The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has hit two new milestones in the past week, reaching almost 11 million people monthly on its international platform and marking 10 years since of the launch of its ABC News Channel.
Managing Director of the ABC, David Anderson said that each month, ABC International reached an overseas audience of 10,967,000, through broadcast television, radio and ABC websites and apps.
“At the end of 2019 the ABC marked 80 years of Australia’s international broadcasting,” Mr Anderson said.
“It’s wonderful to know that audiences around the world, especially our neighbours in the Indo-Pacific, continue their relationship with the ABC for independent and trusted information, education, and entertainment,” he said.
He said the record of achievement was “unrivalled” and came from telling Australian stories, reporting fairly and fearlessly, teaching generations to speak English and delivering critical information in times of crisis for 80 years.
Mr Anderson said the ABC’s monthly audiences were 3,803,000 audiences in the Americas; 2,038,000 audiences in Europe; 3,690,000 in Asia; and 1,165,000 in the Pacific.
Turning to the ABC News Channel, the Corporation’s Director of News, Gaven Morris said that when it was first announced in January 2010 (then as ABC News 24) the start date was planned to coincide with the next Federal election, at that time expected to be in October.
“But when Kevin Rudd was deposed, and new PM Julia Gillard quickly moved to an early election, we suddenly had a very tight deadline – three months earlier than we’d been planning for,” Mr Morris said.
“Nevertheless, the launch went without a hitch,” he said.
Mr Morris said that during this year’s Black Summer of bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic people had turned to the News Channel in record numbers, with over four million Australians tuning in each week.
