All the drama of TEN’s local content
There are more questions today about how TEN will meet its drama points in 2011.
- Published by David Knox
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There are more questions today about how TEN will meet its drama points in 2011.
“We’re fully aware of our obligations and we will meet our drama quotas,” a spokeswoman has told The Australian.
But so far it isn’t apparent how it will do so.
The network has to gain at least 250 points in a calendar year, with different drama formats attracting different points from the Australian Communications and Media Authority. While Feature Films and Miniseries are worth 4 points, a half hour serial is just 1. To qualify they must air between 5-11pm.
So far this year TEN has screened New Zealand-produced Outrageous Fortune and Baz Luhrmann’s Australia.
Under the Free Trade Agreement with New Zealand, Kiwi-produced television also counts as local Aussie drama.
The last Content Compliance report from ACMA saw TEN deliver 265 points in first run Aussie drama, trailing Nine on 300, and Seven far in front on 387 points.
But that was when Neighbours counted towards its total. Now on ELEVEN, the show no longer attracts those points and as we approach April the situation is dragging on.
The only content TEN could confirm for this year to The Australian was another series of NZ drama Go Girls, and 13 episodes each of Offspring and Rush.
In January this year programming chief David Mott told TV Tonight, “We haven’t put Neighbours on ELEVEN and thought ‘Now what are we going to do?’ We have a very clear strategy in place and all will be revealed as the year rolls out.
“I can absolutely say we will completely meet all our obligations.”
“Neighbours was going to belong on ELEVEN whether the government gave us any comfort on the multichannels and clearly they haven’t for 2011, but that hasn’t changed our view.”
Fulfilling those promises TEN announced Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms last week. But it isn’t hitting screens until 2012, and according to today’s report, neither is prison drama Inside Out.
Since January, TEN has also been subjected to enormous managerial issues. Whether they have slowed drama developments isn’t clear.
If TEN can get the government to award drama points for multichannels it will find a way forward, but there could be a bigger danger.
The points system exists for a reason: to support Australian drama production. If multichannels operate on the same points system as our primary channels, networks may dump low-rating Aussie dramas onto them just to meet their quotas. Or they could produce low-rent dramas for the same purpose.
Keeping them on primary channels, where they only survive if the audience embraces them, means the pressure is on to maintain levels of quality.
Source: The Australian
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- Tagged with Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms, Go Girls, Inside Out, Offspring, Outrageous Fortune, Rush
30 Responses
@ salf:
Ah, okay. That makes more sense. Though I still don’t get the distinction between digital and the big FTA channels. Anyway, thanks!
How is it that a New Zealand show or shows count towards drama points when its not even australian or even made in australia, i dont understand this at all. In my opinion i think that the Primary channels should have as much quality australian content as possible and the multichannels can have as much international content. The fact that a NZ show is classified as austrailan drama content is stupid.
@SHINTARO
a soap is only less value per because they run for half an hour. a week of home&away (2.5 hours) will get 5 points where a movie which usually runs for more than 2 hours will get 4 points and an episode of a miniseries that goes for an hour is worth 2 so a soap is the same value, or compared to a movie, it’s better value, in that sense. and considering how routine soap making gets compared to all the work that need to go into a single movie it is a very good way to get quota points.
@Marc NZ shows have failed to rate time and time again. Which is a shame. A few more co-productions would be nice.
are people serious? include digital shows in local quota? you must hate Australia.
Government funding for local drama is taxpayers money, your money. the reason you pay is because someone has realised that tv is a good way to create jobs and is good for the economy, a good realisation. simply government gives ten money and in return ten make their own drama instead of only airing only imported.
i’m sure most people would not be happy if they found out that ten is pocketing their money and dodging making drama (and hence the jobs & economy it produces) by finding loopholes like airing NZ drama and no budget home videos at 10:30 friday on eleven.
@ryaneco
“it should give a little leeway to go and produce something a bit more risky as the expected audience will be lower.”
pigs also might fly. making commercial drama because it will rate low is something that will never happen.
If they are serious about meeting their drama quota maybe it’s about time they looked at pitches from producers other than John Edwards and Screentime?
The rules make no sense on any level. Why should soaps, which provide more jobs over a much longer term and are thus a boon to the industry (whether you like them or not) be counted as having only one quarter the value of a mini series? Seems totally dumb to me.
I like TEN but must admit they are very lazy in this topic
What would actually happen to Ten if they didn’t reach their quota? A slap on the wrist, a little fine? Might be worth taking the slap on the wrist if they can’t fund an Australian drama.
So Neighbours’ only reason for existing (to make up Quota points) is not even happening this year.
You know we junk this ridiculous rent-seeking system the better.
Personally, I’d like to see more NZ content on Oz TV — they’re our close neighbours, and we’re more alike, than different! 🙂
Having said that, I’d also like to see higher local *drama* quotas, and to see reality shows outlawed! (kidding… sort of.)
…but the local industry is tough, there’s a lot of quality content effectively dumped on int’l markets, and making ‘good’ TV is really hard.
Couldn’t TEN pickup points via local movies?
Can Ten away with airing repeats as part of their drama quota? I thought it had to be first run. Or is that yet another loophole?
Also, what is the punishment should Ten not meet the quota necessary?
I agree with Qubec, very odd they count the multi channels together with the network’s overall share but don’t allow multi-channels to be counted towards the quota. That’s kinda backwards really…
I find it rather strange that multichannels are classified as part of ratings for a channel’s overall score, but any local content on multichannels are not given any local quota points. Clearly it’s time for reforms to take place when it comes to ratings, quota points and rules that can actually be enforced. As currently they are desperately outdated!!!
@Steve, no way, the quota system is supposed to be there to help the industry. There is already enough loopholes with late nights and NZ content getting ten out of it. Opening up local quota to digitals would completely kill the industry.
Although that said as the digital penetration rises perhaps a better solution would be to create a separate “digital local quota” which neighbours, Xtra factor ect could count towards.
April is too late to start production on a drama theres no way it would be decent and be ready this year. Clearly what ten has to do is move neighbours to 10:30 on ten (keep it on 11, 6:30 as reruns until they make it.
What are they waiting for? Come on Ten bring on Inside Out! They would have a guaranteed fanbase of Prisoner fans right from the get go.
Nine should have no problem meeting the quota – they’ve had plenty of drama so far this year!
Leo, I don’t think people are objecting to have NZ shows on our screens, it’s having them classified as local content which annoys people. Personally I think Kiwi shows are great, and I enjoy them, but don’t agree with them being counted as Australian
“The points system exists for a reason: to support Australian drama production”
This is a non-issue then whether the program airs on a multichannel or a main broadcast network in the end the result is the same – the show is produced which has given work to people in the industry and viewers have the choice to watch.
The argument about producing low-rent dramas etc may be true but by the same token – it should give a little leeway to go and produce something a bit more risky as the expected audience will be lower.
For all intensive purposes local content should be counted on digital channels – otherwise digital channels will forever just be a dumping ground of poor rating US Shows.
Who are you kidding Leo? if NZ’s economy keeps going the way it is in a few decades time it will be the 7th state of Australia.
As a kiwi living in Australia (for 11 years I must say) its fantastic that NZ shows are now counted.
For years NZ have got all the Aussie shows (& have embraced them) but it certainly wasn’t returned – until now.
NZ shows like Outrageous Fortune, Go Girls etc are as just as god as Australian shows & should be given a go – in better time slots.
Fair’s fair!
as long as its in English. I think there should be some more Canadian stuff too. The Bio Channel gets lots of programming from Canada. I did notice that Shortland Street was screening on abc1 at 4.30am , thought that was odd.
I remember Shortland Street used to screen on Foxtel’s Arena channel in 1996.
There are pleanty of good episodes of Shortland Street from New Zealand that will fit between where they stopped showing on ABC and started showing on 7Two …. 6-12 months worth that have never been seen in Aus.
I find it disgusting that NZ content can be classified as Australian. With such a loop hole its no wonder Ten litter their schedule with Outrageous Fortune and Go Girls in 10.30pm timeslots
Wow, if they just scraped through 2010 with Neighbours and a longer season of Rush, how can they possibly meet the quota this year? It’s probably too late to produce any for this year too. Do they have the rights to Animal Kingdom or other Australian movies? They should try to get The Almighty Johnsons and possibley Spies and Lies from SPP.
With more than fifty percent of Australians having digital TV now, it doesn’t matter whether local content is put on multichannels or not.
The extra channels are no different to the normal channels.