A comparison of options currently available to television viewers in three cities in Australia, Canada and the U.K. identifies more extensive choice in the last two countries. Geographic location, the availability of overflow signals, attitudes to public and private broadcasting and the rate of adoption of new delivery systems such as cable and satellite are used to explain the regulatory decisions that have lead to the existing differences. Technology is expanding the range of choice and will likely leave viewers with similar options in all three markets in the near future. The article examines the use made of auctions to allocate pay television and other licences and compares it to alternative allocative mechanisms. Our discussion provides a snapshot of a rapidly changing landscape.