ABC Axes 'Tonightly With Tom Ballard'

ABC has today announced it is cancelling comedian Tom Ballard's talk show, Tonightly With Tom Ballard.

As TV Tonight reports, the programme has struggled with its viewership since premiering in December last year, with last night's episode being watched by just 32,000 people. 

ABC confirmed the show's cancellation in a statement released today.

"The ABC will not renew Tonightly with Tom Ballard beyond its final airing on 7 September," the statement reads.

"Attracting younger audiences requires bold approaches and we continually experiment with new content and new formats particularly on digital platforms. We remain committed to exploring and developing projects that connect with different demographics."

Ballard added, "Getting the chance to host Tonightly has been an absolute honour and privilege, even though we never got to be on Media Watch.

"I feel so proud of the ‘work’ we made and I feel so lucky to have been surrounded by laughter and stupidity for an entire year. My sincere thanks go to the brilliant Tonightly team, the ABC and the fans of Cory Bernardi."

Read the full statement here.

It comes just days after ABC was cleared by the Australian Communications and Media Authority following a controversial skit on Tonightly back in March, where an Australian Conservatives candidate was called a "cunt".