The lack of high-definition sports broadcasts on free-to-air television is an ongoing source of frustration for football fans, particularly when the grand final months of September and October roll around. Unsurprisingly, money is the main reason standard definition continues to rule the roost, though there was a glimmer of hope as Nine remained undecided about the HD prospects of an NRL grand final. Well, the suspense is over -- it'll be SD thanks to "technical difficulties".

Speculation about a potential partnership between Hulu and Channel Nine kicked off last year when The Australian reported that a joint venture between the two was under consideration. A report in today's Sydney Morning Herald essentially acts like that's a done deal, but doesn't really bring any new information to the table.

I guess it was kind of predictable: Seven's third digital channel 7Mate targets men, so Nine's forthcoming third channel, GEM, will target women.

Channel Nine got to the catch-up TV game late with its FIXPlay site earlier this year. While the biggest success for the site has (predictably) been letting people get their Underbelly hit, Channel Nine appears keen to emphasise the ability to view much older shows.