The TV industry body is calling for an even playing field, as a new report reveals commercial free-to-air broadcasters remain the largest underwriters of Australian drama.
Screen Australia’s Drama Report found commercial free-to-air networks invested $114 million in Australia drama, more than any other sector in 2018/19.
According to the report, the figure represents nearly double the spend of national broadcasters and more than six times that of online streaming services.
“Free TV broadcasters proudly invest over 80% of their programming expenditure on local content and that includes Australian drama programming. In 2018, commercial free-to-air networks once again broadcast more than 430 hours of first-release Australian drama,” says Free TV CEO Bridget Fair.
“Despite increasing competition from new platforms, and in the face of the huge structural change facing our industry, we continue to produce great Australian drama on free-to-air screens with programs like Home and Away, Secret Bridesmaids’ Business, Bad Mothers, SeaChange, Five Bedrooms and Neighbours.”
Fair says the report highlights the need to address the sustainability of the current content regularly framework, which requires TV networks to produce a certain amount of local content.
“While our competitors are free to respond to changes in audience demand, we are still operating under an onerous and very restrictive regulatory framework that was created in the 1990s and doesn’t acknowledge that viewers have moved on,” she says.
“The production industry in Australia is thriving and there is no shortage of high quality Australian content available for local audiences.”
Fair argues free TV broadcasters need more flexibility to adapt to new viewing habits and urges the government to “modernise” the framework.
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