Part of Australia Might Change Time Zones to Avoid TV Spoilers

The Australian government is considering changing South Australia’s time zone to align with the clocks of either Western Australia or the country’s eastern states.

“South Australia’s half-hour time difference to the eastern states and 90-minute difference to Western Australia can cause confusion across the spectrum of our daily lives—from sporting fixtures to public-service administration and business transactions,” South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill said in comments reported by the Wall Street Journal.

But there’s another reason the government thinks the change might be a good move: avoiding TV spoilers. “Most of us have a story about spoilers—like hearing the winner of MasterChef from an interstate friend just as the finale is getting interesting on our local TV station,” reads a government website calling for citizen input. “It puts us adrift of most other Australians.”

The region’s television industry is already on board. South Australia’s networks have turned in a joint statement in support of aligning with the eastern states, highlighting “the benefits of up to the minute national news and current affairs, and live social media interaction with popular programs,” according to Investment and Trade Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith.

Yes, the future of Australian time zones could just come down to live-tweeting.

[WSJ]