Why did the ABC pull the Bluey ‘Hammerbarn’ episode from iview?

An iconic* episode of Bluey has vanished from the ABC iview after a range of Bluey merchandise went on sale at Bunnings.

Families have expressed dismay after the much-loved Hammerbarn episode from season 2 was pulled because of a commercial partnership* the show has with the warehouse giant.

Bunnings spokeswoman Melissa O’Neill said the company was disappointed the ABC had chosen to remove the episode, in which the Heeler family visit their local hardware store.

“It’s sad to think that they can’t enjoy the episode,” she said.

“And particularly given Bluey fans can buy merchandise from a range of retailers and sites both in Australia and overseas.”

The Bunnings campaign first started last year, with the chain selling Bluey gnomes in honour of those that feature in the episode.

Bunnings then renamed six of its warehouse stores Hammerbarn earlier this year.

A new range of merchandise went on sale on Wednesday, along with Bluey-themed workshops and in-store scavenger hunts.

WHY DID THE ABC REMOVE THE EPISODE?
Basically, it’s all about the dollarbucks.

As a public broadcaster*, the ABC isn’t allowed to advertise another brand or company. Commercial networks*, on the other hand, earn money by selling advertising space to companies and brands who want to market their products. This is what annoying ad breaks are for.

Because of the commercial deal struck by Bunnings warehouse and Bluey, the ABC has chosen to remove the Hammerbarn episode.

Concerned viewers who contacted the ABC Help centre were told the broadcaster* was not involved in the deal between the hardware store and BBC Studios, which holds the merchandising rights* for the series.

“This campaign is a BBC Studios and Bunnings partnership. As the ABC cannot align* with a commercial brand or partnership, the Bluey episode ‘Hammerbarn’ will temporarily be unavailable on ABC iview while the Bunnings Hammerbarn campaign is live,” an ABC representative said.

“However ‘Hammerbarn’ will return to ABC iview at a later date.’’

DOES THE BBC OWN BLUEY?
Well, not exactly. Brisbane animators Ludo Studios own and make Bluey and while it was originally run by the ABC in 2017, Ludo went on to sign a complete production deal with both the ABC and British broadcasters the BBC. The ABC had broadcast rights* in Australia while the BBC had broadcast rights for the rest of the world. As part of this deal, the BBC also secured the merchandising rights. They have been the ones signing deals with toymakers, clothing brands, book publishers and of course Bunnings. They have been making huge dollarbucks in the process while the ABC has made nothing.

The Herald Sun revealed in February that ABC missed out on a $1 billion payday after allowing the BBC to take on the merchandising rights for the series.

The show’s raging success has also led to other major commercial deals, with Bluey featured in a set of “Dollarbuck” $1 coins released by the Royal Australian Mint last year.

Another Bluey episode, Bus, features a pretend crash into a custard factory – it led to a deal where Brisbane-based Pauls Dairy sells Bluey kids custard.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR BLUEY?
Kate McMahon, co-host of popular Bluey podcast Gotta Be Done, said: “Hammerbarn is one of the most iconic Bluey episodes and so to have it removed from the platform is a shame.’’

Ms McMahon said Bluey had many other partnerships so it was “curious that they have chosen this one’’.

“Will ABC review all episodes now given Bluey has so many commercial partnerships?”

An ABC spokeswoman defended the decision, saying: “As the public broadcaster, the ABC cannot align with a commercial brand or partnership. The Bluey episode Hammerbarn will return to ABC iview at a later date.”

“All other episodes of Bluey seasons 1-3 remain on ABC iview for Bluey fans to enjoy,” she added.

Users on the Reddit online forum also questioned the vanishing Hammerbarn episode.

“You can’t be serious? My three-year-old is going to throw a fit,’’ one said.

“For what it’s worth, Bunnings loves the episode,’’ another said.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• iconic: symbolic of a culture or time
• commercial partnership: a formal agreement between two businesses with the aim of making money
• public broadcaster: a TV channel funded by public money (usually provided by the government) rather than being funded by advertising money
• commercial networks: TV channels that sell advertising space in order to make money and deliver programming
• broadcaster: TV channel
• merchandising rights: the legal rights to make, use, sell and license the image of a brand or character or authorise another party to do so
• align: be a part of, support or help to promote
• broadcast rights: the right to show content, like a TV show, on a channel or streaming service

EXTRA READING
One billion dollar Bluey bungle
Bluey becomes top dog of US TV
Real life Bluey dollarbucks for sale

QUICK QUIZ
1. Why has the Hammerbarn episode of Bluey been pulled from ABC iview?
2. What does the BBC have to do with Bluey?
3. What are some of the commercial deals the BBC has signed thanks to the success of Bluey?
4. How much money has the ABC missed out on by not having merchandising rights?
5. When will the Hammerbarn episode return to ABC iview?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Which brand next?
The Hammerbarn episode of Bluey contained many clues that made it obvious to Australian viewers that the store was based on Bunnings Warehouse. This included giving the building a similar exterior and logo, the famous sausage sizzle and the wall of paint colours. Even the price tags looked familiar!

Think of a well-known place or brand that you would love to see featured in a future Bluey episode. Brainstorm a range of ways that you could incorporate your place or brand into the show in a way that will make the link obvious to viewers, but without directly naming your inspiration.

Then, draw a still frame from your proposed episode that includes some of the ideas you brainstormed.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

2. Extension
Write a short script for one scene of your proposed Bluey episode. Make sure it includes references to your thinly disguised place or brand.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

VCOP ACTIVITY
Summarise the article
A summary can be a really good way to grab the main idea plus some key points in the article as a highlight. Think of the summary like a little advertisement or extract you could use to encourage people to read the article in detail. You want to give them an overview of the article that includes the main idea (being able to tell the audience what the article is about in one sentence), plus a few of the key points of the information.

Remember to re-read your summary to check that it is clear, concise and makes sense to the audience who haven’t read the article yet. You need to make language choices that allow you to explain the information in only a few sentences.