ABC Drama avoids Olympic clash, but misses 2016 promise.

It’s not just commercial TV networks that make big announcements at their annual Upfronts only to see them backtrack later.

ABC now has two claims from its 2016 programming launch that will not eventuate as promised.

The first was a declaration to move its primary channel to HD by mid 2016. With June long gone, ABC’s latest statement on making the switch was that it has “a number of initiatives on the TV roadmap including HD” it is still work towards.

Now a second claim -to have first-run Australian drama every week of the (ratings) year- will also miss a target.

With Barracuda‘s finale airing this coming Sunday, ABC will not have any new Australian drama in August, preferring not to take on the Olympics.

An ABC spokesperson told TV Tonight, “Certainly the aspiration remains to host the big Australian dramas on Thursday night at 8.30. Of course, our scheduling factors in the Olympics, but we’ll be returning to Thursday night Australian dramas with The Code S2 at the start of September.”

No question, ABC gets points for having run Australian Drama every week thus far -commercial networks have been holding off on that front and now frantically spilling out double episodes, leaving viewers with famine or feast.

Barracuda didn’t quite get the Thursday slot, because it was deemed to be an event series (with the full series on iview). But that pitted it against big-hitters such as The Voice finale.

“Of course, programming remains dynamic and always subject to change.”