ABC4

ABC HD is gone to make way for the ABC’s new 24 hour news channel – ABC News 24. The new channel will be broadcast in HD, meaning that the existing ABC HD – which currently is mostly a simulcast of ABC1 (NSW) will be no more.

Digital channel 20 – where ABC HD lived is now a standard definition simulcast of ABC1. When the new channel launches, channel 20 will disappear and the new channel will appear on digital channel 24, in HD.

The free to air arrangement of the ABC channels will be as follows:
2 & 21 ABC1 – ABC’s main channel, with a variety of programming throughout the day, over the full 24 hours.
22 ABC2 – Pre school programming from 9am – 6pm daily, general entertainment including some ABC1 repeats until 2am daily.
23 ABC3 – Children’s programming, aimed at 6-14’s from 6am – 9pm daily
24 ABC News 24 – 24 hour news channel.

On Foxtel:
102 ABC1
126 ABC2
723 ABC3
202 ABC New 24.

From the ABC website:

What’s happening to ABC HD?
We are changing our HD channel in preparation for the launch of our new 24 hour news channel. This first stage of this change is to replace the HD channel with a SD (standard definition) broadcast of ABC1 (NSW). The second change will occur when ABC News 24 launches, at which time the ABC1 HD channel will be taken off air.

Why will the HD channel be removed?
The ABC only has a specific amount of digital spectrum in which to broadcast all its services. To launch ABC News 24, we need the spectrum currently being used to broadcast our ABC1 HD channel. To continue to watch ABC1 once ABC News 24 starts, please switch to channel 2 or 21 if you are watching free-to-air television or channel 102 for Foxtel and Austar.

Does this mean that ABC will not broadcast anything in HD?
ABC News 24 will be broadcast in HD. All other channels (ABC1, ABC2, ABC3) will be broadcast in SD (standard definition).

How will I find ABC News 24?
When it launches, ABC News 24 can be found on channel 24. If you are watching through Foxtel it will be channel 202 and if you subscribe through Austar, it will be channel 24. Optus viewers will not be able to access ABC News 24, as their service does not offer HD.

The ABC has announced that senior journalist Chris Uhlmann is joining its continuous news channel, ABC News 24, as political editor.

Uhlmann, currently political editor for The 7.30 Report, has worked in the Canberra press gallery since 2006 and won the Walkley Award for Broadcast Interviewing in 2008.

Other presenters for ABC News 24, launching mid-year, include former Moscow correspondent Scott Bevan, Lateline Business presenter Ali Moore and former Europe correspondent Jane Hutcheon. In addition to her role as presenter of the 7:00pm news in New South Wales, Juanita Phillips will also be joining the News 24 on-air team.

Current presenter of ABC News Breakfast Virginia Trioli and sports presenter Paul Kennedy will continue their roles at the new channel, while colleague Joe O’Brien will be heading to the new state-of-the-art studio at ABC headquarters in Sydney to present day-time news.

Australia Network’s Jim Middleton and ABC Online’s chief political writer Annabel Crabb will also be contributing, as will some of the ABC’s most experienced journalists, including Insiders and Offsiders host Barrie Cassidy, AM presenter Tony Eastley and Radio National’s Breakfast presenter Fran Kelly. Foreign Affairs editor Peter Cave will also contribute.

ABC News 24 will deliver continuous and commercial-free coverage of major breaking stories in Australia and around the world.

Director of ABC News Kate Torney said she was delighted with the calibre of the on-air team and the experience the presenters and contributors bring to the coverage of live news events.

“A large number of experienced journalists from the ABC and other media organisations were interviewed for the new presenting positions, but the most qualified and experienced applicants were existing ABC journalists,” she said.

New programs are being developed specifically for the channel, focusing on world news, national politics and business.

Many of the ABC’s existing television news and current affairs programs, including The 7.30 Report, Lateline and Four Corners, will also be featured.

Hopefully when the channel launches, it will appear on Foxtel and Austar cable and satelite at the same time, as was the case for ABC3. ABC News Breakfast moving to the new channel will free up the mornings on ABC2 for more pre school programming.

Source: ABC

ABC’s new 24 hour news channel is to be called ABC News 24 and not ABC4. The ABC have registered the name as a trade mark with IP Australia – the government body that administrates trademarks.

The new channel, which will be launched in the second half of the year, will take over the current ABC HD channel which is seen on digital channel 20. This will unfortunately spell the end of seeing any ABC programming content other than the news channel in HD.

ABC News 24 may also be assigned the digital channel of 24, thus maintaining the sequence of ABC digital channels – 21 for ABC1, 22 for ABC2, 23 for ABC3 and 24 for ABC News 24.

The ABC have announced plans to restructure their management, based more on how the BBC in the UK do it, with separate management for each of their channels ABC1, ABC2, ABC3 and the soon to launch ABC News channel set to broadcast on the channel now called ABC HD.

Currently, ABC broadcasts pre school content on ABC2 from 9am – 6pm, as well as some pre shcool shows on ABC1. ABC3 broadcasts nothing but children’s TV from 6am – 9pm daily focussing on the 6-14 year olds. Some of these shows ALSO appear on ABC1. ABC4 or ABC HD (there is not officially a name for the new channel yet) is set to be nothing but news. ABC News breakfast currently seen on ABC2 from 6am-9am would most likely move to the News channel.

Like all networks, the ABC are limited in what they can show on ABC1 by classification rules at certain times of days as well as children’s programming requirements. While we still have people analogue, we will not see much of a change to the dynamics of programming offered by ABC1 regardless of whether the content is duplicated on ABC2 and ABC3 or even the new ABC News channel.

I often see in forums discussing the ABC calling for less or even no programming for children especially considering the advent of children’s programming on ABC2 and ABC3. Come 2014, when Australia is 100% digital, we will then see massive changes, not just to the ABC but to the other networks as well. No longer will they have the restrictions of what has to be shown on the “main” channel. And the whole idea of a main channel should then hopefully vanish in any case.

In 2014 we could well see no children’s programming on ABC1 with ABC2 and ABC3 left to carry that content. Then again, under new management structures, visions and directions, the end result could very different to what we have now. After all – they would then have four channels to play with.

The end result should be a better ABC for everyone with more options and content. The only problem then will be that no content will be in HD other than the news on the HD channel – well at least from the time the news channel launches later this year. But that too could change in the future.

The ABC are restructuring to take on a model of management more like that of the BBC in the UK. Under such a scheme, each channel would have its own channel manager who would be responsible for its branding, vision and strategy. With the ABC recently announcing that ABC HD would become a 24 hour news channel, that would mean there are four channels to be managed as such, together with multi platform content.

The new approach will reflect the changing dynamic of the ABC which used to have just the one channel and a management structure based on that.

“When I was appointed to the ABC four years ago, I was appointed to run a single linear TV channel,” Director of Television Kim Dalton told The Australian.

“Yet the underpinning structures to deliver all that are basically the ones that were put in place 20 to 30 years ago to service a single channel.

“We have currently got systems that are at times inefficient, at times dysfunctional and don’t allow us to build up our channels. That’s meant uncertainty about where functions are performed.”

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

It’s amazing to think that this time last year – just 12 months ago – multi channelling in Australia was limited to just ABC2, SBS NEWS and part time HD break aways from Seven, Nine and Ten. The SBS NEWS channel essentially played nothing more than non stop foreign news bulletins – the same news shown now on SBS ONE and TWO. The number of free to air channels was 7 full time and 3 part time channels.

In the last 12 months, we have seen Ten launch ONE HD, SBS switch from SBS NEWS to SBS TWO, Nine launch GO – the most successful multi-channel to date, and Seven launch 7TWO. In December, the ABC launched their 3^rd channel ABC3. The channel count now is 11 full time channels.

In 2010, we will see more channels added. ABC last month announced their decision to launch a 24 hour news service using the ABC HD signal, while both Nine and Ten announced new channels as part of their 2010 programming package. Seven, when 7TWO was launched made a vague indication to the prospect of a 3^rd channel but nothing more has been said.

ABC’s new news channel (which I’ll call ABC4 for now – the name may end up being ABC NEWS or NEWS TV (like they already have News Radio)) will be the 4^th full time channel for the ABC, but it will come at the expense of ABC HD – which currently is a full time simulcast of ABC1 allowing a few shows to be seen in HD.

Both Nine and Ten are well into their plans for their respective third channels, but neither will be up and running prior to June 30. Now, it has come out that SBS are also looking into a 3^rd channel (I’ll call it SBS THREE for now) which would be news based. That would mean that both the ABC and SBS would offer free to air full time news channels.

Assuming that Seven also launches a third channel in 2010 (and why wouldn’t they if arch rival Nine do, and Ten have one up as well), the total number of free to air digital channels will be 16 by the end of the year – with all 5 free to air networks having 3 channels, other than the ABC with 4.

Add to that, community TV which starts going digital in March (in Sydney, it will be digital channel 44), then some people will have 17 free to air digital channels.

The ABC will launch Australia’s first free-to-air 24-hour television news channel in 2010.

The ABC’s Managing Director, Mark Scott, said the ABC’s commitment to quality news and current affairs would enter a new era with the creation of the new digital channel.

The channel will provide live continuous news coverage of major breaking stories from Australia and around the world. Broadcasting around the clock will enable the ABC to increase its in-depth coverage of local, national and international affairs through background features and analysis, combined with the ABC’s unrivalled long-form current affairs reporting.

“No media organisation in the country is better equipped to deliver this channel than the national broadcaster,” Mr Scott said.

“We can draw on the investment already made in the ABC, through its major newsrooms in every state and territory, 12 international bureaux and 60 regional newsrooms, to deliver to Australians a top-quality 24-hour news service that is comprehensive, independent and up to the minute.”

New programs are also being developed specifically for the channel, focusing on world news, national politics and business.  Many of the ABC’s existing television news and current affairs programs will also be featured.

A continuous news centre with a new state-of-the-art studio, in the foyer of the ABC’s Ultimo headquarters, will serve as the engine room of the new channel.   The ABC will also take advantage of its multi-platform capabilities, ensuring that audiences are able to keep up to date with news developments in different formats and across an array of devices.

The ABC’s capacity to “go live” with in-depth, continuous news coverage will extend to Australia Network, ensuring the ABC’s audiences in 44 countries also benefit from the new channel.

The channel will commence with no additional funds from the Government for content. Significant changes the ABC has made to news and television production processes, taking advantage of new technology, will allow the broadcaster to reinvest in new programming.

The news channel will be launched on the ABC’s HD channel, adding to the suite of services offered by the broadcaster on ABC1, ABC2 and ABC3. Further details of the new channel, including the program schedule and launch date, will be outlined in coming months.

Mr Scott said the ABC had been systematically preparing for the establishment of a 24-hour news channel in recent years.  He said the project was a vital part of its charter obligation to inform the public and provide “innovative and comprehensive broadcasting services of a high standard”.

“ABC News Breakfast on ABC2 has shown how effectively the ABC can deliver live breaking news, tapping into the full resources of the national broadcaster,” Mr Scott said.

“By putting TV cameras in radio studios, we have already been able to put on television some of the outstanding agenda-setting radio interviews from ABC programs such as AM, PM, Radio National Breakfast and a range of local radio programs.”

“And over the past week we have witnessed the ABC’s capacity to cover breaking news with the crisis in Haiti. Our correspondents have provided dozens of live crosses into radio, television and online bulletins and programs.”

The ABC’s News Director, Kate Torney, said the News Division was committed to delivering news of the highest standard to audiences across a range of programs and platforms.

“ABC journalists around the country and around the world produce hours of original, quality content each day. The news channel will give Australians more flexible access to our best reporting and analysis, along with an opportunity to watch breaking news as it happens,” Ms Torney said.

“Australians can tap into news from the national broadcaster when they want it and where they want it through the new 24-hour news channel and also from services like ABC News Online, ABC News Radio and ABC Mobile.

“Our audiences look to the ABC to provide independent, quality news reporting and analysis they can trust.  With the launch of this channel, Australians will be able to access the country’s most comprehensive news coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Director of Television, Kim Dalton, said ABC TV was fully embracing the benefits of digital television by creating another genre-specific channel.

As the country’s leading multi-platform broadcaster, ABC TV offers viewers true choice – be it landmark Australian programming on ABC1 or our kids channel, ABC3,” Mr Dalton said. “The addition of a news channel to our current line-up ensures that viewers can select the type of quality Australian content they want to watch and enjoy it both on digital television and online.”

To view the short video promotion click here.

[Updated] The ABC News channel will utilise the existing ABC HD channel. Click here to read more.

Looks like the ABC will be the first network to launch a new digital channel in 2010. Already known to be a planned news channel, ABC will launch ABC4 in coming months.

ABC4 will be a 24 hour national news channel and will be launched without any additional government funding, rather relying on savings the broadcaster has made in other areas to cover the cost of the service.

The plan has raised questions about the ability for the ABC to maintain quality news output with one senior ABC executive expressing his concerns of how flagship news programming on ABC1 could be affected.

ABC Managing Director, mark Scott, has been the driving force behind the establishment of a 24 hour news service, which would allow the ABC to directly compete against commercial news interests, in particular Sky News.

“If Sky News can deliver a 24 hour news service with a fraction of the number of journalists working in ABC newsrooms, then it stands to follow that the ABC is capable of producing a 24/7 news for our audiences; we just need to work smarter to deliver it.”

The news of ABC4 launching comes in time for a federal election this year where such a news service would really come into its own. ABC has the staff, resources and expertise through well established services that would see the news channel as a major player in the free to air broadcast landscape. Already airing on ABC2, ABC News Breakfast was an idea originally destined to air on the future ABC4.

The exact launch date and even if the channel will ultimately be called ABC4 – something like ABC News would be better – are yet to be announced. ABC4 would most likely appear on digital channel 24.

There is the concern, however, that with the ABC having 4 standard definition channels as well as an HD channel that the individual channel quality will be quite low and suffer from macro blocking and pixilation. Even now, with 3 channels and ABC HD, there is frequent pixilation on ABC. An idea might be to only offer ABC HD after 9pm when ABC3 closes for the night, thus freeing up bandwidth during the day for ABC4.

Source: Media Spy.

This year has seen every network add a new digital channel almost doubling the number of free to air digital channels available.

ABC2 has been around for years and was the first true free to air digital channel (although under different names in the past). That was followed by SBS News which in June this year became SBS TWO offering alternative programming from 6pm. Previously the channel only showed international news bulletins which it still does during the day.

On October 15 2007, 7HD launched, followed by 10HD mid December 2007 then 9HD in March 2008. All three HD channels were “break aways” and could in no way be considered full time channels. Break away times usually concentrated around 12-3pm and 10.30pm onwards. 10HD provided the most content of the three including a sci fi night on Thursdays, time shifted afternoon news and programming and some overseas sports events live. As time went on, there was more and more sport which was a sign of what was to come.

In October 2008, Ten announced that they would be launching ONE HD a full time sports channel which launched in March 2009 to the five main cities. Ten was the first commercial TV network to announce a full time second digital channel. ONE HD however spelt the end of 10HD and the end of seeing any shows that air on Ten’s main channel in HD whether they were made in HD or not. ONE HD also was simulcast as ONE Digital on Ten’s second SD channel.

Shortly after ONE launched, the spot light turned to Nine who were preparing for their new channel GO. 9HD break aways increased to include over 6 hours of unique programming during the day showing classic cartoons and shows like Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie which ultimately became part of GO’s TV guide. Go was officially announced in July 2009

Then at the start of August, 9HD break aways ceased. On August 8, GO commenced at 6.30pm with what was called a “soft launch”. No countdown, no fanfare, little advertising for the channel. But at least it was there. Since then, GO has grown in ratings now typically representing 2.3% of the total share of what viewers watch. ONE represents about 1% of the share.

With Ten, Nine, ABC and SBS all having second digital channels, the attention then turned to Seven. Rumours were about that Seven would start their channel in October but with no announcements, that was unlikely. A number of trade marks gave rise to speculation as to the name of the channel but none of which actually came to fruition.

Finally on October 23, Seven put us out of our misery and announced their new channel would be 7TWO. 7TWO will start at Midday November 1.

And since the ABC were granted additional funding in the federal budget in May 2009, children’s channel ABC3 was able to come into reality. ABC3 launches December 4 2009 at 6pm.

ABC3 makes the ABC to be the first free to air network to offer three separate channels.

Ten have already announced that they will launch a new channel in 2010. So now the attention for the next channel will now turn to Ten.

That puts the ball back into the court of Seven and Nine. From the time when GO launched, Nine said that they were unable to offer a separate signal on 9HD due to technical reasons. That is, they are unable at this time to show three separate shows at once. They further indicated that this would change some time in 2010. In all the stories leading up to the launch of 7TWO, Seven have also mentioned (without being specific about anything) that they will go further with multi channelling thus suggesting a third channel possibly being likely in 2010 as well.

Perhaps this time next year we could be seeing that ABC, Seven, Nine and Ten all have three channels. There could even be an ABC4 – most likley to be a news channel.

The commercials can only have three channels at this stage. One channel in HD, two in SD. That will change come 2014 when analogue is off everywhere.