ABC Kids (Australia)

ABC Kids
	File:ABC Kids logo 2020.png Logo used since 17 March 2020
Company type	Free-to-air children's television channel
Industry	Television broadcasting
Founded	January 1, 2011; 15 years ago
Headquarters	Australia
Area served	Australia
Owner	Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Website	www.abc.net.au/abckids/

ABC Kids is a part-time, free-to-air channel operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, dedicated to children aged six years and below, primarily focusing on the upper preschool demographic. Its broadcast schedule runs from 4am until 7:30pm, sharing transmission bandwidth with ABC Family, which takes over outside these hours.

Early Beginnings

The origins of ABC Kids trace back to 1989 with the launch of ABC for Kids as a children's music label, initially featuring the 0–9 project. By 1991, ABC consolidated its children's content into a daily programming segment called ABC For Kids, which combined both new productions and classic shows aimed at preschoolers and young children. The initial branding included a logo composed of six blocks displaying the letters "A", "B", "C" on the top row and an apple, bee, and carrot beneath.

2001–2009

In August 2001, the ABC For Kids programming block was rebranded as ABC Kids, broadening its content scope to include programs for older children alongside younger viewers. This rebranding introduced a new logo featuring a green Lissajous curve accompanied by the words "ABC Kids" in lowercase blue typography.

2001–2003: Launch of ABC Kids and Fly TV

On 1 August 2001, ABC debuted its first digital multichannel service, ABC Kids, broadcasting on channel 21 from 6:00am to 6:00pm. Complementing this was Fly TV, launched on 1 November 2001, which targeted teenagers and young adults and aired from 6:00pm until midnight, with overnight repeats. Both channels were accessible through Austar and Optus TV subscription platforms.

Due to budgetary constraints and low uptake of digital television limiting audience reach, both channels ceased operations on 30 June 2003 as part of ABC’s initiative to reduce expenses by approximately A$25 million annually. Despite the closure, the ABC Kids brand persisted within ABC’s daily children’s programming block.

After Fly TV's termination, its youth-oriented content was absorbed into the ABC Kids programming segment.

2009–2011: Dual Channel Programming

In February 2009, ABC1 introduced two dedicated children’s blocks airing from 8:00am to 10:00am and later from 3:00pm to 4:00pm. Subsequently, on 4 December 2009—the same day ABC3 launched—ABC2 unveiled a preschool-focused block named ABC For Kids on 2, broadcasting daily until 6pm. This development led to some shows on ABC2 being discontinued or rescheduled, including Rage. The classic 1991 ABC For Kids logo was revitalized with a three-dimensional effect for this relaunch.

2011–Present: Refocused Part-Time Channel

By May 2011, the weekday morning children's segment on ABC1 was discontinued. The preschool block on ABC2 was rebranded as ABC 4 Kids, functioning as a part-time preschool channel that shared bandwidth with ABC2 from 6am to 7pm. Its new logo drew inspiration from the design style of ABC3.

By early 2014, all children’s programming was removed from the main ABC channel and divided between ABC 4 Kids and ABC3. On 7 July that year, ABC 4 Kids extended its start time earlier to begin broadcasting at 5am.

The channel underwent another rebranding on 2 March 2015, adopting the name ABC Kids along with a refreshed logo that referenced elements of the original design.

Following the December 2017 rebrand of ABC Comedy, ABC Kids extended its daily broadcast end time to 7:30pm.

A new visual identity and logo were introduced on 17 March 2020, featuring three animated characters inspired by the classic logo motifs—an apple, a bee, and Croc the crocodile—created by ABC Made, the broadcaster’s internal creative team.

On 1 January 2023, the channel’s closedown time was shifted earlier to 6:30pm in order to accommodate ABC TV Plus programming aimed at older children and adult audiences. This adjustment attracted criticism from parents who preferred the later closing time. Consequently, on 13 February 2023, ABC restored the closedown time for ABC Kids back to 7:30pm.

External links