Government backs ABC3 Kids Channel
A greenlight turns on for ABC3, set to hit our screens before Christmas.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
The Rudd Government has committed to establishing a dedicated ABC children’s digital television channel, ABC3.
“The ABC has always played a strong role in Australia’s national identity and I expect the new children’s channel will provide significant cultural and social benefits for Australian children,” Senator Stephen Conroy said.
“This new digital channel will offer high-quality educational, commercial-free viewing options for Australian families.”
The Rudd Government’s commitment to a digital ABC children’s channel forms part of the government’s response to the Australia 2020 Summit. It was flagged prior to the last federal election with a re-election commitment by the Howard Government, but was put on the backburner by the new government. Funding will not be announced until the budget next month, expected to cost between cost $25 – $30 million a year.
The new digital channel will be the only dedicated children’s channel available free to Australian homes and will operate in addition to existing children’s programming on ABC1 and ABC2 until the analogue switch over.
“The ABC Children’s Channel will broadcast child-appropriate content for 15 hours per day and will be complemented by a variety of interactive elements and online content.”
It is expected to be on air before Christmas.
33 Responses
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In disguise, this is really a good result for ABC2, clearing the schedule.
After analogue shutdown, it will also be a win for ABC1. Kids content is already 12 hours a day, so it’s funny to think that “ABC3” already exists 80%.
Maybe this means ABC2 can become more like the old ABC “FlyTV”. Remember we had “ABC Kids” channel already in 2001-2003, sharing time 50/50 with FlyTV.
CK.
Screen Daria and I’m in. 😀
JohnJet,
I believe you got FTA television confused with Subscription TV. Because in actual fact, Pay TV viewers are the ones who hand over $40 a month for programs that were mostly shown on FTA years ago. Even if they weren’t aired on FTA, they probably were not good programs to begin with anyway…
Very happy to see ABC come through on this. Kids don’t need all those ads and commercial influences in their lives. I look back now and what I remeber as a kid is jingles and stupid ads since all the shows after school were full of them.
Yah, another FTA channel with endless repeats of shows we have already seen a thousand times on pay-tv.
ABC 3 will have very few of its own original shows for that budget,
The excitement will wear off quickly when it becomes a dumping ground.
KIds shouldn’t be bobarded with any advertising regardless of junk food or toys.
Big business is using the most vulnerable as a new market to tap in. If kids are worthy of marketing on the scale processing companies, soft drink manufacturers, toy distributors etc seem to think, then they should vote, be able to get a driving licence and allowed to drink. Oh wait, we stop that because they are not ready for those things so it’s a form of protection. Why not for advertising?