ABC Entertainment

ABC Entertainment is the entertainment-focused brand and operating identity associated with the American Broadcasting Company television network. It represents ABC’s scripted, unscripted, daytime, late-night, special-event and other general-entertainment programming, distinct from the network’s news and sports operations. ABC is a major American commercial broadcaster whose programming is distributed through owned-and-operated stations, affiliated stations and, where rights permit, international and pay-television outlets. The broader ABC service originated as a radio network in 1943 after the former NBC Blue Network was acquired and separated from NBC. ABC expanded into television in 1948, entering a market already led by CBS and NBC. During the 1950s, its combination with United Paramount Theatres provided additional corporate scale and helped establish the network as a profitable national television operation. Under Leonard Goldenson, ABC developed and commissioned successful entertainment series while building a wider portfolio of broadcast and production activities. ABC’s entertainment identity has historically covered a broad range of formats. Its daytime portfolio has included the long-running soap opera General Hospital, talk programming such as The View, game shows and other lifestyle-oriented programs. In prime time, the network has commissioned scripted dramas and comedies, reality and competition series, specials and event programming. ABC also carries late-night entertainment, including Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and distributes selected award ceremonies, holiday specials and other nationally promoted broadcasts. Some entertainment properties are produced by Disney television production units or outside suppliers and then scheduled by the ABC network. ABC’s corporate history became increasingly connected with sports and cable television. The parent company acquired a major interest in ESPN in 1982, and ABC later merged with Capital Cities Communications in 1986. The combined Capital Cities/ABC business was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 1996. ABC subsequently operated within Disney’s television and entertainment structure, alongside ESPN, ABC News and Disney television production and distribution businesses. The former ABC Studios production identity was later reorganized within Disney’s television studio operations, while ABC Entertainment continued to function primarily as a network entertainment programming brand. The brand’s principal business is not the sale of consumer hardware or a standalone subscription product. Its value lies in commissioning, acquiring, scheduling, marketing and distributing entertainment content through ABC’s broadcast network and affiliated-station system. ABC programming is supported by national advertising, station relationships, licensing and the wider Disney content ecosystem. The network maintains major operations in Burbank, California, near Walt Disney Studios, with additional New York facilities supporting network and news activities. ABC Entertainment remains an active U.S. television brand. Its programming mix changes as audience behavior, advertising markets, streaming competition, sports-rights arrangements and Disney’s broader distribution strategy evolve. The brand is therefore best understood as a television-network entertainment division rather than as a virtual-reality or augmented-reality hardware business.

ABC Entertainment is part of the entertainment operations surrounding the American Broadcasting Company television network. ABC’s institutional roots extend to the NBC Blue Network, which became an independent American broadcasting business in 1943 after its acquisition by Edward J. Noble. The organization initially operated in radio and then entered television in 1948, joining the developing U.S. commercial-network system. The network’s early television expansion took place in a competitive environment dominated by CBS and NBC. In the mid-1950s, the ABC business combined with United Paramount Theatres, creating a larger company with interests connected to both broadcasting and theatrical exhibition. Leonard Goldenson, who led United Paramount Theatres, played a central role in the resulting company’s television development. The enlarged operation used programming, station relationships and production initiatives to build ABC into a nationally significant network. During the following decades, ABC expanded its programming and corporate scope. Entertainment output included prime-time series, daytime serials, game shows, comedy, drama and television specials. The network also developed production and distribution capabilities, including businesses associated with ABC Circle Films and Worldvision Enterprises. Regulatory changes affecting network ownership of programming and syndication contributed to the separation and later reshaping of parts of the ABC production library. ABC acquired an 80 percent interest in ESPN in 1982, strengthening its position in television while connecting the broadcast network to a rapidly growing cable-sports business. In 1986, the ABC parent merged with Capital Cities Communications, forming Capital Cities/ABC. The transaction combined ABC’s network and entertainment activities with Capital Cities’ television stations, radio assets and publishing interests. The Walt Disney Company acquired Capital Cities/ABC in 1996. After the acquisition, ABC became a flagship television property within Disney’s media portfolio. The network’s entertainment programming was coordinated with Disney’s television production and distribution businesses, while news and sports developed as related but separately branded operations. ABC’s production activities were reorganized over time, including the evolution of ABC Studios within Disney’s television-studio structure. In the modern television environment, ABC Entertainment is primarily a programming and brand function rather than a separately capitalized company. It schedules and promotes the network’s general-entertainment slate, including scripted and unscripted series, daytime programs, late-night programming and specials. ABC’s distribution model relies on a nationwide owned-and-affiliated station network, with selected programming also reaching audiences through pay television, digital platforms and international arrangements. Sports programming is generally produced and branded in association with ESPN, while ABC News supplies the network’s news output under its own identity. ABC’s continuing entertainment presence is anchored by durable formats and franchises, including General Hospital and The View, while its prime-time lineup changes with audience demand and commissioning strategy. The brand competes with other broadcast networks, cable channels and streaming services for viewers, advertising and talent. Its current significance comes from its combination of national broadcast reach, Disney corporate resources and a recognizable general-entertainment schedule.

1. 2006ABC Sports operations are integrated with ESPN

   ABC discontinued its separate ABC Sports division; subsequent sports telecasts were produced in association with ESPN, allowing ABC’s entertainment identity to remain distinct from sports branding.

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2. 1996Disney acquires ABC

   The Walt Disney Company acquired Capital Cities/ABC, bringing ABC Entertainment into Disney’s media and television structure.

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3. 1986Capital Cities/ABC is formed

   ABC merged with Capital Cities Communications, creating Capital Cities/ABC and combining network, station, radio and publishing assets.

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4. 1982ESPN investment expands the television portfolio

   ABC’s parent acquired an 80 percent interest in ESPN, linking the broadcast network to a major cable television and sports business.

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5. 1950Combination with United Paramount Theatres

   ABC combined with United Paramount Theatres in the 1950s, adding corporate scale and supporting the network’s development as a profitable television operation.

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6. 1948ABC enters television

   ABC expanded from radio into television, creating the broadcast platform on which its later entertainment programming identity was built.

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7. 1943ABC emerges from the NBC Blue Network

   The former NBC Blue Network became an independent broadcasting operation identified with the American Broadcasting Company, establishing the corporate and brand lineage that later supported ABC television entertainment.

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A mainstream, advertiser-supported American broadcast-entertainment brand within The Walt Disney Company, combining broad-reach general entertainment with long-running daytime, late-night, scripted, unscripted and special-event programming.

• ABC prime-time entertainment programmingBroadcast television1948

  ABC’s core general-entertainment schedule consists of commissioned and acquired scripted series, unscripted programs, reality and competition formats, comedies, dramas and event programming. The lineup is scheduled for national distribution through ABC-owned and affiliated stations and is supported by Disney’s television production and distribution infrastructure.

• General HospitalDaytime television1963

  General Hospital is ABC’s long-running daytime soap opera and one of the network’s most durable entertainment properties. It anchors the daytime identity of ABC and illustrates the network’s historical role in serialized television drama.

• The ViewDaytime talk television1997

  The View is a daytime talk program built around co-host discussion of current affairs, culture and popular topics. It is one of ABC’s continuing daytime entertainment and discussion offerings.

• Jimmy Kimmel Live!Late-night television2003

  Jimmy Kimmel Live! is ABC’s weeknight late-night talk and entertainment program, combining interviews, comedy segments, topical material and musical performances.

• 2006Integrate sports telecasts with ESPNStrategy

  ABC and Disney reorganized sports presentation as the network’s separate ABC Sports division was discontinued and ESPN became the production and branding partner for ABC sports broadcasts.

  What changed. ABC sports programming was presented in association with ESPN, while ABC Entertainment remained focused on general entertainment, daytime, late-night and special-event programming.

  Aftermath. The arrangement aligned ABC with Disney’s cable-sports operation and reduced duplication between the broadcast network and ESPN.

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1. American Broadcasting Company