Number 96 is an Australian primetime soap opera that aired on 0-10 Network (the forerunner of what is now Network Ten) from 13 March 1972 to 11 August 1977, broadcast in the primetime slot of 8:30 pm every weeknight.

Originally it aired from its inception in monochrome until 1975, with the switch over to colour television broadcasting in AustraliaThe series was notable for breaking new ground introducing controversial subject matter. The premiere of the series was promoted heavily in media with newspaper advertisements that described it as "Tonight, Australian television loses its virginity" and it followed the lives of residents living in a four-storey city apartment block at the fictional 96 Lindsay Street, Paddington.

The show was conceived by novelist David Sale (who also was a screenwriter, who worked on the series) and developed by production firm Cash Harmon Productionsthe series was originally commissioned by the then flagging network to make a soap opera with similar elements to the British series "Coronation Street, but a little racier".

The show was a daring last-bid attempt from a network on the verge of bankruptcy, and its immediate success (and advertising revenue) helped it be more competitive and buy successful new international shows such as The Waltons and M*A*S*H. By 1974, on the back of the series, the network was number one in the ratings for the first time.Number 96 became one of the most popular Australian drama television series of its era, although because of its subject matter, was not picked up by many international markets. It was the world's first soap opera to screen in prime time five nights a week, and was the first Australian TV series to inspire a US remake.