ABC Me (stylised as ABC ME) is an Australian children's public digital television multichannel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was officially launched by then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 4 December 2009 and 12 October 2015, officially known as ABC3.
In September 2007, the Australian government announced a proposal to launch a new digital-only children's channel, ABC3. A new ABC channel appeared on television receivers in 2008, as a placeholder for the future ABC3 channel. ABC3 was considered by the Australia 2020 Summit and given as one of the recommendations to the Government. In April 2009, the Government's official response to the Summit approved the idea, and in the 2009–10 Commonwealth Budget $67 million was allocated towards ABC3 as part of the Government's $167 million funding increase to the ABC.
On 18 June 2009, the Corporation began its first public ABC3 campaign to scout for new hosting talent. On 22 October 2009, eight presenters were announced. Amberley Lobo and Kayne Tremills would host Studio 3, with Ben Crawley as a roving reporter, he later joined the show What Do You Know? alongside Dr Rhythm. Scott Tweedie would host Prank Patrol, while Hannah Wang and Mitch Tomlinson were named as co-hosts of Rush TV and Stephanie Bendixsen and Steven O'Donnell were hosts of Good Game: Spawn Point, a spin-off of the ABC2 TV series Good Game, made for younger gamers.
On 4 December 2009 at 5pm, the hour-long Countdown to 3 special was broadcast on the channel and was simulcast on ABC1. It featured special performances from Australian artists Cassie Davis and Short Stack, an introduction to various ABC3 presenters and shows and the station's launch around 6pm by then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
In 2011, James Elmer joined as co-host of Studio 3 along with Kayne and Amberley. On 4 December 2011, the winners from the MeOn3 contest were revealed as Alfie Gledhill and Olivia Phyland. On 14 September 2012, Alfie left Studio 3 to pursue acting dreams. In October 2012, Comedian Khaled Khalafala joined Studio 3, and stayed with the crew until early 2013 before leaving. In March 2013 the Janitor (Dave Cartel) and Bubbles the goldfish supposedly left Studio 3 for Venezuela, with Bubbles being replaced with a new goldfish called Alexis. Tim Matthews, Grace Koh and Ivy Latimer later joined James and Liv in June 2014 after winning The 3 Factor competition.
In August 2016, it was announced that ABC3 would rebrand as ABC Me on 19 September 2016. The rebranded channel is reported to be "designed to reflect and celebrate the lives, interests and diversity of young Australians" and will increase its focus to primary school children.
The channel's programming runs from 6am to 9pm during the weekdays and 6am to 10pm during the weekends, 6am to 10:30pm (10pm on Fridays) daily, and targets the 6-15-year-old age group. At 10:45pm, the station closes and displays the 'signpost saying "returns at 6:00am" with ABC Jazz background music before reopening again at 6am. It broadcasts a range of genres, including comedy, drama, music, animation, extreme sports, wildlife and news-based programmes. The channel aims to feature at least 50% Australian produced content. News To Me is a show that is hosted by the channel's presenters. It premiered on Monday 19 September 2016 at 5:10 pm.
New programs which air on the channel include the historical drama My Place, sitcom Mal.com, animation series CJ the DJ, a news and current affairs show produced by the team from Behind the News and a sketch comedy You're Skitting Me.
Program playout for ABC Me is controlled from ABQ, the ABC's Brisbane station. on delayed to technical at ABC's new playout facility, MediaHub. Programmes such as Studio 3 and Prank Patrol are filmed and produced at ABV in Melbourne.
Unlike commercial channels, ABC Me is not constrained by a local content quota and portions of its programming are sourced from foreign broadcasters such as CBBC, Teletoon and YTV.
Programmes currently broadcast on the channel include:
Blue Zoo (repeats)
BTN Newsbreak
Bushwhacked! (repeats)
Buzz Bumble (repeats)
The Deep (repeats)
The Dukes of Broxstonia (repeats)
Erky Perky (repeats)
Funny Face (repeats)
Good Game: Spawn Point (new episodes weekly but repeats in summer)
Lockie Leonard (repeats)
Little Lunch
Move It Mob Style (repeats)
My Great Big Adventure (repeats)
The New Adventures of Figaro Pho (repeats)
News To Me
Nowhere Boys (repeats)
Odd Squad (repeats)
Pearlie (repeats)
Prisoner Zero (repeats)
Sally Bollywood: Super Detective (repeats)
Secret Life of Boys
Tashi (repeats)
Teenage Fairytale Dropouts (repeats)
Tomorrow, When the War Began
Than Lan Oscars (repeats 3 times)
Winston Steinburger and Sir Dudley Ding Dong (repeats)
What Do You Know? (repeats)
You're Skitting Me (series 2)
Adventure Time (repeats)
Arthur (repeats)
The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (repeats)
Camp Lazlo (repeats)
Danger Mouse (2015)
Dani's Castle (repeats)
Dani's House (repeats)
Deadly 60 (repeats)
Deadly Top Ten (New series)
Degrassi: The Next Generation (Seasons 1–14)
Degrassi: Next Class (Seasons 1-2)
Dragons: Riders of Berk (repeats)
The Fairly OddParents (repeats)
Fangbone! (repeats)
Freaktown (repeats)
Grojband (repeats)
The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange (repeats)
Horrible Histories (repeats)
Iron Man: Armored Adventures (repeats)
K-On! (repeats)
Kamisama Kiss (repeats)
Lanfeust Quest (repeats)
The Legend of Dick and Dom (repeats)
The Legend of Korra (repeats)
The Life and Times of Juniper Lee (repeats)
Masha and the Bear (repeats)
Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir (repeats)
My Gym Partner's a Monkey (repeats)
The Next Step (Season 1 Repeats)
Numb Chucks (repeats)
The Penguins of Madagascar (repeats)
The Pinky and Perky Show (repeats)
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Slugterra (repeats)
Sorry, I've Got No Head (repeats)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2009) (repeats)
Stoked (repeats)
The Super Hero Squad Show (repeats)
Taka & Maka (repeats)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) (repeats)
Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race
Total Drama World Tour (repeats)
Wizards vs Aliens (Series 2)
YooHoo & Friends (repeats)
Young Dracula (repeats)
Programming confirmed for future broadcast will include:
Andy Roid
The Deep (Season 2)
Nowhere Boys (Season 3 - Two Moons Rising)
The Sapphires
These shows have previously been broadcast on ABC Me:
The Adventures of Figaro Pho (repeats)
Animalia (repeats)
Animals Dateline in Desert: The Adventures of Three Dofus 4 (repeats 20 Times)
Animals United
Best of Rollercoaster
Bindi's Boot Camp
Black Knight White Witch
Blue Water High (repeats)
Bushwhacked!
Casa DeEVIL
Castaway (repeats)
CJ the DJ
Chuck Finn (repeats)
Creature Features (repeats)
Dance Academy (Series 1 – 3)
Dancing Down Under
The Day My Butt Went Psycho! (repeats)
Dead Gorgeous (repeats)
The Deep (Season 1)
Desdemona
Dex Hamilton: Alien Entomologist (repeats)
Don't Blame the Koalas (repeats)
Double Trouble (repeats)
Eugenie Sandler P.I. (repeats)
Flipper and Lopaka (repeats)
Gasp! (repeats)
The Genie From Down Under (repeats)
Get Ace (repeats)
The Gift (repeats)
Go Lingo! (repeats)
Good Game: Spawn Point
Hairy Legs (repeats)
Handball Heroes
Heart and Soul
HotSpell
Heartbreak High (repeats)
I Got a Rocket (repeats)
Lab Rats Challenge
Letterbox
Jar Dwellers SOS (repeats)
Kaitangata Twitch (repeats)
Mal.com
Misery Guts (repeats)
Mortified (repeats)
Move It Mobstyle
Mr., Mrs. & Dr. Smith (repeats)
My Great Big Adventure
My Place (Series 1 – 2)
Ocean Girl (repeats)
On The Edge (repeats)
Outriders (repeats)
Outback 8 (repeats)
Parallax (repeats)
Prank Patrol
Pixel Pinkie (repeats)
Rollercoaster
Round the Twist (repeats)
Sally Bollywood: Super Detective (repeats)
Sea Princesses (repeats)
SheZow (repeats)
Short Cuts (repeats)
Ship to Shore (repeats)
The Silver Brumby (repeats)
The Sleepover Club (repeats)
Spellbinder (repeats)
Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord (repeats)
Stay Tuned
Steam Punks! (repeats)
Stormworld (repeats)
Studio 3
Sweat (repeats)
The Damfs (repeats)
Totally Wild: Antarctica Special
Tracey McBean (repeats)
Trapped (repeats)
Vic the Viking (repeats)
WAC World Animal Championships
Winston Steinburger and Sir Dudley Ding Dong
Worst Best Friends (repeats)
Yakkity Yak (repeats)
You're Skitting Me
6teen
The 99
Aisling's Diary
Almost Naked Animals (Series 1 - 3)
The Aquabats! Super Show!
The Assistants
Astro Boy (2003 TV series)
The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Season 1 – 2)
A World of Wonders
Barney's Barrier Reef
Bernard (repeats)
Best Ed (repeats)
Big Babies
The Big Knights (repeats)
Black Panther
Bolts and Blip
Bugged
Camp Lakebottom
Canimals (repeats)
Carl Squared (repeats)
Chris Humfrey's Wild Life (repeats)
Class of the Titans (repeats)
Connor Undercover (Series One) (repeats)
Corneil & Bernie (Series 1 repeats, Series 2)
Dani's Castle
Dani's House (Series 1 – 5)
Deadly 60
Deltora Quest
Demons
Desperados
Detentionaire (Season 1 – 4)
Dragon Booster (repeats)
Dragons: Riders of Berk
Edgar and Ellen (repeats)
Eliot Kid (repeats)
Even Stevens (repeats)
The Fairly OddParents (Season 9)
The Fairly OddParents: Wishology
Fangbone!
Fleabag Monkeyface
Freaktown
Freaky (repeats)
Freefonix
Fruits Basket
The Fugitives (repeats)
Gawayn
The Gees
Get Outta Town
Girls in Love (repeats)
Grojband
Grizzly Tales
Grizzly Tales For Gruesome Kids (repeats)
Grossology (repeats)
Half Moon Investigations
Heartland
Help! I'm a Teenage Outlaw (repeats)
The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange
History Hunters
Horrible Histories
How To Be Indie
Iron Man: Armored Adventures (Season 1 – 2)
I.N.K. Invisible Network of Kids
In Real Life
Inside Life
Iron Man: Armored Adventures (repeats)
Jamillah and Aladdin (repeats)
Jane and the Dragon (repeats)
Jeopardy (repeats)
Jibber Jabber (repeats)
Jinx
The Jungle Book
The Jungle Bunch
K-On!
Kaeloo
Kamisama Kiss
Karaoke High
Kid vs. Kat (Season 1 – 2)
The Killian Curse
King Arthur's Disasters (repeats)
Kratt Brothers: Be the Creature
Lanfeust Quest
The Latest Buzz (repeats)
League of Super Evil
The Legend of Dick and Dom (Season 1 – 3)
The Legend of Korra
Leon (repeats)
Lizzie McGuire (repeats)
Life with Boys
The Little Prince
Majority Rules!
Masha and the Bear
Me and My Robot
M.I. High
Michaela's Wild Challenge
Mio Mao
Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir
Monk
The Mr. Men Show (Series 1 – 2 repeats)
My Almost Famous Family
My Friend Bernard
My Goldfish is Evil (repeats)
My Life as a Popat
Naruto (Season 1 repeats)
Naturally, Sadie (repeats)
The New Adventures of Peter Pan
Oggy and the Cockroaches (repeats)
Old Tom (repeats)
Ouran High School Host Club
Pat and Stan (repeats)
Pearlie
The Pinky & Perky Show (repeats)
Pixelface
Planet Rock Profiles (repeats)
Potatoes and Dragons (repeats)
Prank Patrol International (UK and Canada)
Prisoner Zero
Quest
Rated A for Awesome
Raymond (repeats)
Really Me!
The Revenge Files of Alistair Fury (repeats)
Richard Hammond's Blast Lab
Rocket Power (repeats)
Roman Mysteries (repeats)
Roy
Sadie J (Series 1 – 2)
Sail Away
Scream Street
Serious Andes (repeats)
Serious Explorers
Serious Ocean
Shaolin Wuzang
Shaun the Sheep (repeats)
Silverwing
Silverwing Movies
Skyland (repeats)
The Slammer
Sparkle Friends (repeats)
The Spectacular Spider-Man (repeats)
Splatalot!
Spliced!
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series) (Season 1 – 4)
Stoked (Season 1 – 2)
Storm Hawks (repeats)
Street Monsters
Summer in Transylvania
The Super Hero Squad Show
Survive This (Season 1 – 2) (repeats)
Sword Art Online
The Time Compass
Those Scurvy Rascals (repeats)
Total Drama: Revenge of the Island
Total Drama Action
Total Drama Island (repeats)
Total Drama World Tour
Tower Prep
Trapped! (repeats)
Trapped!: Ever After
The Tribe (repeats)
The Twisted Whiskers Show
Tayo The Little Bus
Voltron: Defender of the Universe (repeats)
Voltron Force
The Wannabes
Wakfu (repeats)
Weirdsister College (repeats)
What's Up Warthogs!
Wolfblood
Wolverine and the X-Men (repeats)
The Worst Witch (repeats)
Young Dracula (repeats)
Zombie Hotel (repeats)
