ABC iview Review: Watch all your favourite ABC content on your own schedule

Founded way back in 1929, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has plenty of experience in providing Aussies with high-quality, locally produced content across a variety of media, from radio stations to TV channels to podcasts and online video. However, television has always been the ABC's forte. To ensure this remains the case in this age of online streaming, in 2008 the government-owned broadcaster established its own streaming service, ABC iview.

ABC iview combines live streaming of ABC, ABC TV Plus, ABC Me, ABC Kids and ABC News with a catch-up TV service for watching current programs at your leisure. With support for a wide range of modern devices, no commercials to interrupt your viewing, a wide library and no need to pay a cent, ABC iview is the easiest way to get your ABC fix whenever and wherever you want.

What can I watch on ABC  iview?

All ABC TV channels are available for live streaming through iview, either through the iview website or the iview app. This means you can watch everything from the latest episodes of Doctor Who to breaking ABC News reports online at the same time as they air on TV.

If you miss your favourite show though, don't fret. ABC iview keeps the most recent episodes of most of its shows online for at least 30 days after they air, so they're there for you to watch at your leisure. While most episodes will make it online within an hour of their original broadcast, certain sports and special events may not be available until 7am the next day. In some cases, licensing restrictions may prevent a show from appearing on iview altogether.

In better news, some programs stay on ABC iview for months with all episodes, so you can plan your binge-watch sessions accordingly. If you browse the iview library, you'll notice that titles come with various availability dates.

It's also worth noting that ABC iview is accessible only within Australia. If you go overseas, iview will block you from watching both live streams and on-demand content.

Do I need an account to watch content on ABC iview?

While you didn't used to need to sign up for an account to stream content with ABC iview, that's no longer the case. Since April 2022, you have to create an ABC account in order to watch shows and movies online on the platform.

The good news? The service is still completely free. All you need to do is sign up and start watching.

How do I sign up for ABC iview?

When you access the ABC iview website you should see a pop-up that urges you to create an account. If the pop-up doesn't appear, you can click on Log In in the top right corner and select the Don't have an account? Sign Up button from the next screen. Or, go directly to abc.net.au/signup.

Then, follow the on-screen prompts to complete the sign-up process: enter your email and a (strong) password; then your name, location, gender and year of birth in the next screen. Don't forget to click the box that you accept ABC's privacy policy, privacy collection statement and terms of use (preferably after reading them).

Finally, access your inbox and click on the link from ABC to verify your email address. You can now start watching.

Alternatively, you can sign up to ABC with your Apple, Google or Facebook account.

Having an ABC account enables you to use the Continue Watching feature to pick up from where you last left off on all devices, add titles you're interested in to a watchlist, access your viewing history and receive personalised recommendations. Additionally, you can create multiple profiles in case you share your account with other people from your household.

What are links to "Buy"? 

When browsing the ABC iview library through the iview website or mobile app, you may notice a "Buy" link alongside certain programs. These links appear when a program is available to buy for digital download on iTunes or Google Play. "Buy" links are optional and are there to provide a quick way to purchase a permanent copy of a title you really like.

Which devices are compatible with  ABC iview? 

ABC iview provides no shortage of options on compatible devices. However, while on-demand streaming is supported across all devices, live streaming is limited to the iview website, mobile devices, smart TVs, Apple TV, Telstra TV and Foxtel devices.

To stream from the iview website, you'll need a Windows PC or Mac and the latest version of your browser of choice (Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari).

For watching iview content while you're on the go, the iOS iview app requires an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch device running iOS 12.0 or later. The Android iview app works on any phone or tablet running Android 7.0 or later.

You can also watch iview content on your TV and again you have a number of options. Any FreeView Plus-certified device will have an iview app available for download. You can also watch on compatible smart TVs from Hisense, LG, Samsung and Panasonic. ABC iview is also compatible with Android TV devices, including Amazon Fire Stick, Google TV, Vodafone TV, Foxtel Now, NVIDIA Shield and Sony TVs.

Alternatively, if you own a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One gaming console, each has its own version of the iview app available for download in its app marketplace. Similarly, Fetch TV, Telstra TV, Foxtel iQ boxes and fourth-generation Apple TV devices all support iview.

The iview mobile app can be streamed to your TV through Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay devices as well.

How much data does ABC iview use?

When you stream video through ABC iview, the amount of data it's going to use depends on both the length of the show you're watching and the quality you're viewing it in. iview uses adaptive streaming technology and adjusts your video quality based on the speed of your Internet connection. ABC recommends a minimum Internet speed of 1.5Mbps for best results and provides the following guide for how much data iview uses:

• A 60-minute program will consume up to 800MB of data in SD and up to 2GB in HD
• A 30-minute program will consume up to 400MB of data in SD and up to 1GB in HD
• A 10-minute program will consume up to 120MB of data in SD and up to 200MB in HD
• A 5-minute program will consume up to 35MB of data in SD and up to 100MB in HD

These figures apply to live streaming as well. If you're lucky, your Internet provider might offer unmetered iview streaming, which means anything you watch on iview won't count against your monthly data limit.

You should keep these numbers in mind if you plan to stream ABC iview content while using mobile data to avoid burning through your data allowance. You can't download content from iview to watch offline. However, Telstra mobile customers are unmetered for all ABC streaming.

ABC iview FAQs

• • 
    Do I need to create an account to watch content?

    Yes, you need an ABC account in order to stream content on the platform.

  • 
    How can I continue watching a video from halfway through?

    If you are logged in to your ABC account, ABC iview will know how far through a program you are. If you leave before finishing the program, the next time you return to ABC iview, you can seamlessly continue watching from where you left off.

  • 
    What is the video quality of ABC iview?

    While most programs on ABC iview are available in 1024x576p resolution, selected titles come with 1280x720p resolution.

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