At Screen Forever on the Gold Coast, the conversation around hugh marks and the ABC was not about a single commission, but about a shift in how the broadcaster wants to define itself. In a room of unscripted commissioners, Susie Jones, head of documentary and specialist factual at Australia’s ABC, drew a clear line: the public broadcaster is leaning further into original Australian IP and away from heavier use of international formats.
What is changing at the ABC?
Jones pushed back on the idea that the ABC is dominated by non-domestic formats. Her message was direct: “There’s sometimes this concept that ABC is wall-to-wall international formats, but it really couldn’t be further from the truth – most of our slate is original Australian IP. ”
She pointed to series including Stuff the British Stole, I was Actually There and Muster Dogs as examples of Australian IP that has been greenlit by the broadcaster and played on the international stage. For the ABC, the direction is not a total break with formatted television, but a recalibration. “ABC has always been the home of Australian IP and we’re leaning further into that, ” Jones said. “We don’t have a no formats rule, but we will be doing fewer international formats. ”
The shift matters because it places local ideas at the center of commissioning decisions. It also suggests a more selective approach to imported formats, with the broadcaster signaling that Australian-made concepts will carry more weight in its slate.
Why does this matter for viewers and producers?
The debate on the Gold Coast showed that the question is not simply local versus international. It is about what kind of television best serves audiences, producers and the broadcaster’s broader remit. SBS’s unscripted chief, Joseph Maxwell, said international formats can still work as “audience drivers, ” giving viewers a reason to come in before discovering other programs.
Foxtel’s head of unscripted, Howard Myers-Rifai, made a different but related point: Australian producers can take formats that began elsewhere and turn them into strong local versions. He cited the Australian adaptation of Married at First Sight, describing the local production community as a key reason such versions can travel and endure.
That balance between local originality and adapted formats came through repeatedly. Myers-Rifai said, “You just want range and if we’re making something that is local IP, it’s probably going to be a better commercial arrangement for us as well. ”
For producers, that is not a theoretical point. It affects what gets developed, what gets commissioned and where the long-term value sits. For viewers, it shapes the stories that reach the screen and the degree to which those stories feel rooted in Australian experience. The ABC’s position suggests it sees more value, creatively and commercially, in building from within.
Hugh Marks and the broader format debate
hugh marks is part of the broader conversation because the ABC’s commissioning direction is being discussed in the context of leadership, strategy and what kind of public broadcaster it wants to be. The context on the Gold Coast was not a defensive one; it was more confident than that. Jones framed the broadcaster as one that has always supported Australian IP and is now leaning further into it.
That view also sits against the ABC’s contentious history with format adaptations. Former director of television Kim Dalton announced a ban on commissioning such shows in 2010, and the ban remained until he left the corporation in 2013. The memory of that period still hangs over any discussion of formats, even when the current message is more measured.
What emerged this week was a picture of a broadcaster trying to sharpen its identity without shutting the door on range. It is not saying no to formats. It is saying yes, first, to local ideas.
In that sense, the scene in the room on the Gold Coast said as much as the panel itself. The talk was about slate, balance and audience reach, but beneath that was a larger question: if the ABC is leaning further into original Australian IP, which stories will it choose to tell next, and how far will that shift reshape the way viewers recognize the broadcaster?
Image alt: hugh marks and the ABC’s shift toward original Australian IP
