Two different shows btw 
Oh, I see. Mako: Island of Secrets was the spinoff. They’re both popular on Netflix.
I think Canada France and a few others have local streaming quotas and as far as I know the streamers have not exited those markets
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I’m really glad they haven’t changed “mum” to “mom” for US audiences. Teach those kids how to say it right aha.
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Free TV broadcasters deliver record spend on Australian content
Free TV today welcomed the release of the ACMA report, TV in Australia: Spending on commercial TV programs for FY23, which documents a record spend on Australian content by Free TV broadcasters.
Key points from the report are:
- $1.67 billion spent by commercial television broadcasters on Australian content, a record amount;
- 87% of all program expenditure was for Australian content, an increase of 8% on the previous year;
- Cost of sports rights continues to increase, up 17%;
- Record investment of $413 million in trusted news that Australians can rely on;
- 16% increase in expenditure on regional news, despite challenging market conditions and unreasonable spectrum fees remaining in place. The only provider of local tv news bulletins in Australia is regional commercial television.
Free TV CEO Bridget Fair said: “Providing quality Australian programming for free to all Australians is part of our DNA. We are committed to bringing Australians the trusted news, live and free sport and local entertainment programming that they love.
“These numbers are a powerful demonstration that Free TV broadcasters see themselves as the home of Australian content. No other media platform makes the consistent investment in our local content year in, year out.
“This level of investment is a clear reason why the Australian Government should ensure that our policy settings support the sustainability of the commercial television sector. If we are going to have a Future Made in Australia, a strong local media industry is central to that objective.”
A number of key policy objectives are needed to support our local commercial television sector:
- Anti-siphoning laws that enable all Australians to watch sport on free TV no matter whether they use an aerial or through an internet connection;
- Rules about prominence on Smart TVs make commercial broadcasters’ services accessible and easy to find, including on existing devices;
- Policies support public interest journalism in the face of rising mis- and disinformation, and Meta’s refusal to pay for news under the News Media Bargaining Code framework;
- Fairer competition rules to address the power of digital platforms who benefit from an increasing share of advertising revenue, but don’t share broadcasters’ responsibility for producing accurate news and information;
- The spectrum taxes paid by commercial broadcasters, which are the highest in the world, and 52 times higher than the equivalent per capita charge on US broadcasters, are abolished.
As commercial broadcasters increasingly invest in the future of Australian content, it’s time for Government to take action to ensure that all Australians can continue to turn to their local TV stations into the future.
Report shows Australian content spending by commercial television in 2022–23
A new report from the ACMA shows commercial TV networks spent $1.67 billion on Australian programs in the 2022–23 financial year, representing an increase from $1.54 billion in the previous year.
Overall, the networks spent $1.91 billion on Australian and overseas programs, down from $1.94 billion in the previous financial year.
The report shows increases in spending on ‘Australian sport’, with expenditure of $635 million, up from $545 million in 2021–22, and ‘Australian news and current affairs’ with expenditure of $413 million, up from $361 million in 2021–22. ‘Light entertainment—other’, ‘Australian documentaries’ and ‘Overseas drama’ programs remained at similar expenditure levels to the 2021–22 financial year.
The increase in expenditure on Australian news and current affairs included an additional $4.96 million for licensees in regional Australia, reporting $35.32 million in 2022–23, up from $30.36 million in 2021–22 financial year.
The report also shows spending on ‘Australian children’s other (non-drama)’ programs decreased to $743,820 in 2022–23, down from $883,445 in 2021–22. No expenditure was reported for ‘Australian children’s drama’ programs in 2022–23, down from $2,027,426 in 2021–22.
The newly published data is part of the TV in Australia: Spending on commercial TV programs report which comprises commercial TV expenditure information by genre, provided on a voluntary basis on behalf of 69 metropolitan and regional commercial TV broadcasters.
This report is available in a digital format which provides program expenditure data for the past five financial years and contains interactive visualisations to offer greater insights into the data.
The TV in Australia: Spending on commercial TV programs report is available on the ACMA website.
No quotas so no children’s dramas.
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When does the streaming quotas kick in ? July?
I dont believe they’ve been legislated yet.
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(paywall article)
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Interesting article.
Some of the titles they mentioned which aren’t available for streaming actually are, for free no less.
All seasons of Prisoner and Rush are on 10 play.
There are also other classics such as Police Reacue, Water Rats etc.
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ACMA report shows 2023 Australian content compliance by commercial TV
All metropolitan and regional commercial television licensees have met Australian content compliance requirements for their primary and non-primary channels in 2023, according to the latest ACMA report.
The report, published today on the ACMA website, included results for 13 metropolitan licensees and 62 regional licensees.
Under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, each year, commercial television licensees must broadcast at least:
- 55 percent Australian content in their programming between 6am and midnight on their primary channel, and
- 1,460 hours of Australian content between 6am and midnight on non-primary channels.
The Seven Network reported an average of 76 per cent Australian programs across its primary metropolitan channels, the Nine Network 78 per cent, and Network Ten 70 per cent.
Regional licensees, including those from the WIN Network, SCA TV and Imparja, reported a compliance range of 70 per cent to 79 per cent on their primary channels.
These results represented a slight overall decrease compared to 2022.
Under the Broadcasting Services (Australian Content and Children’s Television) Standards 2020 (ACCTS), commercial television licensees are required to reach 250 points by broadcasting first release Australian content across certain genres each calendar year.
Points are allocated per broadcast hour based on a program’s genre and, for drama programs, the program’s production budget. This means that more points can be claimed per hour for commissioned Australian drama programs with high production budgets.
The results show that all metropolitan licensees met the required points quota, with the Seven Network reporting 382 points of first release Australian content, 281 points for the Nine Network and 435 points for Network Ten. These results include ‘carry over’ points from 2022.
All 62 regional licensees met the required points quota by reporting a range of 260 to 423 quota points.
The full 2023 Commercial Television Compliance with Australian Content Requirements report has been published on the ACMA website.
Free TV broadcasters go above and beyond in delivering Australian content
Free TV is proud to welcome today’s release by the ACMA of its report on 2023 Australian content compliance by commercial television broadcasters, which yet again shows that no other platform comes close in delivering on Australian content obligations.
Commercial TV broadcasters are required by law to broadcast at least 55 per cent Australian content between 6.00 am and midnight on their primary channel, and, 1,460 hours of Australian content between 6.00 am and midnight on non-primary channels.
In 2023 all Free TV members exceeded these requirements by a country mile with broadcasters delivering an average of 75% Australian content on their primary channels.
On non-primary channels, broadcasters provided more than double the required number of quota hours.
The results were similarly impressive for first release Australian content required by the Broadcasting Services (Australian Content and Children’s Television) Standards 2020. Under those rules broadcasters must reach 250 points by broadcasting first release Australian content across certain genres each calendar year. All broadcasters, in both metropolitan and regional licence areas, met and exceeded these requirements, with results from 260 points up to a whopping 435 points.
“These results matter because they show the commitment of metropolitan and regional commercial broadcasters alike to Australian content. The Australian content our members make informs, educates, entertains and connects all Australians. And the $1.67 billion we spend on Australian content is an essential contribution to Australia’s local screen production industry”, said Free TV CEO, Bridget Fair.
“This is an important reminder of the commitment of Australian commercial broadcasters to Australian content and audiences. Aussie content is in our DNA and tells our local stories, whether that’s in news and current affairs, entertainment, drama or sport”.
“With economic headwinds buffeting us all, it’s time to remember the commitment of local broadcasters to free local stories, and importance of supporting the sustainability of our sector.
“Whether it’s abolishing the unjustified Commercial Broadcasting Tax, which costs our industry $46 million per year, supporting regional broadcasters to keep the lights on, or finalising a position in relation to Meta’s withdrawal from the News Media Bargaining Code, action from the Albanese Government is needed now more than ever. A strong local television broadcast sector is in the public interest and must be part of the Government’s Future Made in Australia”.
The full 2023 Commercial Television Compliance with Australian Content Requirements report has been published on the ACMA website.
A few grabs from the report
