ABC launches massive online and TV arts push

Tim Burrowes

October 26, 2009 1:19

Less than a fortnight after ABC boss Mark Scott staked out the organisation’s digital turf with a hard-hitting speech deriding Rupert Murdoch’s digital plans, the public broadcaster has revealed its ambitious plans “to become the premiere online space for the arts throughout the country”.

In an announcement this afternoon, the ABC said it was launching an arts portal, backed by a new weekly magazine show, Art Nation and several new series, documentaries and specials throughout 2010.

ABC Director of Television Kim Dalton said: “As more and more Australians rely on the internet for news and entertainment, ABC TV is responding by consolidating our arts presence in those spaces. This multi-platform approach to our arts coverage ensures we can utilise the full resources of ABC to provide the most comprehensive arts coverage in Australia, and give audiences more choice in how they consume that content.”

The platform was revealed at today’s Revealing The Arts conference. All arts programs and stories from ABC TV, news, radio and online will be available as video or audio podcasts. There will also be daily news and a weekly newsletter. The site will include video and photo blogs of artists and reporters worldwide. There is also an ABC Arts Twitter profile.

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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.