ABC: American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company (known as ABC according to AbbreviationFinder) – is one of the four largest commercial broadcast television networks in the United States. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue Network, ABC is now owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of the Disney – ABC Television Group. The first broadcast of this network on television was in 1948. The network has contributed to the popular culture of the United States with its programming.
Shop by Disney
In 1996, The Walt Disney Company acquired Capital Cities / ABC, and renamed the broadcasting group ABC, Inc., although the network also continues to use the name American Broadcasting Companies, as in the television productions that it owns. The relationship between ABC and Disney dates back to 1953, when Leonard Goldenson promised enough money so that the “Disneyland” theme park could be completed. ABC continued to hold Disney stock and notes until 1960. With this new relationship came an attempt at cross-promotion, with attractions based on ABC shows at Disney parks and an annual festival at Walt Disney World.
For the 2001 – 2002 television season, ABC began broadcasting more recent programming in high definition and, in addition, the network also converted all of its current comedies and dramas to high definition, becoming the first American television network to produce its full list of scripted programming in that format. In 2008, ABC committed $ 70 million to build a new HD broadcast facility. At the end of the television season 2003 – 2004, ABC dropped to fourth place becoming the first of the “Big Three Television Networks” in fall that classification.
With the Disney merger, Touchstone Television began producing the majority of primetime series on ABC. This culminated in the studio’s name change to ABC Studios in 2007, as part of Disney’s strategy to focus on the three “core brands”: ABC, Disney, and ESPN. In 2012, the Spanish-language network Univisión and ABC News announced a partnership to launch an English-language news channel, aimed primarily at the Hispanic audience. In February 2013 it was revealed that the new television network would be called Fusion.
In May 2013, ABC launched Watch ABC, an application that allows viewers to access the channel’s live broadcasts through a mobile device. ABC was the first US television network to offer this service. ABC is also unique in the industry to mark its shows as “ABC’s [program name]” in promotional advertising, in line with Disney and Pixar’s forward marking on its movies and television shows, and for productions by ABC Studios having the words “An ABC Studios Production” placed in the opening credits of a show.
The ABC website
The ABC website has several sections in which it stores content dedicated to its programming, including video clips, full episodes (only for the US), and mobile content. The ABC website was the first page of a television network to offer episodes to be seen online, of series such as Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Ugly Betty. Beginning in July 2007, ABC offered HD content of its series, including episodes of Lost, in 1280×720 resolution. The episodes are uploaded to the website the day after they are broadcast, although only viewers in the United States can enjoy this service. The Lost section of the ABC website includes episode summaries, promotional photo gallery, a shop, Official Podcasts, and much more.
Chain Programs
- News and Informative
- Dramas
- Science fiction
- TV soaps
- Comedies
- Reality shows
- Daytime Serials
- Variety Programs
- Contest programs
- Awards
- Sports events
- Children’s Programming
Influence of Lost
Lost (along with Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy, among others) is often recognized for “reviving” ABC in its 2004 – 2005 season.. Before that, ABC had been falling in the shadow of other networks with unpopular shows and low ratings. Thanks to Lost and other new series of that season, ABC was revived as one of the most powerful networks and has remained so ever since. The success of Lost also spurred the development of storyline dramas on other networks, especially those with flashbacks and an element of mystery, such as ABC’s own series The Nine and Daybreak, even though the latter were less popular dramas, especially. Daybreak, which was short-lived on the air. Some other recent drama series include Six Degrees, Ugly Betty, Kidnapped, Vanished, Cinco Hermanos as well as the NBC series Heroes, which also contains a diverse ethnic cast, elements of science fiction.
