2020 in Australian television

| Following low ratings in Adelaide, Nine switches Millionaire Hot Seat and Nine News Adelaide's timeslots around. The first episode of Hot Seat in its new 4 pm timeslot is watched by just 5,000 viewers, easily beaten by Seven News in its 4 pm timeslot.

| {{cite web|last=Knox|first=David|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2020/02/update-nine-news.html|title=Update: Nine News|date=17 February 2020|publisher=TV Tonight|access-date=18 February 2020}}

| Nine News suspends their regional 6:00 pm bulletins indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with reporters redeployed to the metropolitan bulletins in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Their news bulletins were to return on August 10 at a 5.30pm timeslot.

| {{cite web|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2020/03/nine-news-suspends-regional-bulletins.html|title=Nine News suspends regional bulletins|publisher=TV Tonight|first=David|last=Knox|date=17 March 2020|accessdate=17 March 2020}}

| Seven West Media announces that they will be reducing the amount of advertising shown across their free-to-air channels.

| {{cite web|url=https://www.adnews.com.au/news/seven-is-cutting-the-amount-of-advertising-it-will-run |title=Seven is cutting the amount of advertising it will run | date=24 May 2020|accessdate=24 May 2020}}

|Seven News United States correspondent Amelia Brace and freelance photojournalist Timothy Myers were assaulted in Washington DC while covering the George Floyd protests on Sunrise.

| {{cite web|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2020/06/police-strike-sunrise-crew-in-washington-dc.html|title=Police strike Sunrise crew in Washington, DC.|publisher=TV Tonight|first=David|last=Knox|date=2 June 2020|accessdate=4 June 2020}}

|In two separate incidents, Nine News European correspondents Sophie Walsh and Ben Avery were attacked while covering the George Floyd protests in the United Kingdom. Walsh was assaulted by a bystander during a live-cross to Nine's Adelaide evening news bulletin, while Avery was attacked while covering the story on the Today show. Neither were harmed.

| {{cite web|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2020/06/nine-news-journalists-attacked-in-london-clashes.html|title=Nine News journalists attacked in London clashes|publisher=TV Tonight|first=David|last=Knox|date=4 June 2020|accessdate=4 June 2020}}

|The Seven Network axes its afternoon talk show The Daily Edition due to economic pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

| {{cite web|last=Knox|first=David|date=19 June 2020|title=Axed: The Daily Edition|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2020/06/axed-the-daily-edition.html|accessdate=19 June 2020|publisher=TV Tonight}}

|The Daily Edition host Ryan Phelan is sacked by the Seven Network after being charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault following a complaint made to police by his girlfriend.

|{{cite web|url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/ryan-phelan-channel-7-presenter-charged-over-alleged-domestic-violence-incident/2ab5f723-7759-4613-8585-8bf0dbf6d22c|title=TV presenter Ryan Phelan charged over alleged domestic violence incident|publisher=Nine News|first=Stuart|last=Marsh|date=23 June 2020|accessdate=23 June 2020}}

|Pay television provider Foxtel ceases operations of its locally owned music television channels [V], MAX, Foxtel Smooth and the Country Music Channel. They were replaced by a new suite of music video networks operated by ViacomCBS Networks UK & Australia, which operates MTV, Nickelodeon, and free-to-air Network 10.

|{{Cite web|date=2020-06-30|title=Channel [V], MAX & CMC: 25 years of unforgettable TV moments|url=https://themusicnetwork.com/rip-foxtel-music-channels/|access-date=2020-10-12|website=The Music Network}}

| Emelia Jackson from Melbourne, Victoria wins the Back to Win Season of Masterchef Australia.

|{{cite web|url= https://www.nowtolove.com.au/reality-tv/masterchef/masterchef-2020-emelia-jackson-intimidated-by-laura-sharrad-64668 | title=EXCLUSIVE: MasterChef winner Emelia Jackson reveals the contestant she was most intimidated by this season}}

|TNT-9, the station of the Southern Cross Austereo-owned Seven Network affiliate Seven Tasmania, goes off air during a Snowstorm on Newsreader's Rachel Williams' final bulletin in Nightly News 7 Tasmania.

|Ben Polson of Perth, WA wins the Fourth Season of Australian Ninja Warrior and First Ever Champion taking home $400,000.

|{{cite web|url= https://www.nineforbrands.com.au/media-release/history-is-made-with-ben-polson-crowned-australias-first-ninja-warrior |title=History is made with Ben Polson crowned Australia's first Ninja Warrior | publisher=Nine Entertainment Company}}

| A slew of Network 10 personalities bid farewell to viewers after the network makes them redundant and moves to centralise studio production of its individual state editions of 10 News First to Sydney and Melbourne while also changing the format of its morning program, Studio 10. Studio 10 panelist Kerri-Anne Kennerley and, newsreaders Natarsha Belling, Georgina Lewis, Rebecca Morse and Monika Kos, sport presenters Tim Gossage and Will Goodings and weather presenters Tim Bailey, Mike Larkan and Michael Schultz are all made redundant. Joe Hildebrand resigns from Studio 10 and Network 10 and signs up with Sydney radio station 2GB.

| {{cite news |last=Knox|first=David|date=10 September 2020|title=Farewell to 10 faces|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2020/09/farewell-to-10-faces.html|work=TV Tonight|location= |access-date=12 June 2021}}

| New editions of 10 News First, including pre-recorded local segments for Brisbane and Adelaide, begin airing on Network 10. Sandra Sully, Matt Burke and Josh Holt commence presenting the Sydney and Brisbane editions from the TEN-10 studio in Sydney while Jennifer Keyte, Stephen Quartermain and Kate Freebairn start presenting the Melbourne and Adelaide bulletins from the ATV-10 studio in Melbourne. Narelda Jacobs and Josh Holt present the Perth bulletin from the TEN-10 studio in Sydney with the sport presented from the NEW-10 newsroom in Perth.

|{{cite news|last=McKnight|first=Robert|date=10 September 2020|title=EXCLUSIVE: OLD NEWS IS GOOD NEWS AS BUDGET CUTS BITE AT 10 NEWS|url=https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2020/09/10/exclusive-old-news-is-good-news-as-budget-cuts-bite-at-10-news|work=TV Blackbox|location= |access-date=12 June 2021}}

| The first ever Today, Today Extra and A Current Affair are broadcast from the Nine Network's new North Sydney studios. On the same night, Nine News has a new studio set of its Sydney bulletin.

|

|In Perth, Nine News follows Adelaide's lead back in February and switches timeslots with Millionaire Hot Seat heading to 4:00pm While the Afternoon News moves to 5:00pm in order to boost ratings of its 6:00pm Bulletin.

|

|+ {{nowrap|List of domestic television series premieres}}

! scope="col" | Program

! scope="col" | Original airdate

! scope="col" | Network

! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Source

| Name

| Date

| Age

| Broadcast notability

| Reference

| Tom Long

| 5 January

| aged 51

| United States-born Australian actor best known for serials East of Everything, The Dish and SeaChange

| {{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

| Ron Haddrick

| 11 February

| aged 90

| Actor, former sportsman and narrator known for Home and Away as Gordon Macklin

| {{cite web|url=https://smh.com.au/national/cricketer-and-actor-who-worked-with-the-biggest-names-in-theatre-20200302-p545xy.html|title=Cricketer and actor who worked with the biggest-names-in-theatre|date=2 March 2020 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald}}

| Hutton "Red" Gibson

| 11 May

| aged 101

| Father of actor Mel Gibson and American sedevacantist best known in Australia for his six-figure win on Ford Superquiz

| {{cite news|first=Alan|last=Gill|title=Critics Say a 'Real' Pope Would Stay at Home; The Papal Tour|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=November 22, 1986|quote=Apart from siring Australia's highest-paid movie star, he recently won $100,000, plus a luxurious car, in a TV quiz program.}}

| Louise Pajo

| 23 November

| aged 79

| New Zealand-born Australian actress, who appeared on Doctor Who, before numerous roles in Australia

| {{cite web|url=https://guide.doctorwhonews.net/person.php?code=2357|title=Doctor Who Guide: Louise Pajo|website=guide.doctorwhonews.net}}