Actually it’s the other way around. Conservative people like to watch ABC programs.
a tale as old as time.
Back in the 1930s, Sir Keith Murdoch, whose son Rupert went on to found News Corp, was the most powerful media baron in Australia, running newspapers and radio stations.
Even before the ABC made its first broadcast in May 1932, Sir Keith was pressuring the Federal Government to change the legislation that created the ABC — in effect, restricting the public broadcaster from collecting its own news.
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With the revelation that the Hammerbarn episode of Bluey has been temporarily pulled from iView due to a new promotional campaign between Bunnings and BBC Studios, this raises the question: should the ABC Charter be amended to make it easier for the broadcaster to be involved in commercial partnerships? Who knows the next Bluey could be just around the corner.
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No next question
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coming soon, Muster Dogs featuring product placement by Pal Dog Food? No thanks.
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They used to be. Like ESSO Night At The Opera on ABC TV. There were heaps more.
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they weren’t commercial arrangements with ABC, AFAIK, they just happened to be the name of external events that ABC was broadcasting (e.g. Esso was sponsor of the opera company, not ABC) and the ABC wasn’t as sensitive as they are today about naming commercial companies on-air as such.
ABC used to also broadcast sports coverage that had the names of event sponsors in the title, but that just happened to be the name of the event. I may be corrected, I don’t think ABC had any commercial arrangement or financial support from said sponsors.
There is a classic Countdown show from 1978 that features a whole bunch of commercial Rock stations (e.g. 2SM Sydney, 3XY Melbourne, 2NX Newcastle). It might have been a joint promotion between Countdown and the radio stations and it might have been for Roctober, can’t remember, but they were mentioning the stations quite a bit during the show.
Hard to see ABC wanting to get involved when Bunning are sunning ads like this. Though pulling the episode has provided great publicity for Bunnings.
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This one is a hell of a lot more nuanced then simply calling on changing the charter - the issue here is that the agency that holds the commerical rights have made the deal not the ABC.
Does this set a new line in the sand that any content where a commerical arrangement is made by third parties (without the involvement of the ABC) mean that it will be removed (temporarily or permanently)?
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Has anyone noticed that the ABC TV news theme has been somewhat updated with additional music since Monday?
See the N24 thread from this post:
No, instead ABC should be focusing more on retaining rights for it’s commercial arm to exploit. Letting BBC take the rights to Bluey has to be one of the biggest missteps the corporation has made.
BBC Studios is a great blueprint for how ABC Commercial should operate. Shame they consistently let the rights to their best series slip to third parties. The Newsreader exported relatively well, but the rights are held by Entertainment One. It’s a pretty consistent mistake that really holds back what can be a strong revenue stream.
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I heard an argument made that if ABC had held the rights, the global distribution (and thus the popularity of the show) would have been considerably less.
I do t know if that argument is valid or not. But I agree that the lost revenue is a real tragedy.
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The ABC could have had the merchandise and licensing rights for Australia and New Zealand, and the BBC elsewhere.
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Maybe but AFAIK there is a single first run agreement worldwide with Disney. Not like they’re selling to buyers in individual territories, except for smaller syndication deals, which makes it quite simple. I’d like to think this was a wakeup call for ABC Commercial to step it up but it doesn’t seem like much has changed. Their catalogue is pretty barren with little international appeal.
Hugh Marks hosted a town hall meeting on Wednesday last week (July 30).
Top of the agenda at an all-staff town hall was a set of “refreshed ABC values”, complete with colour-coded charts with four unique emojis: Aim High, Think Differently, Take Ownership and Deliver Together.
“In living these values, we always demonstrate respect, honesty and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.”
Some of the journalists in the room or on Zoom rolled their eyes at the corporate jargon; others were so bamboozled by the buzzwords, they tuned out.
Marks said: “When we do make mistakes, let’s own them quickly” in what was interpreted as a nod to the disastrous decision to sack broadcaster Antoinette Lattouf. Later, during questions, Marks conceded management failed and processes were not followed in that case.
Give people an inch and they take a mile. The ABC has hired a number of former News Corp. personalities and it still is never enough. Just like The Australian still calling 10 News+ ‘Woke’ because they can’t take shots at The Project anymore.
There’s nothing wrong with going more broad, but if they give up core principles to try to appease The Daily Mail and News Corp. they’ll end up reaching nobody.
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ABC appoints Milla McPhee as Director, Audiences
ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks has announced the appointment of Milla McPhee as Director, Audiences.
Milla is currently Chief Strategy Officer of Droga5 and Managing Director at Accenture Song. Previously she was Head of Brand and Creative Strategy for Amazon in Europe, leading brand and strategy development across Amazon’s global portfolio of brands.
Milla is a recognised leader in brand positioning, audience insight and creative strategy. She has helped develop strategies for some of Australia’s most complex and trusted brands including NRMA, Telstra, Optus, Tourism Australia, Australia Post and Qantas.
Milla McPhee: "It is an extraordinarily rare opportunity to help reflect how a nation sees itself. The ABC is one of our most vital public institutions and enduring cultural icons. Its role as our most trusted source of understanding and shared meaning has never been more essential.
“I’m honoured to join the leadership team at such a critical moment for media, creativity, and Australia’s cultural identity.”
Hugh Marks: “Milla clearly has an incredibly strategic and creative mind that will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen the relationship between the ABC, its programs and services, and all Australians.
“She will bring a unique perspective and audience focused approach to the leadership team, contributing to the ABC’s delivery of memorable and distinctive content experiences."
Milla starts with the ABC on 8 September 2025.