RTTL President Rosario da Graça Maia said the partnership will make more programs available to people across the country, including sports, documentaries, drama, children’s shows and entertainment. The rollout begins with coverage of the Asian Football Confederation Women's Asian Cup.

“The launch of PacificAus TV through RTTL marks an important step in offering people living in Timor-Leste a greater variety of high-quality international content,” he said.

Australian officials said the partnership strengthens regional media cooperation and gives Timorese broadcasters access to trusted Australian programming.

Chargé d’Affaires at the Australian Embassy, Edward Wilkinson, said: “By making trusted Australian content available through PacificAus TV, we are helping RTTL provide more choices and build a dynamic, diverse media environment for people in Timor-Leste.”

People in Timor-Leste will be able to watch the programming through RTTL’s television service. Details about broadcast schedules and the language of the programs have not been provided.

People in Timor-Leste can currently access international TV content from Indonesia, Portugal, Australia, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, China and English-language channels via satellite or online services.

According to research by The Asia Foundation, about half of people living in Timor-Leste watch television every day, and RTTL reaches around 90% of the country’s television viewers.

The launch is being delivered in partnership with the Secretary of State for Social Communications, the Australian Embassy in Timor-Leste and Free TV Australia.