Commercial free-to-air television remains the most trusted source of news for Australians, while also generating $2.4 billion for the economy, according to a new report.

The findings, released in Canberra on Tuesday, come from research by Deloitte that was commissioned by Free TV Australia.

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Almost 90 per cent of those surveyed trust TV more than social media, AI content and most other news sources.

Well-known faces from the industry travelled to the nation’s capital for the report’s release.

“To watch a young up-and-coming athlete called Cathy Freeman to run in her 400 metre final ... for me, it was so inspiring,” Sunrise presenter Matt Shirvington said.

Free TV Australia chief executive Bridget Fair said commercial television has always given millions of Australians the chance to feel “the same thing at the same time”.

“This report puts hard numbers behind something we’ve always known – free television is cultural infrastructure for this country,” Fair said.

“It gives Australians shared stories, shared facts and shared values.

“But commercial television cannot be taken for granted. Its continued availability depends on decisive action now – a policy framework that addresses competition failure in ad tech, protects Australian content from AI theft, and keeps free, universal access to the moments that matter for every Australian, no matter where they live or how they watch TV.”