Editing Countdown (Australian TV program)

{{Short description|Australian music television series}}
{{about|the music program|the Australian version of the UK game show [[Countdown (game show)|Countdown]]|Letters and Numbers||Countdown (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = CountdownLogo.png
| caption              = Logo
| alt_name             =
| genre                = [[Music television|Music]]
| creator              = Michael Shrimpton<br />Robbie Weekes<br />[[Molly Meldrum|Ian "Molly" Meldrum]]
| developer            = 
| writer               = 
| director             = Robbie Weekes<br>Paul Drane
| creative_director    = 
| presenter            = Ian "Molly" Meldrum
| starring             = 
| judges               = 
| voices               = 
| narrated             = 
| theme_music_composer = [[Brian May (composer)|Brian May]]
| opentheme            = 
| endtheme             = 
| composer             = 
| country              = Australia
| language             = English
| num_seasons          = 14
| num_episodes         = 563
| list_episodes        = 
| executive_producer   = Michael Shrimpton
| producer             = Robbie Weekes & Paul Drane
| location             = [[Ripponlea, Victoria]]
| cinematography       = 
| editor               = 
| camera               = [[Multicamera setup|Multi-camera]]
| runtime              = 25 min <small>First six episodes</small><br />55 min
| company              = 
| network              = [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]]<!-- or network -->
| first_aired          = {{Start date|1974|11|8|df=yes}}
| last_aired           = {{End date|1987|07|19|df=yes}}
| related              =
}}

'''''Countdown''''' was a weekly Australian music television program that was broadcast by the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] from 8 November 1974 until 19 July 1987.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://televisionau.com/2014/11/countdown-turns-40.html |title = Countdown turns 40|date = 8 November 2014}}</ref> It was created by executive producer Michael Shrimpton, producer/director Robbie Weekes and record producer and music journalist [[Molly Meldrum|Ian "Molly" Meldrum]]. ''Countdown'' was produced at the studios of the ABC in the [[Melbourne]] suburb of [[Ripponlea, Victoria|Ripponlea]]. It was screened Sunday night from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.

''Countdown'' was the most popular music program in Australian TV history. It was broadcast nationwide on Australia's government-owned broadcaster, the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]], and commanded a huge and loyal audience. It soon exerted a strong influence on radio programmers because of its audience and the amount of Australian content it featured. The first half-hour episode went to air at 6.30pm on Friday, 8 November 1974, but for most of the time it was on air, it also gained double exposure throughout the country by screening a new episode each Sunday evening, and then repeating it the following Saturday evening. The majority of performances on the show were [[lip sync]]ed.

Molly Meldrum, the program's talent co-ordinator, began appearing on-air in 1975, presenting the "Humdrum" music news segment and conducting interviews. Meldrum soon became the "face" of ''Countdown''. He appeared regularly on-air until 1986. Another attraction to the program was the local and international acts who would host an episode—usually performing as well. During the show, Meldrum would interview them (while co-hosting) or have a chat with them before the show went out with the number-one single of the week. In October 2014, Meldrum published his autobiography, ''The Never, Um, Ever Ending Story''.

==Cultural influence==
Teen-oriented pop music still enjoyed strong popularity during the 1970s, although much of it was sourced from overseas, and the proportion of Australian acts in the charts had hit an all-time low by 1973. That trend began to change around 1975, and many credit that largely to the advent of ''Countdown''. Much of the show's influence derived from its timeslot (Sundays at 6pm) and the fact that each week's show was repeated the following Saturday at 5pm; the series also undoubtedly benefitted hugely from the long-delayed introduction of [[PAL]] [[colour television]] system in Australia, which was introduced four months after ''Countdown'' premiered. Because of this, ''Countdown'' was also one of the first Australian TV series to be made entirely in colour.<ref>{{cite web|last=Brown |first=Bill |url=http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2014/11/20/4132999.htm |title=Countdown – behind the scenes on ABC TV's legendary music show |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=20 November 2014 |access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref>

Although it is not widely recognised, ''Countdown'' also had a strong international influence, because it was one of the first TV shows in the world to promote the regular use of the [[music video]] as a major part of its programming. Because of its receptivity to music videos (something of a necessity because of the comparative rarity of tours by overseas acts), ''Countdown'' proved to be instrumental in the worldwide success of a number of important overseas acts of the period. [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] achieved her first hit single in April 1984 when "[[Holiday (Madonna song)|Holiday]]" was screened on ''Countdown''. Subsequently, "[[Burning Up (Madonna song)|Burning Up]]" reached the top twenty following repeated showings of the video clip on the show; this second song was not a hit in other countries. Other international artists—including [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]], [[ABBA]], [[John Mellencamp]], [[Meat Loaf]], [[Boz Scaggs]] and [[Cyndi Lauper]]—achieved their first hits in Australia thanks to their video clips being aired on ''Countdown'', and this in turn led to their records being picked up and becoming hits in America and/or Europe.

Many international acts, who would otherwise have gone largely unheard on Australian commercial radio, gained important exposure in Australia on ''Countdown'' through their music videos; the list includes many UK "[[New wave music|new wave]]" acts such as [[Duran Duran]], [[XTC]], [[The Beat (British band)|The Beat]], [[Elvis Costello]], [[The Specials]], [[Lene Lovich]], [[Joe Jackson (musician)|Joe Jackson]], and [[The Cure]], and US acts such as [[The Ramones]] and [[The Cars]].

Above all, ''Countdown'' was crucial to the success of many leading Australian acts, including [[John Farnham]], [[AC/DC]], [[Olivia Newton-John]], [[INXS]], [[Dragon (band)|Dragon]], [[Hush (band)|Hush]], [[Kylie Minogue]], [[I'm Talking]], [[John Paul Young]], [[Sherbet (band)|Sherbet]], [[Skyhooks (band)|Skyhooks]], [[Ted Mulry|Ted Mulry Gang]], [[Jimmy and the Boys]], [[Marcia Hines]], [[Mark Holden]], [[The Angels (Australian band)|The Angels]], [[Mondo Rock]], [[Men at Work]], [[Icehouse (band)|Icehouse]], [[Australian Crawl]] and [[Mental As Anything]].{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

The program dominated Australian popular music well into the 1980s. The popularity of ''Countdown'' started to lose momentum by the mid-1980s. Music videos were often shown rather than the artists performing live in the studio. It was cheaper to produce with videos, and this led to ''Countdown'' having no significant difference from any other music video program shown on TV during this time.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

The final episode of ''Countdown'' aired on 19 July 1987. Meldrum co-hosted with, and interviewed, [[Carol Hitchcock]] and [[Jim Keays]].<ref name="Count Mem">{{cite web | archive-url = https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20100813020500/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/67925/20100813-1205/www.countdownmemories.com/rage/p2.html | url = https://www.countdownmemories.com/rage/p2.html | title = ''Rage'' Re-Runs (The History of ''Countdown'' Repeats on ''Rage'' | publisher = Countdown Memories | page = 2 | archive-date = 13 August 2010 | access-date = 24 February 2017 }}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="Archives 563">{{cite web | url = http://www.baseportal.com/cgi-bin/baseportal.pl?htx=%2Fwebgirl%2Fmain&cmd=all&range=408%2C8&Id=194 | title = Welcome to the ''Countdown'' Archives: Episode 563 | publisher = Baseportal | access-date = 24 February 2017 }}</ref> It was followed by the last [[Australian pop music awards#1981–1986: Countdown Music and Video Awards|''Countdown'' Awards]] ceremony. It was a sad night for many, yet a celebration of musical achievements in '86/'87. Meldrum made his appearance at the end of the show wearing his well-known Stetson hat. Meldrum saluted the music industry and fans and then bared his shaved head to the audience. It was well known that his shaved head was a statement to artists like Midnight Oil, who during their career, and being one of Australia's favourite bands, never appeared on the show due to regarding ''Countdown'' as too industry/hit-driven and appealing only to a young teenage audience.

In March 2007, the pay television service [[Foxtel]], and its regional affiliate [[Austar]], began screening hundreds of studio performances from the ''Countdown'' era. Themed ''Countdown'' specials have become very popular, and thought-lost performances by [[John Farnham]], drag queen Divine, [[a-ha]], [[Pseudo Echo]] and the Countdown Dancers performing the ''[[Flashdance]]'' medley highlight the popular music of the period.

The sign used in the logo is now housed and displayed at the [[Australian Centre for the Moving Image]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/112018--countdown/ |title=Countdown sign |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=30 March 2023 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}</ref>

==Side shows==
During 1982–83, two side shows called ''Countdown Friday''<ref>{{Citation | last= Morris | first= Jill | title= The same old Countdown | url = | periodical= The Age | date= 29 July 1982}}</ref> and ''Countdown Flipside''<ref>{{Citation | last= | first= | title= Pick of the day | url = | periodical= The Sydney Morning Herald | date= 17 October 1983}}</ref> were aired on Friday and Saturday nights. 23 episodes of ''Countdown Flipside'' were produced<ref>{{Citation | last= | first= | title=Entertainment explores new areas | url = https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-845453291/view?sectionId=nla.obj-1115729020&searchTerm=%22countdown+flipside&partId=nla.obj-847053254#page/n33/mode/1up/search/%22countdown+flipside | periodical= Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1st Annual Report 1 July 1983-30 June 1984 | date= 1984}}</ref> and by mid 1983 19 episodes of ''Countdown Friday'' had been produced.<ref>{{Citation | last= | first= | title=New emphasis on entertainment | url = https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-845452928/view?sectionId=nla.obj-956546041&searchTerm=%22countdown+flipside&partId=nla.obj-846858307#page/n27/mode/1up/search/%22countdown+flipside | periodical=51st Annual Report of the Australian Broadcasting Commission* Year Ended 30 June 1983 | date= 1983}}</ref> Both were clip shows with voice overs by John Peters.

==Prince Charles interview==
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2018}}
A well-known segment of the show's run is an atypical studio interview Meldrum conducted with [[Prince Charles]]. Meldrum was extremely nervous about interviewing the prince, and he botched a great many takes during the interview by flubbing his lines and even committing several royal protocol blunders. Members of his production crew gave him constant encouragement between takes, and eventually Prince Charles politely asked Meldrum if he could get a [[teleprompter]] to assist him with the interview, to which Meldrum replied that there was not one available.

The interview, or, rather, the numerous botched takes from it, has become a staple of blooper shows in Australia and beyond. Meldrum has since said of the interview, "It's not a regret, but I definitely stuffed that up."

==Wiped episodes==
A large number of master videotapes recorded between 1974 and 1978 were later [[Lost television broadcast#Wiping|erased and recycled]] during a management-initiated "economy drive" at the ABC, an action which Meldrum later criticised and said was "unforgivable".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.countdownmemories.com/exclusive_interviews/molly.html |title=> |publisher=Countdown Memories |date=19 August 2004 |access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref> Given the costs at the time of recording on videotape, most tapes were wiped and re-used. At least 100 episodes in total were erased from this period of the show's history.

In the book ''Glad All Over'',<ref name=Countdown>The Countdown Years 1974-1987 Glad All Over by Peter Wilmouth, [[Penguin Books]], 1993 pp 217-18 {{ISBN|0-86914-293-3}}</ref> Michael Shrimpton said at that time the ABC were "run by financial types [who] suddenly discovered that the increase in the purchase of video tapes had roared up 200 percent in 12 months". He said they didn't stop to consider that the video tape "was the cheapest link in the chain". An order came through from middle-management Bill Pritchard to erase a whole wall of tapes.

A total of 500 12-inch reels were pulled out, which affected at least 100 episodes. Ted Emery and Paul Drane heard about the order, surreptitiously removing as many reels as they could during the middle of the night and hiding them in their cars.<ref name="Countdown" /> According to Ted Emery, when the order came to erase the episodes, he used stalling tactics<ref name="Countdown" /> such as moving the tapes around. He said: "I kept thinking fifteen years down the track this stuff will be important." The producers tried stalling further by handing in trims and pre-assemblies rather than the master copies. "But it wasn't enough," Emery said. "I didn't have enough to give him so they took the masters as well".<ref name="Countdown" /> Had it not been for Emery and Drane, the few episodes from the 1974–78 period that remained would have been erased. That includes the first episode broadcast in colour.

With the exception of 30 episodes, all programs aired between 1975 and 1978 were erased; only two episodes which aired in 1976 are known to exist. Most of the episodes erased originally aired from 1975 to 1977, but there are other episodes either [[Lost television broadcast|missing or too damaged]] for future airing, the latter of which are most likely held only for research purposes.

According to Ted Emery, it was not just episodes of ''Countdown'' that were affected by the purge. A number of [[Australian rules football|Australian Rules Football]] [[AFL Grand Final|Grand Final]] games,<ref name="Countdown" /> along with episodes of ''[[Bellbird (TV series)|Bellbird]]'' and ''[[Certain Women (television series)|Certain Women]]'', were also erased.

In recent years, ABC Archives has undertaken an upgrade of the remaining episodes, copying what was left to its two on-air playback formats (Betacam SP and Digital Betacam). It is the copying of the programs onto this format that has allowed the ABC to re-broadcast episodes of ''Countdown'' during its all-night music show, ''[[Rage (TV program)|Rage]]'', in place of video clips which would normally air during that timeslot.

Missing-episode enthusiast Troy Walters has a website ''Turning Back Time: The Hunt For ABC's Countdown'', which discusses what has been lost and found.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://wipednews.com/features/abcs-countdown/ |title=Turning Back Time: The Hunt for ABC's Countdown &#124; Wiped News |access-date=29 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505111204/https://wipednews.com/features/abcs-countdown/ |archive-date=5 May 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==''Countdown Revolution'' era==
From 3 July 1989 to December 1990, ''Countdown'' returned in the guise of ''Countdown Revolution''. Without Meldrum, who had since gone on to ''[[Hey Hey It's Saturday]]'', it featured a group of young hosts, including [[Tania Lacy]] and [[Mark Little (Australian actor)|Mark Little]]. The duo were fired by the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] after an unauthorised on-air protest on 22 June 1990 against the policy of not allowing acts to perform live and insisting they mime to backup tracks. The show continued until its cancellation in December 1990. It also played once a month in Sydney at the Artransa Studios in Frenchs Forest.

The program aired 6:30 weeknights for 30 mins. On Friday nights, the top 10 biggest-selling songs in Australia was counted down (using information from the ARIA Chart). Video clips were generally shown, but memorable appearances live on stage included [[Poison (American band)|Poison]] ("[[Nothin' but a Good Time]]"), [[Faith No More]] ("[[Epic (Faith No More song)|Epic]]"), Kylie Minogue ("[[Hand on Your Heart]]" and "Never Too Late"), [[Jason Donovan]] ("[[Sealed with a Kiss]]"), [[Collette Roberts|Collette]] ("All I Wanna Do Is Dance" and "That's What I Like About You"), [[Brother Beyond]] ("He Ain't No Competition"), Indecent Obsession ("Say Goodbye"), Martika ("I Feel The Earth Move"), [[James Freud]] ("One Fine Day") and many more.

The hour-long Batdance competition was a high-rating show in November 1989, where Molly Meldrum aided in the judging of the talent from the state finalists.

The ABC's late-night continuous music show ''Rage'' replayed old episodes of ''Countdown Revolution'' in January 2012, and again in January 2015, including the first episode from 1989.

The ''Countdown Magazine'' continued to be published during the run of ''Countdown Revolution''.

==40th anniversary==
''Countdown'', the show that epitomised the pop music scene in Australia for over a decade, celebrated the 40th anniversary of its debut with the release of an anthology album in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://shop.abc.net.au/products/countdown-40th-anniversary-2cd|title=ABC Retail Partners & FAQ's}}</ref> A two-part 40th Anniversary TV special, "Countdown: Do Yourself A Favour", was broadcast on Sunday 16 November 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/countdown-do-yourself-a-favour/ |title=Countdown: Do Yourself A Favour : ABC TV |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref> It was hosted by [[Julia Zemiro]] and included a guest appearance by Prince Charles. At the [[ARIA Music Awards of 2014]] in November, both ''Countdown'' and Meldrum were inducted into the [[ARIA Hall of Fame]] – the first time a non-performing artist was inducted.<ref name="ARIA News 28 Oct">{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150221181644/http://www.ariacharts.com.au/news/48730/ian-'molly'-meldrum-and-countdown-to-be-inducted-into-the-aria-hall-of-fame?pos=1 | url = http://www.ariacharts.com.au/news/48730/ian-%27molly%27-meldrum-and-countdown-to-be-inducted-into-the-aria-hall-of-fame?pos=1 | title = Ian 'Molly' Meldrum and ''Countdown'' to be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame | publisher = ARIA Music News. Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) | archive-date = 21 February 2015 | date = 28 October 2014 | access-date = 12 August 2018 }}</ref>

=="''Molly''" television drama==
[[Molly (miniseries)|A two-part documentary-drama]] about the life of Meldrum and his experiences with ''Countdown'' was created by Channel 7 in 2016. Episode one aired on 7 February 2016, while episode two aired on 14 February 2016. Australian actor [[Samuel Johnson (actor)|Samuel Johnson]] starred as Meldrum, with [[Tom O'Sullivan (actor)|Tom O'Sullivan]] as Shrimpton and [[T.J. Power]] as Weekes. It tells of the rise and fall of ''Countdown'', its production struggles and various other tales about the music groups that went on it. The show received predominantly positive ratings, with 1.79 million viewers watching episode one<ref>{{Cite news |author=Staff Writer |date=8 February 2016  |title='Molly' Miniseries Smashes Competition |url=https://themusic.com.au/news/molly-miniseries-picks-up-mammoth-ratings-for-first-episode/aDR7en18f34/08-02-16 |access-date=21 December 2024 |magazine=[[The Music (magazine)|The Music]] |language=en-AU}}</ref> and 1.52 million viewers watching episode two.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Christensen |first=Nic |date=15 February 2016 |title=Part two of Molly draws 1.52m while Australia's Got Talent sheds almost 200,000 viewers |url=https://mumbrella.com.au/part-two-of-molly-draws-152m-oztam-ratings-346483 |access-date=21 December 2024 |website=Mumbrella |language=en-US}}</ref>

==''Rage: Countdown''==
The show lived up to its name when it angered devoted viewers by slashing its top 50 in mid-2006 and playing videos freeform.
But nearly a decade after that controversial decision, a new segment called "The Chart" hit the silver screen.<ref>{{cite web|title = SMH Rage Countdown|date = 18 March 2015|url = https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/abcs-rage-restores-top-20-countdown-with-the-chart-20150318-1m22zt.html}}</ref>
[[Rage (TV program)|Rage]] now regularly plays chart hits with a 'Countdown' of the most popular videos from the ARIA singles<ref>[[Rage (TV program)]]{{Circular reference|date=August 2018}}</ref>

==''Classic Countdown''==
On 17 September 2017, the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] commenced airing a retrospective of the show, comprising 13 one hour episodes. Each episode focused on one year from 1975 to 1987, showcasing live performances from the show, interviews and Molly's Humdrum. Voice over narration is supplied by recording artists who appeared on the show.
The show was programmed to air in ''Countdown''{{'}}s original Sunday 6pm slot.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://themusic.com.au/news/all/2017/08/22/abc-to-honour-countdown-with-13-episode-tribute-series-on-sunday-nights/ |title = /}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/classic-countdown/ |title=Classic Countdown : ABC TV |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref>

==New Year's Eve: ''Countdown'' Live==
For the 2017 Sydney New Year's Eve live show and broadcast on the [[ABC (Australian TV channel)|ABC]], there was a countdown to midnight and the fireworks. The show was themed like the ''Countdown'' show, with many live artists including Casey Donovan, Jimmy Barnes, Phil Jamieson, Isiah Firebrace and more. The show had the ''Countdown'' theme song and some of the same graphics. Ian "Molly" Meldrum did not return to host. The stage also had the ''Countdown'' logo.

==50th anniversary==
A 50th anniversary special, "Countdown 50 Years On", was broadcast on Saturday 16 November 2024 on [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]]. It was hosted by [[Myf Warhurst]] and [[Tony Armstrong]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stafford |first=Andrew |date=8 November 2024 |title=Countdown at 50: the powerful, messy and sexy music show that changed Australia |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/nov/07/abc-countdown-50-years-on-anniversary-shows |access-date=21 December 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==Compilation albums==
A series of popular CD compilations have been released by [[ABC Music]], with selective tracks as featured on the original series.<ref>{{cite web|title = ABC Music News|url = https://www.abcmusic.com.au/news/countdown-40th-anniversary-2cd-%25E2%2580%2593-released-7-november|website = ABC Music|access-date = 14 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvmem.com/OZST/tv/C/COUNTDOW/COUNTDOW.html |title=Countdown |publisher=Tvmem.com |access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan=2 width=256| Title
! rowspan=2 width=256| Album details
! colspan=1| Chart positions
! rowspan=2 width=160| [[Music recording sales certification|Certifications]]<br/>{{small|([[List of music recording sales certifications|sales thresholds]])}} 
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3.7em;font-size:90%;"| [[ARIA Charts|AUS]]<br /><ref name=aus>Australian chart peaks:
*Top 100 ([[Kent Music Report]]) peaks to 12 June 1988: {{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=Illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|pages=321|isbn=0-646-11917-6}} N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by [[Australian Recording Industry Association|ARIA]] between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988.
*Top 100 (ARIA) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: {{cite book|last=Ryan|first=Gavin|title=Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010|year=2011|publisher=Moonlight Publishing|location=Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia|edition=pdf|pages=316–318}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| ''Countdown Silver Jubilee Australian Top 20''
|
* Released: November 1977
* Label: The Silver Jubilee Committee Organisation, [[EMI Music]] (SCA 020)
* Formats: [[Vinyl record|LP]], [[Compact cassette|Cassette]]
| 50
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''Ten Years of Countdown – An Australian Collection''
|
* Released: 1984
* Label: ABC, [[Festival Records]] (RMC 55001/2)
* Formats: 2× LP, 2× Cassette, VHS
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''Countdown''
|
* Released: 2006
* Label: ABC Music (0-642-590443)
* Formats: 2×[[Compact Disc|CD]]
* Note: Interviews with Molly Meldrum
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''Countdown The Wonder Years''
|
* Released: July 2006
* Label: [[Liberation Music]] (LIBCD8209.2)
* Formats: 3×CD, 2×DVD
| 2<sup>'''°'''</sup>
|
*ARIA: 2×Platinum (DVD)<ref name=aus/>
|-
! scope="row"| ''The Countdown Collection – Legends the Early Years''
|
* Released: September 2006
* Label: ABC Music, [[Warner Music Australia]] (5101128872)
* Formats: CD+DVD
| 16<sup>'''°'''</sup>
|
*ARIA: Gold (DVD)<ref name=aus/>
|-
! scope="row"| ''The Countdown Spectacular Live''
|
* Released: November 2006
* Label: Liberation Music (LIBCD8228.2)
* Formats: 3×CD, 2×DVD
| 44 <br> 2<sup>'''°'''</sup>
|
*ARIA: 2×Platinum (DVD)<ref name=aus/>
|-
! scope="row"| ''Countdown The Wonder Years 2''
|
* Released: May 2007
* Label: Liberation Music (LIBCD9233.2)
* Formats: 3×CD, 2×DVD
| 2<sup>'''°'''</sup>
|
*ARIA: Platinum (DVD)<ref name=aus/>
|-
! scope="row"| ''The Countdown Spectacular Live 2''
|
* Released: December 2007
* Label: Liberation Music (LIBCD9254.2)
* Formats: 3×CD, 3×DVD
| 99 <br> 14<sup>'''°'''</sup>
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''Countdown One Hit Wonders''
|
* Released: May 2008<ref>{{cite web|title = ABC Shop| publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date = 2 May 2008|url = http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2008/05/02/2234046.htm}}</ref>
* Label: Liberation Music (LMCD0001)
* Formats: 2×CD+DVD
| 
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''Countdown One Hit Wonders 2''
|
* Released: October 2008
* Label: Liberation Music (LMCD0020)
* Formats: 3×CD, 2×DVD
| 5<sup>'''°'''</sup>
|
*ARIA: Gold (DVD)<ref name=aus/>
|-
! scope="row"| ''Countdown: Jukebox Classics''
|
* Released: 2009
* Label: Liberation Music (LMCD0086)
* Formats: 3×CD
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''Countdown: Disco Anthems''
|
* Released: July 2010<ref>{{cite web|title = Sanity|url = https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2176932/countdown_disco_anthems}}</ref>
* Label: Liberation Music (LMCD0099)
* Formats: 2×CD
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''Countdown 40th Anniversary''
|
* Released: November 2014<ref>{{cite web|title = ABC Shop|url = https://shop.abc.net.au/countdown-40th-anniversary-2cd}}</ref>
* Label: ABC Music, Universal Music Australia (535 5771)
* Formats: 2×CD
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''Countdown 40th Anniversary Continues''
|
* Released: 2015
* Label: ABC Music, Universal Music Australia (535 9448)
* Formats: 2×CD
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''Countdown Rock!''
|
* Released: 2015
* Label: ABC Music, Universal Music Australia (536 2259)
* Formats: 2×CD
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''Countdown Pop!''
|
* Released: April 2016<ref>{{cite web|title = ABC Shop|url = https://shop.abc.net.au/products/countdown-pop-2cd|website = ABC Music|access-date = 30 April 2016}}</ref>
* Label: ABC Music, Universal Music Australia (536 8761)
* Formats: 2×CD
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''Classic Countdown''
|
* Released: 2017<ref>{{cite web|title = ABC Shop|url = https://shop.abc.net.au/countdown-classic-countdown-4cd}}</ref>
* Label: ABC Music, Universal Music Australia (537 9257)
* Formats: 4×CD
|
|
|-
! scope="row"| ''Countdown: Live at The Sydney Opera House''
|
* Released: 2018
* Label: ABC Music, Universal Music Australia (674 8097)
* Formats: 2×CD+DVD
|
|
|-
|}

;Notes
*'''°''' Australian DVD Compilation Chart.

==See also==
{{Portal|Television|Australia|Music}}
* [[List of Australian music television shows]]
* [[List of Australian television series]]
* [[List of programs broadcast by ABC (Australian TV network)]]
* ''[[Top of the Pops]]'', the British equivalent, aired on [[BBC One]] from 1964 to 2006.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831051728/http://countdown.com.au/ |date=31 August 2010 |title=Official ''Countdown'' site (now defunct) }}
* {{IMDb title|id=0250846|title=Countdown}}
* [https://www.countdownmemories.com/ Countdown Memories]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130429012138/http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=yes;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=Number%3A553079;querytype=;rec=0;resCount=10 ''Countdown'' at the National Film and Sound Archive]

{{Music of Australia}}

[[Category:1974 Australian television series debuts]]
[[Category:1987 Australian television series endings]]
[[Category:ARIA Award winners]]
[[Category:ARIA Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming]]
[[Category:Australian music television series]]
[[Category:Australian non-fiction television series]]
[[Category:Black-and-white Australian television shows]]
[[Category:Television shows set in Melbourne]]
[[Category:Pop music television series]]