 Logo 1964–1968 | |
 The two ABC regions when it lost its franchises in 1968 | |
| Type | Region of television network |
|---|---|
| Branding | ABC |
| Country | United Kingdom |
First air date |
|
| TV transmitters |
|
| Headquarters | |
Broadcast area | North |
| Owner | Associated British Picture Corporation |
| Dissolved | 28 July 1968 |
Former names | Associated British Cinemas (Television) Limited |
Picture format | 405-line black and white |
| Affiliation(s) | ITV |
| Language | English |
| Replaced by |
|
ABC Weekend TV was the popular name of the British broadcaster ABC Television Limited, which provided the weekend service in the Midlands and Northern England regions of the Independent Television (ITV) network from 1956 to 1968. It was one of the "Big Four" companies that between them produced the majority of ITV networked programmes during this period.
Originally created as Associated British Cinemas (Television) Ltd, ABC was one of a number of commercial television companies established during the 1950s by cinema chain companies, in an attempt to safeguard their business by becoming involved with television, which was taking away their cinema audiences. In this case, the parent company was the Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC) — owner of ABC Cinemas — which initially did not wish to become involved with the new broadcasting system, but was persuaded to do so by the Independent Television Authority (ITA) and the manager of its Pathé News subsidiary Howard Thomas, who became the new company's managing director.
ABC operated two franchises, one in the Midlands, which was the fourth ITA franchise to go on air, in 1956, and the other in the North of England, which was the sixth franchise to go on air, later the same year. It lost both its franchises in 1968, but merged with another franchisee to form Thames Television, which held the London weekday franchise for 24 years.
From 1967, ABC's sister company, ABC Television Films, used the name Associated British Corporation on its exports to the US, such as the last two series of The Avengers.