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Hope yet for ABC2

ABC2 is looking ahead with new titles for 2015, contradicting rumours the channel could go under budget cuts.

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2014-11-09_0215After The Roast was cancelled by ABC2 last week, industry chatter was abuzz with speculation that the channel itself could be next to go.

What would that mean for other original local content on the channel, including Please Like Me, Dirty Laundry Live and ABC4Kids?

But despite reportage, including on this site, sources now tell TV Tonight the decision to axe The Roast was not motivated by budgets, but was a Creative one.

ABC will be announcing new titles for ABC2 for 2015 in its upcoming programme slate (there are no ABC Upfronts this year- and that one is driven by budgets).

Whether the ABC Board has other plans for the channel is still unclear, but for now ABC2’s future may indeed be brighter than some have been fearing.

15 Responses

  1. Ever since ABC2 stopped being a replay channel in 2008 I have only watched one show on it – the replay of Paper Giants. Why is this crap channel with no viewers still going?

  2. Honestly, cant see the ABC folding ABC2 or any of their other channels. That woud just be inviting the Govt to find something else to use the spectrum for. Possibly move SBS onto ABC spectrum and limit the ABC and SBS to 2 channels each and sell off the vacated SBS spectrum?

  3. @ Dalmanic & Jason:
    I thought that was a mistake! Granted a highly annoying one. We’d seen the movie before, so I know that’s an important discussion about whether he bites her or not.
    I don’t normally watch ABC2. Can’t believe they do that on purpose???

  4. I don’t watch ABC2 all the time, but I do find some really interesting stuff there that holds my interest until it plays out. I love Please Like and Dirty Laundry, but also really enjoyed Catfish (really hoping ABC2 airs the other seasons soon!), Backseat Drivers, and First Dates. I find I watch a lot more ABC2 than ABC, and get significantly more invested in its shows.

  5. I would have thought Tony Abbott would love ABC2. When Abbott is trying to emphasise something he repeats it straight away. He repeats it straight away.

    When ABC2 plays any show they repeat it straight away.

    ABC2 used to be my favourite channel, but now there is very very little on it that appeals. It is full of observational/reality shows, will play one season of a show but no more.

    Twilight? That 70s Show?
    Maybe they should buy the rights for Mean Girls and The Devil Wears Prada.

  8. I don’t think ABC2 is irrelevant, while I’m technically out of its target age group I do watch it quite a bit, but I’m not sure that propping up the schedule with cast-offs like The 70s Show in prime time 7.30pm is necessarily doing it any favours.

  9. @Dalmanic- Totally destroyed the last scene (posted elsewhere). This not a first for ABC2 and their outsourced half-price MediaHub playout thing that they share with WIN.
    I’ll be watching the ABC2 offering at 8:30 tonight. Hopefully MediaHub won’t stuff that up, too much.

  10. Oh dear, this topic is good timing David!
    Last night we watched a movie on DVD. After it was over I saw that ABC2 was showing the first Twilight movie, and thought I’d watch the last half hour – nostalgia!
    Now I had to see this to believe it actually happened: before the movie had ended (Bella & Edward were dancing and talking) the screen split in two and they showed a promo for next week’s Twilight 2, followed by ads for other programs.
    Then back to watch the end of the movie!
    Un-bloody-believable! No, I won’t be back.

  13. It might be irrelevant to you but there are others who dip into its content. I even have it as today’s Daily Pick. I don’t see SBS 2 screening any kids content, nor much British content, and very little local content. Just change the channel if it does not appeal. Simple.

  14. The ABC, and its friends, are trying to blame every unpopular decision by management on yet to happen budget cuts.

    PLM is safe because it has US funding.

    ABC2 is irrelevant. What matters is the content and how the ABC meets is charter by providing entertainment to a broad section of the community, not which channel a show is shown on.

    ABC2 should be for niche stuff. But putting all youth programmes on it deprives ABC1 of some good stuff, reduces the audience for shows and risks ABC becoming a channel solely for over 60s and its future.

    Even dumber is taxpayers funding ABC2 and SBS2 to go head to head for the audience.

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