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{{Short description|American broadcast television network}}
{{Redirect|ABC Television Network|other television networks also called ABC|ABC Television (disambiguation){{!}}ABC Television|and|ABC (disambiguation)#Broadcasting}}
{{Distinguish|Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox television channel
| name = American Broadcasting Company
| logo = [[File:ABC-2021-LOGO.svg|frameless|upright=0.6|class=skin-invert]]
| logo_alt = The white lowercase "abc" letters in a black circle.
| logo_caption = Current "ABC Circle" logo, which is a revision of the 1962 logo, used since August 9, 2021
| type = [[television broadcaster|Television]] and [[radio network]]
| country = United States
| area = United States (also available in Canada and Mexico in areas near the [[Canada–United States border]] and [[Mexico–United States border]])<br />
| affiliates = {{hlist|[[List of ABC television affiliates (by U.S. state)|State]]|[[List of ABC television affiliates (table)|market]]}}
| headquarters = {{ubl|[[Burbank, California]] (TV production)|[[Manhattan]], [[New York City]], New York (broadcasting)}}
| language = English
| picture_format = {{ubl|[[720p]] [[High-definition television|HDTV]]{{efn|Downscaled to [[480i]] for the [[Standard-definition television|SDTV]] feed.}}|''upscaled [[1080i]], or [[1080p]] via [[ATSC 3.0]] in some markets''}}
| former_names = [[Blue Network|NBC Blue Network]]
| parent = {{ubl|[[American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres|American Broadcasting Companies]] (1953–1986)|[[Capital Cities/ABC]] (1986–1996)|[[Disney Entertainment Television]] (1996–present)}}
| owner = [[Disney Television Group]]
| key_people = {{ubl|[[Dana Walden]]|Craig Erwich}}
| sister_channels = {{collapsible list| 
* [[ACC Network]]
* [[Disney Channel]]
* [[Disney Jr.]]
* [[Disney XD]]
* [[ESPN]]
* [[ESPN2]]
* [[ESPNU]]
* [[ESPNews]]
* [[ESPN Deportes]]
* [[Freeform (TV channel)|Freeform]]
* [[FX (TV channel)|FX]]
* [[FXX]]
* [[FX Movie Channel|FXM]]
* [[National Geographic (American TV channel)|National Geographic]]
* [[Nat Geo Wild]]
* [[Nat Geo Mundo]]
* [[SEC Network]]
}}
| founded = {{ubl|'''As the Blue Network''' {{start date and age|1927|01|01}}}|'''Present broadcaster''' {{start date and age|1943|05|15}}}}
| founder = {{ubl|[[Edward J. Noble]]|Louis Blanche}}
| launch_date = {{ubl|'''Radio:''' {{start date|1943|10|12}}|'''Television:''' {{start date|1948|04|19}}}}
| replaced = [[Blue Network]]
| website = {{URL|https://abc.com/}}
| online_serv_1 = Affiliated Streaming Service(s)
| online_chan_1 = [[Disney+]]<br />[[ESPN (streaming service)|ESPN]]<br />[[Hulu]]
| online_serv_2 = [[DirecTV Stream]]
| online_chan_2 = Channel 396 (ABC HD [[WABC-TV|East]])<br>Channel 397 (ABC HD [[KABC-TV|West]])
| online_serv_3 = Service(s)
| online_chan_3 = [[DirecTV Stream]], [[FuboTV]], [[Hulu + Live TV]], [[Sling TV]], [[YouTube TV]]
}}

The '''American Broadcasting Company''' ('''ABC''') is an American [[Commercial broadcasting|commercial broadcast]] [[Television broadcaster|television]] and [[radio]] [[Radio network|network]] that serves as the flagship property of the [[Disney Entertainment]] division of [[the Walt Disney Company]]. ABC is headquartered on Riverside Drive in [[Burbank, California]], directly across the street from [[Walt Disney Studios (Burbank)|Walt Disney Studios]] and adjacent to the Team Disney – Roy E. Disney Animation Building. The network maintains secondary offices at [[7 Hudson Square]] in New York City's [[Lower Manhattan]] neighborhood, which houses its broadcast center and the headquarters of its news division, [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]. Until early 2025, the network's East Coast operations were based at 77 [[66th Street (Manhattan)|West 66th Street]] on the [[Upper West Side]] of [[Manhattan]]. Since 2007, when ABC Radio (also known as [[Cumulus Media Networks]]) was sold to [[Citadel Broadcasting]], ABC has reduced its broadcasting operations almost exclusively to television. The youngest of the "[[Big Three (American television)|Big Three]]" American television networks, the network is sometimes referred to as the '''Alphabet Network''', as its [[initialism]] also represents the first three letters of the English alphabet in order.

ABC launched as a radio network in 1943, as the successor to the [[Blue Network|NBC Blue Network]], which had been purchased by [[Edward J. Noble]]. It extended its operations to television in 1948, following in the footsteps of established broadcast networks [[CBS]] and [[NBC]], as well as the lesser-known [[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]]. In the mid-1950s, ABC merged with [[American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres|United Paramount Theatres]] (UPT), a chain of movie theaters that formerly operated as a subsidiary of [[Paramount Pictures]]. [[Leonard Goldenson]], who had been the head of UPT, made the then-new television network profitable by helping to develop and [[green-light]] many successful television series. In the 1980s, after purchasing an 80 percent interest in cable sports channel [[ESPN]], the network's corporate parent, American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., merged with Capital Cities Communications, owner of several television and radio stations and print publications, to form [[Capital Cities/ABC Inc.]], which in turn merged into Disney in 1996.

ABC has eight [[owned-and-operated station|owned-and-operated]] and more than 230 [[network affiliate|affiliated]] television stations throughout the United States and its territories. Some ABC-affiliated stations can also be seen in Canada via pay-television providers, and certain other affiliates can also be received over-the-air in areas near the [[Canada–United States border]], although most of its prime time programming is subject to [[simultaneous substitution]] regulations for pay television providers imposed by the [[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] (CRTC) to protect rights held by domestically based networks. [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] provides news and feature content for select radio stations owned by [[Cumulus Media]], as these stations were former ABC Radio properties.

==History==
{{main|History of the American Broadcasting Company}}
In 1927, [[NBC]] operated a radio network called the [[Blue Network|NBC Blue Network]]. It became an independent radio (and eventually television) network known as the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in 1943. ABC later joined United Paramount Theatres forming [[American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres]] (later American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.). After its venture into radio and television throughout the 1960s and 1970s and the purchase of [[ESPN Inc.|ESPN]] in 1982, the company was acquired and merged with Capital Cities, forming [[Capital Cities/ABC]] in 1986. The company was sold to [[the Walt Disney Company]] in 1996.

==Programming==
{{main|List of programs broadcast by the American Broadcasting Company|List of programs previously broadcast by the American Broadcasting Company|ABC News (United States)|ESPN on ABC}}

The ABC television network provides an average of 89 hours of network programming each week. It also offers 22 hours of prime-time programming to affiliated stations from 8:00&nbsp;p.m. to 11:00&nbsp;p.m. Monday through Saturday (Eastern and Pacific Time) and 7:00&nbsp;p.m. to 11:00&nbsp;p.m. on Sundays.

Daytime programming is also provided from 11:00&nbsp;a.m. to 3:00&nbsp;p.m. Eastern and Pacific weekdays (subtract 1 hour for all other time zones) (with a one-hour break at 12:00&nbsp;p.m. Eastern/Pacific for stations to air newscasts, locally produced programming or syndicated programs) featuring the talk-lifestyle shows ''[[The View (talk show)|The View]]'' and ''[[GMA: The Third Hour]]'', and the soap opera ''[[General Hospital]]''. In addition, ABC News programming includes ''[[Good Morning America]]'' from 7:00&nbsp;a.m. to 9:00&nbsp;a.m. weekdays and Saturdays (along with one-hour Sunday editions), nightly editions of ''[[ABC World News Tonight]]'' (whose weekend editions are occasionally subject to abbreviation or preemption due to sports telecasts overrunning into the program's timeslot), the [[Sunday morning talk shows|Sunday political talk show]] ''[[This Week (American TV program)|This Week]]'', early morning news programs ''[[World News Now]]'' and ''[[Good Morning America First Look]]'' and the late-night newsmagazine ''[[Nightline]]''. Late nights featured the weeknight talk show ''[[Jimmy Kimmel Live!]]''.

The network's three-hour Weekend morning children's programming timeslot is programmed by syndication distributor [[Litton Entertainment]], which produces ''[[Litton's Weekend Adventure]]'' under an arrangement in which the [[block programming|programming block]] is syndicated exclusively to ABC owned-and-operated and affiliated stations, rather than being leased out directly by the network to Litton.

===Daytime===
{{Main|ABC Daytime}}
ABC's daytime schedule features the talk show ''[[The View (talk show)|The View]]'', news show ''[[GMA: The Third Hour]]'', and the soap opera ''[[General Hospital]]''. Originally premiering in 1963, ''General Hospital'' is ABC's longest-running entertainment program. In addition to the long-running ''[[All My Children]]'' (1970–2011) and ''[[One Life to Live]]'' (1968–2012), notable past soap operas seen on the daytime lineup include ''[[Ryan's Hope]]'', ''[[Dark Shadows]]'', ''[[Loving (TV series)|Loving]]'', ''[[The City (1995 TV series)|The City]]'' and ''[[Port Charles]]''. ABC also aired the last nine years of the [[Procter & Gamble]]-produced soap ''[[The Edge of Night]]'', following its cancellation by CBS in 1975. ABC Daytime has also aired several game shows, including ''[[The Dating Game]]'', ''[[The Newlywed Game]]'', ''[[Let's Make a Deal]]'', ''[[Password (American game show)|Password]]'', ''[[Split Second (game show)|Split Second]]'', ''[[Pyramid (game show)|The $10,000/$20,000 Pyramid]]'', ''[[Family Feud]]'', ''[[The Better Sex]]'', ''[[Trivia Trap]]'', ''[[All-Star Blitz]]'' and ''[[Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak|Hot Streak]]''.

=== Sports ===
{{Main|ESPN on ABC}}
Sports programming is provided on occasion, primarily on weekend afternoons and Saturday evenings. In 2006, the ABC Sports division was shut down, with all sports telecasts on ABC since then being produced in association with sister cable network [[ESPN]] under the branding [[ESPN on ABC]]. General industry trends and changes in rights have prompted reductions in sports on broadcast television, with Disney preferring to schedule the majority of its sports rights on the networks of ESPN (until 2020).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/major-sporting-events-becoming-even-dispersed-across-television.html|title=Major sporting events are becoming even more dispersed across television|date=March 29, 2017|website=Awful Announcing|language=en-US|access-date=December 29, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/sports/ncaafootball/06sandomir.html|title=As Bowls Migrate to Cable, Viewership Is Just a Number|last=Sandomir|first=Richard|date=January 4, 2011|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 29, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Since 2020 ESPN has prioritized ABC with airings of its sports telecasts with occasional simulcasts and exclusive games of ESPN ''Monday Night Football'' broadcasts on ABC.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/espn-abc-might-add-super-bowls-mnf-flex-scheduling-in-next-nfl-deal.html |title=It looks like ESPN/ABC might add Super Bowls and Monday Night Football flex scheduling in the next NFL TV deal |website=awfulannouncing.com |last=Bucholtz |first=Andrew |date=December 16, 2020 |access-date=July 21, 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217040720/https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/espn-abc-might-add-super-bowls-mnf-flex-scheduling-in-next-nfl-deal.html |archive-date=December 17, 2020 }}</ref>

Since 2006, ABC has at least aired ten weeks of primetime sports programming, and since 2020 has aired sports programming almost every week from September to May each year (with primetime encores and movies airing the remainder of the year). ABC is the broadcast television rightsholder of the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA), with its package (under the ''[[NBA on ESPN]]'' branding) traditionally beginning with its [[National Basketball Association Christmas games|Christmas Day games]], followed by a series of [[NBA Saturday Primetime|Saturday night]] and Sunday afternoon games through the remainder of the season, weekend [[NBA Playoffs|playoff]] games, and all games of the [[NBA Finals]]. ABC is also the broadcast television rightsholder of the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL), with its package (under the ''[[NHL on ESPN]]'' branding). In this deal, ABC broadcasts at least 10 regular season games (mostly afternoon), the [[NHL All-Star Game]], the [[NHL Stadium Series]], and four [[Stanley Cup Finals]]. During [[ESPN College Football on ABC|college football]] season, ABC typically carries an afternoon doubleheader on Saturdays, along with the primetime ''[[Saturday Night Football]]''. ABC also airs coverage of selected bowl games, ABC is also the secondary broadcast partner of [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) with the network at least airing wild card series games since 2020 (except for 2021) and select [[Sunday Night Baseball]] games by sister network ESPN. Beginning in the [[2015 NFL season]], ESPN agreed to begin simulcasting/exclusively airing NFL games on ABC.<ref name="Steinberg-2015" /> Thus, ABC is the only major broadcast network that carries games from all of the traditional "big four" sports leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) all at the same time.

During the late winter months, ABC airs both men's and women's college basketball games on weekend afternoons. In the spring and summer months, ABC also airs games (usually on weekends) from the [[Women's National Basketball Association]] (WNBA), and is the broadcast home of the [[X Games]] and [[Little League World Series]]. In 2015, ESPN's annual [[ESPY Awards]] presentation moved to ABC from ESPN. Bolstered by [[Caitlyn Jenner]] accepting the inaugural [[Arthur Ashe Courage Award]] during the ceremony, the [[2015 ESPY Awards]]' viewership was roughly tripled over the 2014 ceremony on ESPN.<ref name="Steinberg-2015">{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/espn-upfront-share-nfl-football-wild-card-espys-abc-1201493164/|title=ESPN To Share Football, ESPYs With ABC|last=Steinberg|first=Brian|date=May 12, 2015|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=January 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/ratings-espy-awards-soar-on-abc-cbs-big-brother-steady-1201541579/|title=Ratings: ESPY Awards Soar on ABC, CBS' 'Big Brother' Steady|last=Kissell|first=Rick|date=July 16, 2015|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=January 4, 2020}}</ref> After the NFL signed a new contract with [[the Walt Disney Company]], ABC will air [[Super Bowl LXI]] in 2027 and Super Bowl LXV in 2031. ABC has not aired a [[Super Bowl]] since [[Super Bowl XL]] in 2006.

===Specials===
ABC holds the broadcast rights to the [[Academy Award]]s, [[Primetime Emmy Award]]s,{{efn|Broadcast rights to the Primetime Emmy Awards are rotated across all four major networks on a year-to-year basis}} and the [[Country Music Association Awards]].{{efn|Along with two associated specials, the ''[[CMA Music Festival]]'' and ''CMA Country Christmas''.}}<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=24kGoldn & Iann Dior's 'Mood' No. 1 on Hot 100 for Fourth Week, Becomes Most-Streamed Song for First Time|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/24kgoldn-iann-dior-mood-number-one-fourth-week-hot-100/|access-date=February 15, 2022|magazine=Billboard|archive-date=February 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228232612/https://www.billboard.com/pro/24kgoldn-iann-dior-mood-number-one-fourth-week-hot-100/|url-status=live}}</ref> ABC has also aired the [[Miss America]] competition from 1954 to 1956, 1997 to 2004, and 2011 to 2018.<ref>{{cite news|title=ABC TO BROADCAST MISS AMERICA IN ATLANTIC CITY, NJ |url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/miss-america-heads-back-atlantic-city-nj-0 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=February 14, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007161608/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/miss-america-heads-back-atlantic-city-nj-0 |archive-date=October 7, 2013}}</ref>

From February 2001 to February 14, 2020, ABC held the television rights to most of the ''[[Peanuts]]'' television specials, having acquired the broadcast rights from CBS, which originated the specials in 1965 with the debut of ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' (other ''Peanuts'' specials broadcast annually by ABC, in addition to ''[[A Charlie Brown Christmas]]'', include ''[[Charlie Brown's All Stars!]]'', ''[[It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown]]'', ''[[You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown]]'', ''[[A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving]]'', ''[[It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown]]'', ''[[Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown]]'', ''[[She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown]]'', ''[[Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!]]'', ''[[This Is America, Charlie Brown|The Mayflower Voyagers]]'', ''[[A Charlie Brown Valentine]]'', ''[[Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales]]'' and ''[[I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown]]''). ABC also broadcasts the annual ''[[Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade]]'' special on Christmas morning.

Since 1974, ABC has generally aired ''[[Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve]]'' – a New Year's Eve special featuring music performances and coverage of festivities in New York's [[Times Square Ball|Times Square]].{{efn|The only exception was in 1999, when ABC instead broadcast ''[[ABC 2000 Today]]'', a day-long telecast produced by ABC News as part of the ''[[2000 Today]]'' consortium, which was hosted by [[Peter Jennings]] and covered festivities from around the world (Dick Clark co-hosted coverage from Times Square).}} ABC is also among the broadcasters of the [[Rose Parade|Tournament of Roses Parade]] (although as mentioned, the [[Rose Bowl Game]] now airs exclusively on ESPN as a College Football Playoff "[[New Year's Six]]" bowl).

===Programming library===
ABC owns nearly all of its in-house television and theatrical productions made since the 1970s, except certain co-productions (for example, ''[[The Commish]]'' is now owned by the estate of its producer, [[Stephen J. Cannell|Stephen Cannell]]). Worldwide video rights are owned by various companies, for example, [[Kino Lorber]] owns the North American home video rights to the ABC feature film library (along with some lesser-known live-action films from Disney's library, mostly from [[Touchstone Pictures]], [[Hollywood Pictures]] and [[20th Century Studios]]).

When the FCC imposed its [[Financial Interest and Syndication Rules]] in 1970, ABC proactively created two companies: [[Worldvision Enterprises]] as a syndication distributor, and ABC Circle Films as a production company. However, between the publication and implementation of these regulations, the separation of the network's catalog was made in 1973. The broadcast rights to pre-1973 productions were transferred to Worldvision, which became independent in the same year. The company has been sold several times since [[Paramount Television]] acquired it in 1999, and has most recently been absorbed into [[CBS Media Ventures]] (formerly CBS Television Distribution), a unit of [[Paramount Skydance]], which owns the competitor [[CBS]]. Nonetheless, Worldvision sold portions of its catalog, including the [[Ruby-Spears]] and Hanna-Barbera libraries, to [[Turner Broadcasting System]] (now a part of [[Warner Bros.]] parent company [[Warner Bros. Discovery]]) in 1991. With Disney's 1996 purchase of ABC, ABC Circle Films was absorbed into Touchstone Television, a Disney subsidiary which in turn was renamed ABC Studios in 2007.<ref name="WDC-ABC">{{cite news|title=Disney to Drop Buena Vista Brand Name, People Say (Update1)|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a0MG17nO.PG8|first=Andy|last=Fixmer|work=Bloomberg, L.P.|date=April 25, 2007|access-date=November 28, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019154748/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a0MG17nO.PG8|archive-date=October 19, 2012}}</ref>

Also part of the library are most films in the [[David O. Selznick]] library, productions from their previous motion picture divisions [[List of production companies owned by the American Broadcasting Company#ABC Pictures International|ABC Pictures International]], [[List of production companies owned by the American Broadcasting Company#Selmur Productions|Selmur Productions]], and [[List of production companies owned by the American Broadcasting Company#Palomar Pictures International|Palomar Pictures International]] (before its takeover by Bristol-Myers-Squibb) released by [[Cinerama Productions]] (films produced by the company themselves are now under the control of [[Pacific Theatres]]), their later theatrical division [[List of production companies owned by the American Broadcasting Company#ABC Motion Pictures|ABC Motion Pictures]], and the in-house productions it continues to produce (such as ''[[America's Funniest Home Videos]]'', ''General Hospital'', ABC News productions, and series from [[Disney Television Studios]] ([[ABC Signature]] and [[20th Television]]). [[Disney–ABC Domestic Television]] (formerly known as Buena Vista Television and 20th Television) handles domestic television distribution, while [[Disney Media Distribution|Disney–ABC International Television]] (formerly known as Buena Vista International Television) handles international television distribution.

==Stations==
{{Main|List of ABC television affiliates (by U.S. state)|List of ABC television affiliates (table)|ABC Owned Television Stations}}
<!--- Please update the station count in the below paragraph whenever the accompanying list referenced is updated. ---><!--Only do so with reliable sources and when important to the overall subject, given that there are over 200 stations. -->
Since its inception, ABC has had over 300 television stations that have carried programming from the network at various times throughout its history, including its first two owned-and-operated and affiliated stations, founding O&O [[WABC-TV]] and inaugural affiliate [[WPVI-TV]]. {{As of|2020}}, ABC has eight owned-and-operated stations, and current and pending affiliation agreements with 236 additional television stations encompassing 50 states, the District of Columbia, four U.S. possessions, Bermuda, and [[Saba (island)|Saba]].<ref name=re>{{cite web|title=Stations for Network – ABC|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/search.php?request=network_search&network=ABC|work=RabbitEars.info|access-date=October 30, 2019|archive-date=October 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012033554/https://www.rabbitears.info/search.php?request=network_search&network=ABC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="StationIndex">{{cite web|title=Network Profile: ABC|url=https://www.stationindex.com/tv/by-net/abc|publisher=Station Index|access-date=May 26, 2025|archive-date=September 3, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250903005426/https://www.stationindex.com/tv/by-net/abc|url-status=live}}</ref> This makes ABC the largest U.S. broadcast television network by the total number of affiliates. The network has an estimated national reach of 97.72% of all households in the United States (or 305,347,338 Americans with at least one television set). [[New Jersey]], [[Rhode Island]], and [[Delaware]] are the only U.S. states where ABC does not have a locally licensed affiliate (New Jersey is served by New York City O&O WABC-TV in the north half of the state and Philadelphia O&O WPVI-TV in the south,<ref>https://tbh.lerctr.org/~ekb/TVMarkets/Maps/new_jersey.gif {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240106095840/https://tbh.lerctr.org/~ekb/TVMarkets/Maps/new_jersey.gif |date=January 6, 2024 }} {{Bare URL image|date=June 2025}}</ref> Rhode Island is served by [[New Bedford, Massachusetts]]-licensed [[WLNE-TV|WLNE]], though outside of the transmitter, all other operations for the station are based in [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]],<ref>https://tbh.lerctr.org/~ekb/TVMarkets/Maps/rhode_island.gif {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127043151/https://tbh.lerctr.org/~ekb/TVMarkets/Maps/rhode_island.gif |date=November 27, 2022 }} {{Bare URL image|date=June 2025}}</ref> and Delaware is served by WPVI in the northern two thirds and [[Salisbury, Maryland]], affiliate [[WMDT]] in the southern third of the state).<ref>https://tbh.lerctr.org/~ekb/TVMarkets/Maps/delaware.gif {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127041651/https://tbh.lerctr.org/~ekb/TVMarkets/Maps/delaware.gif |date=November 27, 2022 }} {{Bare URL image|date=June 2025}}</ref>

ABC maintains affiliations with low-power stations (broadcasting either in analog or digital) in a few markets, such as [[Birmingham, Alabama]] ([[WBMA-LD]]), [[Lima, Ohio]] ([[WPNM-LD]]) and [[South Bend, Indiana]] ([[WBND-LD]]). In some markets, including Lima and South Bend, these stations also maintain digital simulcasts on a subchannel of a co-owned/co-managed full-power television station. The network has the unusual distinction of having separately owned-and-operated affiliates which serve the same market in [[Tampa, Florida]] ([[WFTS-TV]] and [[WWSB]]), [[Boston]], Massachusetts ([[WCVB-TV]] and [[WMUR-TV]]), [[Lincoln, Nebraska]] ([[KLKN-TV|KLKN]] and [[KHGI-TV]]), and [[Grand Rapids, Michigan]] ([[WZZM]] and [[WOTV]]), with an analogous situation arising in [[Kansas City, Missouri]] ([[KMBC-TV]] and [[KQTV]]). KQTV is licensed to [[St. Joseph, Missouri|St. Joseph]], which [[Nielsen Holdings|Nielsen]] designates as a separate market from Kansas City, despite a mere {{convert|55|mi|km|adj=on}} distance between the two cities and the Kansas City-based stations (including KMBC) providing better [[Broadcast range|city-grade to Grade B]] coverage to the area compared to the signals of the primary ABC affiliates in the other aforementioned dual-affiliate markets. KQTV was St. Joseph's lone major network affiliate until 2011, when locally based [[News-Press & Gazette Company]] began establishing low-power affiliates of ABC's four English-language competitors and [[Telemundo]] on three low-power stations to end St. Joseph's dependence on Kansas City. WWSB, KHGI, and WOTV serve areas that do not receive an adequate signal from their market's primary ABC affiliate.

ABC initially affiliated with WWSB to cover southern portions of the [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]]–[[St. Petersburg, Florida|St. Petersburg]] market—including WWSB's [[city of license]], [[Sarasota, Florida|Sarasota]]—as the transmitters of [[WTSP]], the market's former primary ABC affiliate from 1965 to 1994, and former [[Miami]] affiliate [[WPLG]] had been short-spaced to avoid interference between their respective analog-VHF channel 10 signals, WWSB remained an ABC affiliate after its Tampa affiliation moved from WTSP to WFTS in December 1994, even though WFTS's signal reaches Sarasota and some surrounding areas.{{relevance inline|date=May 2020}}{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} WCVB-TV is licensed to Boston while WMUR-TV is licensed to [[Manchester, New Hampshire]] (which is officially part of the Boston market). WCVB is easily receivable in Manchester with a good antenna as well as having its news department that covers [[New Hampshire]]; it is the only station licensed to the state that does such. Both WCVB and WMUR are owned by [[Hearst Television]].

The [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]] is the largest operator of ABC stations by numerical total, owning or providing services to 28 full, primary ABC affiliates and two subchannel-only affiliates. Sinclair owns the largest ABC subchannel affiliate by market size, [[WABM|WABM-DT2]]/[[WTTO|WDBB-DT2]] in the Birmingham market, which serves as repeaters of WBMA-LD (which itself is also simulcast on a subchannel of former WBMA satellite [[WGWW]], owned by Sinclair partner company [[Howard Stirk Holdings]]). The [[E. W. Scripps Company]] is the largest operator of ABC stations in terms of overall market reach, owning 15 ABC-affiliated stations including affiliates in larger markets such as [[Cleveland]] ([[WEWS-TV]]), [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] ([[KNXV-TV]]), [[Detroit]] ([[WXYZ-TV]]), and [[Denver]] ([[KMGH-TV]]). Through its ownership of Phoenix affiliate KNXV, [[Las Vegas]] affiliate [[KTNV-TV]], and [[Tucson, Arizona|Tucson]] affiliate [[KGUN-TV]], it is the only provider of ABC programming for the majority of [[Arizona]] (outside the [[Yuma, Arizona|Yuma]]–[[El Centro, California|El Centro]] market) and [[Southern Nevada]]. Scripps also owns and operates several ABC stations in the Mountain and Pacific time zones, including in Denver, [[San Diego]] ([[KGTV]]), [[Bakersfield, California]] ([[KERO-TV]]), and [[Boise, Idaho]] ([[KIVI-TV]]). When combined with the [[ABC Owned Television Stations]] in [[Los Angeles]] ([[KABC-TV]]), [[Fresno]] ([[KFSN-TV]]), and [[San Francisco]] ([[KGO-TV]], the affiliations from the News-Press & Gazette Company in [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]] ([[KEYT-TV]]), [[Palm Springs]] ([[KESQ-TV]]), Yuma–El Centro ([[KECY-TV]]), and Colorado Springs–Pueblo ([[KRDO-TV]]), and Sinclair's affiliations in [[Seattle]] ([[KOMO-TV]]) and [[Portland, Oregon]] ([[KATU]]), these four entities control the access of ABC network programming in most of the Western United States, particularly in terms of audience reach.

At the time of [[Jimmy Kimmel]]'s suspension in September 2025, among other properties owned by the two companies, [[Nexstar Media Group]] owned or provided services to 201 stations serving 116 markets, while Sinclair owned or provided services to 178 stations in 81 markets.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Mae |last2=Sedensky |first2=Matt |date=September 19, 2025 |title=Who exactly are the ABC affiliate owners who issued statements against Jimmy Kimmel? |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-09-18/what-are-nexstar-and-sinclair-the-abc-affiliate-owners-who-issued-statements-against-jimmy-kimmel |access-date=September 22, 2025 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> Based on 2024–25 [[Nielsen Media Research]] market estimates, the ABC [[owned-and-operated station]] subsidiary ABC Owned Television Stations (whose eight stations are mostly clustered in major markets like [[New York City]], Los Angeles, [[Chicago]], San Francisco, [[Philadelphia]], and [[Houston]]) was the largest owner of ABC stations by cumulative national market share, covering 21.87% of American households. Individually, Sinclair and Nexstar were respectively the second- and fourth-largest owners of ABC stations, reaching 14.56% and 9.28% of American households respectively (with [[The E. W. Scripps Company]], with 17 affiliates covering 12.87% of the United States, being the third-largest).<ref>{{cite web |date=September 28, 2024 |title=Nielsen DMA Rankings 2025 |url=https://ustvdb.com/seasons/2024-25/markets/ |access-date=September 22, 2025 |website=USTVDB |archive-date=October 2, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251002233744/https://ustvdb.com/seasons/2024-25/markets/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Facilities and studios==
All of ABC's owned-and-operated stations and affiliates have had their facilities and studios,{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} but transverse entities have been created to produce national programming. As a result, television series were produced by ABC Circle Films beginning in 1962 and by Touchstone Television beginning in 1985, before Touchstone was reorganized as [[ABC Studios]] in February 2007 and later renamed to its current name [[ABC Signature]] in August 2020. Since the 1950s, ABC has had two main production facilities: the ABC Television Center (now [[The Prospect Studios]]) on [[Hollywood Boulevard|Prospect Avenue]] in [[Hollywood, California]], shared with the operations of KABC-TV until 1999, and the ABC Television Center, East, a set of studios located throughout New York City.

In addition to the headquarters building on Riverside Drive, other ABC facilities in Burbank include a building at 3800 West Alameda, known as 'Burbank Center', then moved to ABC Riverside which is primarily associated with [[Walt Disney Television|Walt Disney Entertainment Television]] and functions as the headquarters and broadcast center for [[Disney Channel]], [[Disney Junior]], [[Disney XD]], [[Freeform (TV channel)|Freeform]], [[FX (TV channel)|FX]], [[National Geographic (American TV channel)|National Geographic]], and the former [[Radio Disney]]. Additionally, [[Disney Television Animation]] has a facility on Empire Avenue near the [[Hollywood Burbank Airport]]. In nearby [[Glendale, California|Glendale]], Disney/ABC also maintains the [[Grand Central Airport (California)#Grand Central Creative Campus|Grand Central Creative Campus]], which houses other company subsidiaries, including the studios of KABC-TV and the Los Angeles bureau of ABC News.

ABC owned several facilities in New York, grouped mainly on West 66th Street, with the main set of facilities on the corner of Columbus Avenue. These facilities occupy a combined {{convert|105,000|ft2}} across two blocks with a total area of {{convert|159,000|ft2}}. This main set of buildings includes:
* 77 West 66th Street, a 22-story building built in 1988 on a {{convert|175|x|200|ft|m|adj=on}} plot;
* A pair of buildings at 147–155 Columbus Avenue (ten and seven stories) connected by glass bays, constructed on a {{convert|150|x|200|ft|m|adj=on}} plot;
* 30 West 67th Street, a 15-story building with a facade on 67th Street on a {{convert|100|x|100|ft|m|adj=on}} plot;
* 56 West 66th Street, the former [[First Battery Armory]] of the New York National Guard, a five-story building on a {{convert|174|x|100|ft|m|adj=on}} plot.
ABC also owns 7, 17 and 47 West 66th Street, three buildings on a {{convert|375|x|100|ft|m|adj=on}} plot. The block of West 66th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, which houses the ABC News building, was renamed Peter Jennings Way in 2006 in honor of the then-recently deceased news anchor.<ref>{{cite news|title=ABC Block Re-Named "Peter Jennings Way"|url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/abc-block-re-named-peter-jennings-way-78926|first=John|last=Eggerton|work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|publisher=[[NewBay Media]]|date=February 21, 2006|access-date=February 16, 2022}}</ref> Disney formerly leased {{convert|70000|sqft|m²|abbr=on}} at 157 Columbus Avenue, on the northern side of 67th Street.<ref>{{cite news|title=Brodsky to Renovate 157 Columbus Avenue Following Disney Departure|url=https://commercialobserver.com/2013/02/brodsky-to-renovate-157-columbus-avenue-following-disney-departure/|first=Al|last=Barbarino|publisher=Commercial Observer|access-date=November 23, 2013|archive-date=December 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202222212/http://commercialobserver.com/2013/02/brodsky-to-renovate-157-columbus-avenue-following-disney-departure/|url-status=live}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:ABC 77 W66 jeh.JPG|Entrance of ABC's headquarters at 77 West 66th Street
File:WABC-TV Columbus Av jeh.JPG|WABC-TV buildings at 147–155 Columbus Avenue and behind 157 Columbus Avenue
File:First Battery Armory 66th jeh.JPG|ABC facilities in the former [[First Battery Armory]] of the New York National Guard
</gallery>

ABC owns the [[Times Square Studios]] at 1500 Broadway, on land owned by a development fund for the [[42nd Street (Manhattan)|42nd Street]] Project. Opened in September 1999, ''Good Morning America'' was broadcast from this facility until June 13, 2025. ABC News had premises on West 66th Street, in a six-story building occupying a {{convert|196|x|379|ft|m|adj=on}} plot at 121–135 [[West End Avenue]]. On July 9, 2018, the Walt Disney Company announced that it was selling its two West 66th Street campuses (except for the National Guard Amory) to [[Silverstein Properties]] and purchasing one square block of property in lower Manhattan to build a new New York-based broadcast center.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/09/nyregion/disney-move-upper-west-side-hudson-square.html|title=Disney Will Move New York Operations to Lower Manhattan|last=Bagli|first=Charles V.|date=July 9, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 31, 2018|archive-date=March 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323161946/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/09/nyregion/disney-move-upper-west-side-hudson-square.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The building, known as [[7 Hudson Square]], opened in 2024 with [[The View]] being the first show to move to the new broadcast facility. [[Tamron Hall (talk show)|The Tamron Hall Show]], [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]], [[WABC-TV]], [[ESPN]], and [[Good Morning America]] all moved their operations to the new facility separately from January–June 2025.

==Related services==
===Video-on-demand services===
{{redirect|ABCd|other uses of ABCD|ABCD (disambiguation)}}
ABC maintains several [[video on demand]] (VOD) services for delayed viewing of the network's programming, including a traditional VOD service called ABC on Demand, which is carried on most traditional cable and [[IPTV]] providers. The Walt Disney Company is also a part-owner of [[Hulu]], and has offered full-length episodes of most of ABC's programming through this [[streaming media|streaming]] service since July 6, 2009.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Paul |first1=Ian |title=ABC Arrives on Hulu (Finally!) |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/524034/abc_arrives_on_hulu.html |website=PCWorld |access-date=February 16, 2022 |date=July 6, 2009 |archive-date=February 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216054413/https://www.pcworld.com/article/524034/abc_arrives_on_hulu.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In May 2013, ABC launched "WatchABC", a revamp of its traditional multi-platform streaming services encompassing the network's existing streaming portal at ABC.com and a [[mobile app]] for smartphones and tablet computers. This service provides full-length episodes of ABC programs and live streams of local affiliates in select markets (this was the first such offering by a U.S. broadcast network). Live streams are only available to [[TV Everywhere|authenticated subscribers of participating pay television providers]]. WABC-TV New York and WPVI-TV Philadelphia were the first stations to offer streams of their programming on the service, with the six remaining ABC O&Os offering streams by the start of the 2013–14 season. [[Hearst Television]] also reached a deal to offer streams of its ABC affiliates on the service, though {{as of|2016|lc=y}} these stations are only available for live-streaming for [[DirecTV]] subscribers.<ref name=variety-watchabc>{{cite news|title=ABC to Stream Live Via App|url=https://variety.com/2013/tv/news/abc-to-stream-live-via-app-1200479778/|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=June 1, 2013|archive-date=June 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607223124/http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/abc-to-stream-live-via-app-1200479778/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=engadget-watchabc>{{cite web|title=Watch ABC app with live TV streaming comes to Kindle Fire, but not Google Play|url=https://www.engadget.com/2013/05/31/watch-abc-app-kindle-fire/|work=[[Engadget]]|date=May 31, 2013|access-date=June 1, 2013|archive-date=June 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608012515/http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/31/watch-abc-app-kindle-fire/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In November 2015, it was reported that ABC had been developing a slate of original digital series for the WatchABC service, internally codenamed ABC3.<ref name="Variety-abc3slate">{{cite news|last1=Wallenstein|first1=Andrew|title=ABC Lines Up Original Series for New Streaming Effort|url=https://variety.com/2015/digital/news/abc-lines-up-original-series-for-new-streaming-effort-exclusive-1201638884/|access-date=August 1, 2016|work=Variety|date=November 12, 2015}}</ref> In July 2016, ABC re-launched its streaming platforms, dropping the WatchABC brand, adding a streaming library of 38 classic ABC series, and introducing 7 original short-form series under the blanket branding ABCd.<ref name="variety-abcapp">{{cite news|last1=Spangler|first1=Todd|title=With 7 Short-Form Originals, Full Seasons of 38 Older Shows|url=https://variety.com/2016/digital/news/abc-free-streaming-app-7-abcd-originals-1201813330/|access-date=August 1, 2016|work=Variety|archive-date=August 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801151841/http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/abc-free-streaming-app-7-abcd-originals-1201813330/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The most recent episodes of the network's shows are usually made available on the ABC app, Hulu, and ABC on Demand the day after their original broadcast. In addition, ABC on Demand disallows [[fast forward]]ing of accessed content. In 2021, ABC updated the app to allow app users to watch shows from ABC's sister networks: [[Freeform (TV channel)|Freeform]], [[FX (TV channel)|FX]], and [[National Geographic (American TV channel)|National Geographic]]. [[Free ad-supported streaming television]] channels were added to the ABC app in 2022 and 2023, including a 24-hour version of [[ESPN8 The Ocho]] and a seasonal channel dedicated to Freeform's [[25 Days of Christmas]] original content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bridge |first=Gavin |date=November 13, 2023 |title=What to Expect From Disney's FAST Expansion |url=https://variety.com/vip/disney-fast-expansion-what-to-expect-1235786180/ |access-date=April 5, 2024 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lucia |first=Joe |date=2023-12-20 |title=ESPN8: The Ocho is now live as ESPN's first FAST channel |url=https://awfulannouncing.com/streaming/espn8-the-ocho-now-live-espn-fast-channel.html |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=Awful Announcing |language=en-US}}</ref> On August 23, 2024, Disney began notifying its carriage partners that it would discontinue the mobile and digital media player apps for ABC, along with [[DisneyNow]], [[Freeform (TV channel)|Freeform]], [[FX Networks|FX]], and [[National Geographic (American TV channel)|National Geographic]], effective September 23. However, TV Everywhere content would still be available via their respective websites in order to funnel viewers towards Disney+ and [[Hulu]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Important App Update: ABC App Will No Longer Be Available Starting Sept. 23, 2024|url=https://abc.com/news/24cb9092-0d48-4d2a-baf6-71abe4aa6f7b/category/1138628|access-date=2024-08-24|date=2024-08-23|website=ABC.com|archive-date=August 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240825044323/https://abc.com/news/24cb9092-0d48-4d2a-baf6-71abe4aa6f7b/category/1138628|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Bouma|first=Luke|title=Disney is Shutting Down Disney, Freeform, FXNow, & National Geographic Channel Apps|url=https://cordcuttersnews.com/disney-is-shutting-down-disney-freeform-fxnow-national-geographic-channel-apps/|access-date=2024-08-24|date=2024-08-24|website=Cord Cutters News|language=en-US|archive-date=August 24, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240824172339/https://cordcuttersnews.com/disney-is-shutting-down-disney-freeform-fxnow-national-geographic-channel-apps/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===ABC HD===
{{Infobox television channel
| name = ABC HD
| logo = [[File:ABC HD logo.svg|frameless|class=skin-invert]]
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2001|9|16}}
| closed_date = {{Start date and age|2017|3|24}}
| picture_format = [[720p]] ([[Fullscreen (aspect ratio)|4:3]]/[[16:9 aspect ratio|16:9]])
| language = English
}}
ABC's master feed is transmitted in [[720p]] [[high-definition television|high-definition]], the native resolution format for the Walt Disney Company's American television properties. However, most of [[Hearst Television]]'s ABC-affiliated stations and some of [[Tegna Inc.|Tegna]]'s ABC affiliates transmit the network's programming in [[1080i]], while 11 other affiliates owned by various companies carry the network feed in [[480i]] [[standard-definition television|standard definition]]<ref name=re/> either due to technical considerations for affiliates of other major networks that carry ABC programming on a digital subchannel or because a primary feed ABC affiliate has not yet upgraded their transmission equipment to allow content to be presented in HD. Although ABC has not fully transitioned to [[1080p]] or [[Ultra-high-definition television|ultra HD]], some stations such as ABC affiliate station [[KNXV-TV]] in Phoenix, Arizona, transmit the network's programming at 1080p via an [[ATSC 3.0]] multiplex stations, such as [[KASW]] with KNXV-TV.

ABC began its conversion to high definition with the launch of its simulcast feed, ABC HD, on September 16, 2001, at the start of the [[2001–02 United States network television schedule|2001–02 season]], with its scripted prime-time series becoming the first shows to upgrade to the format, the simulcast feed was launched first on ABC's owned television stations that same date with many major affiliates following after that. Both new and returning scripted series were broadcast in high definition. In 2011, ''[[Extreme Makeover: Home Edition]]'' was the last program on the network's schedule that was broadcast in [[4:3]] standard definition. All of the network's new programming has been presented in HD since January 2012. The affiliate-syndicated Saturday morning educational and informative ([[E/I]]) block ''Litton's Weekend Adventure'' was the first children's program block on U.S. network television to feature programs available in HD upon its September 2011 debut. The HD programming is broadcast in [[5.1 surround sound]].

On September 1, 2016, ABC began to use [[16:9 aspect ratio|16:9]] framing for its most graphical imaging (primarily the network's [[Digital on-screen graphic|bug]], in-program promotions and generic closing credit sequences as well as sports telecasts, where the bottom line and scoreboard elements now extend outside the 4:3 frame), requiring its stations and pay television providers to display its programming in a compulsory widescreen format, either in high definition or standard definition. With this change, some programs also began positioning their main on-screen credits outside the 4:3 aspect ratio.

==Visual identity==
[[File:ABC Television Network logo (1957-1962).svg|thumb|150x150px|Logo from 1957 to 1962]]
The ABC logo has evolved many times since the network's creation in 1943. The network's first logo, introduced in 1946, consisted of a television screen containing the letters "T" and "V,” with a vertical ''ABC'' microphone in the center,<ref name="logo evolution">{{cite web|title=The Evolution of ABC |url=http://members.fortunecity.com/tvnetworks/abc/ |publisher=TV Network Extravaganza |access-date=November 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331214424/http://members.fortunecity.com/tvnetworks/abc/ |archive-date=March 31, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> referencing the network's roots in radio. When the ABC-UPT merger was finalized in 1953, the network introduced a new logo based on the FCC seal, with the letters "ABC" enclosed in a circular [[Heraldry|shield]] surmounted by a bald eagle.<ref name="logo evolution" /> In 1957, just before the television network began its first color broadcasts, the ABC logo consisted of a tiny lowercase "abc" in the center of a large lowercase letter ''a'', a design known as the ABC Circle A.<ref name="logo evolution" />[[File:American Broadcasting Company Logo.svg|thumb|right|upright=.682|The first "ABC Circle" logo, designed by [[Paul Rand]] on October 19, 1962]]
[[File:ABC Logo 1962 Color Logo.svg|thumb|150x150px|1962 color variant. Also used for the promotion of the 2025 film, [[The Fantastic Four: First Steps]].]]
In 1962, graphic designer [[Paul Rand]] redesigned the ABC logo (nicknamed the "ABC Circle") into its current and best-known form, with the lowercase letters "abc" enclosed in a single black circle. The new logo debuted on-air on October 19 of the same year, but it was not until the following spring that it was fully adopted. The letters are strongly reminiscent of the [[Bauhaus (typeface)|Bauhaus]] typeface designed by [[Herbert Bayer]] in the 1920s,{{Sfn|Gernsheimer|2010|p=43}} but also share similarities with several other fonts, such as [[ITC Avant Garde]] and Horatio, and most closely resembling Chalet. The logo's simplicity made it easier to redesign and duplicate, which was beneficial before the advent of computer graphics. A color version of the logo was also developed around 1963, and animated as a brief 10-second intro to be shown before the then-small handful of network programs broadcast in color (similar to the NBC "Laramie" peacock intro used during that era). The "a" was rendered in red, the "b" in blue, and the "c" in green, against the same single black circle. A variant of this color logo, with the colored letters against a white circle, was also commonly used throughout the 1960s.

The 1970s and 1980s saw the emergence of many graphical imaging packages for the network which based the logo's setting mainly on special lighting effects then under development including white, blue, pink, rainbow neon, and glittering dotted lines. Among the ABC Circle logo's many variants was a 1977 ID sequence that featured a bubble on a black background representing the circle with glossy gold letters, and was the first ABC identification card to simulate a three-dimensional appearance.<ref name="logo evolution"/>

[[File:1971 ABC logo.svg|thumb|150x150px|Logo from September 10, 1988, to August 14, 2007]]

In 1983, for the 40th anniversary of the network's founding, ID sequences had the logo appear in a gold [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] design on a blue background, accompanied by the slogan "That Special Feeling" in a script font.<ref name="logo evolution"/> Ten years later, in 1993, the "ABC Circle" logo reverted to its classic white-on-black color scheme, but with gloss effects on both the circle and the letters, and a bronze border surrounding the circle.<ref name="logo evolution"/> The ABC logo first appeared as an [[digital on-screen graphic|on-screen bug]] in the [[1993–94 United States network television schedule|1993–94 season]], appearing initially only for 60 seconds at the beginning of an act or segment, then appearing throughout programs beginning in the [[1995–96 United States network television schedule|1995–96 season]], the respective iterations of the translucent logo bug were also incorporated within program promotions until the 2011–12 season.

During the 1997–98 season, the network began using a minimalist graphical identity with a yellow and black motif, designed by Pittard Sullivan, featuring a small black-and-white "ABC Circle" logo on a yellow background (promotions during this time also featured a sequence of still photos of the stars of its programs during the timeslot card as well as the schedule sequence that began each night's prime time lineup).<ref name="logo evolution"/> A new four-note theme tune (composed by Mad Bus Music) was introduced alongside the package, based around the network's then-new "We Love TV" image campaign from the 1998–99 season, creating an [[Sound trademark#Sound logos|audio signature]] in comparative parlance to the [[NBC chimes]], CBS's various sound marks (including the five-note version introduced in 2020) and the [[20th Century Fox#Logo and fanfare|Fox fanfare]] (which was phased out by the Fox network in 2019). The four-note signature has been updated with every television season thereafter until the 2020–21 season.

In 1999, ABC launched a web-based promotional campaign focused around its circle logo, also called 'the dot', in which comic book character [[Little Dot]] prompted visitors to "download the dot,” a program which would cause the ABC logo to fly around the screen and settle in the bottom-right corner.<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news|title=ABC tries to bring its longtime 'dot' logo into prominence with a new campaign|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/02/business/media-business-advertising-abc-tries-bring-its-longtime-dot-logo-into-prominence.html|first=Stuart|last=Elliott|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 2, 2000|archive-date=March 18, 2017|access-date=February 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318030757/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/02/business/media-business-advertising-abc-tries-bring-its-longtime-dot-logo-into-prominence.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The network hired the Troika Design Group to design and produce its 2001–02 identity, which continued using the black-and-yellow coloring of the logo and featured dots and stripes in various promotional and identification spots.<ref name="InsideDesign">{{cite book|title=Inside design now: National Design Triennial|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qg4RSmCw4UQC&q=abc%20circle%20logo%20%22paul%20rand%22&pg=PA180|first=Ellen|last=Lupton|page=180|isbn=9781568983950|date=March 1, 2003| publisher=Princeton Architectural Press |author-link = Ellen Lupton}}</ref>

[[File:ABC logo 2007-2013.png|thumb|150x150px|Glassy version from August 15, 2007, to May 29, 2013]]

On June 10, 2007, ABC began to phase in a new imaging campaign for the upcoming 2007–08 season, "Start Here,” accompanied by a glassy version of the ABC logo. Also developed by Troika, marketing used a series of icons intended to emphasize the availability of ABC content across multiple platforms, and sought to "simplify and bring a lot more consistency and continuity to the visual representation of ABC." On-air, the logo was accompanied by animated water and ribbon effects. Red ribbons were used to represent the entertainment division, while blue ribbons were used for ABC News.<ref name="abcnews-starthere">{{cite web|title=TV Online: A Glimpse of the Future at the 'Upfronts'|date=May 17, 2007|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3184117&page=1|work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|access-date=November 9, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016022057/http://www.abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3184117&page=1|archive-date=October 16, 2008}}</ref><ref name=tvw-starthere>{{cite web|title=ABC's New Graphic Cue Promotes Brand Across Platforms|url=http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/09/abcs_new_graphic_cue_promotes.php/|work=TV Week|access-date=March 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324231418/http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/09/abcs_new_graphic_cue_promotes.php/|archive-date=March 24, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>[[File:New abc dark grey.svg|thumb|right|upright=.682|Gray-colored version of the logo from May 30, 2013 to August 8, 2021, was the main logo from September 14, 2018 onward. Variants in gold, blue, and red were used from May 30, 2013 to September 13, 2018.]]ABC introduced a revision to its logo and branding by Loyalkaspar for the 2013–14 season, the logo carried a simpler gloss design than the 2007 version, and had lettering closer-resembling Paul Rand's original version of the circle logo. A custom [[typeface]] inspired by the ABC logotype, ABC Modern, was also created for use in advertising and other promotional elements. The logo was used in various color schemes, with a gold version used primarily for ABC's entertainment divisions, a red version used primarily for ESPN on ABC, steel blue and dark grey versions used primarily by ABC News, and all four colors used interchangeably in promotions.<ref name="lk-abc">{{cite web|title=ABC Rebrand |url=http://www.loyalkaspar.com/application/project/abcrebrand/ |publisher=loyalkaspar |access-date=August 31, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819224905/http://www.loyalkaspar.com/application/project/abcrebrand/ |archive-date=August 19, 2013}}</ref>

Upon a reimaging by The New Blank for the 2018–19 season, the blue, red, and yellow variants were dropped, with the dark grey version becoming ABC's main logo. Surrounding promotional elements adopted a circular "echo" motif and the new slogan "America's Network".<ref>{{Cite news|title=ABC 2018 Network Rebrand|language=en-US|work=The New Blank|url=https://thenewblank.com/project/abc-2018-network-rebrand/|access-date=September 26, 2018|archive-date=September 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921112347/https://thenewblank.com/project/abc-2018-network-rebrand/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:ABC 2021 Red.svg|thumb|150x150px|Black-on-red version of the logo used since August 9, 2021]]
Another revision to the logo was introduced on August 9, 2021, ahead of the 2021–22 season. Designed by Trollbäck & Company, it is designed to adhere to [[flat design]] trends, and returns to a solid, two-dimensional design with smaller and bolder lettering. The main logo is rendered in a dark, blue-gray color, outlined and black-on-red variations are also used, such as for the on-screen bug and promotional usage respectively.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ABC begins switching over to new logo on air|url=https://www.newscaststudio.com/2021/08/11/abc-new-logo-rollout/?og=1|access-date=August 12, 2021|website=NewscastStudio| date=August 11, 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Coggan|first=Georgia|date=June 1, 2021|title=ABC has a new logo (and it feels like déjà vu)|url=https://www.creativebloq.com/news/abc-new-logo|url-status=live|access-date=August 12, 2021|website=Creative Bloq|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601160852/https://www.creativebloq.com/news/abc-new-logo |archive-date=June 1, 2021 }}</ref> The 2021 rebrand also introduced a sonic logo that retains three out of the four notes of ABC's prior audio logo and was composed by YouTooCanWoo.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ABC |url=https://youtoocanwoo.com/work/abc |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=YouTooCanWoo |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:ABC and Hulu streaming lockup.svg|thumb|ABC logo with Hulu streaming lockup]]
The [[Circle 7 logo]], designed in 1962, is also commonly associated with ABC affiliates who broadcast on channel 7, including its flagship local stations WABC-TV (New York City), KABC-TV (Los Angeles), KGO-TV (San Francisco) and [[WLS-TV]] (Chicago). This logo was intended to be used somewhat interchangeably by these stations with the main circular network logo and has itself also become an iconic symbol of the ABC network. KGO was the first of the ABC-owned stations to use the Circle 7 logo, starting on August 27, 1962, by the end of the year, the other ABC-owned stations began using the logo, and have continued to do so since.

==International broadcasts ==
The first attempts to internationalize the ABC television network dates to the 1950s, when Goldenson tried to use the same strategies he had in expanding UPT's theater operation to the international market.{{Sfn|Goldenson|Wolf|1991–1993|p=214}} Goldenson said that ABC's first international activity was broadcasting the coronation of [[Queen Elizabeth II]] in June 1953, CBS and NBC were delayed in covering the coronation due to flight delays.{{Sfn|Goldenson|Wolf|1991–1993|pp=215–216}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/53-OCR/BC-1953-06-08-OCR-Page-0056.pdf|title=Networks Vie for "First" Honors As Radio-TV Cover the Coronation|date=June 8, 1953|work=Broadcasting/Telecasting|access-date=October 6, 2017}}</ref> Goldenson tried international investing, having ABC invest in stations in the Latin American market, acquiring a 51% interest in a network covering Central America and in 1959 established program distributor [[Worldvision Enterprises]].{{Sfn|Goldenson|Wolf|1991–1993|p=217}} Goldenson also cited interest in Japan in the early 1950s,{{Sfn|Goldenson|Wolf|1991–1993|p=221}} acquiring a 5% stake in two new domestic networks, the [[Mainichi Broadcasting System]] in 1951 and [[TV Asahi]] in 1957.{{Sfn|Goldenson|Wolf|1991–1993|p=221}} Goldenson also invested in broadcasting properties in [[Beirut]] in the mid-1960s.{{Sfn|Goldenson|Wolf|1991–1993|p=223}}

The goal was to create a network of wholly and partially owned channels and affiliates to rebroadcast the network's programs. In 1959, this rerun activity was completed with program syndication, with ABC Films selling programs to networks not owned by ABC.{{Sfn|Goldenson|Wolf|1991–1993|p=227}} The arrival of satellite television ended the need for ABC to hold interests in other countries,{{Sfn|Goldenson|Wolf|1991–1993|p=231}} many governments also wanted to increase their independence and strengthen legislation to limit foreign ownership of broadcasting properties. As a result, ABC was forced to sell all of its interests in international networks, mainly in Japan and Latin America, in the 1970s; a partial stake in the [[GMA Network|Republic Broadcasting System]] in the Philippines was forcibly removed in 1974 after the declaration of [[martial law under Ferdinand Marcos]] in September 1972.{{Sfn|Goldenson|Wolf|1991–1993|p=232}}

The second period of international expansion is linked to that of the ESPN network in the 1990s, and policies enacted in the 2000s by Disney Media Networks. These policies included the expansion of several of the company's U.S.-based cable networks including Disney Channel and its spinoffs Toon Disney, [[Playhouse Disney]] and [[Jetix]], although Disney also sold its 33% stake in European sports channel [[Eurosport]] for $155 million in June 2000.<ref name="Annual 2000 p65">{{cite web|title=Disney Annual Report 2000|url=http://corporate.disney.go.com/investors/annual_reports/2000/pdfs/financial.pdf|publisher=The Walt Disney Company|page=65|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060616211808/http://corporate.disney.go.com/investors/annual_reports/2000/pdfs/financial.pdf|archive-date=June 16, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> In contrast to Disney's other channels, ABC broadcasts in the United States with programming syndicated in other countries. The policy regarding wholly owned international networks was revived and on September 27, 2004, ABC announced the launch of [[ABC1 (UK)|ABC1]], a [[free-to-air]] channel in the United Kingdom owned by the ABC Group.<ref name="factbook 2004 9">{{cite web|title=Disney Factbook 2004: Key Dates|url=http://corporate.disney.go.com/investors/fact_books/2004/disney_fb04.pdf|publisher=The Walt Disney Company|page=9|date=February 4, 2005|access-date=January 24, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050304005810/http://corporate.disney.go.com/investors/fact_books/2004/disney_fb04.pdf|archive-date=March 4, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, ABC1 could not attain sustainable viewership<ref name="ABC1 closure">{{cite web|title=Disney Closes ABC1 in the United Kingdom |url=http://www.netcot.com/thesite/2007/09/08/disney-closes-abc1-in-the-united-kingdom/ |work=Netcot.com |date=September 8, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203022632/http://www.netcot.com/thesite/2007/09/08/disney-closes-abc1-in-the-united-kingdom/ |archive-date=December 3, 2013}}</ref> and was shut down in October 2007.<ref name="ABC1 closure"/>

Prior to the ABC1 closure, on October 10, 2006, Disney–ABC Television Group entered into an agreement with satellite provider [[Dish TV]] to carry its ABC News Now channel in India.<ref name="DishTv">{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2006/10/10/19978551/india-will-get-abc-news-now|title=India will get ABC News Now|date=October 10, 2006|work=[[Deseret News]]|access-date=February 16, 2022|archive-date=February 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216054412/https://www.deseret.com/2006/10/10/19978551/india-will-get-abc-news-now|url-status=live}}</ref> However, this operation was not put into effect.

===Australia===
In Australia, the [[Nine Network]] maintained close ties with ABC and has used a majority of the U.S. network's image campaigns and slogans since the 1970s, in particular, "[[Still the One]]", ABC's slogan it adopted for the [[1977–78 United States network television schedule|1977–78 television season]] and again for the [[1979–80 United States network television schedule|1979–80 television season]], was adopted by Nine for the 1978 Australian television season (before, Nine also used ABC's "Let Us Be the One" slogan), and lasted longer ever since it was re-adopted in 1980, it was Nine's main slogan until it was replaced in December 2006, only to be reintroduced in November 2021. ABC's other slogans were also adopted by Nine during the 1980–2006 period, as secondary slogans complementing the "Still the One" slogan.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

===Canada===
Most [[Canadians]] have access to at least one U.S.-based ABC affiliate, either over-the-air (in areas located within proximity of the [[Canada–United States border]]) or through a cable, satellite or [[IPTV]] provider. Most ABC programs are subject to [[simultaneous substitution]] regulations imposed by the CRTC, which require television service providers to replace an American station's signal with the feed of a [[Television in Canada|Canadian broadcaster]] carrying the same syndicated program to protect domestic programming rights and advertising revenue.

===Mexico===
Like Canada, ABC programming is available in Mexico through free-to-air affiliates in markets located within proximity to the Mexico–United States border whose signals are readily receivable over-the-air in border areas of northern Mexico.

===Philippines===
In the Philippines, ABC maintained close ties with [[GMA Network]] and [[TV5 (Philippine TV network)|the unrelated Philippine network whose sharing the same abbreviation and more commonly known as TV5]] regarding the content agreement with these networks.

==Film production==
{{main|List of films produced by American Broadcasting Company}}

==See also==
{{Portal|New York City|Companies|Television|United States|Disney}}
* [[ABC Family Worldwide]]
* [[ABC Kids (TV programming block)|ABC Kids]]
* [[ABC Productions]]
* [[Children's programming on the American Broadcasting Company]]
* [[Disney Television Studios]]
** [[ABC Signature]]
* [[Lists of ABC television affiliates]]
* [[List of United States over-the-air television networks]]
* [[Litton's Weekend Adventure]]
* [[Disney Entertainment Television]]

==Footnotes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |title=Designing Logos: The Process of Creating Symbols That Endure |first=Jack |last=Gernsheimer |publisher=Allworth Communications, Inc. |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-58115-751-2}}
* {{cite book |title=Beating the Odds: The Untold Story Behind the Rise of ABC |first1=Leonard H. |last1=Goldenson |author-link=Leonard H. Goldenson |first2=Marvin J. |last2=Wolf |publisher=[[Charles Scribner's Sons]] |location=New York City |year=1991–1993 |isbn=0-684-19055-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/beatingoddsun00gold}}
* {{cite book |title=Still Moving: The Film and Media Collections of the Museum of Modern Art |first=Steven |last=Higgins |publisher=[[The Museum of Modern Art]] |year=2006 |isbn=0-87070-326-9}}
{{Refend}}
[https://abcnews.go.com/US/abc-preempts-jimmy-kimmel-live/story?id=125690074 ABC preempts 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!,' network says]

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
* [https://westmb.org/L_Networks/L_Networks-ABC-Seattle1929.html American Broadcasting Company — ABC — Seattle 1929] — Western States Museum of Broadcasting
* [https://westmb.org/L_Networks/l_Networks-ABC.html American Broadcasting Company — ABC (incl. Blue Network)] — Western States Museum of Broadcasting
* [https://www.westmb.org/L_Networks-ABS.html American Broadcasting System — ABS (Storer)] — Western States Museum of Broadcasting
* ''eyesofageneration.com'' history of ABC's :
:* [https://eyesofageneration.com/studios-page/abc-studios-new-york/ East Coast production facilities]  
:* [https://eyesofageneration.com/studios-page/abc-studios-west-coast/ West Coast production facilities]

{{Disney–ABC TV Group}}
{{ABCNetwork Shows (current and upcoming)}}
{{American broadcast television (English)}}
{{European Broadcasting Union Members}}
{{Presidents of American Broadcasting Company Entertainment}}
{{EmmyAward GovernorsAward}}

{{Authority control}}

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