ABC confirms launch of 24-hour national TV news channel

Tim Burrowes

January 21, 2010 10:52

The ABC has announced the launch of Australia’s first 24-hour national TV news channel which is set to go live this year.

The digital channel will feature new programs focusing on world news, national politics and business. In addition, many of the ABC’s existing TV news and current affairs shows will also be featured.

In a similar model to Sky News, it will provide live continuous news coverage of big, breaking stories from Australia and around the world.

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Tim Burrowes

Tim Burrowes is the publisher of Mumbrella and Unmade. He co-founded Mumbrella in 2008 and sister title Unmade in 2021. He's worked in the UK, Middle East, Asia & Australia and has specialised in writing about the communications world for the last 25 years. He wrote the book Media Unmade, published in 2021, and became the presenter of MediaLand on ABC Radio National in 2025.

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7 COMMENTS

Matt 21 Jan 10

I think this is great news. Although it’s not perfect, I have always greatly admired the ABC’s news content as being the best in Australia.

Although a slightly different debate, with the paying for content issues (News Corp, etc) the response was why would people pay when the ABC will offer it for free. A 24hr news channel along with recent additions such as The Drum shows that the ABC has the power to seriously knock around its competition, especially as ABC will become more front of mind for news with this channel. I struggle to see why people would pay for News Corp / Fairfax content while the ABC are being very aggressive in being the major news providers for Australia.

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Adam Paull 21 Jan 10

If the article on the ABCs news site is correct, the new channel will be carried on the ABCs HD channel. This is a huge mistake.

Wasting their HD channel on news – with much of the content coming in as lo-res or worse – while pushing things like BBC nature docos and dramas to the standard def channels is just a waste. The existing ABC HD is one of the few jewels in the FTA crown – why throw it away?

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Smithee 21 Jan 10

It’s very amusing that the head of Sky News has spent much of today bleating about what a terrible waste of taxpayer money this will be and how Sky News is already doing everything that Australians need.

Yet despite the boss of Sky spending all day talking about this news, the announcement is nowhere to be seen on the Sky News website.

The irony is wonderful.

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Abdul 21 Jan 10

Exciting News for free-to-air TV, I knew an announcement by the ABC to develop News Channel was bound to happen, and if any network is to develop a News Channel then ABC News is surely the best for that. They have Quality and Real News which is what we need. I hope it will be delivered in HD!

Cant wait for the Launch!!!

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Jack 22 Jan 10

Absolutely agree that this is a waste of an HD channel. Digital SD would be sufficient, considering that so much of the news footage we’re shown will not be HD.

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