ABC Kids Channel
Encyclopedia
The ABC Kids Channel was an ABC Television
channel available to viewers of digital terrestrial television in Australia. Launched on 1 August 2001, the channel offered repeats of popular ABC Kids
programmes both simulcast and timeshifted.
The channel was hosted by Eliot Spencer in the popular and humorous segment in between shows called Rollercoaster . After 5 years of hosting, he decided to pursue something more monumental to his entertainment skills. The creative Rollercoaster show ended soon after the 1000th episode and the interactive Rollercoaster website is still up today.
The ABC Kids Channel closed on 30 June 2003 due to funding shortages. The ABC launched another digital channel aimed towards children, ABC3
, in December 2009.
's first digital multichannel service. The channel, broadcast from 6:00am to 6:00pm, was officially inaugurated by former ABC Managing Director, Jonathan Shier
, at the Australian Parliament House
in Canberra
on 7 August 2001. The ABC launched the channel without additional funding, hoping that its success would prompt an additional government grant.
The ABC Kids Channel was discontinued on 30 June 2003 along with Fly TV
in the first of a series of cuts to save around A$
25 million a year for the ABC. The ABC could not secure government funding to keep the channel on-air, and the sluggish uptake of digital television in Australia at the time made justifying a digital-only channel with a low viewership against the cost of keeping the channel on air difficult. However, the ABC Kids
brand still remains on ABC1
, ABC2
and ABC Online. With government backing, the ABC also launched another children's digital channel, ABC3
, in late 2009.
, and classic content from the ABC Television
archives.
Note:
Australian programs are in Purple;
British programs are in Green;
New Zealand programs are in Orange;
Canadian programs are in Red;
American programs are in Blue.
The above represents the ABC Kids Channel's September 2002 morning schedule.
and Optus Television
. However, it could not gain carriage on Foxtel
due to Foxtel's financial interests in the Australian rights to competitors Nickelodeon
and Fox Kids
.
The channel created significant tension between the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
and Viacom
(owners of Nickelodeon), as ABC Television
interpreted it's free-to-air rights deal for the screening of Nickelodeon content on ABC1
to allow them to broadcast the programs on the ABC Kids Channel for no extra cost. While this interpretation was found to be correct, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation lost the free-to-air rights to newly produced Nickelodeon programs to Network Ten
.
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
channel available to viewers of digital terrestrial television in Australia. Launched on 1 August 2001, the channel offered repeats of popular ABC Kids
ABC Kids (Australia)
ABC Television broadcasts the greatest amount of children's content than any other network in Australia.Prior to early 2009, there was a brand called ABC Kids which was separate from regular ABC TV and contained all children's programming on the ABC...
programmes both simulcast and timeshifted.
The channel was hosted by Eliot Spencer in the popular and humorous segment in between shows called Rollercoaster . After 5 years of hosting, he decided to pursue something more monumental to his entertainment skills. The creative Rollercoaster show ended soon after the 1000th episode and the interactive Rollercoaster website is still up today.
The ABC Kids Channel closed on 30 June 2003 due to funding shortages. The ABC launched another digital channel aimed towards children, ABC3
ABC3
-Future shows:Programming confirmed for future broadcast will include:* After School Care * Bindi's Boot Camp * Bushwacked! * Dance Academy * Dancing Down Under...
, in December 2009.
History
The ABC Kids Channel commenced transmission nationally on 1 August 2001, becoming ABC TelevisionABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
's first digital multichannel service. The channel, broadcast from 6:00am to 6:00pm, was officially inaugurated by former ABC Managing Director, Jonathan Shier
Jonathan Shier
Jonathan Shier is an Australian-born media executive who lived in the United Kingdom from 1976 until 1999, who is best known for his controversial tenure as managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 1999-2002.- References :...
, at the Australian Parliament House
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
on 7 August 2001. The ABC launched the channel without additional funding, hoping that its success would prompt an additional government grant.
The ABC Kids Channel was discontinued on 30 June 2003 along with Fly TV
Fly TV
Fly TV was an ABC Television channel available to viewers of digital terrestrial television in Australia. The channel featured programming aimed towards teenagers and young adults. It was launched nationally on 1 November 2001, and aired alongside the children's-oriented ABC Kids Channel, which...
in the first of a series of cuts to save around A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
25 million a year for the ABC. The ABC could not secure government funding to keep the channel on-air, and the sluggish uptake of digital television in Australia at the time made justifying a digital-only channel with a low viewership against the cost of keeping the channel on air difficult. However, the ABC Kids
ABC Kids (Australia)
ABC Television broadcasts the greatest amount of children's content than any other network in Australia.Prior to early 2009, there was a brand called ABC Kids which was separate from regular ABC TV and contained all children's programming on the ABC...
brand still remains on ABC1
ABC1
ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
, ABC2
ABC2
ABC2 is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 7 March 2005, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia...
and ABC Online. With government backing, the ABC also launched another children's digital channel, ABC3
ABC3
-Future shows:Programming confirmed for future broadcast will include:* After School Care * Bindi's Boot Camp * Bushwacked! * Dance Academy * Dancing Down Under...
, in late 2009.
Programming
The ABC Kids Channel's programming consisted primarily of timeshifted and simulcast shows from ABC1ABC1
ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
, and classic content from the ABC Television
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
archives.
Typical schedule
| 6:00 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:00 AM | 8:30 AM | 9:00 AM | 9:30 AM | 10:00 AM | 4:00 PM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUN | Black Rose Castle ABC Kids (Australia) ABC Television broadcasts the greatest amount of children's content than any other network in Australia.Prior to early 2009, there was a brand called ABC Kids which was separate from regular ABC TV and contained all children's programming on the ABC... |
Franklin Franklin (TV series) Franklin is a Canadian animated television series, based on the Franklin the Turtle books by Brenda Clark and Paulette Bourgeois. The television series was named after its main character, Franklin the Turtle... |
Brum | Madeline Madeline Madeline is a children's book series written by Ludwig Bemelmans, an Austrian author. The books have been adapted into numerous formats, spawning telefilms, television series and a live action feature film... |
The Wayne Manifesto The Wayne Manifesto The Wayne Manifesto is an Australian children's television series that aired on the ABC in 1996. Based on the children's books by David McRobbie, it is centred around the life 12-year-old Wayne Wilson, showing the world both as the way he would like it and the way it really is... |
Stickin' Around Stickin' Around Stickin' Around is a Canadian animated children's television series from Nelvana, which originally aired on YTV in Canada and on ABC in Australia. In Latin America, it was broadcast by Nickelodeon under the title Los Grafitos... |
Albert Albert the Fifth Musketeer Albert the Fifth Musketeer is a French animated series based on the story of the Three Musketeers. It is a France Animation and Cinar, Franco-Canadian co-production, for Ravensburger and Children's BBC in association with France 3 and Canal+.- Plot :... |
Blazing Dragons Blazing Dragons Blazing Dragons is the title of a popular British cartoon series, the brainchild of Monty Python's Terry Jones. A coinciding graphic adventure video game was released for the original PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996 by Crystal Dynamics... |
Brum | Brum |
| MON | Anthony Ant ABC Kids (Australia) ABC Television broadcasts the greatest amount of children's content than any other network in Australia.Prior to early 2009, there was a brand called ABC Kids which was separate from regular ABC TV and contained all children's programming on the ABC... |
George Shrinks George Shrinks George Shrinks is a Canadian animated television series. It is based on the children's book by William Joyce, produced in China by Jade Animation and in Canada by Nelvana, in association with Public Broadcasting Service . It tells the story of a ten-year-old boy named George who, for unexplained... |
Tracey McBean Tracey McBean Tracey McBean is a series of children's books drawn and written by Mary Small and Arthur Filloy about Tracey McBean, a young Australian female inventor who was the protagonist and main character in the series... |
Bob the Builder Bob the Builder Bob the Builder is a British children's animated television show created by Keith Chapman. In the original series Bob appears as a building contractor specialising in masonry in a stop motion animated programme with his colleague Wendy, various neighbours and friends, and their gang of... |
Sesame Street Sesame Street Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The... |
Bananas in Pyjamas Bananas in Pyjamas Bananas in Pyjamas is an Australian children's television show that premiered in July 1992 on ABC Television. It has since become syndicated in many different countries, and dubbed into other languages. In the United States, the "Pyjamas" in the title was modified to reflect the American spelling... |
Play School Play School (Australian TV series) Play School is an Australian educational television show for children produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It is the longest-running children's show in Australia, and the second longest running childrens show in the world. An estimated 80% of pre-school children under six watch the... |
Rosie and Jim Rosie and Jim Rosie and Jim was a British children's television programme which appeared, on and off, on CITV since the early 1990s. The programme was the creation of John Cunliffe, in collaboration with Anne Wood and Robin Stevens, Robin Stevens] also played the character Jim... |
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show | |
| TUE | The Super Mario Bros. Super Show | |||||||||
| WED | Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings is a British children's animated television programme, featuring the adventures of a young child named Simon, who has a magic chalkboard... |
Snailsbury Tails ABC Kids (Australia) ABC Television broadcasts the greatest amount of children's content than any other network in Australia.Prior to early 2009, there was a brand called ABC Kids which was separate from regular ABC TV and contained all children's programming on the ABC... |
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show | |||||||
| THU | Skipper & Skeeto ABC Kids (Australia) ABC Television broadcasts the greatest amount of children's content than any other network in Australia.Prior to early 2009, there was a brand called ABC Kids which was separate from regular ABC TV and contained all children's programming on the ABC... |
Old Tom | The Super Mario Bros. Super Show | |||||||
| FRI | The Legend of Zelda The Legend of Zelda (TV series) The Legend of Zelda is an American animated series based on the The Legend of Zelda video game series for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The plot follows the adventures of Link and Princess Zelda as they defend the kingdom of Hyrule from an evil wizard named Ganon... |
|||||||||
| SAT | Black Rose Castle ABC Kids (Australia) ABC Television broadcasts the greatest amount of children's content than any other network in Australia.Prior to early 2009, there was a brand called ABC Kids which was separate from regular ABC TV and contained all children's programming on the ABC... |
Farthing Wood | Enchanted Lands ABC Kids (Australia) ABC Television broadcasts the greatest amount of children's content than any other network in Australia.Prior to early 2009, there was a brand called ABC Kids which was separate from regular ABC TV and contained all children's programming on the ABC... |
Arthur Arthur (TV series) Arthur is an American/Canadian animated educational television series for children, created by Cookie Jar Group and WGBH for the Public Broadcasting Service... |
Atlantis High Atlantis High Atlantis High is a teen comedy TV show, shot in New Zealand in 2001.The plot revolves around 16-year-old Giles Gordon , who has just moved to Sunset Cove, "a beautiful coastal surfing town where the sun is always shining, the people are all beautiful and everything is perfect..... |
Stickin' Around Stickin' Around Stickin' Around is a Canadian animated children's television series from Nelvana, which originally aired on YTV in Canada and on ABC in Australia. In Latin America, it was broadcast by Nickelodeon under the title Los Grafitos... |
Albert Albert the Fifth Musketeer Albert the Fifth Musketeer is a French animated series based on the story of the Three Musketeers. It is a France Animation and Cinar, Franco-Canadian co-production, for Ravensburger and Children's BBC in association with France 3 and Canal+.- Plot :... |
Blazing Dragons Blazing Dragons Blazing Dragons is the title of a popular British cartoon series, the brainchild of Monty Python's Terry Jones. A coinciding graphic adventure video game was released for the original PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996 by Crystal Dynamics... |
Arthur Arthur (TV series) Arthur is an American/Canadian animated educational television series for children, created by Cookie Jar Group and WGBH for the Public Broadcasting Service... |
Arthur Arthur (TV series) Arthur is an American/Canadian animated educational television series for children, created by Cookie Jar Group and WGBH for the Public Broadcasting Service... |
Note:
Australian programs are in Purple;
British programs are in Green;
New Zealand programs are in Orange;
Canadian programs are in Red;
American programs are in Blue.
The above represents the ABC Kids Channel's September 2002 morning schedule.
Availability
The ABC Kids Channel was available from 6:00am to 6:00pm on both digital terrestrial television and subscription services; AustarAustar
Austar is an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity is Subscription Television but it is also involved with internet access and mobile phones...
and Optus Television
Optus Television
Optus Television is the cable television division of Australian telecommunications company Optus.-History:Its immediate predecessor was Optus Vision, a joint venture between, Optus and Continental Cablevision with small shareholdings by media companies Publishing and Broadcasting Limited and Seven...
. However, it could not gain carriage on Foxtel
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
due to Foxtel's financial interests in the Australian rights to competitors Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon Australia
Nickelodeon is the Australian counterpart of the Nickelodeon network in the United States. It is operated by a joint venture of XYZnetworks and MTV Networks Australia.-History:...
and Fox Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
.
The channel created significant tension between the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
and Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
(owners of Nickelodeon), as ABC Television
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
interpreted it's free-to-air rights deal for the screening of Nickelodeon content on ABC1
ABC1
ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
to allow them to broadcast the programs on the ABC Kids Channel for no extra cost. While this interpretation was found to be correct, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation lost the free-to-air rights to newly produced Nickelodeon programs to Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
.
See also
- ABC3ABC3-Future shows:Programming confirmed for future broadcast will include:* After School Care * Bindi's Boot Camp * Bushwacked! * Dance Academy * Dancing Down Under...
- Children's programming on ABC Television