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New-look ABC News ditches News 24

Exclusive: These are the new black and white logos that will refresh ABC News from Monday.


EXCLUSIVE: These are the new ABC News logos which will replace blue ABC News 24 branding from Monday.

As previously noted, ABC is streamlining all its News brands on TV, Radio, Online & Digital under a single name. Research indicated that audiences already see ABC News as a single entity, irrespective of channel, platform or medium. The changes are designed to make it easier to identify ABC News as trusted content.

ABC News 24 multichannel will be renamed ABC News. ABC Newsradio will also be known as ABC News, and ABC News Digital is to be renamed.

Current blue branding on ABC News 24 will be replaced with a black and white logo, chosen because it is “bold and distinctive.” It will feature across all ABC News programs (Midday, 5pm Early Edition, 7pm ABC News), with refreshed opening titles, on-air graphics, super straps, sport and enhanced weather graphics.

A new colour system has also been produced for audiences:

ABC’s iconic majestic fanfare will remain with ABC News, although there will be a remixed version for a TV news brand spot later this month.

ABC News Breakfast will be called News Breakfast and carry new opening titles.

There will no longer be separate Twitter accounts ABC News 24, ABC NewsRadio or ABC Radio Current Affairs, with audiences directed to @abcnews. Users will need to activate a follow themselves.

The ABC NewsRadio Twitter account will be decommissioned.

Similarly there will no longer be a separate ABC News 24 or ABC Radio Current Affairs Facebook account. Current News 24 followers will automatically be moved to the ABC News Facebook page. Users will need to Like the page in order to follow.

The ABC Radio Current Affairs Facebook account will be archived for a future audio project and the Twitter account will be decommissioned.

ABC News apps will Update, and users may need to clear their cache if new logos do not appear.

The last time ABC changed its logo and look was more than six years ago, when News 24 launched.

Changes take effect from Monday.

19 Responses

  1. I am watching now and it seems they no longer have a news ticker? I was hoping they would change from the ‘flick up’ titles to a scrolling one, because the former one limited them to very brief statements, whereas a scrolling one can extend beyond the screen’s width. So now we have nothing. A very retrograde step. Also think the time in yellow doesn’t look great.

  2. Changing from colour to b&w and no longer having the news bar is “more professional and sleek”? Looks like Michelle’s $$$ cuts are going a bit too far.

    1. The news bar, or whatever it’s officially called, was ridiculous. The same dozen headlines over and over again, forever. Some of it was the day before’s news or sporting results. It seemed that nobody attended to it for updating. Similarly the yellowing of it, denoting urgent stuff. Same old, same old, for hours.

  3. I am actually perfectly okay with this.

    It makes perfect sense to attempt to streamline all services and honestly 24 always seemed like an odd jump from ABC 1, 2, 3 then 24. Now with ABC 1 being just ABC and ABC 3 being ABC ME and I assume at some point a possible change of ABC 2, it would make sense to streamline 24.

    24 is a good service, but needs an uplift. While I know it will remain SD, some things can be done to make it less jank and I think changing from the ugly blue into a clean black might go a very long way in making the service seem more professional and sleek.

    I am all for this.

  4. Every single one of these moves seems like a backward step to me. Which is pretty much in line with all the decisions of this current management. The new logos could hardly be less distinctive. They look as though they’ve been plucked from the ABC style book of 1960.

  5. This seems like streamlining, centralisation and cost cutting. A melding of little empires. I consider 7.30, The Drum, Insiders, Q&A and Lateline more “comment” than “news” and don’t merit the “news” logo.

  6. Hats off to ABC for recognising that media organisations (indeed any organisation) need to continually evolve to best serve their ever-changing audience members and the increasing diversity of communications options avaiable to viewers, listeners an online consumers. In our fast-moving world, standing still is not an option. It’s been almost seven years since the last ABC television visual and audio revamp. I reckon the change is well overdue.

    1. I mostly agree. But what’s missing is any indication or explanation of how changing logos achieves that. It’s more “re-arranging deckchairs” than “continually evolve[ing] to best serve their ever-changing audience members and the increasing diversity of communications options avaiable to viewers, listeners an online consumers.”

  7. Stupid idea. If I wanted to tweet to the News 24 team I could. Now it goes to the whole network.
    So if I say it will be on ABC News, what do I mean. News 24, ABC I or ABC radio? Stupid.
    Hope someone at Senate estimates asks how much this is costing and how many consultants were involved and what did they cost.

  8. Majestic Fanfare coming back to TV? Thats a bit like all the money spent on researching the logo a couple of years ago and reverting back to the original.

  9. Personally l think its a step back in time. I thought ABC 24 was a great idea. ABC News gee how lame is that when majority is from other networks eg BBC. The name reminds me of the old “Aunty”.

  10. Sounds like a good idea. The colour coding is a great idea as well. I think all the News tv shows should take a look at this and stop with all these News reports on and off all day. Its news, news, news. They tend to repeat themselves which has become annoying. Even depressing.

  11. Glad to hear about this. The blue blocks shifting across the screen during the opening titles were clumsy and reminded me of that infamous spinning Crowded House music video which always made me dizzy and nauseous whenever it came on.

    The ditching of the ABC News 24 name and blue logo is also welcome. The launch of the network with the camera perched up high and the running of footage from 9/11 was heavily criticised at the time and stigmatised it. The new black and white logo is distinctive and no frills and gives the impression of news being delivered straight without embellishment.

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