Bluey or MasterChef? New ABC boss wants global hits from the broadcaster

ABC managing director Hugh Marks wants the broadcaster to develop the next Bluey or its own version of MasterChef as part of his plan to fill the public broadcaster’s coffers and make it more relevant to more Australians.

Presenting his vision for the organisation on Wednesday, Marks said the ABC needed to make global hit shows while maintaining its local radio and news services.

“I mean, I always think of MasterChef. It came from a UK format, but the real derivation was in Australia, and it makes a billion dollars in revenue a year. If we had one of those successes, and we’re able to participate in that success, that will be a revolution in funding.”

While the ABC missed out on the commercial revenue benefits of Bluey – which are owned by the BBC – creating its own version of a global franchise like MasterChef could become a funding revolution for the ABC, Marks added.

“If we’re able to create two more Bluey in the next five years, our children’s content and our children’s services will have strong foundations for a long period of time.”

Marks added the investment needed to make “premium” content could be clawed back by chopping underperforming programs, a process that has already started since he joined the ABC five months ago. On Wednesday, Marks said he had already freed up $25 million to $30 million to reinvest into original podcasts, new screen content and a new documentary unit.

“If there are things that we think the money is not wisely spent on, then we need to be prepared to make those hard decisions. I’ve said that in every staff meeting I’ve done, and I think that we will continue down that path.”

One of those decisions was cutting Q+A, bringing an end to one of the ABC’s most transformative formats of the past two decades, which had recently strayed into obscurity, both with its weekly audience and cultural and political influence.

“I understand what its original premise was, which was community-driven, agenda journalism … and I think it was brilliant. I think it had stopped being brilliant for that purpose.”

“Everyone says, well, what are you going to replace it with? There is no direct replacement. But I do say to the team all the time, we need to be thinking of things that do deal in that space of community-driven opinion, or comment, or news and debate.”

“We must be audience-focused, and we must reach as many Australians as possible.”

Zeroing in on “premium content” is core to Marks’ blueprint to shake things up at the ABC, and he is in lockstep with the broadcaster’s chair, Kim Williams, in demanding better news documentary output, more children’s content and a commitment to local radio from the ABC.

“If you go back in time, a lot of the really great programs on screen at least, that have been real statements of Australia, have had the ABC at their essence, in terms of quality scripted comedy, kids, factual and entertainment programs of the past. The ABC does have a record of quality Australian content.

“We must be audience-focused, and we must reach as many Australians as possible.”

The ABC has overhauled much of its management in the past year, and with allegations of interference from Williams in the spotlight after a Media Watch report in recent months, Marks said he had quickly identified the need to firmly clarify senior roles, reporting lines and responsibilities to avoid any distractions or lack of clarity.

“It was very clear to me early on that I needed to be really firm in making sure that the right lines of reporting were in place and that they would be respected, and I didn’t have any trouble. Kim’s in absolute furious agreement with me on that and the board’s in absolute furious agreement.”

The fallout of the Antoinette Lattouf saga has enabled Marks to move at speed, distancing himself from the string of decisions that led to her sacking – referring to it once again as a “mistake of management” – and the even more impactful fallout from the decision to fight the case in the courts over the course of more than a year.

While the ABC did seek a settlement, he said it was ultimately unsolvable, as Lattouf had secured funding and “wanted to prove some points more than anything”.

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