Ten Network and WIN have signed the long-mooted regional TV broadcast agreement that became necessary after Southern Cross abandoned Ten and moved to become Nine’s regional affiliate.

The five-year agreement includes MasterChef Australia, The Bachelor Australia, Offspring, Formula One and the KFC Big Bash League, and starts on July 1. Regional viewers wanting to keep up with MasterChef will have to remember to switch the dial.

Under the new deal, WIN will pay Ten a higher affiliation fee than that currently paid under Ten’s existing regional program supply agreements. The new deal should result in a boost for Ten’s programs with higher audiences in the regions because of WIN’s wider broadcast footprint across the country. That will not only benefit the headline programs like MasterChef, but also Ten news and The Project.

Nine’s regional penetration will fall with Southern Cross as its partner because it has a smaller broadcast footprint than WIN.

Last Friday, Ten confirmed that it had retained a smaller affiliation agreement with Southern Cross covering northern NSW. Like the WIN agreement confirmed today, the Southern Cross deal is for five years starting July 1, with a higher affiliation fee to be paid to Ten by Southern Cross.