History Creator / AmericanBroadcastingCompany

''Series/{{Castle}}''

* ''[[{{Series/HopeAndFaith}} Hope & Faith]]''

* ''Series/{{Scandal}}''

ABC's run at the top stretched into [[TheEighties the 1980s]], but began to slip midway through the decade. The once-moribund Creator/{{NBC}} was experiencing its resurgence under Brandon Tartikoff, and hit shows like ''Series/ThreesCompany'' and ''LaverneAndShirley'' were coming to an end. While ABC was still producing hit shows like ''{{Dynasty}}'', ''{{Moonlighting}}'', ''TheWonderYears'', ''GrowingPains'' and ''MacGyver'', it was also producing bombs like ''Dolly'' and the LucilleBall {{sitcom}} ''Life With Lucy''. The network wound up being bought out by a media company only a tenth its size, Capital Cities Communications, in 1985. After this, the network became more financially conservative (as its new owner had been known for prior to the purchase), tightening its purse strings and slowing investment in new series.

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In [[TheFifties the 1950s]], ABC was the traditional third-runner in the American {{ratings}}, usually finishing a distant last to the other, "older" networks. Starting in [[TheSixties the 1960s]], however, ABC began to make up for this by targeting younger audiences with shows like ''AmericanBandstand'', ''TheModSquad'', ''Series/{{Batman}}'' and ''Room 222'', as well as traditional DomCom fare like ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' and ''TheBradyBunch''. Then, in [[TheSeventies the 1970s]], it hired Fred Silverman away from Creator/{{CBS}}. With Silverman's invention of the JiggleShow (with ''CharliesAngels'' and ''Series/ThreesCompany''), loading the schedule with [[SitCom sitcoms]] (''HappyDays'' and others), and the broadcast of several significant MiniSeries (''{{Roots}}, Rich Man Poor Man'') and sports events (''MondayNightFootball'', ''WideWorldOfSports'', the OlympicGames), ABC saw both its ratings position and its revenue skyrocket. By the end of the decade, it had become a dependable frontrunner and completely lost its "also-ran" cachet. Among the things that helped this was the signing of several of NBC's affiliates in mid-sized markets, as their existing affiliates in those markets were, like their network, not strong performers (and several were on the less-desirable UHF band).

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In [[TheNineties the 1990s]] and [[TurnOfTheMillennium early 2000s]], the network's only success story was its spectacular subversion of the FridayNightDeathSlot, the ''TGIF'' comedy block on Fridays, which featured such shows as ''FullHouse'', ''FamilyMatters'' and ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld''. Hits on other nights, such as ''ThePractice'' and ''Series/{{Alias}}'', were few and far between, and attempts to launch a hit RealityShow (like Creator/{{CBS}}' ''{{Survivor}}'' and {{Fox}}'s ''AmericanIdol'') proved to be embarrassments. It briefly enjoyed massive success with the hit GameShow ''WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'', until they started marketing the show to death by airing it ''four nights a week'', turning it from a megahit into [[DeaderThanDisco a punchline]] almost overnight. Also during the 1990s, Capital Cities was bought by The WaltDisney Company, the network's current owner, who during the first few years of their ownership played this up significantly, but this has since cooled down.

In [[TheFifties the 1950s]], ABC was the traditional third-runner in the American {{ratings}}, usually finishing a distant last to the other, "older" networks. Starting in [[TheSixties the '60s]], however, ABC began to make up for this by targeting younger audiences with shows like ''AmericanBandstand'', ''TheModSquad'', ''Series/{{Batman}}'' and ''Room 222'', as well as traditional DomCom fare like ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' and ''TheBradyBunch''. Then, in [[TheSeventies the '70s]], it hired Fred Silverman away from Creator/{{CBS}}. With Silverman's invention of the JiggleShow (with ''CharliesAngels'' and ''Series/ThreesCompany''), loading the schedule with [[SitCom sitcoms]] (''HappyDays'' and others), and the broadcast of several significant MiniSeries (''{{Roots}}, Rich Man Poor Man'') and sports events (''MondayNightFootball'', ''WideWorldOfSports'', the OlympicGames), ABC saw both its ratings position and its revenue skyrocket. By the end of the decade, it had become a dependable frontrunner and completely lost its "also-ran" cachet. Among the things that helped this was the signing of several of NBC's affiliates in mid-sized markets, as their existing affiliates in those markets were, like their network, not strong performers (and several were on the less-desirable UHF band).

In [[TheNineties the 1990s]] and [[TurnOfTheMillennium early 2000s]], the network's only success story was its spectacular subversion of the FridayNightDeathSlot, the ''TGIF'' comedy block on Fridays, which featured such shows as ''FullHouse'', ''FamilyMatters'' and ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld''. Hits on other nights, such as ''ThePractice'' and ''Series/{{Alias}}'', were few and far between, and attempts to launch a hit RealityShow (like Creator/{{CBS}}' ''{{Survivor}}'' and {{Fox}}'s ''AmericanIdol'') proved to be embarrassments. It briefly enjoyed massive success with the hit GameShow ''WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'', until they started marketing the show to death by airing it ''four nights a week'', turning it from a megahit into [[DeaderThanDisco a punchline]] almost overnight. Also during the '90s, Capital Cities was bought by The WaltDisney Company, the network's current owner, who during the first few years of their ownership played this up significantly, but this has since cooled down.

In [[TheFifties the '50s]], ABC was the traditional third-runner in the American {{ratings}}, usually finishing a distant last to the other, "older" networks. Starting in [[TheSixties the '60s]], however, ABC began to make up for this by targeting younger audiences with shows like ''AmericanBandstand'', ''TheModSquad'', ''Series/{{Batman}}'' and ''Room 222'', as well as traditional DomCom fare like ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' and ''TheBradyBunch''. Then, in [[TheSeventies the '70s]], it hired Fred Silverman away from Creator/{{CBS}}. With Silverman's invention of the JiggleShow (with ''CharliesAngels'' and ''Series/ThreesCompany''), loading the schedule with [[SitCom sitcoms]] (''HappyDays'' and others), and the broadcast of several significant MiniSeries (''{{Roots}}, Rich Man Poor Man'') and sports events (''MondayNightFootball'', ''WideWorldOfSports'', the OlympicGames), ABC saw both its ratings position and its revenue skyrocket. By the end of the decade, it had become a dependable frontrunner and completely lost its "also-ran" cachet. Among the things that helped this was the signing of several of NBC's affiliates in mid-sized markets, as their existing affiliates in those markets were, like their network, not strong performers (and several were on the less-desirable UHF band).

ABC's run at the top stretched into [[TheEighties the '80s]], but began to slip midway through the decade. The once-moribund Creator/{{NBC}} was experiencing its resurgence under Brandon Tartikoff, and hit shows like ''Series/ThreesCompany'' and ''LaverneAndShirley'' were coming to an end. While ABC was still producing hit shows like ''{{Dynasty}}'', ''{{Moonlighting}}'', ''TheWonderYears'', ''GrowingPains'' and ''MacGyver'', it was also producing bombs like ''Dolly'' and the LucilleBall {{sitcom}} ''Life With Lucy''. The network wound up being bought out by a media company only a tenth its size, Capital Cities Communications, in 1985. After this, the network became more financially conservative (as its new owner had been known for prior to the purchase), tightening its purse strings and slowing investment in new series.

In [[TheNineties the '90s]] and [[TurnOfTheMillennium early 2000s]], the network's only success story was its spectacular subversion of the FridayNightDeathSlot, the ''TGIF'' comedy block on Fridays, which featured such shows as ''FullHouse'', ''FamilyMatters'' and ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld''. Hits on other nights, such as ''ThePractice'' and ''Series/{{Alias}}'', were few and far between, and attempts to launch a hit RealityShow (like Creator/{{CBS}}' ''{{Survivor}}'' and {{Fox}}'s ''AmericanIdol'') proved to be embarrassments. It briefly enjoyed massive success with the hit GameShow ''WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'', until they started marketing the show to death by airing it ''four nights a week'', turning it from a megahit into [[DeaderThanDisco a punchline]] almost overnight. Also during the '90s, Capital Cities was bought by The WaltDisney Company, the network's current owner, who during the first few years of their ownership played this up significantly, but this has since cooled down.

Midway through the decade, however, ABC finally regained its footing. It finally found its {{reality TV}} hit in 2003 with ''ExtremeMakeoverHomeEdition'', and followed that up the following year with three scripted series that quickly turned into megahits: ''Series/{{Lost}}'', ''Series/DesperateHousewives'', and ''Series/GreysAnatomy''. Other shows, like ''UglyBetty'' and ''DancingWithTheStars'', also helped to boost ABC's cachet in the new decade. While still behind Creator/{{CBS}} and {{Fox}}, it sits comfortably in third place ahead of a seemingly dead-in-the-water Creator/{{NBC}}. The network also carries a second network on their [[AmericanTelevisionStations owned and operated stations]] as a digital subchannel called "Live Well (HD) Network", a lifestyle network which airs programming pertaining to health, home improvement and food. A deal was recently signed to expand it to some stations owned by Belo, such as WFAA in Dallas-Fort Worth and [[Creator/{{CBS}} KMOV]] in St. Louis, which won't all carry it in HD, causing "HD" to be dropped from the name, and the website to be redesigned to not look like the ABC O&Os' sites.

ABC's run at the top stretched into [[TheEighties the '80s]], but began to slip midway through the decade. The once-moribund {{NBC}} was experiencing its resurgence under Brandon Tartikoff, and hit shows like ''Series/ThreesCompany'' and ''LaverneAndShirley'' were coming to an end. While ABC was still producing hit shows like ''{{Dynasty}}'', ''{{Moonlighting}}'', ''TheWonderYears'', ''GrowingPains'' and ''{{MacGyver}}'', it was also producing bombs like ''Dolly'' and the LucilleBall {{sitcom}} ''Life With Lucy''. The network wound up being bought out by a media company only a tenth its size, Capital Cities Communications, in 1985. After this, the network became more financially conservative (as its new owner had been known for prior to the purchase), tightening its purse strings and slowing investment in new series.

In [[TheNineties the '90s]] and [[TurnOfTheMillennium early 2000s]], the network's only success story was its spectacular subversion of the FridayNightDeathSlot, the ''TGIF'' comedy block on Fridays, which featured such shows as ''FullHouse'', ''FamilyMatters'' and ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld''. Hits on other nights, such as ''ThePractice'' and ''Series/{{Alias}}'', were few and far between, and attempts to launch a hit {{reality show}} (like {{CBS}}' ''{{Survivor}}'' and {{Fox}}'s ''AmericanIdol'') proved to be embarrassments. It briefly enjoyed massive success with the hit {{game show}} ''WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'', until they started marketing the show to death by airing it ''four nights a week'', turning it from a megahit into [[DeaderThanDisco a punchline]] almost overnight. Also during the '90s, Capital Cities was bought by The WaltDisney Company, the network's current owner, who during the first few years of their ownership played this up significantly, but this has since cooled down.

Midway through the decade, however, ABC finally regained its footing. It finally found its {{reality TV}} hit in 2003 with ''[[ExtremeMakeoverHomeEdition Extreme Makeover: Home Edition]]'', and followed that up the following year with three scripted series that quickly turned into megahits: ''Series/{{Lost}}'', ''Series/DesperateHousewives'', and ''Series/GreysAnatomy''. Other shows, like ''UglyBetty'' and ''DancingWithTheStars'', also helped to boost ABC's cachet in the new decade. While still behind {{CBS}} and {{Fox}}, it sits comfortably in third place ahead of a seemingly dead-in-the-water {{NBC}}. The network also carries a second network on their [[AmericanTelevisionStations owned and operated stations]] as a digital subchannel called "Live Well (HD) Network", a lifestyle network which airs programming pertaining to health, home improvement and food. A deal was recently signed to expand it to some stations owned by Belo, such as WFAA in Dallas-Fort Worth and [[{{CBS}} KMOV]] in St. Louis, which won't all carry it in HD, causing "HD" to be dropped from the name, and the website to be redesigned to not look like the ABC O&Os' sites.

Not to be confused with the [[TheABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] or with the Japanese network Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (TVAsahi's Osaka affiliate), which both have the same abbreviations.

In [[TheFifties the '50s]], ABC was the traditional third-runner in the American {{ratings}}, usually finishing a distant last to the other, "older" networks. Starting in [[TheSixties the '60s]], however, ABC began to make up for this by targeting younger audiences with shows like ''AmericanBandstand'', ''TheModSquad'', ''Series/{{Batman}}'' and ''Room 222'', as well as traditional DomCom fare like ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' and ''TheBradyBunch''. Then, in [[TheSeventies the '70s]], it hired Fred Silverman away from {{CBS}}. With Silverman's invention of the JiggleShow (with ''CharliesAngels'' and ''Series/ThreesCompany''), loading the schedule with [[SitCom sitcoms]] (''HappyDays'' and others), and the broadcast of several significant MiniSeries (''{{Roots}}, Rich Man Poor Man'') and sports events (''MondayNightFootball'', ''WideWorldOfSports'', the OlympicGames), ABC saw both its ratings position and its revenue skyrocket. By the end of the decade, it had become a dependable frontrunner and completely lost its "also-ran" cachet. Among the things that helped this was the signing of several of NBC's affiliates in mid-sized markets, as their existing affiliates in those markets were, like their network, not strong performers (and several were on the less-desirable UHF band).

Midway through the decade, however, ABC finally regained its footing. It finally found its {{reality TV}} hit in 2003 with ''[[ExtremeMakeoverHomeEdition Extreme Makeover: Home Edition]]'', and followed that up the following year with three scripted series that quickly turned into megahits: ''Series/{{Lost}}'', ''DesperateHousewives'', and ''GreysAnatomy''. Other shows, like ''UglyBetty'' and ''DancingWithTheStars'', also helped to boost ABC's cachet in the new decade. While still behind {{CBS}} and {{Fox}}, it sits comfortably in third place ahead of a seemingly dead-in-the-water {{NBC}}. The network also carries a second network on their [[AmericanTelevisionStations owned and operated stations]] as a digital subchannel called "Live Well (HD) Network", a lifestyle network which airs programming pertaining to health, home improvement and food. A deal was recently signed to expand it to some stations owned by Belo, such as WFAA in Dallas-Fort Worth and [[{{CBS}} KMOV]] in St. Louis, which won't all carry it in HD, causing "HD" to be dropped from the name, and the website to be redesigned to not look like the ABC O&Os' sites.

The American Broadcasting Company, owned by the [[{{Disney}} Walt Disney Company]] since 1996, was spawned from {{NBC}} in 1943, where it originated as the "NBC Blue" radio network as the result of an antitrust ruling. It changed its name to ABC the following year, and launched its television network in 1948.