> Download The First Hour of ABC News 24 (448mb *.zip)

The long awaited ABC News 24 has launched. Download the first hour of broadcast and watch as Australia was introduced to its first free-to-air news channel.

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Along with the launch of Australia’s first free-to-air news channel tonight, the ABC is also rolling out a new look across all its news services.

Our first look at the new branding in action is tonight with the national bulletin at 7pm, just 30 minutes ahead of the channels official launch.

Alas the new theme isn’t the Pendulum remix as hoped.

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Sydney based broadcast design outfit Tactic have been busy filling the screens of Australian subscription television channels with some great promos lately.

From the canvas to comedy, and crime to classics this diverse bunch of work is a great sample of the local creativity and the local industry.

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The ABC attempted to launch a 24 hour news channel some fifteen years ago back in 1995. It was called TNC and it was going to be a subscription television offering.

Flash forward to 2010 and the imminent launch of ABC News 24 will fulfill a long standing goal for the broadcaster, and introduce Australian audiences to its first free-to-air news channel.

This 3-minute teaser started playing a few days ago on channel 24, with the launch expected to be as soon as next week. Check back for full coverage post-launch.

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Elaborate, ambitious, dramatic and passionate are some of the words I find myself using when describing something that really impresses me.

Directed by Adam Berg, this beautiful commercial for Dulux ticks all those boxes.

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Over the past decade the Big Brother format has swept the world, and along with it broadcast thousands of hours of people sleeping. It’s had an enormous cultural impact, made this guy incredibly wealthy and at least a couple people mildly famous.

But the format has been losing steam for a while now, the Australian version wrapped up in 2008, and now in 2010 the British version is also saying goodbye.

The final season is embracing its impending death, with a strange circus themed title sequence, and a rather witty promo featuring former housemates attending the shows funeral. It’s nice that the show is acknowledging its departure from British television screens with as much dignity a show like this can muster.

- Big thanks to Craig for the videos.

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One of Australia’s longest running subscription television networks TV1 began broadcasting in widescreen for the first time last week (sounds quaint I know).

To mark the occasion they refreshed their look with a heavy emphasis on branding the various day parts, and further reinforcing the retro yet modern feel.

TV1 have maintained a consistently strong on-air brand without actually straying too far from their core look as you can see in this 2006 post.

- Thanks to Jackie from zspace for the videos.

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Bondi based Where Theres Smoke have updated their previous work for Channel [V], extending the concept while taking the whole thing in a slightly darker direction.

There is a whole set of idents based around this new look and feel, which went on-air yesterday. This is just the directors cut 30 second version.

As for the song in the clip, it’s Solitude is Bliss by Tame Impala.

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The British soap opera Coronation Street is one of the longest running television programmes in the world, and if its network promotions are to be believed its also “The Nation’s Street”, a sentiment I actually quite like.

Earlier this week Corrie began broadcasting in High Definition, and to mark the occasion they updated the opening sequence, bringing with it a depth, warmth and intimacy missing from the earlier incarnation.

Despite the fact I don’t watch any soaps I’m actually a huge fan of the format. The daily, long running nature of the programmes open up huge creative possibilities that can reflect the life of a nation, and really engage a wide audience.

And while these long running stalwarts of the genre have a place, I hope we see some new takes on the soap opera format appear on the scene as well.

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Ahh sports.. Yep, it’s that thing I know nothing about, and the reason I’ve never been any good at inter-office small talk. That said, I do genuinely feel like I’m missing out something and wish I was able to appreciate it.

The closest I get to it is an episode of Sports Night, and that’s about as smug as you can get, and unfortunately for its nothing people want to discuss around the office.

But enough about my problems at work. We’ve got six beautiful idents from ONE HD, displaying the grace and beauty of sports, avoiding the crass and overly graphic take some other sports networks adopt.

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Developed by Heavenly and produced by We Are Seventeen, this is the new look being adopted worldwide by the Universal Channel. Available through Latin America, parts of Europe and Southeast Asia it is partially owned by NBC Universal and not surprisingly plays a lot of American content.

The rebrand is bright, slick and inoffensive, with all the hallmarks of a “general entertainment” channel, and exactly the kind of thing I’d expect to find myself watching next time I’m in a Polish hotel.

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The way a network presents its news, both visually and editorially says a lot about the channel. For the sake of comparison lets look at how ITV, BBC, Sky and Channel 4 covered today’s Ash-attack.

I’ll avoid making comment on the various broadcasters editorial skills, but to summarise the look and feel of each news bulletin:

- The BBC is the straightest, clean lines, serious look.
- Channel 4 is the edgiest, feels a touch alternative.
- ITV is the glossiest, very shiny, little to CGI heavy.
- And Sky News is by far the least interesting.

For some historical perspective, check out my 2007 edition of this exact same post.

With the launch of ABC News 24 getting close, I look forward to seeing how the ABC takes on the task of branding a whole news channel. Hopefully nothing like Sky.

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Lithuanian based motion design studio Korb have created this pair of beautifully crafted idents for MTVN HD in Poland. Globally, MTV have done some amazing on air presentation, from Latin America’s visual break to Australia’s local take on the brand.

And while the idea isn’t entirely original, the unique look and subtle execution of it all creates a powerful and thoughtful take on the otherwise ADHD brand that is MTV.

For a look behind the scenes, and for full credits keep reading below the fold..

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Credits:

Client: MTV Networks Polska
Director: Rimantas Lukavicius
Creative: John Kwoka
Production manager: Agnieszka Klys
CGI: Rimantas Lukavcius, Evaldas Cesnavicius
Music Company: Echolab
Composer, Sound Designer: Gavin Little
Production asistant: STRICTLY PRODUCTION

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British channel E4 have looked to Apple and its soon to be released iPad for inspiration and parody in this new promo.

Mocking Apple’s product videos this new spot jumps on board the iPad hype machine with their very own, if not slightly bulkier alternative, the ePad.

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Going against all tradition and cliche, the BBC have created one hell of a Winter Olympics promo. No blue ice, no slow motion athletes, and no gold medals.

It’s the Persepolis of Winter Olympics promos and I love it.

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On February 19th 1985, two days before I was born, a little television programme called EastEnders first hit the airwaves in the UK. Twenty five years later and we’re both going strong. To celebrate, the BBC created this rather ambitious station ident featuring the case of the soap along with a slightly altered Albert Square.

Check out the rest (well most) of the BBC One ‘Circle’ idents here.

- Thanks for the video Craig.

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Following up from the launch of ABC3 last year, here is a snapshot of the new channels on-air branding.

Created by Tactic, the idents for ABC3 were “entirely unscripted and inspired by the power and rawness of childrens’ imaginations”, an interesting take on childrens television. The second video is a montage of various on-air elements demonstrating the versatility and broad creative use of the “3″ logo.

For more ABC branding check out the current incarnations of ABC1 and ABC2.

..and soon enough ABC4.

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Australian breakfast television news programme Sunrise received a major refresh this morning with new branding and a new set. The new look is neither a great step forward or back from the old, its just different enough that people might notice, but not enough of a significant improvement that anyone will really care.

Next time maybe..

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The Emmy and Peabody award winning performance art and cultural phenomenon that is Stephen Colbert recently took his show into the world of high definition, and you know what that means.. a new opening sequence.

Produced by the New York based gang at Mr Wonderful, the new look is as delightfully jingoistic as the old, and a perfect way to start an almost perfect show.

Or as Stephen puts it in the press release they’ve “created the Avatar of show opens”… topical and funny, you’ve done it done Colbert.

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During a recent episode of Oprah (yeah thats right) I came to the realisation that Denmark might just be the coolest place on Earth, that said I’ve never been.

And if these messed up idents for public broadcaster DR2 are anything to go by, it’s probably also a very creative, perhaps absurd place.

According to Wikipedia the DR2 channel is something of a Danish version of BBC Four which might go someway to explaining the playfully insane and visually pleasing eight idents contained in the video.

- Produced by DR Design. Thanks for the tip Niels.

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The good Doctor is having his last outing this Christmas season in his current incarnation, and the BBC have created a special BBC One ident to celebrate.

Previous BBC One Christmas idents have included giant snowballs, skating penguins and even Wallace and Gromit.

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The BBC gets festive with their programming once again this year. Check out the BBC’s take on Christmas from 2006, 2007 and 2008 as well.

> Download Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe: Review of 2009 (384mb *.zip)

When television decides to hold a mirror up to itself, the man holding that mirror is usually Charlie Brooker and his Screenwipe programme. Funny, insightful, biting and profound, Mr Brooker has turned television analysis into an art, and his review of the year in television is not to be missed.

So before you pack away the aluminum pole for another year, download his look back at 2009 and remind yourself how fun television can be.

For some more Charlie download his reviews of 2007 and 2008, or his more recent, and perhaps best work earlier this year with Newswipe.

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On December 4th this year Australia got a new free to air channel (its been quite a year for that). The launch of ABC3 has been a long way coming, a dedicated children’s channel was officially proposed in 2007 by the government of the time, but had obviously been an ambition for the national broadcaster way before that.

Watch as the Prime Minister flicks the switch on the channel, and look out for a follow up post with more about branding of ABC3 soon.. right here.

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Last month Channel 4 embraced the 3D television fad with a week of special programming, and some nifty on-air branding to go along with it.

Along with the 3D promos, a special 3D ident was also produced. Check out the rest of the Channel 4 idents here.

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Continuing my series of blatant bias towards public broadcasters, and blind rage towards commercial networks.. I present you with the new look for PBS.

Although funded differently to the BBC or the ABC, the Public Broadcasting Service of the United States shares a similar mission to “educate, inspire, entertain”. Like other public broadcasters around the world it is also considered its nations “most trusted national institution”.

But enough about the philosophy, what about the brand. Created by Eyeball, the new look is distinctively non-commercial, yet polished, two qualities sometimes considered mutually exclusively, but beautifully executed here.

Sidenote: Carrier is one of the best documentary series I’ve ever seen.

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It’s been a big year for free-to-air TV in Australia. We saw the launch of ONE in March, followed by Go! in August, and today we welcome 7TWO.

Seven’s new channel promises to be the least niche-y of the new digital multichannels, which unlike youthful Go! and sporty ONE don’t seem to be actively appealing to a specific audience.

And the channel launches aren’t over yet with the long awaited launch of ABC3 on December 4th still to come.

Catch the first 6 minutes of the new 7TWO in the video above, should give you a good feel of what its all about.

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Channel Nine has again refreshed itself, this time with the tagline ‘Welcome Home’.

There use of the Black Eyed Pea’s track “I Gotta Feeling” comes hot off the heels of CBS doing the same thing, but I guess that’s the price you pay for using overly predictable Top 40 music in your promotions.

For more from the new look check out this.

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The 2009 Primetime Emmy for Main Title Design has just been awarded, last year Mad Men won, and in the running for it this year was:

> Vampire drama True Blood from HBO
> Showtime’s multiple personality comedy United States of Tara.
> AMC’s industry chat fest Storymakers
> HBO telemovie Taking Chance
> And Fox’s body language drama Lie To Me.

And the winner is..

For all the details on who made what, check out this.

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An update to last years 31 Days of Oscar spot produced by Fresh Paint for TCM, a little late after award season I know, but still one of the most creative executions of what is essentially just a collection of clips I’ve seen.