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Nine still draws on NZ for local Drama quota

Networks get the tick for local content in 2019 -but Nine has nearly 50% NZ Drama.

Seven, Nine and 10 have all screened more local Drama then is required of them in 2019 -but Nine has only achieved its quota through New Zealand content.

Seven screened the most Drama followed by 10 then Nine. Seven also screened the most Local Content, Documentary and just pipped its rivals in Children’s Drama.

While Seven had around 11% of their Drama from NZ, and 10 had around 5%, Nine had nearly 50%, including The Brokenwood Mysteries (pictured top), Westside, The Bad Seed, Dear Murderer -all screened on 9GEM. Nine also held off Doctor Doctor in 2019, screening only Bad Mothers and Seachange as local series on its primary channel.

It is a strategy, allowed under the Australia-NZ Economic Trade Agreement, which has employed for over a decade but which continues to frustrate Screen Producers Australia.

SPA CEO Matthew Deaner stated, “SPA has been calling on the Government to close the NZ content loophole for several years. The ACMA’s latest results merely confirm the loophole’s damaging impact and tell a story of forgone Australian jobs and investment and missed opportunities for audiences to experience our nation’s own rich and distinctive stories.

“A lack of foresight when negotiating a trade deal with New Zealand in the 1980s is now having devastating consequences for local small businesses 40 years later and makes a mockery of the content standards by promoting another country’s cultural identity over our own.”

“The results come in the final week of consultation on the Government’s screen sector reform options paper and highlight the need for the loophole to be addressed as part of the reform process.”

Local Content:

All networks are required to broadcast a minimum of 55% in local content on their primary channel from 6am – midnight.

Seven broadcast the most, at up to 79.78% for HSV7 Melbourne.

Nine was next, at up to 75.88% for TCN9 Sydney.

10 was third at up to 70.03% for TVQ Brisbane.

Drama:

Networks are required to screen 250 points in first release Australian Drama across their network (primary + multichannels). A points system is applied to Serial (1 point per hr), Series (2.5), Feature Film (2.5), Miniseries (4) and Telemovie (4).

Seven screened the most at 332.86 points, for TVW Perth.

10 was next at up to 315.08 points across all its licensees.

Nine was third with 274.83 points equally at both TCN Sydney and GTV Melbourne.

Documentary:

Networks are required to screen 20 hours of first release Australian Documentary across their network.

Seven screened the most at 81.70 hours at TVW Perth.

Nine was next with 43.03 hours at QTQ Brisbane licensees.

10 was third with 40.17 hours equally at all licensees.

Children’s:

Networks are required to screen 130 hours of first release Australian children’s programs across their network.

Nine screened the most at 130.5 hours.

Seven and 10 both screened 130 hours each.

Networks are also required to screen 25 hours of first release Australian children’s Drama across their network.

Seven screened 33.50 hours.

Nine screened 32.50 hours.

10 screened 32.00 hours.

All networks equally screened 130.50 hours in Australian preschool programs, just above the required 130 hours.

NZ Content

Drama:

Nine screened 49.88% of its total Drama from NZ.

Seven screened up to 10.57% of its total Drama from NZ.

10 screened 5.42% of its total Drama from NZ.

Documentary:

Seven screened  6.42% of its total Documentary from NZ.

Nine screened 0% of its total Documentary from NZ.

10 screened 0% of its total Documentary from NZ.

In April due to COVID-19 the government suspended local Drama, Documentary & Children’s quotas for the rest of the year.

10 Responses

  1. Never even heard of those NZ titles, I guess as I don’t usually check what’s on GEM, so them using these against the quotas seems a play on the game as you’d wonder how many people would be watching them.

  2. As the prime-time local content quota is 55% and the networks are all screening over 75% Australian content there, there is definitely no problem there.
    Nine met it drama quota on it’s main channel, and the yearly quota is irrelevant as the act states that it is calculated as an average over 2 years. There is no problem there either. If Nine wants to show NZ Dramas instead of US dramas elsewhere that is good thing.
    There is no total drama quota, only main channel drama quota, so this is another pretent problem.
    Before Covid19 TV production by commerical networks was up overall (but down for Childrens) so there is no problem, infact overseas sales a going up as a result of Covid19.
    What Nine screens on Gem is irrelevant to the main channel drama quota. Nine could show 30-year-old repeats of crap Australian show or NZ shows to meet the local content percentage on Gem. They show…

    1. Networks are required to screen 250 points in first release Australian Drama across their network (primary + multichannels). Nine screened 3 titles on primary channel: Bad Mothers, Seachange, Red Dog: True Blue for about 72 of 250 points.

      1. ‘Main channel’ drama quota went years ago. They have a rolling 3 year quota for drama – which is higher than 3 x 1 year quotas – so don’t read much into doing more in any one year!

    2. All sorts of wrong in this comment.
      ‘Nine met it drama quota on it’s main channel’ Quotas are across Network, not channel.
      ‘calculated as an average over 2 years’ Nope, its 3 years.
      ‘There is no total drama quota, only main channel drama quota’. Wrong, Drama is total channels. ‘What Nine screens on Gem is irrelevant to the main channel drama quota’ As above.

      Maybe a little research next time…

  3. NZ shows should not count toward local quotas especially when we come out of this pandemic. Local artists & crews need to be able to find employment here. The government need to fix this now.

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