ABC Kids Channel

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ABC Kids Channel

Launched	August 1, 2001
Closed	June 30, 2003
Network	ABC Television (Australia)
Owned by	Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Picture format	576i (SDTV)
Website	abc.net.au/children/digital
Availability
Terrestrial
SD Digital	Channel 21
Satellite
Austar Digital	Channel 14
Cable
Optus Digital	Channel 21

The ABC Kids Channel was a Digital TV channel in Australia run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, while the brand for children's programming on ABC TV and ABC2 is called ABC Kids .

The ABC Kids Channel was an ABC television channel available to digital television viewers in Australia. On August 1 2001, a half-day ABC Kids Channel launched nationally, with ABC's youth-oriented Fly TV airing during ABC Kids' downtime. The ABC launched the channel without additional funding, hoping that its success would prompt an additional government grant.

1 Availability
2 Closure
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Availability

The ABC Kids Channel was available from 6:00am to 6:00pm on both digital terrestrial television and subscription services: Austar and Optus Television. However, it could not gain carriage on Foxtel due to Foxtel's financial interests in the Australian rights to competitors Nickelodeon and Fox Kids.

The channel created significant tension between the ABC and Viacom (owners of Nickelodeon), as the ABC interpreted it's FTA rights deal for the screening of Nickelodeon content on ABC TV to allow them to broadcast the programs on ABC Kids for no extra cost. While this interpration was found to be correct, the ABC lost the FTA rights to newly produced Nickelodeon programs to Network Ten.

[edit] Closure

The ABC Kids Channel closed on June 30 2003, along with Fly TV, in the first of a series of cuts to save around $25 million a year for the ABC. The ABC could not secure government funding to keep the channel onair. However, the ABC Kids brand did survive on ABC TV, ABC2 and ABC Online.