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ABC2 top of the Scrapheap

Thanks to the Paralympics, ABC2 is booming, claims the broadcaster. But the top show is straight out of the junkyard.

Britain’s Scrapheap Challenge, in which teams of contestants have 10 hours in which to build a working machine from  a junkyard is the top rating show on ABC2.

It has a 6:30pm peak audience of 91,000.

Buoyed by the Paralympics, ABC2 has grown from a weekly reach of 700,000 to 1.5 million in three months. “Reach” is the number of different people who watch the network over one week, not the average number of viewers which is the norm in television ratings.

ABC managing director Mark Scott said the growth of ABC2 mirrored the international experience, in which unique content drove digital take-up.

“Compelling content will drive audiences to digital television and will encourage them to upgrade their set or buy a digital set-top box,” Mr Scott told The Australian.

“The numbers have proven this by effectively doubling the reach of ABC2 over a three-month period, culminating in a reach of 1.5 million.”

The average reach of ABC2 is now 860,000 viewers across the five metropolitan markets.

Significantly for ABC2, children’s television is booming. ABC2’s dedicated children’s slots in the morning and the afternoon are eroding pay-TV’s share. More kids, and the gap is even wider with pre-schoolers, watch the free ABC2 channel than Disney, Playhouse Disney, Nickelodeon or Nick Jr.

ABC2 now has an almost 15 per cent share of the pre-school audience.

The most popular nights on ABC2 are Wednesday and Thursday, when The Gruen Transfer and Spicks & Specks are re-screened, after first appearing on ABC1.

Mr Scott said, “More unique choice on digital television will provide great assistance to government in its aim to switch off analog television by 2013.

“They’ll make the switch sooner if there is great television you can only see on digital television. We can see that with our children’s programs.”

Source: The Australian

10 Responses

  1. The Peep Show is my favourite ABC2 offering. English comedy at its best in contrast to ‘The Mighty Boosh’ on SBS which is WTF?

    All I hope is ABC2 gets around to showing series 4 of “Peep’ instead of just series 1-3 repeats.

  2. Hi David,

    Was also wondering along with Pen, if you have numbers for Good Game? It’s such a great locally produced show with a unique content and doesn’t crap us around like the Commercial Channels have done with similar subjects. The hosts are very knowledgable and their passion for gaming shines through so i’ve found I enjoy it more than I thought I would haha. Thanks

  3. I wish they would bring back the UK comedies and Doctor Who repeats on Friday night. The classic album stuff and other music show is boring. Can we have repeats of The Office or Coupling instead?

    My husband loves Scrapheap Challenge.

  4. I love Scrapheap Challenge, glad to see it get a mention here at TV Tonight. My only problem with it is I can’t help but see Kryten whenever Robert Llewellyn is on screen. Luckily ABC2 is running Red Dwarf too.

  5. Great to see ABC2 doing better in the ratings and beating pay tv channels. The children’s programs ratings should be a good indication of setting up ABC3 shouldn’t it? The new kid’s channel should only increase the digital uptake along with the extra SD channels next year which all commericials across Australia should broadcast (That includes you Southern Cross!).

    Extra channels have proven the increase in digital uptake in Mildura, Tasmania and probably Darwin has seen similar results. A third digital only network in regional WA, SA and remote areas would see similar uptake levels.

    As for ABC2 content, I have enjoyed the Graham Norton show on Fridays along with the Chaser repeats earlier in the year, Fathed Ted, The IT Crowd, the Wednesday night shows repeated on ABC2 on Thursday when I missed them the first time, the Audrey Hepburn movies and the repeat of The Bill on Tuesdays when missed it on Saturday. Hopefully the new breakfast program will be good.

  6. I love Scrapheap, forget Home & Away, 2.5 Men or The Simpsons!
    And when I found you can’t buy it on DVD I started recording it, every night to have a full collection.

    David do you know if they have the rights to the latest season from the UK?

    Last time around they aired season 9 but 10 is on in the UK.

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