ABC Kids (Australia) facts for kids
.png)
Logo used since 2020
|
|
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Nationally |
| Network | ABC Television |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 576i SDTV 720p HDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
| Sister channels | ABC TV ABC TV Plus ABC Me ABC News |
| History | |
| Launched | 13 September 1991 (programming block) 2 May 2011 (part–time channel) |
| Former names | ABC For Kids (1991–2001, 2009–2015) ABC Kids (2001–2009, 2015–present) ABC For Kids on 2 (2009–2011) ABC 4 Kids (2011–2015) |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| ABN Sydney (DVB-T) | 546/674 @ 12 (226.5 MHz) |
| ABV Melbourne (DVB-T) | 562 @ 12 (226.5 MHz) |
| ABQ Brisbane (DVB-T) | 578 @ 12 (226.5 MHz) |
| ABS Adelaide (DVB-T) | 594 @ 12 (226.5 MHz) |
| ABW Perth/Mandurah (DVB-T) | 738 @ 12 (226.5 MHz) |
| ABT Hobart (DVB-T) | 626 @ 8 (191.5 MHz) |
| ABD Darwin (DVB-T) | 642 @ 30 (543.5 MHz) |
| Freeview ABC iView (virtual) | 22 |
| Streaming media | |
| ABC iview live stream | |
ABC Kids is a TV channel from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It broadcasts shows for children aged 6 and younger. You can watch it from 5 AM to 7:30 PM.
ABC Kids shares its broadcast space with ABC TV Plus. When ABC Kids is not on air, ABC TV Plus broadcasts shows for adults. ABC Kids also has an educational program called "ABC Reading Eggs" for kids aged 2 to 13.
Contents
History
How it Started
In 1991, the ABC brought all its children's shows together. They created a daily block of programming called ABC For Kids. This block showed programs for both preschoolers and older children. It included both new and older shows.
The first logo for ABC For Kids had six blocks. The top row showed the letters "A", "B", and "C". The bottom row had an apple, a bee, and a carrot under each letter.
Changes from 2001 to 2009
In August 2001, the "ABC For Kids" block changed its name to ABC Kids. They also added more shows for older children. A new logo was introduced. It was a green wavy shape with "ABC Kids" written in blue letters.
ABC Kids and Fly TV Channels (2001–2003)
On August 1, 2001, a new digital TV channel called ABC Kids started. It was the ABC's first digital channel. It broadcast from 6 AM to 6 PM. After that, another channel called Fly TV took over.
Fly TV started on November 1, 2001. It showed programs for teenagers and young adults. It broadcast from 6 PM to 12 AM, and then repeated its shows until 6 AM. Both ABC Kids and Fly TV were available on free-to-air TV and on pay TV services like Austar and Optus TV.
However, the ABC Kids and Fly TV channels stopped broadcasting on June 30, 2003. This was part of a plan to save money for the ABC. The government did not provide extra funding to keep the channels on air. Also, not many people had digital TV yet, so the channels did not have many viewers. Even though the channels closed, the "ABC Kids" name was still used for the daily children's programming block on the main ABC channel.
After the channels closed, some shows for younger Fly TV viewers moved to the ABC Kids programming block.
Two Channels for Kids (2009–2011)
In February 2009, the ABC launched two daily blocks of children's programming. They were called ABC For Kids. These blocks aired on ABC1 from 8 AM to 11 AM and from 2:55 PM to 4 PM.
Then, on May 2, 2009, a new block for preschool children started on ABC2. It was called ABC For Kids on 2. It showed children's programs every day until 6 PM. Because of this, the ABC For Kids block on ABC1 was renamed ABC1 For Kids. The classic ABC For Kids logo from 1991 was updated to look 3D.
Focus on a Part-Time Channel (2011–Present)
In 2011, all children's programming moved from the main ABC channel. It was split between two channels: ABC 4 Kids and ABC3. ABC For Kids on 2 became ABC 4 Kids. It focused on preschoolers and shared its broadcast time with ABC2 from 6 AM to 7 PM. A new logo, similar to the ABC3 logo, was also introduced.
On July 7, 2014, the channel started broadcasting earlier, at 5 AM instead of 6 AM.
On March 2, 2015, the channel's name changed back to ABC Kids. A new logo, inspired by the classic children's logo, was revealed.
On December 4, 2017, the channel's broadcast time was extended. It started ending at 7:30 PM instead of 7 PM.
The channel got another new logo and look on March 17, 2020. This new look introduced three animated characters: an apple, a bee, and a crocodile named Croc. These characters were based on the classic logo. The ABC's own creative team designed this new look.
On January 1, 2023, the channel's broadcast time changed again, ending at 6:30 PM. However, due to audience feedback, it changed back to 7 PM on February 6, 2023. Then, on February 13, 2023, it was rescheduled to end at 7:30 PM again after more complaints.
See also
In Spanish: ABC Kids para niños
- Children's programming on ABC Television
- List of digital television channels in Australia
