Is News Corp a reputable news outlet or a political campaigner? Given the quality of its latest propaganda the second is looking more likely.
In an article titled “ABC costs Aussies more than a Netflix subscription as lavish $1.1 billion dollar budget revealed” Stephen Drill from the Daily Telegraph claimed that the ABC costs each Australian household more than the price of a Netflix subscription and that four in 10 Australians never watch, listen or read anything the ABC does.
The article and a follow-up piece were published across News Corp's mastheads on 14 and 15 February and repeated endlessly on Sky News.
In a detailed response Kim Williams called Drill’s contentions 'inaccurate, unbalanced and agenda-driven'. He rubbished claims that the ABC 'fails to reach 10.6 million Australians' – in fact, the ABC reaches around 80 per cent of Australians across its broadcast and publishing arms.
To back up Kim Williams, ABC Alumni director Dr Michael Ward, an acknowledged expert on ABC funding, provided more detail along with some interesting comparisons between the ABC and News Corp Australia.
We’ve reproduced two of Ward’s responses below. Read his full piece on the ABC Alumni website.
Claim 1: 40% of Australians never use the ABC
All national and local commercial and public service media are losing audience to global streamers and digital platforms such as YouTube. But, despite this shift, the ABC directly connects with 62% of adult Australians each week and around 75% each month.
The Tele conveniently omitted any reference to the ABC’s growing audience on third party platforms such as YouTube, Apple News, Instagram and TikTok, or to the fact that the ABC was the number two news media website used by Australians in December 2024 with 11.7 million monthly users. (The ABC and news.com.au fight it out for number one each month with the ABC in the top spot in November 2024).
All up, the ABC’s audience across all platforms is around 80% of Australians.
It’s not easy to compare the ABC’s audience numbers with those of outlets such as Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, as there is no regular independent data published on their performance. By contrast, the ABC publishes a detailed annual report and regular updates on its website. But as parent company News Corp’s US reporting shows, the Daily Telegraph’s monthly audience has dropped by 600,000 or 13 % over the past two years. Not something to boast about.
VERDICT: Deliberately misleading
Claim 2: A Netflix subscription is lower than the cost of the ABC
The Daily Telegraph compares its estimate of the ABC’s annual cost per Australian household of $104 with a Netflix subscription of $7.99 per month ($96 per year). What the Tele leaves out is that the Netflix figure is for a base subscription that includes advertising.
If, as with the ABC, you want ad-free viewing on Netflix you’ll pay at least $18.99 per month. That’s $228 a year for subscription video on demand versus $104 for the ABC.
And to get a digital subscription to one of the Murdoch tabloids (just one newspaper) costs a minimum of $5 per week or $260 per year.
The ABC costs each Australian just 12 cents a day for a package that includes:
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Australia’s largest AM radio network delivering emergency news and information
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Australia’s most comprehensive news and current affairs from regional bureaux, state and territory capitals and 12 international bureaux
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four national radio networks; 58 regional and 8 capital city radio networks
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digital audio networks – including Sport, Jazz, Classic, Country & Kids
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multiple stand-alone podcasts, accessible at any time through the ABC Listen app
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four broadcast television services
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Peopleall video content available on demand through the ABC iView app
That 12 cents a day also contributes to the ABC's position as Australia’s number one investor in Australian drama, and children’s and pre-school programs. The ABC is the only Australian broadcaster that invests in Australian children’s drama.
The ABC is great value for money.
VERDICT: False
So what is News Corp’s real agenda?
It looks very much like the start of another campaign to undermine the ABC in the lead-up to the federal election. Indeed, Drill says as much when he says that the broadcaster’s future will be an “election battleground.”
With its repeated references to waste, the Tele wants to lay the groundwork for an all-out assault against the ABC’s funding and the government’s commitment to legislate 5 year funding. A Courier Post Facebook ad seeks to drum up public opposition to the ABC – ironically, if you want to "have your say" the link goes to the Courier Mail’s subscription page.
Expect more lies, selective use of statistics and obfuscation in the months ahead.
As Michael Ward says:
“The Murdoch family has been attacking the ABC since the 1930s. Ask yourself this: which Australian company would profit most from the abolition of the ABC? Could it be News Corp Australia?”
Support our campaign for a fearless independent ABC
Cassandra Parkinson
National President