Australia Network

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Australia Network

Launched	December 31, 2001
Network	ABC Television (Australia)
Owned by	Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Picture format	576i (SDTV)
Slogan	"A Different View"
Replaced	ABC Asia Pacific Australia Television
Website	australianetwork.com

Australia Network (formerly ABC Asia Pacific TV, and Australia Television) is an Australian free-to-air international satellite television service operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Aimed at the Asia-Pacific and now India regions, the service broadcasts a mixture of programming, with a focus on English learning programs. Its strapline is "A Different View".

The service, launched on December 31, 2001, is partly funded by Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and partly by advertising, unlike the ABC's domestic television service, which carries no advertising. The channel is available free-to-air in more than 40 countries across Asia, the Pacific and India. As of January 2007 it reaches into more than 20 million homes and over 200,000 hotel rooms. The service is designed for local audiences in the region, as opposed to Australian expatriates.

1 History
2 Programming
3 Logos
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] History

In 1993, the ABC launched Australia Television, having received funding for it in the 1992 Australian federal budget. In 1997, after a recommendation from the Mansfield Report, this was purchased by the Seven Network.

It continued to carry ABC news and current affairs programs and receive federal funding. Despite efforts by the Seven Network to expand into Asia using the service, it lost a lot of money. The federal governemnt attempted to broker a joint venture deal between Seven and SBS, but was unsuccessful [1]. Seven chose to close the station in 2001. At this point, it was primarily watched by Australian expatriates for its news and football coverage [2], as well as the children's series Here's Humphrey screened four times a day.

The Australian government then put a five year contract for a replacement service up to tender. Seven did not bid, while Imparja's bid was unsuccessful. The ABC won the contract. On December 31, 2001, ABC Asia Pacific launched. It featured content that originally screened on all Australia free-to-air networks except SBS, plus British drama and current affairs programming from Sky News Australia.

In 2005, the tender for ABC Asia Pacific was up for renewal, which saw Sky News Australia applying for the contract, but the Australian Government awarded it back to the ABC. ABC Asia Pacific's strapline was Everyone's ABC Asia Pacific.

At this point, the channel lost its Sky News Australia programming.

On August 7, 2006, the network was renamed Australia Network. The current strapline is "A Different View".

[edit] Programming

Australia Network screens a variety of programs, from the ABC itself, including tailor-made news bulletins for the region, from the other Australian terrestrial TV networks and other global broadcasters and independents. It also carries the soap opera Home and Away, Southern Hemisphere Rugby Union, including the Super XIV's, Australian rules football and rugby league matches, a selection of documentaries on various subjects, and several Australian and British drama series. Shows include Stingers, All Saints, and others.

Elements of the network's output (news and online) are produced within Australia, at the ABC's Southbank studios in Melbourne and their English language learning content is produced by the ABC's Education unit in Adelaide. Its current affairs show, Focus, is also produced for Australia Network by ABC News and Current Affairs and broadcasts 5 nights a week.

[edit] Logos

The ABC Asia Pacific logo featured the same logo and typeface as that used by ABC in Australia, while Australia Network uses a stylised letter 'a'.