Planet America
| Company type | Television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television news and current affairs |
| Founded | February 10, 2012 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Key people | John Barron, Chas Licciardello |
| Products | News and current affairs programs focused on United States politics |
| Website | www |
Planet America, along with its companion show Planet America's Weekend Edition, previously known as Planet America's Fireside Chat, are Australian TV programs broadcast on ABC Television that focus on news and current affairs related to the United States. Debuting in February 2012 ahead of the 2012 United States presidential election, these programs concentrate on American political developments and are jointly hosted by John Barron and Chas Licciardello. Each week, a single episode is broadcast across ABC TV, the ABC News channel, and ABC iview.
History
The inaugural episode of Planet America aired on 10 February 2012, originally focusing on US political news in the lead-up to the 2012 presidential election. After the election concluded, it continued as a weekly series providing analysis of ongoing political events in the United States.
In 2017, the spin-off series Planet Extra was introduced, releasing episodes via Planet America's Facebook page. The main program expanded its duration to 45 minutes in 2018.
By 2020, Planet America transitioned to a prime-time slot on Wednesdays at 9:30 pm on ABC TV, with episodes lasting 30 minutes. At the same time, the spin-off Planet America's Fireside Chat premiered on ABC News on Fridays at 8 pm with a 45-minute format; this spin-off was renamed Planet America's Weekend Edition in early 2025. Additionally, February 2020 marked the launch of the Planet Extra Podcast, hosted by Licciardello alongside Dr. David Smith.
In 2021, the main show adopted the Fireside Chat’s timeslot, extending its runtime to nearly an hour beginning at 7:03 pm. The program was structured into four parts: coverage of general US news, guest interviews, reports presented by John Barron, and the Fireside Chat segment. Longer interviews and reports were made available separately through ABC iview and the "ABC News In-Depth" YouTube channel. Towards the end of that season, Barron and Gavin Wood presented rankings assessing US presidents.
John Barron announced via Twitter that the 2022 season would commence on 26 September—postponed from August due to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral—and would cover the US midterm elections. Meanwhile, the hosts engaged in other ABC projects including The Context with John Barron, a news analysis program that aired during Planet America’s usual timeslot from June. A special edition of Planet America was broadcast in July following hearings related to the Capitol Riot.
At the November 2024 ABC Upfronts event, it was confirmed that Planet America will return in 2025. Beginning 4 August 2025, the show will shift to Monday evenings after the cancellation of Q+A.
Description
The series is co-hosted by John Barron, who serves as a research associate at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, alongside Chas Licciardello, known for his work with The Chaser.
Each week, one episode of both Planet America and Planet America's Fireside Chat is broadcast on ABC TV, ABC News channel, and available via ABC iview.
Similar programs
Inspired by the success of Planet America, comparable shows have been launched such as China Tonight starting in 2021 with hosts Stan Grant and Yvonne Yong, and India Now, which began in 2022 featuring Marc Fennell.
Planet America
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Planet Extra Podcast
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