ABC TELEVISION RELAUNCHES!

ABC television has relaunched as ‘ABC1′ and ‘ABC2′ today, with brand new presentation graphics, designed by ‘Zspace’, and new programmes heralding the changes.

For viewers, the changes are all explained on a special website set up at: www.abc.net.au/tv/newtv 

ABC1 has the following logo:

The network idents match people giving short stories, with stylish animation, to give a surreal and magical story scene. 

The new slogan for the channel is ‘It Begins With 1′

ABC2 has been rebranded also.

It’s idents feature people often in eerily connected actions, with the colour yellow featured somewhere on the person, similar to the use of red by BBC ONE.

The new slogan for the channel is ‘It Connects To’ (which creates a continuity with the ABC1 slogan, resulting in the full slogan being: ‘It begins with 1, it connects to 2′  

The channels are now also located at new positions on the digital platform, with ABC1 taking ABC2’s previous location.

And new promos have launched announcing not only the changes, but highlighting new drama and documentary programmes for the coming year. New promos use the coloured logo box on screen, as do the idents, in another element reminiscent of the BBC.

Finally, the ABC television website has relaunched, with new areas and a colour scheme identical to the on screen identity, although a full rollout of changes online is not expected for several months.

Overall, a very exciting and fresh new look for the National Broadcaster.

UPDATE: below are some videos of the new look (with thanks to John at idents.tv)

Above: an ABC1 ident featuring Collectors host, Andy Muirhead

Above: an ABC1 ident featuring a firefighter

Above: a collection of the new idents for ABC1

 

Above: a collection of the new ABC2 idents

UPDATE#2 – while overall the new package has been warmly received, there have been anrgy responses to the new watermarks on both channels. It will be interesting to see if changes are made, as has previously been the case to past unpopular ABC watermarks.

ABC2: yellow arts?

 More news on the relaunch tomorrow, this time on ABC2.

The channel will have a logo almost identical to the new ABC1 logo, but with a yellow background instead of a blue one.

ABC2 will also feature newly made exclusive programming, following the establishment of successful partnerships with the Australian Film Commission, Opera Australia, and the Australian Ballet, and arts programming will be dominant within it’s schedule.

It will also air a new half hour program hosted by Walkley Award winning journalist Steve Cannane called Hackfest, an extension fo the Triple J current affairs programme, Hack. 

 Overall the network will broadcast far more music following the relaunch, as well as dance and theatre. In addition, it will screen more than 40 Triple J concerts.

The shape of things to come…on ABC1

 

Reports are coming in from the press launch today of the ABC’s television relaunch, which will take place on Friday immediately before the start of The Midday Report.

Kim Dalton, the Head of ABC Television said: “We are helping to reshape the way people use and interact with television by giving them more programs, more ways to view them and more flexibility around when and how they watch them, we have deliberately chosen an alternative path to other Australian networks – embracing true multi-channelling. Increasingly much of this content will be available on demand, online, as downloads, and streamed.” 

The new onscreen identity has been developed by ZSPACE, an award winning design house, which has been responsible for many of the ABC’s on screen packages for a variety of programmes.
At the same time, new programmes for ABC1 have been announced. These include: 

The Cut - a 6 part drama series starring John Wood.

Dirt Game – a 6 part drama series set in a mining town.

The Gruen Transfer – a 10 part expose on the advertising industry, hosted by Wil Anderson.

Lawrence Leung’s Choose Your Own Adventure -  a new comedy series written by popular comic Lawrence Leung and produced by The Chaser team.  

The Howard Years - a 4 part documentary.

Q&A – a new current affairs programme hosted by Lateline presenter Tony Jones.  

The ABC also announced it will launch an internet TV platform later in the year, as well as a high speed online programme dowload site, called ABC Playback. 

Exciting times ahead, from 12pm tomorrow!

More returns

Tonight two of the ABC’s most popular tv programmes return. At 8:00pm we see the return of The New Inventors, with James O’Loghlin. And at 8:30pm Spicks and Specks returns with it’s unique brand of fun and whimsy.

 More programmes will return over the next few days, and on Friday we see the relaunching of ABCtv and ABC2. A momentous event.

Good news for News junkies!

From Monday the 4th, Australia’s best TV news programmes and presenters return to our screens.

 First, Kerry O’Brien makes a return to The 7.3O Report from Monday night, and Stateline returns from 7.30pm, on Friday the 8th.

Also on Monday, at 10:30pm, Tony Jones and Virginia Trioli return with Lateline. Followed at 11:00pm by the return of Ali Moore and Lateline Business.

On Tuesday, Foreign Correspondent returns at 9:25pm, with reporter Mark Corcoran taking on the role of presenter.

On Sunday the 10th Barrie Cassidy is back with Insiders at 9:00am. Following the odd decision to move both Channel 9’s Sunday and Channel 7’s Weekend Sunrise to 7:30am, Insiders will have the second half of the programme ‘rival free’. Insiders experienced a large increase in ratings last year, and by the end of the year was regularly beating Sunday. All signs point to Insiders increasing its dominance of political discussion in 2008.

Also returning on Sunday the 10th are Inside Business at 10:00am, Offsiders at 10:30am, Asia Pacific Focus (with new host, former Political Editor Jim Middleton) at 11:00am, Landline (with new host, former Australia Network anchor Anne Kruger) at 12:00pm and Sunday Arts at 5:00pm.