The Government Has Actually Ruled That ‘Feral TV’ Was An Illegal TV Station

It’s official: Australia’s media regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has finally weighed in to confirm that a pirate television channel run by various rodents on a children’s TV show was, in fact, highly illegal.

The entire premise of FeralTV is a farce. If animals took over a TV station, ACMA would intervene and shut them down. Not buying it!

— dan nolan (@dannolan) November 30, 2017

This is going to mean almost nothing if you don’t remember the iconic 1990s ABC TV children’s show The Ferals, which featured a bunch of animal puppets who lived in a shed, but by all means keep reading.

In one notable episode, the Ferals break into a television station and start broadcasting their own signal under the banner of “Feral TV”. Feral TV in turn became a highly successful spinoff to the original show, the Frasier to their Cheers. A fun fact is that in the show, the TV station was run by a toad named Kerry, who was modelled after Australian media magnate, Kerry Packer. This show has levels, people.

Until now, nobody ever questioned the legalities of the pirate TV channel that was run by some cats and stuff, until notable internet user Dan Nolan decided to delve deeper. Contacting ACMA, he asked:

“Were a group of imported feral animals to perform this dastardly deed, what kind of custodial sentence and or fines would they be looking at?”

I've made an inquiry to ACMA about FeralTV. All you clowns who laughed at me will soon have egg on your faces. pic.twitter.com/7FGOqMQKEY

— dan nolan (@dannolan) December 1, 2017

Responding via Twitter, ACMA first tried to pass the ball off to the invasive species council.

Control of invasive species is usually a matter for the invasive species council and is outside of the ACMA’s remit. However, providing a television broadcasting service without a licence is an offence. 1/4

— The ACMA (@acmadotgov) December 4, 2017

But after a bit of bureaucratic waffle and legalese, they started to confirm exactly how much hot water the Ferals were hypothetically in.

If Kerry the Toad or the Ferals were looking to obtain a commercial television licence, they would be subject to normal rules including the requirement to notify the ACMA about a change in control. 2/4

— The ACMA (@acmadotgov) December 4, 2017

If the Ferals are foreign entities for the purposes of the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975, they would also need to apply to the Foreign Investment Review Board for approval. 3/4

— The ACMA (@acmadotgov) December 4, 2017

Warnings of “don’t mess with the Ferals” notwithstanding, the ACMA reserves its right to take action where it suspects a breach of the law occurring. 4/4

— The ACMA (@acmadotgov) December 4, 2017

So, there we have it. Say goodbye to your childhood, because there’s a good chance that Modigliana, Rattus and the crew are going to spend the rest of their non-existent lives behind bars.