ABC Commercial

ABC Shop in Charlestown Square, Charlestown, New South Wales

ABC Commercial is the commercial arm of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC Commercial has operated in various forms for nearly 44 years. ABC Commercial’s primary purpose is to generate revenue for the ABC through five key business areas (see below). Revenue generated from ABC Commercial is returned to the ABC to spend on charter activities. ABC Commercial has accounting separation from the ABC. It is also charged internally for the costs of all shared ABC resources, service, labour and facilities on a monthly or by use basis. ABC Commercial is fully self-financed through its operations and does not receive public funding.

Business Units

ABC Commercial Business Unit	Main Activities
Content Sales and Distribution	Acquires and distributes ABC and licensed content to broadcasters, digital platforms and customers around the world. Syndication of ABC content across News, Audio, Library Sales, Inflight, Hotel and Transport. Global management of monetisation of ABC content on third-party platforms.
Retail	ABC Shop Online sells ABC and licensed products across a wide range of categories and through the ABC Centres’ network within existing retail stores.
Music	Records and represents a wide array of Australian songwriters and composers.  Range of genres including classics, jazz, country, kids and from ABC Radio & TV related content including triple j and ClassicFM. Includes an events business that stages and markets concerts and events including national tours of Play School and Giggle & Hoot.
Studio and Media Productions	Rents out the surplus production services (operational facilities including studios and staff capacity) of ABC Radio and TV.  Key partnerships include ABC TV co-production partners, commercial television networks, film and television production companies.
Publishing	Publishes children’s books in partnership with HarperCollins Australia. Other books published that relate to ABC programming, by ABC journalists and program makers. ABC Magazines publishes a stable of titles linked to ABC TV shows including Gardening Australia and Organic Gardener. Includes a brand licensing business with a portfolio that includes Giggle and Hoot, Play School, Bananas in Pyjamas and triple j. Spoken word and audio books.

History

ABC Commercial was established in 1974. Originally known as ABC Enterprises, it was later renamed ABC Commercial. From the 1980s to 2005, the ABC Video division sold videocassettes of ABC programming for either purchase or hiring; the division changed its name to ABC DVD in 2005, reflecting the primacy of the DVD format at the time.

ABC Shops and Centres

ABC Shops were managed under the ABC Retail department. ABC Shops operated over 40 retail shops and 80 centres, an international delivery service on the internet as well as developing and licensing ABC brands and programs, and providing production resource hire to the general public and industry alike.

In July 2015, ABC Managing Director Mark Scott announced that all ABC Shops would close by 2016, with the loss of 300 jobs. The ABC Shops closed late 2015, with the store moving to online sales. ABC iview has also filled in the gap left by the ABC Stores, with free playback TV and downloads.

As of 2016, a large chain of ABC Centres exists within partner stores including Sanity and Dymocks.

External links

• Official website