The ABC has unveiled a raft of initiatives aimed at addressing escalating costs and facilitating its transformation into a digital-first media entity.
This comes hot on the heels of the recently released ABC Five-Year Plan 2023-2028, which outlines the broadcaster’s adaptive strategy in the face of technological advancements, shifting audience behaviour, and societal changes.
ABC’s Managing Director, David Anderson, underscored the necessity of these measures. He said they were part of a calculated response to ensure ABC’s survival in a climate of increasing inflationary pressures and a need to bolster investments in digital transformation.
The ABC’s vision, according to Anderson, is to become an indispensable part of daily life for all Australians, delivering high-quality journalism and content countrywide. He noted that as more audiences migrate from traditional broadcast services to digital, ABC sees an opportunity to secure its place as a central figure in the daily media consumption of Australians.
“By 2028, we anticipate that the bulk of audience engagement will be via ABC’s digital platforms, with a digital-first strategy governing the commissioning, production, and distribution of content,”
Anderson stated.
The corporation plans to augment its primary digital platforms—ABC iview, ABC listen, and ABC News—to offer personalised services that aid users in discovering content pertinent to them.
However, to fully capitalise on these opportunities, Anderson acknowledged that ABC must make some tough decisions, including better aligning its resources and investing in new skills within its workforce.
While there are targeted savings in areas such as travel and consulting, the proposed changes will unavoidably impact some roles. Anderson confirmed that up to 120 employees may be departing the ABC.
The notable changes proposed include the commencement of the Current Affairs Digital Transformation Project and a shift in the News Operations team from linear television programming to on-demand digital content.
In an email to staff on Thursday, ABC Content Manager, Chris Oliver-Taylor further highlighted the significant challenge that the ABC is confronting – a decline in audiences on broadcast platforms coupled with a slowdown in growth on digital products, ABC iview and ABC listen. The solution, he stated, is a shift to a ‘digital-first’ approach.
While the changes are intended to secure the long-term health of ABC, they would unavoidably impact some roles, leading to redundancies. Oliver-Taylor expressed regret over this and confirmed that all affected individuals have been informed. Consultations with staff and unions on the proposed changes will commence immediately.
The restructuring proposes a more aligned model for commissioning content across all ABC output, focusing on three key aspects: the selection and commissioning process, priority on digital products, and a focus on audience impact.
Under the new plan, ABC’s Content Division will centre on three main audience-facing outputs – Screen, Audio, and Digital. There will be a decrease in the number of commissioning editor and management roles across Screen, with the funding being redirected towards commissioning new content.
ABC also intends to continue prioritising key genres such as Indigenous, Arts, Children’s, Scripted, Entertainment and Factual, ensuring their content remains relevant for all Australians. Changes include the consolidation of Factual shows from the R&L and E&S division under a new Head of Factual, establishing the largest commissioner of Factual content in the country.
Oliver-Taylor also mentioned the creation of a new department, Arts, Music and Events, led by Kath Earle, and the continuation of Entertainment as a separate department under Nick Hayden, aiming to serve ABC’s broad audience with popular shows such as The Weekly, Gruen, and Hard Quiz.
ABC reaffirmed its commitment to prioritising Indigenous content across the Content Division, with Kelrick Martin leading this initiative. The operations group and the production team, now led by Sacha Gregson, will undergo minor changes driven by efficiency and new content priorities.
The Digital Content and Innovation team will be led by Angela Stengel. The centralisation of digital personnel under her leadership is aimed at better supporting ABC’s output in the future. Changes in the audio division were less significant, with the creation of two new senior management positions currently being recruited.
Other initiatives comprise the introduction of ABC News Sunday, a new national bulletin, and the re-emergence of a digital-first Stateline to focus on local stories through in-depth journalism. ABC will also establish a dedicated Climate, Environment and Energy reporting team, and streamline its commissioning editor structure.
The broadcaster will enhance the ABC iview, ABC News, and ABC listen user experience, promote its digital output with newly established roles, and adopt a digital-first approach to commissioning and selecting content.
David Anderson concluded by recognising the contributions of all ABC employees
“The ABC has evolved and adapted for over 90 years to ensure it remains Australia’s most trusted media organisation.
In this era of rapid technological change, today’s announcements will ensure we continue to remain trusted, relevant and valued by all Australians into the future.”
Ita Buttrose should’ve been another change how does she still have her job it’s baffling to me.
You two have allowed the ABC to become a disgrace. The ABC had become a shadow of its former self with your progressive agenda of pushing diversity to the levels of overkill.