In Efforts to Protect Australian TV, Streaming Services May Need to Fund Local TV

The television industry in Australia may be in trouble, so streaming services there may be forced to fund local production in an effort to stop industry talent drain.

Streaming services in Australia saturate consumers’ screens with their own original content but are not required to stream content made in Australia, while at the same time local networks battle against these streaming networks for views. The Australian entertainment industry is worried that their own talent will leave and less Australian content will be made, exposing viewers to only international TV shows and killing the Australian television industry. 

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the country’s national broadcast network, is home to a handful of Australia’s best and most successful drama and comedy shows, and they are facing some major budget cuts. These cuts are being applied directly to the factual slate and light entertainment, which will impact high-rated shows.

Local production companies are not happy that streaming services are not required to maintain a certain percentage of local content like local networks are required to do. Currently, free-to-air networks are required to broadcast at least 55% of Australian made content between the hours of 6 am and midnight. They want to see streaming services have some quotas implemented as well.  

Paul Fletcher, the country’s Communication Minister, promises that the Australian government will look for a way to support Australian shows and stories on many different platforms, which includes videos on streaming services. He announced that the ABC will get funding in the next three years for $3.2 billion, $43.7 million of which will go directly to support current affairs and local news. We will have to see what changes streaming services and Australian TV will be faced with during this time and after. 

To learn more about the concerns of the Australian television industry, check out this article here!