From Free TV Australia
Viewers the winners in Content Reform
Free TV Australia today welcomed the Governmentâs announcement to update the Australian content rules that apply to commercial television broadcasters.
Free TV CEO Bridget Fair said, âFree TV broadcasters remain committed to making and broadcasting Australian content for a simple, powerful reason: Australians want to watch Australian programs. These reforms will deliver greater flexibility to respond to what our audiences demand.
âTodayâs announcement is a huge positive for the Australian film and television production sector. The Government has combined a more flexible quota system with strong incentives for production of quality Australian programs in a way that should stimulate a broad range of Australian stories.
âThe old quota system was collapsing under its own weight. There has long been a need for the onerous and outdated framework, in place since the 1980âs, to be updated. We commend Minister Fletcher for recognising the need to ensure the sustainability of the sector. The Government has carefully considered this issue and the Ministerâs decision has simplified and modernised the quota framework while supporting Australian production with strong incentives and direct funding.
âBy ensuring broadcasters are incentivised to make the programs that are most relevant to their audiences rather than slavishly meeting sub quota obligations, these reforms will assist to maintain the health and sustainability not only of commercial television broadcasters, but of the entire content production ecosystem.
The real winners in this reform package are TV audiences, who will continue to enjoy the Australian programs they loveâ, Ms Fair said.
Statement from Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
I think the removal of the 65 episodes thing is a great idea. It provides a great opportunity for shows like Wentworth to continue and get the rebate.
ministerial statement
New funding in Budget to deliver Australian screen content
The Australian Government is supporting Australian screen content by simplifying regulations and injecting $53 million into the development and production of local film and television as part of the 2020-21 Federal Budget.
Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said that a vibrant local screen industry was essential to Australiaâs cultural identity, while also supporting jobs and economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.
âThe Government is providing $30 million in funding to Screen Australia over two years to support the production of Australian drama, documentary and childrenâs film and television content,â Minister Fletcher said.
âScreen Australia will also receive an additional $3 million over three years to establish a competitive grants program to cultivate quality Australian screenwriting and script development.
âWe are also providing $20 million to the Australian Childrenâs Television Foundation over two years to boost the development, production and distribution of high-quality Australian childrenâs content.â
As part of these changes, the Producer Offset â a key screen funding mechanism through which producers receive a refund of part of the production budget through the tax system - will be set at a harmonised 30 per cent for all domestic film and television production.
âThe old approach of treating film and television differently no longer makes sense. Increasing the offset to 30 per cent for television will mean additional funding for Australian television production â and in turn support higher production values and programs with a better prospect of being sold into the global content market, taking advantage of the opportunity created by the explosion of streaming video services like Netflix, Disney+, Stan and Amazon Prime.â
These measures will be complemented by changes to streamline and simplify the drama, documentaries and childrenâs content âsub-quotaâ Australian content rules for broadcasters.
The sub-quotas were temporarily suspended as an emergency measure during COVID-19, but will be reintroduced from 1 January 2021.
Content will count towards the new, simplified requirement if it is either drama, or childrenâs content, or documentary content. With the minor exception of a cap on the number of hours of documentary content that can be counted towards meeting the requirement, the particular mix chosen will be a matter for each broadcaster based on its business strategy and judgement of audience appeal.
Commercial broadcasters will continue to be required to provide 55 per cent overall Australian content on their primary channels between 6:00 am and midnight, and to provide 1,460 hours of Australian content per year on their multi-channels.
The points scheme underpinning the sub-quotas will give more points to higher-budget productions, creating a stronger incentive to commission bigger budget drama which is more likely to be sold globally rather than only be seen in Australia.
The Government will also legislate to reduce the existing Australian content spend obligation on selected subscription television channels from ten per cent to five per cent.
The Government has moved quickly to implement this package of reforms in the first budget brought down after the Supporting Australian Stories on our Screens options paper and consultation process.
It forms part of the Governmentâs 2019 commitment, in response to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commissionâs Digital Platforms Inquiry, to a staged process to reform media regulation towards an end state of a platform-neutral regulatory framework covering both online and offline delivery of media content to Australian consumers.
Work will continue under that process, including examining whether to introduce an Australian content spend obligation on streaming video on demand services above a minimum size threshold in the Australian market.
As an initial measure, the largest streaming video services will be asked to commence reporting to the Australian Communications and Media Authority on Australian content acquisition from the 2021 calendar year.
âThe Government very much appreciates the strong engagement we received during our consultations this year,â Minister Fletcher said.
âThe views of stakeholders and interested parties were very clear â we need to continue our support for the production of Australian content, but we also need to remove unsustainable obligations on industry and tailor our interventions to match the new and diverse ways Australian content is being produced and consumed.â
âThe measures announced today are designed to do just that. They begin to rebalance our regulatory framework and provide Australians with the opportunity to access Australian content across a range of media, regardless of whether they want to watch free-to-air television, subscription television or streaming services.â
ViacomCBS Australia & New Zealand Statement On The Australian Governmentâs Proposal To Modernise Content Quotas And Production Incentives.
ViacomCBS Australia & New Zealand Chief Content Officer & EVP Beverley McGarvey said: âTodayâs announcements are a significant step forward for broadcasters, content providers, producers and, most importantly, Australian audiences in ensuring a sustainable and enduring local production industry.
âThe reforms are a win for audiences, a win for networks and a win for the local production sector.
âThey promise fairness and flexibility, allowing us to continue to invest in the programs our audiences love while giving them the choice of the time and the place that they choose to watch them.
âThey also properly recognise the significant contributions that childrenâs content and long-running dramas make to the local production industry in the form of jobs and talent, rewarding our ongoing investment in popular Australian dramas such as Neighbours , while also incentivising our involvement in larger-scale productions such as The Secrets She Keeps and Five Bedrooms .
âSimilarly, they properly reward our significant and growing investment in childrenâs television and encourage rolling investments in documentaries such as Todd Sampsonâs BodyHack or Lindy Chamberlain: The True Story .
âAt ViacomCBS, weâre proud of our commitment to the local production sector. Our content is watched by 20 million Australians every month across our brands on Free to Air, Pay TV and streaming platforms.
âWe canât wait to reveal the exciting pipeline of local content coming to your screens in 2021 at our upcoming Upfronts event and look forward to working with the Government on continuing to build a successful local production industry.â
Also fairly strong words from actor Anthony Hayes.
This is probably the best thread to share this following article.
ACMA seeking feedback on implementation of new Australian content and childrenâs TV standards
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is undertaking a public consultation process on proposed new Australian content and childrenâs television standards.
The draft Broadcasting Services (Australian Content and Childrenâs Television) Standards 2020 establish a new Australian content quota system for commercial television broadcasters, while maintaining existing program and advertising-related protections for childrenâs programs.
ACMA Chair Nerida OâLoughlin said the program standards are part of the measures announced by the Australian Government in September 2020 to support the ongoing provision of Australian content on our screens.
âKeeping Australian content on our TV screens plays an important role in fostering Australian culture and identity,â said Ms OâLoughlin.
âThe Australian Government has made decisions to help TV broadcasters better target content to suit their audiences while still protecting Australian stories and perspectives. The ACMA is now consulting on new standards to give effect to the Governmentâs decisions,â Ms OâLoughlin said.
The detailed requirements for the new standards were set out in a formal direction to the ACMA by the Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP in November 2020.
The ACMAâs consultation focuses on practical implementation and drafting issues relating to the program standards.
âThe information we receive through the consultation will be used to improve the clarity and operability of the new standards, where appropriate,â Ms OâLoughlin said.
âOnce the new standards have been finalised, we will continue to work with commercial free-to-air television broadcasters to facilitate a smooth transition to the new arrangements.â
The ACMA is seeking comments on the draft program standards with consultation closing on 7 December 2020. This is so that all feedback can be considered and the new standards can commence on 1 January 2021.
The proposed new standards and related documentation is available on the ACMA website.
Screen Australia Drama Report
Overview
The annual slate of feature films, TV and online drama productions consists of Australian titles (including Official Co-productions) and foreign titles that start production or post, digital and visual effects (PDV) during a given financial year.
DRAMA EXPENDITURE IN AUSTRALIA
- $991 million total Australian expenditure - 18% down on last yearâs spend and below the 5-year average, largely due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the almost total shutdown of large-scale drama production for the last quarter of 2019/20.
- Expenditure by Australian titles - $543 million 55% of total expenditure was triggered by Australian titles that started principal photography during 2019/20.
- 19 Australian features - $205 million 36% decrease on last year and 20% below the 5-year average.
- 20 Australian general TV drama titles - $198 million expenditure down by 39% on last yearâs record spend, and 31% below the five-year average. Hours were down by 19%.
- 12 Australian childrenâs TV drama titles - $46 million 55% below last yearâs decade-high spend of $101 million.
- 23 Australian online drama titles - $94 million record expenditure, up 95% on last year. Hours up by 16%.
- 41 foreign projects $447 million an overall increased spend of 8% on 2018/19.
. Spend of $283 million on eight features, two TV dramas and one online drama that commenced
shooting in Australia, down 5% on last year.
. PDV-only spend totalled $165 million on 30 titles, up 39% on 2018/19.
Drama Report shows commercial broadcastersâ commitment to Australian content despite a challenging year
Screen Australiaâs Drama Report released today again showed that commercial free-to-air broadcasters remained the largest investors in Australian drama production, directly investing $61 million across 18 titles in Australian drama in 2019/20 â more than any other sector.
This is despite the extremely difficult market conditions that the industry has endured as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commenting on the report, Free TV CEO, Bridget Fair said: âWhile Screen Australia report shows this was undoubtedly a tough year for all in our industry, it also highlights broadcastersâ absolute commitment to providing great Australian content.
âIn FY20, commercial free-to-air broadcasters produced 336 hours of first-release Australian drama with programs like Housos vs Virus: The Lockdown, Home and Away, Informer 3838, Halifax: Retribution, Five Bedrooms, and Neighbours.
âThis was despite the unprecedented challenges faced by the industry, including suspension and cancellation of program production across all genres, a significant reduction in advertising revenues, and increased costs of producing and delivering content during this time.
âThe interesting thing is, during COVID-19 Australians relied on our services more than ever before, with average audiences for some programs up by 60% at the end of March in all demographics.
âBroadcasters worked hard to meet this demand, including by bringing great Australian drama to free-to-air screens.
âWe are proud to be the platform of choice for so many Australians â and our drama slate is an important part of our overall offeringâ, Ms Fair said.
Get ready for the barrage of advertising saying this is a bad thingâŚ
Netflix has commissioned many new dramas from Europe, South Korea and Japan to comply with local content rules in those countries, is that a bad thing?
Compared to those markets, weâre small fry. I doubt they want to spend an exorbitant amount of money (to them) if only to comply with local content rules.
Theyâre all markets that are considerably larger than Australia. Maybe this will turn the tide towards producing decent quality local programming (rather then the dross that the free to air networks produce)