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Abc

ABC is a dual-entity broadcast and public television brand navigating affiliate tensions, late-night uncertainty, and a steady slate of drama, comedy, and children's commissions across U.S. and Australian operations.

Current mandate

ABC sits at a complicated crossroads in 2026. On the U.S. broadcast side, the network is managing a high-profile affiliate dispute with Nexstar and Sinclair, whose refusal to air Jimmy Kimmel Live! has created clearance gaps across dozens of markets and reduced promotional value for Disney's broader studio and streaming operations. Jimmy Kimmel Live! has pulled in $70 million in 2025 advertising revenue to date, with vertical promotion of Disney titles accounting for roughly 12% of that airtime, making the stakes of the dispute significant. Disney's acquisition of Super Bowl rights for February 2027 is expected to strengthen its hand in the next round of affiliate negotiations. Meanwhile, the possibility of ABC exiting late-night altogether has been described as a distinct option, particularly as CBS moves to exit the space following Stephen Colbert's Late Show departure.

On the acquisition and commissioning front, tracked signals point to activity across drama, comedy, children's programming, and franchise extensions. Recent commissions include the Grey's Anatomy Texas Spinoff, a medical drama ordered in mid-2026, alongside crime thriller Fortitude Valley and comedy Separated at Birth. Australia's ABC has been particularly active, greenlighting a third season of Austin, indigenous crime drama Pilli Sisters PI, and a reboot of children's mockumentary Little Lunch: New Class in partnership with the BBC and the Australian Children's Television Foundation. The kids comedy Caper Crew was also commissioned. The public-facing mandate emphasizes franchise extensions, legacy IP revivals, and breakout series with cultural touchstone potential for adult broadcast audiences.

Material reaching ABC's commissioning teams is observed to travel primarily through established production relationships, co-production arrangements (as seen with the BBC and ACTF on Little Lunch: New Class), and franchise extensions of existing IP such as the Grey's Anatomy spinoff. No open submission portal or named public call for scripts is documented in tracked signals. Every recorded deal in the pipeline traces to a production company relationship, a returning series renewal, or a co-production partnership rather than an unsolicited pitch pathway.

Signature peaks

  • $70M Late-Night Ad Revenue — Jimmy Kimmel Live! has generated $70 million in 2025 advertising revenue to date, per iSpot.
  • Grey's Anatomy Texas Spinoff Franchise Extension Order — A new medical drama spinoff from the long-running Grey's Anatomy franchise was ordered in May 2026.
  • Little Lunch: New Class Co-Production Reboot — ABC, BBC, and the Australian Children's Television Foundation jointly greenlit a reboot of the 2015 children's mockumentary series.

Mandate dimensions

Genre focus
Not disclosed
Territory focus
Not disclosed
Budget tier (observed)
Not disclosed
Access pattern
Every tracked deal in the pipeline reaches ABC through established production company relationships, returning series renewals, or named co-production partnerships, such as the joint arrangement between ABC, the BBC, and the Australian Children's Television Foundation on Little Lunch: New Class. No open submission portal, named fellowship, or public call for scripts is documented in tracked signals.
Deal structure
ABC's tracked activity reflects series commissions, greenlights, and orders rather than rights acquisitions of completed films; deals are structured as broadcast commissions and co-production arrangements, often with named production partners, at undisclosed budget levels.

Recent acquisitions

  • Austin Season 3

    2026-02-18T00:00:00.000Z · greenlit
    Australia's ABC has greenlit a third season of comedy series Austin

  • Caper Crew

    2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z · commissioned

  • Fortitude Valley

    2026-02-23T00:00:00.000Z · commissioned

  • Grey's Anatomy Texas Spinoff

    2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z · ordered

  • Little Lunch: New Class

    2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z · greenlit
    the ABC, BBC and the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) are re-booting the 2015 children's mockumentary series, Little Lunch

  • Pilli Sisters PI

    2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z · greenlit
    Australian pubcaster the ABC has greenlit new indigenous private investigator drama series, Pilli Sisters PI

  • Portrait Artist of the Year (Australia) - return season

    2025-08-12T00:00:00.000Z · Acquired

  • RJ Decker

    2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z · Acquired

Market context

With $70 million in 2025 advertising revenue tied to a single late-night franchise and affiliate disputes reshaping its clearance map, ABC is at a strategic inflection point that will define its next programming cycle.

ABC sits at a complicated crossroads in 2026. On the U.S. broadcast side, the network is managing a high-profile affiliate dispute with Nexstar and Sinclair, whose refusal to air Jimmy Kimmel Live! has created clearance gaps across dozens of markets and reduced promotional value for Disney's broader studio and streaming operations. Jimmy Kimmel Live! has pulled in $70 million in 2025 advertising revenue to date, with vertical promotion of Disney titles accounting for roughly 12% of that airtime, making the stakes of the dispute significant. Disney's acquisition of Super Bowl rights for February 2027 is expected to strengthen its hand in the next round of affiliate negotiations. Meanwhile, the possibility of ABC exiting late-night altogether has been described as a distinct option, particularly as CBS moves to exit the space following Stephen Colbert's Late Show departure.

Common questions about Abc

Does ABC accept unsolicited scripts?

No unsolicited submission pathway is documented in tracked signals for ABC. Every recorded deal in the pipeline traces to an established production company relationship, a returning series renewal, or a named co-production arrangement. Writers and producers seeking to place material with ABC are best positioned through a literary representative or by attaching a production company with an existing relationship with the network.

What budgets does ABC typically work at?

Budget figures are not disclosed in any tracked ABC deal in the current pipeline. As a major broadcast network (U.S.) and public broadcaster (Australia), ABC commissions tend to operate at broadcast-scale budgets appropriate to primetime drama, comedy, and children's programming. No specific per-episode or per-project dollar figures are available from tracked signals; all recent commissions list budget as not disclosed.

What festivals does ABC source from?

No festival acquisition pathway is documented in tracked ABC signals. The network's recent activity, including the Grey's Anatomy Texas Spinoff, Austin Season 3, and Pilli Sisters PI, reflects commissioning and greenlighting of original and returning series rather than festival pickups. ABC's acquisition pattern appears driven by franchise extensions, co-production partnerships, and returning IP rather than festival discovery.

How do I get my script in front of ABC?

Tracked signals show material reaching ABC through production company relationships, co-production partnerships (such as the ABC-BBC-ACTF arrangement on Little Lunch: New Class), and franchise extensions of existing IP. No open call, submission portal, or named fellowship program is documented. Attaching a producing partner with an existing network relationship, or working through a literary representative, reflects the observed pathway for projects entering ABC's development pipeline.

What genres is ABC currently acquiring?

Recent tracked commissions span medical drama (Grey's Anatomy Texas Spinoff), crime thriller (Fortitude Valley), comedy (Separated at Birth, Austin Season 3), indigenous crime drama (Pilli Sisters PI), children's mockumentary (Little Lunch: New Class), and kids comedy (Caper Crew). The public mandate statement emphasizes franchise extensions, legacy IP revivals, and breakout series with cultural touchstone potential for adult broadcast audiences.

Is ABC currently active in the market?

ABC shows 338 total tracked records over the past 12 months and 2 unique deals in the most recent 90-day window, with the latest signal dated late June 2026. Activity is present but deal velocity in the most recent 30-day window is at zero. The network is navigating a significant affiliate dispute with Nexstar and Sinclair, and the future of its late-night programming block is described in trade coverage as an open strategic question.

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Related reading

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