The ABC has resolved to become a “digital-first” broadcaster, targeting over half of its audience engagement via digital services by 2028.
As part of the revised strategy, the public broadcaster has confirmed it will further reduce investment in traditional Television and Radio mediums, pivoting towards bolstering its primary digital products, including ABC Listen, ABC iview, and ABC News.
The ambitious new five-year plan, which replaces a previous plan that had been set to last until 2025, is centred around four key pillars: cultivating audience trust, mirroring modern Australia, generating captivating content to foster a lifelong relationship with Australians, and making resource allocation sustainable.
The ABC has also vowed to enhance its local community presence, target younger audiences, seek co-production partnerships with a more diverse range of providers, and upgrade its production infrastructure with the integration of technologies such as AI. It is also keen on consolidating and rebranding some broadcasting services as digital platforms continue to amass a greater audience. The plan includes a commitment to minimising the environmental impact of ABC operations.
ABC’s television multi-channels will undergo a significant “repositioning” to better cater to viewer preferences, while investment in AM radio will be scaled back. The production of made-for-digital content is slated to increase, designed for ABC iview and ABC Listen, as well as prominent third-party platforms.
The broadcaster has also reiterated its dedication to promoting diversity and inclusion, amidst recent criticism following the departure of Q&A host Stan Grant, who resigned last month after facing racial abuse.
“By 2028, the ABC will cater to more Australians on the platform of their choice with made-for-digital content and journalism on ABC News, ABC iview, ABC Listen, and on major third-party platforms,”
stated David Anderson, ABC managing director. He reassured Australians that as the broadcaster undergoes this digital transformation, it will continue to serve as a reliable source of content and services that inform, educate and entertain.
This strategic shift follows a significant divisional restructuring in May, which led to an unknown number of redundancies and merged the regional bureau into the news division. This comes as ABC, along with its public service broadcaster peer, SBS, move to five-year funding terms as per the May federal budget, with an annual allocation of $1.1 billion for ABC and $334.9 million for SBS.
As Anderson concluded,
“As Australia changes, so must the ABC. We will continue to serve all Australians, contribute to our national identity, and remain an essential part of daily life.”
