ABC Kids (Australia) facts for kids
.png)
Logo used since 2020
|
|
| Type | Children's programming • Toddler programming |
|---|---|
| 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 HD ABC Family ABC Entertains 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 | Channel 22 (shared with ABC Family) |
| Streaming media | |
| ABC iview live stream | |
ABC Kids is a special TV channel in Australia for young children. It's run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). This channel broadcasts shows for kids aged 6 and younger, including preschoolers. It shares its broadcast time with another channel called ABC Family. ABC Kids is on from 4 AM to 7:30 PM every day.
Contents
Discovering ABC Kids
How It All Started
The idea for ABC Kids began in 1989 as a music label called ABC for Kids. Their first project was a music series for young children. Then, in 1991, all the children's shows on the ABC channel were grouped together. This daily block of shows was also called ABC For Kids. It included many different programs for both preschoolers and slightly older kids. The original logo had six colorful blocks with the letters "A," "B," "C" on top. Below them were an apple, a bee, and a carrot.
Growing Up: Changes in the Early 2000s
In August 2001, the ABC For Kids block got a new name: ABC Kids. They also started showing programs for a wider age range of children. A new logo appeared, featuring a green swirl from the main ABC logo with "ABC Kids" written in blue letters.
Launching Dedicated Channels
Something exciting happened in 2001! The ABC launched a brand-new, dedicated children's channel called ABC Kids. This was the first time ABC had a separate digital channel just for kids' shows. It started broadcasting across Australia on August 1, 2001. The channel was on from 6 AM to 6 PM. After that, another channel called Fly TV took over. Fly TV showed programs for teenagers and young adults from 6 PM to midnight.
Why Channels Sometimes Change
However, the ABC Kids and Fly TV channels stopped broadcasting on June 30, 2003. This decision was made because the ABC faced challenges in getting enough funding to keep these new channels going. Also, not many people had digital television yet in Australia, so the channels didn't have a very large audience. Even though the dedicated channels closed, the ABC Kids brand continued to be used for the daily children's programming block on the main ABC channel. Later, some shows that were for older kids on Fly TV moved to the ABC Kids block.
Splitting Up and Coming Back Together
In February 2009, the main ABC channel (then called ABC1) started having two daily blocks of children's shows. These ran in the mornings and afternoons. Later that year, on December 4, 2009, a new block for preschoolers called ABC For Kids on 2 was launched on the ABC2 channel. This block showed children's programs every day until 6 PM. The classic ABC For Kids logo from 1991 was even brought back, but this time in a cool 3D style!
A New Focus for Little Ones
In May 2011, the morning children's block on ABC1 was removed. The ABC For Kids on 2 channel then changed its name to ABC 4 Kids. It became a part-time channel specifically for preschoolers, sharing its broadcast time with ABC2 from 6 AM to 7 PM. A new logo, similar to the ABC3 channel's logo, was also introduced.
New Looks and Times
By early 2014, all children's programming was moved off the main ABC channel. It was then divided between ABC 4 Kids and ABC3. On July 7, 2014, ABC 4 Kids started broadcasting an hour earlier, at 5 AM.
On March 2, 2015, the channel's name changed again to ABC Kids, which is what it's called today! A new logo, inspired by the very first children's logo, was also revealed.
Later, on December 4, 2017, the channel's broadcast time was extended. It started ending at 7:30 PM instead of 7 PM.
ABC Kids received another fresh look and logo on March 17, 2020. This new design introduced three animated characters: an apple, a bee, and a crocodile named Croc. These characters were inspired by the original block logo. The ABC's own creative team, ABC Made, designed this rebrand.
On January 1, 2023, ABC Kids briefly changed its schedule, ending at 6:30 PM. However, many parents were not happy with this change. So, on February 13, 2023, the ABC listened to feedback and moved ABC Kids' closing time back to 7:30 PM.
What You Can Watch
You can find a wide variety of fun and educational shows on ABC Kids! These include programs made in Australia and from other countries, all designed for young children.
See also
In Spanish: ABC Kids para niños
- Children's programming on ABC Television
- List of digital television channels in Australia
- Children's programming on ABC Television
- List of digital television channels in Australia
