Prime-time television across Australian free-to-air channels tends to build towards a fairly fixed slot each evening, and for a lot of households 6:56 pm is the point where the good stuff actually starts. This page counts down to it precisely, right down to the second, rather than leaving you to guess from the clock on the wall.
Because the countdown reads straight from your device's own clock, its accuracy depends on that clock being set correctly, including the right time zone. Most phones and computers handle this automatically, so in practice the figure shown lines up with whatever time your device already displays.
Cross-checking a time against a roster written in an unfamiliar format is easier with more than one version on hand — 6:56 pm for the everyday reading, 18:56 for anything printed the other way, and four minutes to seven in the evening for matching against whatever someone actually said out loud. All three point to exactly the same moment.
Common questions
Does this countdown update automatically?
Yes. The numbers recalculate every second on their own, using your device's clock, so there is nothing to refresh or restart — the figure shown is always the current, exact gap to the target time.
What happens if the time has already passed today?
The countdown simply points to the next occurrence instead, which is tomorrow if that time has already been and gone for today. It resets on its own without needing to be reloaded or reset by hand.
Is the countdown based on my local time?
Yes. It reads directly from your device's own clock and time zone setting, so the figure shown reflects wherever you happen to be, not a fixed time zone built into the page.
Does this work on a mobile phone?
Yes, it runs the same way in any mobile browser as it does on a desktop or laptop, with no app required and nothing to install beforehand.