Pay TV gets genuine competition as a whole channel for kids hits the airwaves.
From 6pm Friday, December 4th, Australia has another new TV channel: ABC3.
The ad-free kid's channel offers a pile of new shows aimed at six to 15-year olds. Its core demographic is eight to 12-year olds.
It will broadcast daily from 6am-9pm, and at this stage it is off air at other times.
The channel will kick off with a live launch at 5pm Friday, December 4 on ABC1 where Short Stack, Cassie Davis and stars from the channel will appear.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will "flick the switch" to launch the channel at the conclusion, marking a historic day in Australian television.
There is plenty on offer for kids across a wide variety of genres: animation, drama, comedy, reality, news, documentary, music, game shows, wildlife, adventure and more.
On the premiere night you can catch Prank Patrol at 6pm, where host Scotty Tweedie and two Ninjas will meet a new prankster who is on a mission to prank a friend, sibling, parent or teacher. It's followed by animation series CJ the DJ and a kid's own version of the News.
Top Gear fans may like to check out Richard Hammond's Blast Lab a science game show set in Hammond's secret laboratory. His old science teacher is on hand to help with stunts and experiments as two teams compete with each other to win fantastic prizes.
But the pick of the night has to be the locally-produced Australian drama, My Place, based on the book by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins.
It's been a long time since Australia has produced such a major children's drama of this calibre. The series is set around a giant elm tree and each episode depicts children who have lived nearby across different generations.
The first episode even includes a scene in which the "Sorry Apology" is depicted through the eyes of a child. The cast across the series will include Susie Porter, Dan Wyllie, Sacha Horler, Russell Dykstra, Leah Purcell and Dan Spielman.
In 2009 or 2010 ABC3 will also feature titles including Dance Academy, Dead Gorgeous, Escape from Scorpion Island, The Jungle Book, Michaela's Wildlife Challenge, How to Be Indie, Trapped, Connor Undercover and even classic reruns of Heartbreak High.
Pre-school kids will also be catered for by ABC for Kids on ABC2 from 9am-6pm.
To view ABC3 and ABC2 you will need either a digital television or digital set-top box.
