Television is dying, or so they say. But if you’re standing in a rural town in New South Wales during a bushfire or sitting in a Melbourne office when the federal budget drops, that’s just not true. People aren't checking TikTok for the fine print on tax legislation. They’re turning on ABC News or refreshing the ABC News 24 stream. It’s a habit. A deep-seated, taxpayer-funded reliance that has survived the pivot to digital and the endless wars over "bias" in the media.
Honest talk? The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is a bit of a beast. It’s huge. It’s everywhere. When people talk about "ABC News," they usually mean the flagship 7 PM bulletin that has been a staple of Australian living rooms since, well, forever. But when they mention ABC News 24—now technically rebranded just as the ABC News channel—they’re talking about that relentless, 24-hour cycle of rolling coverage that launched back in 2010. It changed the way Australians consume local information. Before that, if you wanted 24-hour news, you basically had to pay for Foxtel to get Sky News. The ABC broke that paywall.
The split personality of ABC News and ABC News 24
It’s easy to get them confused if you’re just flipping through channels. Basically, the main ABC channel is where you get the "appointment" viewing. Think 7.30 with Sarah Ferguson or the localized state bulletins. But ABC News 24 is the engine room. It’s where the breaking news lives. If a press conference is happening in Canberra, this is where you see it live, unedited, and often a bit chaotic.
The distinction matters because the audience is different. The 7 PM crowd wants a curated summary of the day. They want to know what happened while they were at work. The News 24 crowd? They’re the junkies. They want the raw feed. They want the rolling ticker. Interestingly, the ABC has had to navigate this weird tension between being a traditional broadcaster and a digital-first newsroom. It hasn't always been smooth. There have been budget cuts—lots of them—and massive internal restructures to make sure the same journalist can write a radio script, film a TV package, and file a digital long-read by lunchtime.
Why the 24-hour cycle changed everything in Australia
When ABC News 24 launched, it was a massive gamble. People argued it was a waste of money. They said we didn't have enough "news" in Australia to fill 24 hours. They were wrong. What they didn't account for was the sheer scale of the Australian landscape. In a country where one state can be in a drought while another is underwater, there is always news.
The channel became a lifeline. During the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires, the rolling coverage wasn't just "content." It was essential safety infrastructure. You had Michael Rowland and the team literally tracking fire fronts in real-time. That is the true value of ABC News 24. It’s the "in case of emergency, break glass" channel.
The digital pivot and the app obsession
You can’t talk about the ABC without talking about the blue app. It’s arguably more influential now than the TV broadcast. The ABC News digital platform has consistently ranked as one of the top news sites in Australia, often duking it out with News Corp’s properties and Nine’s outlets.
What’s clever is how they’ve integrated the live stream. If you open the app during a major event, the ABC News 24 live feed is right there at the top. It’s seamless. They’ve managed to capture the "second screen" experience where you're watching the news while also reading the live blog on the same device. It’s a feedback loop that keeps the brand relevant even for people who don't actually own a television.
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Addressing the elephant in the room: The "Bias" debate
Let's be real. You can't mention the ABC without someone bringing up political bias. It’s the national sport of Australian politics. The Liberal-National coalition has spent decades accusing the ABC of being a "left-wing echo chamber." On the flip side, plenty of people on the left think the ABC has become too timid because they’re scared of losing their funding.
The reality? It’s complicated. The ABC is governed by a Charter that mandates "objective" and "impartial" reporting. They have a massive internal team dedicated to editorial standards. Does an individual journalist sometimes let a personal opinion slip? Sure. But when you look at the broad output across ABC News and the 24-hour channel, the coverage is generally exhaustive. They give the same airtime to the Prime Minister as they do to the Opposition Leader. That’s the job. If both sides are complaining, they’re probably doing something right.
The power of the "Regional Bureau"
One thing the ABC does better than anyone else is regional coverage. While commercial networks have been gutting their local newsrooms to save a buck, the ABC has doubled down. They have reporters in places like Karratha, Alice Springs, and Horsham.
When a story breaks in a remote part of the Northern Territory, ABC News 24 is usually the only one with a camera on the ground. That’s a huge competitive advantage. It’s also why the ABC is so fiercely defended by people in the bush. For many Australians, the ABC isn't just a news source; it’s the only way their stories get heard on a national stage.
How ABC News stays alive in a TikTok world
You’d think a legacy broadcaster would struggle with Gen Z. And yeah, they do, but they’re trying harder than most. They’ve launched things like The Signal (now retired) and various YouTube-first explainers to bridge the gap.
The strategy is basically: "Be where the people are."
- If you’re on Instagram, they have high-end graphics.
- If you’re on YouTube, they have 10-minute deep dives.
- If you’re a traditionalist, you get the 7 PM news.
It’s a multi-pronged attack. The ABC News 24 brand has become shorthand for "this is happening right now," regardless of whether you're watching it on a TV or a phone in a grocery store queue.
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The role of investigative journalism
We have to talk about Four Corners. Even though it’s a standalone program, it feeds the entire ABC News ecosystem. When Four Corners drops a bombshell on a Monday night, it provides the "news" for the next three days on ABC News 24. Think about the banking royal commission or the exposure of the youth detention crisis. Those weren't just stories; they were catalysts for legal change.
This is the "prestige" arm of ABC News. It’s expensive, it’s slow, and it’s legally risky. But it’s the reason the public still trusts the brand. You aren't getting that kind of investigative depth from a 30-second clip on a social feed.
Technical shifts: What’s changed lately?
Recently, the ABC moved its main news operations in Sydney from Ultimo to Parramatta. This wasn't just a real estate move; it was a symbolic shift to get closer to the "real" Australia in Greater Western Sydney.
From a technical standpoint, the integration of ABC News 24 into the iView app has been the biggest game-changer. The bitrates are better, the lag is lower, and you can "start over" a live broadcast. If you’ve missed the beginning of a presser, you just slide the bar back. It sounds simple, but for a public broadcaster, getting that tech right was a massive hurdle.
Breaking down the costs
The ABC costs every Australian about 8 cents a day. That’s the price of a couple of stamps a year. For that, you get:
- A commercial-free 24-hour news channel.
- Emergency broadcasting services.
- An ad-free news website and app.
- Local radio and newsrooms in dozens of towns.
Is it worth it? Most Australians say yes. Even those who disagree with the editorial line often admit that during a crisis, they go straight to the ABC.
Actionable ways to get the most out of ABC News
If you’re just skimming the surface, you’re missing the best parts of what they offer. Here is how to actually use the service like a pro:
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Use the "Listen" feature on the app.
Honestly, the ABC’s audio game is stronger than their video game sometimes. If you’re driving, you can stream the ABC News 24 audio feed directly through the app. It’s better than music when a big story is breaking.
Customize your "My News" feed.
The app allows you to follow specific topics or regions. If you live in Perth but care about climate policy, you can set your feed to prioritize those two things. It cuts through the noise of Sydney-centric reporting.
Check the "Fact Check" section.
The ABC partners with RMIT for their fact-checking unit. Before you share that weird political meme on Facebook, search the ABC site. They’ve likely already debunked it with actual data and primary sources.
Watch the "Full Episodes" on iView.
If you missed a deep-dive interview on 7.30, don't rely on the 30-second snippet on Twitter. The full context usually changes the story entirely.
The landscape of Australian media is messy. It’s crowded, it’s loud, and it’s often biased. But ABC News and ABC News 24 provide a sort of baseline for the national conversation. They are the "record of truth," even when that truth is uncomfortable for the people in power. Whether you’re watching for the weather report or the latest leadership spill, the blue and white logo remains the most trusted sign in the country's media diet.
Keep your app updated. Turn on notifications for "Major Breaking News" only—unless you want your phone buzzing every five minutes. And next time there’s a storm brewing or an election looming, flip over to the 24-hour channel. You’ll see the difference between "reporting" and "filling time" pretty quickly.