Rebate avoids local content question on digital channels
Senator Conroy agrees "content drives uptake" but didn't attach any future targets to digital channels when he announced the $250m rebate.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under News
In the furore that is Senator Conroy’s $250m rebate to FTA commercial networks, many continue to question why there was no new conditions for protecting Australian content, the pitch that the minister used in announcing the handout.
Currently FTA commercial networks must screen 55% local content between 6pm and midnight. That covers anything with an Australian mug in front of an Australian camera: news, sport, reality, lifestyle -not just drama and documentary.
It even includes New Zealand drama and documentary, which qualifies as local since a Free Trade Agreement with NZ.
That 55% figure can never be increased thanks to the Howard Government’s deal when it stitched up the US Free Trade Agreement -a move that was protested by actors and writers, who were ultimately unsuccessful.
But 55% local content can be applied to a second channel run by networks without breaching the Free Trade deals:
Transmission quotas for local content, where more than one channel of programming is made available by a provider of free-to-air commercial television broadcasting services. Such quotas may not exceed 55 per cent of the programming on an individual channel of a service provider transmitted annually between 6:00 a.m. and midnight and may not be imposed on more than two channels or 20 per cent of the total number of channels (whichever is greater) made available by that provider.
So if, as Conroy told the Screen Producer’s Association of Australia Conference last November, “content drives uptake”, why didn’t he set any future targets for channels such as GO! and 7TWO? At the moment these channels are smothered in international content.
It’s reasonable to accept that while digital channels are still taking hold, and revenue is modest at best, that local quotas are currently unrealistic.
But by the end of 2013 we will have completed our migration from analogue to digital.
Will we still be watching Seinfeld and Alf on reruns by then while networks will have cashed in from their rebate?
17 Responses
Local content will eventually make its way to digital channels. The requirements should not necessarily be as high as the primary channels (maybe around 33% of prime-time viewing) and not tied to specific genres.
Drama’s will be probably be few and far between, due to the relatively high costs of production. However shows that are relatively cheap to produce will most likely be shown. Lifestyle, cooking, comedy, children’s, talk and informative shows will most likely make their way to prime time digital TV’s if local content rules were to come in place.
I would like to see more Australian content, but I think on the main channel, I don’t think there should be any aussie content on the secondary channels (at least not yet) – Maybe wait until fullly digital is implemented. Not everyone has digital yet, so it would be waste to make programs for digital only channels (7TWO, Go, ABC 2,3) If half of the population still have analogue.
That said someone said they wanted to watch Seinfeld and Blue Heelers, both of these shows are old and have had their days in the sun both currently being repeated, I have both on DVD, at the moment it’s more of a filler on the networks then anything. One airs at midnight (lol @ Seven) and the other in prime time.. go figure… So what really makes me think why is Seven airing all the Australian shows at midnight? Don’t they have enough Aussie content to meet per night on the main network?
I might have completly missed the mark on this topic but feel free to respond or nit pick it away.
Don’t expect new local content to screen only on the digital channels you may only get 1 if your really really lucky.As previously mentioned the digital channels are just bonus channels not worth anymore than that.The Primary Chaanel will always be number 1 priorirty
I would rather not have Australian content rules for the digital channels.
The secondary channels are a good opportunity to show the niche programs that don’t rate enough to be shown on the main channel.
They have lower audiences and smaller budgets. It would make them worse if they have to cut existing shows just to schedule hours of cheap Australian content to satisfy content rules.
Go will just have an Australian introducing Alf or Seinfeld to make it qualify as Australian content!
People who are hearing or vision impaired could ask why hasn’t this been contingent social obligations: greater access, through captioning and audio description? Submissions to the federal government’s media access enquiry recently closed, and progress on some key areas of access to media for disabled people has been painfully slow.
Access to media for disabled Australians, such as TV or the Internet, falls way behind that of comparable countries. With the number of older people in the population increasing, this issue will not go away for TV networks or government
@Grinspoon
No, the FTA didn’t “put a limit on the amount of local content can be shown in prime time”. It put a limit on how much local content can be Required to be shown on prime time. The networks are allowed to show more if they wish.
I agree Ryaneco use the digital channels for local content that wouldn’t work on the main channel but could build a cult following like Skins etc obviously they could probably only do a couple of dramas or comedies a year but thats ok. Otherwise just continue with what they are doing now.
Wait let me get this straight… the howard government put a limit on the amount of local content can be shown in prime time?
I understand the need for a requirement on minimum quotas, but putting a maximum… what the f….???
Seriously everything i’ve ever heard about that USA FTA was stuff generally negative for the Aus people. Thank god they were stopped by Mark Latham from getting rid of the PBS.
I’m all for Australian content, as long as it’s shown on merit (ie. it’s actually good), not just because it’s Australian.
As previously said, I’d rather watch Seinfeld than Blue Heelers that’s for sure.
Does the australian content have to be new or can they just play re runs of old australian shows?
Couldn’t the networks argue that they are already showing 55% Aussie content on two of their channels because of the simulcasts on the HD services?
I think it’s crazy that GO haven’t commissioned any local content yet. I realise it’s still early days but wasn’t there ever a time that networks would take risks investing in new shows to grow their brand.
Programmers have become lazy of late and just play US shows.
Mutlichannels in the UK provide some brilliant programming; Secret Diary of a Call Girl on ITV2; Skins and The Inbetweeners of E4 – Prehaps the mutlichannels can one day become a place for quality local drama similar to series we see on Showcase and W etc like Satisfaction and Love My Way – short run limited episodes that is something entirely different than what we see on the main commerical channels i.e. cop shows, hospital dramas etc etc
well 99% of australian TV is total crap, so this is a good thing. don’t take off seinfeld for damn blue heelers or some other australian trash.
If they bought in similar rules for the 2nd channels then a lot of the content would have to change and once again shows would be put off and not fast tracked, which would be a bad move IMO.
There needs to be new rules to go along with the changing TV environment.
I think it would be fair to give the new digital networks 2 years on the air to establish themselves, quota free – then steadily start increasing the quota of Australian programming.
Year 0 – Year 2 – 0%
Year 2-Year 4 – 10%
Year 4-Year 6 – 20%
Year 6-Year 10 – 30%
Year 10 onwards – 55%