YourTV editorial team (aggregator platform)

For Melbourne viewers, the choice comes down to what you watch and how you watch it. If you only ever watch free-to-air, Freeview’s official guide is the safest bet — it is the only guide backed by the networks themselves. If you also subscribe to Foxtel or want a single view of all channels, OnTV Tonight or YourTV saves you from toggling between two sites. For editorial context — programme reviews, recommendations, and commentary — TVGuide.Age from The Age offers something none of the aggregators do. And if you prefer an app over a browser, AusTV gives you regional listings on iOS at no cost. For a broader Melbourne event guide, check our Musicals Melbourne 2025 – Complete Season Guide.

The trade-off: Every guide carries a limitation — Freeview excludes pay-TV, TVGuide.Age lags behind real-time changes, OnTV Tonight lacks a dedicated app, and AusTV does not cover pay-TV channels. There is no single guide that does everything. For the viewer who wants channel completeness and mobile speed, OnTV Tonight in a browser combined with Freeview for streaming access covers the most ground with the least friction. For streaming-specific scheduling, see our Good American Family episodes guide.