Appendices

Glossary
3G—”third generation” mobile telephone services that
are able to carry internet content.
app or application—short for “application software”,
particularly in the context of mobile devices. An app is
a computer program designed to perform a particular
task or function, and may be custom-built to meet a
specific need.
audio-on-demand—the provision of audio files (e.g.
radio programs or pieces of music) over the internet
so that they begin playing shortly after the user
requests them. Generally, the files do not remain on
the user’s computer after they have been played.
broadband—fast internet service that allows rapid
access to large audio and video files.
catch-up—media content which is made available
on an on-demand basis (for example, through
podcasts or online streaming) following the scheduled
broadcast of the content on traditional platforms.
Charter—the fundamental operating responsibilities
of the ABC, as set out in Section 6 of the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983.
convergence—major communications platforms
coming together so that their once separate functions
overlap. For example, video content that used to be
available only on television can now be viewed easily
over the internet.
co-production—a program produced through
an agreement between the ABC and an outside
producer, and potentially others, to jointly contribute
money, facilities and/or staff.
cross-media/cross-platform—content produced
for and delivered on more than one media platform.
256 GLOSSARY
digital radio—the transmission of a broadcast radio
signal in digital form, allowing more channels and
additional data to be carried in the same amount of
spectrum as analog radio.
digital television—the transmission of a broadcast
television signal in digital form. This allows more
channels or higher-definition channels to be carried
in the same amount of spectrum as analog television
services, as well as interactive content.
download—the transfer of data, including audio and
video files, across the internet to the user’s computer
for later use. Unlike streamed files, downloaded files
reside on the recipient’s computer.
first release—the first time a program has been
broadcast in Australia.
five-city reach—the combined audience reach
of a television service in the five cities of Adelaide,
Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
interstitial—content that is not a television
program and is put to air between programs.
Interstitials include station identification, program
promotions, cross-promotions for radio or new media
programming, ABC Commercial merchandising and
community service announcements.
platform—a medium or technology for content
distribution. The ABC’s primary platforms are radio,
television and the internet. It also uses mobile
telephone-based platforms, such as SMS and WAP.
podcasting—the provision of downloadable audio
files so that the user is able to “subscribe” to a
program and have their computer automatically
retrieve new files as they become available. The files
are then able to be transferred to a portable music
player.
portal—an online or mobile website which
aggregates content into a single destination.
reach—the total number of people who have viewed,
listened or visited a service over a given time frame.