It’s a Hit: ABC’s ‘Countdown 50’ Special

The Countdown 50 special did the ABC a favour on Saturday, November 16th, by posting the night’s fourth-best average audience.

The 50th anniversary celebration raked in a total national TV reach of 1.401 million, behind Channel Nine’s well-timed repeat of Gladiator (1.648 million) and 9News spot (1.509 million), and Seven News, respectively, according to overnight data reported by OzTam, the TV audience measurement specialist.

An average of 727,000 tuned in nationally to watch Countdown 50 Years On, which premiered at 7.30pm Saturday November 16th on ABC TV and ABC iview.

Countdown first hit our screens from 6:30pm on Friday November 8th, 1974, before settling into a Sunday evening slot.

For 13 years, it was something of a weekly religious experience for Australian music fans, as host Ian “Molly” Meldrum welcomed the biggest names in contemporary music to the Countdown stage for interviews, performances and more.

A dedicated ABC team trawled through over 500 hours of original footage from the original run for the Countdown 50 special, executive producer Cathie Scott tells The Music Network.

Hosted by Myf Warhust and Tony Armstrong, Countdown: 50 Years On tapped ARIA Hall of Famer Daryl Braithwaite, and regular Countdowners Joe Camilleri, Kate Ceberano, GANGgajang, Marcia Hines, Grace Knight, Russell Morris, Leo Sayer and Ross Wilson, along with Electric Fields, Kate Miller-Heidke, Nooky, Regurgitator and Katy Steele, who performed reimagined hits from back in the day.

“Many contemporary artists credit ‘Countdown’ as a huge influence and contributing factor to the trajectory of the Australian music industry,” says Scott. “It paved the way for the future success of artists who are still part of the industry today and put Australia on the map with many of the big internationals act of the era.”

Countdown 50 Years On is an ABC Production, premiering at 7.30pm on Saturday, November 16th on ABC TV and ABC iview. Executive Producer Cathie Scott, Supervising Producer Jess Skinner. Musical Director Dorian West. Music Producer Louise Perryman. Producers Richard Martin and Tony Norton. Head of Arts, Music and Events, Kath Earle.