ABC1


ABC rebrands flagship Oz channel

Australian pubcaster ABC has followed suit from ITV in the UK and rebranded its main channel. ABC1 will now be known as just ABC, following results of extensive audience research that revealed viewers preferred the latter moniker. In January 2013, ITV1 was rebranded as ITV for similar reasons. ABC had first been rebranded as ABC1 […]

Aussie pubcaster moving educational shows to ABC3

Australia’s pubcaster the ABC has decided to move its educational children’s programming to dedicated kids channel ABC3. The ABC says mobbing the shows from ABC1 will allow it to double its educational offering by increasing its programming block to two hours. Learning programmes will air on weekdays from 10am to 12pm during school terms from […]

ABC1 drops children’s programming

Australian broadcaster ABC1 will move children’s programming to dedicated digital channels as the country completes its digital switchover, it was announced today. From 2 February children’s programmes – including mainstay Play School, which has been broadcast on the ABC since 1966 and acquired shows including Peppa Pig (pictured) – will be transmitted on ABC3 and […]

BBC Worldwide poaches ABC exec

BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand has tapped Australian pubcaster the ABC to find a new director of television. Natalie Edgar, currently ABC1’s deputy controller, takes up the role to replace Deirdre Brennan, who is going the other way to join ABC as kids TV controller next year. Edgar will oversee editorial for BBCWW Australia […]

Chris Lilley character returns in ABC, HBO, BBC comedy

Comic Chris Lilley has scored a new series for his schoolgirl bully character Ja’mie King via Australian pubcaster ABC1, HBO in the US and BBC Three in the UK. Australian-born Lilley played the role in previous series We Can Be Heroes and Summer Heights High and will now reprise the part in Ja’ime: Private School […]

ABC1 goes Old School with drama

Australian public broadcaster ABC1 has commissioned an eight-part drama series in which a retired cop and retired criminal work together to solve cases. Old School will star Bryan Brown (Beautiful Kate, Gorillas in the Mist) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, The Tudors) as the veteran pair, who pool together in a bid to solve crimes […]

ABC appoints new comedy chief

Australian public broadcaster ABC has appointed the co-creator and executive producer of controversial sitcom At Home With Julia as its new head of comedy. Rick Kalowski is currently local indie Quail TV’s creative director and is responsible for Julia, a 2011 ABC1 political satire that lampooned Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and also sold to […]

New Oz prodco creating ABC telemovie

A pair of veteran Australian TV drama producers have launched a new production company and secured a commission from ABC to create a telemovie about an iconic Australian transgender figure. Riccardo Pelizzeri and Lara Radulovich have created Story Ark Productions, which will produce Carlotta for pubcaster ABC1. Pelizzeri’s credits include series such as Underbelly: NZ, […]

ABC Commercial to sell Jimmy McGovern’s Redfern Now

ABC Commercial, the international arm of the Australian public broadcaster, has acquired the global rights to Jimmy McGovern’s new drama Redfern Now. The 6x1hour series, which is set to air on ABC1 later this year, is the first Australian drama series created by McGovern, who created Cracker and Accused. Redern Now is six stories of […]