Editing ABC Weekend TV (section)

{{Short description|Former ITV service for Midlands & North England}}
{{For|the American anthology for children|ABC Weekend Special}}
{{Redirect|ABC Television Limited|other uses|ABC Television (disambiguation){{!}}ABC Television}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox broadcasting network
| name                 = ABC Weekend Television<br />ABC Television Limited
| logo                 = Associated British Corporation logo.svg
| logo_size            = 150px
| logo caption         = Logo 1964–1968
| image                = ABC Weekend TV until 1968 coverage map.svg
| image_size           = 150px
| image_alt            = 
| caption              = The two ABC regions when it lost its franchises in 1968
| type                 = Region of [[television network]]
| branding             = ABC
| country              = United Kingdom 
| airdate              = {{Plainlist|
* {{Start date and age|1956|2|18|df=yes}} in the Midlands
* 5 May 1956 in the North
}}
| available            = 
| founded              = 
| founder              = 
| motto                = 
| slogan               = 
| tvtransmitters       = {{Flatlist|
* [[Winter Hill transmitting station|Winter Hill]]
* [[Emley Moor transmitting station|Emley Moor]]
* [[Lichfield transmitting station|Lichfield]]
* [[Membury transmitting station|Membury]]
* Scarborough
}}
| license_area         = 
| headquarters         = {{Flatlist|
* [[Capitol Theatre, Manchester|Manchester]]
* [[Alpha Studios|Birmingham]]
* [[Teddington Studios|London]]
}}
| broadcast_area       = {{Legend|#984ea3|[[Midlands]]}}{{Legend inline|#ff8900|[[Northern England|North]]}}
| area                 = 
| nation               = 
| regions              = 
| owner                = [[Associated British Picture Corporation]]
| parent               = 
| key_people           = 
| established          = 
| launch_date          = 
| dissolved            = {{End date and age|1968|7|28|df=y}}
| former_names         = Associated British Cinemas (Television) Limited
| Picture format       = [[405-line television system|405-line]] black and white
| affiliation          = [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]
| groups               = 
| former_affiliations  = 
| webcast              = 
| website              = 
| language             = English
| replaced             = 
| replaced_by          = {{Plainlist|
* '''As ITV franchisee:'''
* [[Granada Television]] (North West)
* [[Yorkshire Television]] (Yorkshire)
* [[Associated Television|ATV]] (Midlands)
*'''As company:'''
* [[Thames Television]]
}}
| subsidiary           = 
| footnotes            = 
}}

'''ABC Television Limited''', popularly known as '''ABC Weekend TV''', was a British broadcaster which provided the weekend service in the [[Midlands]] and [[Northern England]] regions of the [[ITV (TV network)|Independent Television]] (ITV) network from 1956 to 1968. It was one of the "[[History of ITV#The Big Four and Big Five|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 (producer)|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 (TV series)|The Avengers]]''.