Drama report 2016-17: Spending up, but Children’s TV down.

TV Drama production was up across 2016-17 according to Screen Australia’s annual Drama Report, breaking records.

But Children’s TV hit record lows in expenditure and hours amid a tug of war over commercial networks commitment to continued production.

Expenditure
Expenditure on Australian TV drama ($321 million) and the number of titles (46 titles) produced broke records.

Hours
457 hours of content were produced, an increase on the previous year (446 hours). 16/17 saw a resurgence in series production, the majority of which were half-hour comedy formats. Miniseries and Telemovies were both down.

Children’s Television
Pressure in local children’s TV drama production saw a sharp decline in Australian expenditure ($48 million), significantly below the five-year average of $60 million.

With total budgets of $100 million, 13 titles generated 111 hours of content, all slightly below the previous year. Two children’s programs made for online platforms were included.

 

SVOD / Online
This year’s report has also captured online titles that were at least 30 minutes in total duration. All up, 22 online dramas were made, contributing $14 million to overall expenditure and generating 40 hours of entertainment. These titles premiered on platforms such as Stan, iview and YouTube.

Foreign TV
Three foreign TV dramas commenced shooting in Australia in 16/17, driving a 39% increase in expenditure to $43 million, 84% above the five year average. They included The Leftovers (S3) and The Bold and the Beautiful episodes.

Post, Digital and Visual Effects 
Including Film, Television & Online, PDV expenditure on Australian and foreign drama titles totalled $252 million in 2016/17, up 17% on last year’s record high and 24% above the five-year average of $202 million. Of the total expenditure, $123 million came from 34 foreign PDV-only projects.

Sources of Finance
Producers, production companies, distributors and broadcasters provided 57% of the finance for this year’s TV and online slate, $252.9 million to 77 titles, well above the five-year average.

Subscription television saw a record financial contribution of $50 million. Conversely, foreign investors contributed nearly half (47%) of the finance for this year’s Australian feature slate, providing $162.9 million to 23 titles. Screen Australia contributed $13 million for 16 features that commenced production in 16/17. The Producer Offset provided $99.7 million to Australian feature projects, accounting for 29% of total finance.

NB: Production spend by State includes Film

 

Free TV Australia statement:
“Contributing more than any other sector to Australian drama demonstrates our proud commitment to being the cornerstone of the local production industry,” Ms Pamela Longstaff, Acting CEO, Free TV Australia said.

“The challenge for policy makers is to ensure that the settings are right so that we can maintain this record commitment to local content in the face of new technology and changing audience demands.

“The Government’s Australian and Children’s Screen Content Review is very timely. It is an opportunity to make sure that regulation keeps pace with the modern viewing habits of Australians,” she said.

“We reject entirely any suggestion that we have devalued the child audience. In fact, commercial networks invest millions in making and promoting award winning children’s shows. But the fact is these programs are being watched by a mere 0.2 per cent of children.

“Hundreds of thousands of Australian kids are joining the rest of the family in enjoying new entertainment shows on commercial TV. They are just not watching shows made specifically for them on commercial TV.

“The Screen Australia report confirms that commercial broadcasters are vital to the content production sector. It’s a role that commercial networks are committed to playing, supported by the regulatory reforms needed to keep pace with today’s audience.”

Screen Producer Australia statement:
CEO, Matt Deaner said, “The Drama Report’s headline figure of $1.3 billion total Australian expenditure is welcome. Increased investment in our industry demonstrates the strength of Australian creative talent in a global market. Record expenditure and hours of Australian TV drama is encouraging, but I caution this report is a point in time. I hope to see this continue to increase in the 2017/18 Drama Report and beyond.

“The report confirms that the Australian children’s television is in a state of crisis. We know the commercial broadcasters have devalued the audiences for targeted children’s content and the numbers back this up – record low expenditure and hours. They should not be rewarded for this neglect by having children’s obligations abolished, as they have asked. We must instead look to adapting regulatory models to ensure our children are supported with Australia stories from a variety of formats and platforms now and into the future.

“The report brings also highlights the record level of foreign investment in Australia. To maximize the benefits of this to our industry, the incentivisation and effect of foreign investment must be carefully considered and well managed. While the industry welcomes foreign productions to Australia, the inflationary effect on production costs can create problems for our small businesses. I also caution governments to ensure all boats – local and foreign – rise together, while enhancing the critical ballast provided by Australian production companies in developing Australian stories and co-productions to maintain and grow our international investment and engagement.

“If our industry is skewed too heavily towards an offshore fee for service sector, where global investment strategies are influenced largely by exchange rates and comparative incentives, this will destabilise our sector. Balance and stability in our content ecosystem is critical – as is certainty around Government incentives and regulation. The outcome of the current Government reviews for our industry have never been more important.”

Series / Serials:
Bent 101
Image Fusion
Seven (7Flix)

The Chinaboy Show
RKPix Pty Ltd
ABC

The Edge of the Bush
Guesswork Television Pty Ltd
ABC

The Ex–PPM series 2
Cordell Jigsaw Productions Pty Ltd
ABC

The Family Law series 2
Matchbox Productions Pty Ltd
SBS

Get Krack!n
Get Krack!n Series One Pty Ltd
ABC

Here Come the Habibs! series 2
Jungle FTV Pty Ltd, Habibs TV S2 Pty Ltd
Nine

High Life
More Sauce Pty Ltd
Nine

Home and Away series 30
Seven Network Operations Limited
Seven

The Letdown
The Letdown Pty Ltd
ABC

Neighbours series 34
FremantleMedia Australia
Ten

Pitch Short Blacks Initiative
Various
ABC

Please Like Me series 4
Pigeon Fancier Productions, John & Josh International,
Guesswork Television Pty Ltd
ABC

Ronny Chieng: International
Student
Sticky Pictures Pty Ltd
ABC

Rosehaven series 2
Rosehaven Series 2 Pty Ltd
ABC

Russell Coight’s All Aussie Adventures
Big Crack Productions Pty Ltd
Ten

The Slot
The Slot Productions Pty Ltd
Foxtel

True Story with Hamish and
Andy series 1
Radio Karate ST Holdings, St Productions Pty Ltd
Nine

Utopia series 3
Utopia TV Pty Ltd
ABC

The Warriors
Arenamedia Pty Limited
ABC

Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am
Skit Box Pty Ltd, Wham Bam Pty Ltd
ABC

Whose Line is it Anyway?
Australia
Roger That Pty Ltd
Foxtel / Comedy Channel

Mini Series:
Chosen
Playmaker Media Pty Ltd

The Doctor Blake Mysteries
series 5
December Media Pty Ltd
ABC

Doctor Doctor series 2
Easy Tiger
Nine

Fighting Season
Goalpost Pictures Australia Pty Ltd
Foxtel

Friday On My Mind
Playmaker Media Pty Ltd
ABC

Glitch series 2
Matchbox Pictures Pty Ltd
ABC

Janet King: Playing Advantage
series 3
Screentime Pty Ltd
ABC

Love Child series 4
Playmaker Media LC4 SPV Pty Ltd
Nine

Newton’s Law
Every Cloud Productions Pty Ltd
ABC

Offspring series 7
Endemol Shine Australia Pty Ltd
Ten

Picnic at Hanging Rock
FremantleMedia Australia
Foxtel

A Place to Call Home series 5
Seven Productions Pty Limited
Foxtel

Pulse
Beyond Entertainment Pty Ltd, Pulse Productions S01
Pty Ltd
ABC

Safe Harbour
Matchbox Productions Pty Ltd
SBS

The Secret Daughter series 2
Screentime Pty Ltd
Seven

Sunshine
Carver Films Pty Ltd, Easy Tiger
SBS

Wake in Fright
Lingo Pictures Pty Ltd, Ten Network Light Entertainment
Sydney, Endemol Shine Australia Pty Ltd
Ten

Wentworth series 5
FremantleMedia Australia
Foxtel

Wentworth series 6
FremantleMedia Australia
Foxtel

The Wrong Girl series 2
Playmaker Media Pty Ltd
Ten

Telemovies:
Olivia Newton-John:
Hopelessly Devoted To You
part 1
FremantleMedia Australia
Seven

Olivia Newton-John:
Hopelessly Devoted To You
part 2
FremantleMedia Australia
Seven

Sisters
Shine Productions 3 Pty Ltd
Ten

Co-Productions: TV Drama:
Cleverman series 2 (Australia/New Zealand)
Goalpost Pictures Australia Pty Ltd, Pukeko Pictures Limited Partnership
ABC

TV Drama: Children’s:
Get Grubby TV
Mememe Productions Pty Ltd
ABC

Guess How Much I Love You
specials
SLR Productions Pty Ltd
ABC

Jar Dwellers SOS series 2
Viskatoons
Ten

Justine Clarke’s Ta Da!!
Fredbird CDK Pty Limited
ABC

Kitty Is Not a Cat
Kitty Is Not A Cat Productions Series
Seven

KuuKuu Harajuku series 3
Moody Street Kids Pty Ltd
Ten

Motown Magic
Grace – A Storytelling Company Pty Limited
Channel 7

Mustangs FC
Matchbox Productions Pty Ltd
ABC

Random & Whacky
Ambience Entertainment Pty Limited
Ten

Co-Productions: Children’s
The Deep series 2
(Australia/Canada)
A Stark Production Pty Ltd, DHX Media (Vancouver) Ltd.
ABC

Nate is Late
(Australia/France)
Watch Next Media
Nine
Oh Yuck!

(Australia/Canada)
Flying Bark Productions
Seven

The Legend of Monkey
(Australia/New Zealand)
See-Saw Films (TV) Pty Ltd
ABC

Foreign TV Drama:
The Bold and the Beautiful
Buddy Films

The Leftovers series 3
Underdown Productions

Speed
Ciwen Media Co Ltd

Foreign TV Drama (PDV only):
Game of Thrones series 7
Home Box Offce (HBO), Television 360, Bighead Littlehead

Outcast series 2
Circle of Confusion, Skybound Entertainment, Fox International Studios

Philip K Dick’s Electric Dreams
Channel 4, Sony Pictures Television, Tall Ship Productions, Left Bank Pictures

*One title cannot be named for confidentiality reasons

Online Drama Series:
Almost Midnight
We’re Not Boys
ABC iview

Aussie Rangers
Factor 30 Films Pty Ltd
ABC iview

Drop Dead Weird
Ambiance Entertainment Pty Ltd, Air Pig Productions
Pty Ltd
KidsOn7

F###ing Adelaide
Closer Productions Pty ltd
ABC iview

Fresh Blood 2017
ABC Productions
ABC iview

Horizon series 7 and 8
Cobbstar Productions Pty Ltd
YouTube

Kiki and Kitty
Porchlight Films Pty Ltd
ABC iview

Online Single Episode Program:
Chaperones
In Films Pty Ltd
Stan

Home and Away:
All or Nothing
Seven Productions Pty Limited
Presto

Home and Away: Revenge
Seven Productions Pty Limited
Presto

The Superwog Show
Princess Pictures Pty Ltd
YouTube

Untitled
Triptych Pictures Pty Ltd
YouTube

Wrong Kind of Black
Princess Pictures Holdings Pty Ltd
ABC iview