Regional pay TV operator Austar launched a 24-hour weather channel on 1 January, called Weather 21, which has at least three reporters providing hourly updates, with advertising on the channel currently handled by Pacific Media. Bruce Mann, Austar executive director marketing & programming, says the channel is popular with farmers. Similar programs in the US are consistently in the top five because farmers rely on weather updates when making important decisions. The channel is a joint production between Austar and Cox Inall, which also produces the Cross Country program on free-to-air television. MCN handles advertising on other Austar channels. According to Austar, about 25% of its 280,000 subscribers are in rural areas. Other pay TV operators such as Optus Vision and Foxtel focus primarily on metropolitan markets. The other channel catering for rural viewers is Country Music Television (CMT). Although CMT has viewers in metropolitan and regional cities, a recent study commissioned by Austar revealed the program was more popular with rural viewers.
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