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ABC announces 24/7 News channel

The ABC has announced it will launch a 24-hour news channel in 2010, to air via its current ABC HD channel.

The ABC has announced it will launch a 24-hour television news channel in 2010.

To broadcast on the current ABC HD channel, the news service will effectively become a Free to Air competitor to Sky News, and launches without any additional funds from the Government.

With a with a new state-of-the-art studio in the foyer of the ABC’s Ultimo headquarters, the channel will provide live continuous news coverage of major breaking stories from Australia and around the world.

“No media organisation in the country is better equipped to deliver this channel than the national broadcaster,” Managing Director Mark Scott said.

“We can draw on the investment already made in the ABC, through its major newsrooms in every state and territory, 12 international bureaux and 60 regional newsrooms, to deliver to Australians a top-quality 24-hour news service that is comprehensive, independent and up to the minute.”

New programs are being developed in world news, national politics and business, while existing television news and current affairs programs will also feature.

Audiences in 44 countries will also benefit from the new channel via the Australia Network.

ABC News Director Kate Torney said,“ABC journalists around the country and around the world produce hours of original, quality content each day. The news channel will give Australians more flexible access to our best reporting and analysis, along with an opportunity to watch breaking news as it happens.”

ABC is yet to indicate how this impacts on current HD programming of other shows.

79 Responses

  1. First TEN cut their HD channel for more sports. And what stinks about that is they put on a useless SD simulcast of it where TEN HD was, so they basically got rid of that channel for no reason.
    As if we haven’t enough sport and news! ABC could easily free up bandwidth by taking off their simulcast of ABC1 on Ch21, and not broadcast ABC3 during school hours. And they said it would be ABC4, so if it’s not on Ch24, it’d make things confusing when they make ABC5.
    We don’t want channels axing all their hd channels to make things nobody will want to watch 24/7. What did Freeview say? “We shall be quality over quantity. We’ll deliver channels you will want to watch.” Bah, Freeview! Bah!

  2. On the Central Coast (NSW) can’t get ABC digital 24/7.

    What use would a 24 hour news service be to us.

    ABC fix up the basic problems first, then go for the bells and whistles.

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