ABC3: 3 is for kids
The new digital channel ABC3 is a reality now that Kevin Rudd has literally switched it on, but it didn’t happen overnight. It was a long, painful birth, but one that will offer Australian children- and producers- an entire world of content.
The seeds for ABC3 were planted by Jenny Buckland, the executive director of the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) in 2006. Like a Dickensian ghost of TV future, Buckland presented ABC TV director Kim
Dalton with a grim yet plausible vision: Australian children would grow up watching primarily imported or adult content unless the public broadcaster followed the steps of many of its international counterparts and launched a dedicated children’s channel.
Three years of planning and lobbying would follow. The ACTF, community groups, producers and politicians all joined the debate about the proposed new channel targeted at school-age kids (6-15), but it wasn’t until earlier this year that the Prime Minister announced the Government would finally provide funds for the new channel, with $19 million for the first year of operation and its 15 hours of daily broadcast (6am to 9pm).
“During the process of advocating and presenting the arguments to them as to why they should fund it, the ABC became a more mature broadcaster in terms of running a multi-channel, multi-platform offering, so we know more about this model now,” said Dalton about the positives that have resulted from the long wait.
“It would have been great if they had written us a cheque the first day we put the argument to them, but they didn’t. That’s OK, because we’ve spent this time thinking very hard; working with the local independent production community, discussing ideas and getting them to think about working in an environment of expanded children’s television production.”
WORK IN PROGRESS
Children’s television is highly competitive. In addition to the commercial broadcasters’ time slots for kids’ programming, pay TV offers a range of 24-hour options. A seasoned producer himself, the head of children’s Tim
Brooke-Hunt knows that it’s important from the get-go that ABC3 finds its own place in the market.
“There is no point in us copying Disney, Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon; they have their own strengths, but we will offer a very strong alternative” he said.
“It’s too early to say [how other kid’s channels will react], added Dalton. “It’s a broadcast environment which is about choice, and that’s what we’re offering: an adfree channel across a whole range of genres, with a lot more Australian content and a highly interactive component. I think our offer will be different.”
The channel was launched on December 4 with 40 percent Australian content, and the aim is to reach 50+ percent within a year – a target that former BBC and Disney executive and current director of the also newly launched pay TV channel KidsCo Paul Robinson said was “very unambitious” for a public broadcaster, during a recent visit to Sydney.
Dalton told Encore that the ABC is trying to maximise the amount of money spent on new Australian content and commissioning across all genres – animation, drama, comedy, reality, factual and news. In addition to new content, they have also re-licensed existing drama to put it back on the air and give it a new life and a new audience.
“The challenge in meeting this goal is not the availability of quality Australian programming so much as one of budget,” added Brooke-Hunt. “We could achieve our goal quicker if we had a higher budget for the channel, but we will do it over time through a mix of commissioning new programs and acquiring existing Australian drama and animation.
“It takes time to build up to this level of local content. We had a very tight deadline. The money was confirmed in May, so it’s a huge job, getting these hours of content across the multiple platforms, particularly when you look at the staffing of our department compared to the BBC.
It’s still early days, and Brooke-Hunt would like ABC3 to be seen as a work in progress, one that they are proud of, but also a project that will be refined in 2010 and beyond.
WHAT CHILDREN WANT
According to Brooke-Hunt, children want to see local stories and faces, but producers should also tap into universal themes and experiences, particularly because most children’s drama series have to raise international finance and therefore, must have international appeal to get funded. This trend can be seen in the first batch of commissioned product, which includes three drama series, two of them co-productions, Dance Academy (with ZDF Germany, by Werner Films) and Dead Gorgeous (Burberry and UK-based Coolabai, with CBBC). The exception to the rule is the 100 percent local My Place (Matchbox Pictures).
The two main elements ABC3 is looking for in a project are, according to commissioning editor Carla de Jong, audience appeal and relevance. “We really spend a lot of time ensuring that we are reflecting the real world to kids,” said de Jong (further details on the channel’s current commissioning needs and requirements at www.abc.net.au/independent/childrens_about.htm).
Research found that ABC3’s target audience was watching a wide variety of programming, from cartoons to MasterChef or Wipe Out. The results showed the ABC3 team that kids were interested in different genres, even the ones that haven’t been traditionally developed for that specific market.
“That is why they end up watching [adult] prime time shows, which is perfectly fine, but there is an opportunity to create those genres of shows specifically for this age group,” said de Jong. “Some reality shows are really not appropriate for kids, so we want to capture their essence, but doing it in a much more positive way that is about team work and helping each other rather than fighting.”
Some of the resulting products are Escape from Scorpion Island (a co-production between Freehand and RDF Rights for ABC and CBBC) and Rush TV (produced by Beyond Entertainment). de Jong explained that although the latter might look like a regular extreme sports show, its kids angle can be seen in the questions host Chris Boadle will ask the sporting stars. “It’s about presenting it from a kid’s point of view and offering them what they want to see.”
The tricky part is knowing exactly what it is children want to see, in a market of constant and rapid change. It takes a lot of research and talking directly to that demographic, something that will be reflected in the music shows that are currently in development.
“Music is a hard one because the way kids listen and consume music has changed so much,” explained de Jong. “We’re making sure we reflect that.”
The ABC3 team have also paid close attention to the trends at the major international markets, and are collaborating with their network of international counterparts, such as CBBC (UK), KI.KA (Germany) and CBC (Canada), by sharing information, discussing ideas, co-producing, or acquiring content that would not otherwise be available in Australia.
Brooke-Hunt revealed he will go to China next year, hoping to set up a co-production with a major broadcaster there. And in the near future, content will also come from another source: its young audience.
“What could be more fun for our audience then to watch what they have created themselves, what could be more engaging?” questioned Brooke-Hunt. “Why wouldn’t we encourage that?”
LIKE A PRODUCER WITH A NEW TOY
One of the key elements of a dedicated children’s channel is repetition, to maximise a show’s audience potential. For Australian content and commissions, ABC3 has included this element in its terms of trade.
“Past arrangements were largely seven runs over seven years, or five runs over five years,” explained Brooke-Hunt. That concept is appropriate for analogue television, but when you get into digital you must recognise that kids love to watch shows over and over, that they have different things going on in their lives so if you repeat a show you can catch a different audience.
Head of programming and acquisitions Barbara Uecker adds that most people she’s dealing with are happy to have their shows shown as often as possible because they feel it will help build a bigger audience.
Penny Chapman, producer of ABC3’s signature series My Place (her first work specifically aimed at this audience), believes the new channel has created an exciting environment for Australian creatives, and will have a considerable impact in the industry, provided they continue to be financed to commission product.
“A lot of producers are going to turn their creative sights on kids, and that will be enriching both for them and for that audience,” she said. “It’s great to have a new commissioning team on the block.” ■
ABC 4 kids and CBeebies are difrent.
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