Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Australia Council for the Arts are partnering to provide Australian arts content over the former’s digital delivery platforms to local audiences. The partners will develop initiatives across various arts genres and practice in a range of formats including live performance, to be available on ABC1, ABC2, ABC online, Second Life, internet channels, mobile and vodcasts. James Strong, chairman, Australia Council for the Arts said: “Each year the Australia Council invests more than A$150million in the creation of high quality works by Australian artists and arts organisations, and we are continually looking for ways to access new and bigger audiences for this work. This partnership with ABC TV will help us grow and diversify our support for Australian artists and give more Australians the opportunity to experience and enjoy Australia’s arts in new and more accessible ways… It will also lead to artists and arts organisations exploring issues around rights’ management and business models in the digital era.” The first project in the partnership was ABC’s April 9, 2008 live broadcast of Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake, performed by The Australian Ballet at Sydney Opera House which aired on ABC2, at Australian Film Commission digital cinemas nationwide, and Federation Square in Melbourne. The next initiative will see the partners work with the National Portrait Gallery on ‘My Favourite Australian’, to produce film and video art portraits of popular Australian figures. Musical, performance and digital art initiatives are in the pipline.