The ABC has unveiled a sprawling 2026 content slate that doubles down on Australian storytelling across every platform – landing just a day after boss Hugh Marks used a National Press Club address to argue the broadcaster remains an essential piece of Australia’s civic machinery.
During his address, Marks warned that “any discussion about Australia’s long-term success must include the ABC,” acknowledging the fragmentation, political heat and shifting consumption habits reshaping Australian media.
He was blunt about the work still to do: “There are issues we still need to fix,” but argued “the ABC stands out as a precious national asset of a kind you won’t find in many other countries.”
And he was firm on independence: “We are not beholden to political patronage or commercial investment or touchy advertisers. but We are a gathering place. A town square. A home for stories that help Australians understand who we are.”
His rebuttal to critics was equally direct: “Some people like to run this narrative that the ABC is in decline. They’re wrong.”
It appears the 2026 slate is designed to prove that point.
A bigger fight for share of attention
During the Upfront, held at Aunty’s Sydney HQ in Ultimo, Marks reiterated that “the ABC is the home of Australian storytelling, and our 2026 slate takes that legacy to the next level.”
He continued: “Today’s announcements – featuring over 100 new and returning titles from our extraordinary talent – showcase the creativity and ambition that define the ABC.”
In Marks’ Press Club remarks, he cited strong digital engagement across news, children’s content and podcasts, noting that dramas like Fisk continue to attract multimillion-viewing long tails long after broadcast.
In a multi-platform world, he said, overnight ratings capture only a fraction of the real picture. His broader message: public broadcasting remains national infrastructure, capable of binding Australians “across geography, culture and politics.”
Fisk
Australian drama, big biographies and high-impact factual
Screen director Jennifer Collins said the 2026 slate “features unmissable Australian drama and comedy, a premium arts line-up, and new factual titles designed to inform and enlighten,” stressing the ABC’s role as “the nation’s leading commissioner of Australian content.”
Headline dramas include Treasure & Dirt, Dustfall starring Anna Torv, political thriller Shakedown, and the major biography Goolagong.
New comedies like Dog Park and Bad Company broaden the tonal palette.
Australia’s sweetheart Sam Pang stars in a new comedy about Tasmania finally getting its AFL team called Ground Up.
Factual remains a competitive lever: Shaun Micallef on Australia’s love affair with gambling, Hamish Macdonald on misinformation, Sarah Ferguson revisiting the Tampa crisis, and Judgment examining landmark High Court cases.
After premiering at Melbourne International Film Festival, feature documentary But
Also John Clarke comes to the ABC, weaving together personal anecdotes, and stories.
And let’s not forget the resurrection of Race Around the World.
Anna Torv in Dustfall
News: a deeper push into digital-native formats
News director Justin Stevens said the ABC will continue to deliver “impactful investigative journalism at a local and national level, with new content initiatives along with returning programs.”
The centrepiece is ABC News Loop, a mobile-first vertical-video service pushing explainer journalism directly into social feeds – an attempt to reclaim younger audiences who now graze news across countless platforms.
ABC News Breakfast will tour the country, while Australian Story marks its 30th year.
Dance with Tom
Audio: leaning into strength as digital listening surges
ABC Audio ends 2025 as Australia’s #1 streaming audio network, a foundation director Ben Latimer is keen to defend. “No one reflects the breadth, depth and complexity of Australia quite like the ABC – our focus is on making sure what we create remains distinctive and essential.”
The 2026 audio lineup leans into true crime, business, culture and news analysis with new seasons of Unravel, Alan Kohler: In Conversation, Grace Tame’s autism-focused expansion of Ladies, We Need to Talk, and an expanded run of If You’re Listening.
The ABC also drops its first original audiobook collection.
Children’s, Family and Youth: defending a core public-service mandate
Kids’ content remains both a mandate and a moat.
Play School turns 60, while Flower & Flour, It’s Andrew!, Tales from Outer Suburbia and Caper Crew push into new creative worlds. First Nations storytelling expands via Dance with Tom and a King Stingray lullaby, Gurtha ŋhärana.
For parents, Bluey Listen Along returns – a smart soothed-but-still-engaged audio format. On the youth side, triple j and ABC Classic sharpen their identity through new music shows and major anniversaries.
International: regional influence and cultural reach
The ABC’s international footprint holds steady with returning programs like Culture by Design, Play On, The Pacific and expanded Radio Australia formats.
It’s another plank in the argument Marks made at the Press Club: the ABC is one of the few Australian institutions still capable of exporting trust and cultural understanding outward.
Ultimately, the breadth of the slate makes the case for relevance, but it also highlights the complexity of sustaining that breadth. It signals intent – not victory.
It’s an attempt to plant a flag in a shifting media landscape and to articulate why a publicly funded broadcaster still warrants space in it.
Whether that argument cuts through with audiences, policymakers or a generation raised inside algorithmic feeds is a question that will hang over 2026 just as much as any new commission.