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2020 / 2021 Drama Report

A detailed breakdown of annual drama shows a foreign production boom in Australia, but Kid's TV halves without quotas.

Last week Screen Australia released its annual Drama Report, which shows Children’s TV dropped by 56% in 2020 / 21 after the government suspended, then dropped, Children’s Drama sub-quotas.

But there was a record spend on Australian film & TV production as foreign titles flocked to Australia during the pandemic.

It’s a record result that was welcomed with some caution by Screen Producers Australia and the Media & Entertainment Arts Alliance.

Meanwhile Australian drama series were down, but miniseries (a broad term) were up.

Here’s a closer look at the results (note that some data here includes Feature Films).

Expenditure

$1.914 billion total Australian expenditure – a new record spend, and nearly double last year’s, driven by Australian and foreign features.

Expenditure by Australian titles – A record $874 million. 46% of total expenditure was triggered by Australian titles that started principal photography during 2020/21.

21 Australian general TV drama titles- $201 million expenditure up 7% on last year, but 24% below the 5-year average. Hours decreased by 4% and were 17% below the 5-year average.

7 Australian children’s TV drama titles – $48 million. 6% decrease on last year and 17% below the 5-year average. Hours fell by 56%.

25 Australian online drama titles – $125 million. Record expenditure, up 20% on last year. Hours decreased by 17%.

Hours

21 general TV series at drama 329 hours of content, down on last year’s 351 hours.

Children’s Television

7 children’s dramas entered production in 2020/21, generating 39 hours of content, 56% down on last year, with a spend of $48 million. Budgets were down by 23% and spend by 6%. Cost-per-hour, however, increased by 74%, and was 53% above the 5-year average.

The number of live action titles was down by 17% and hours by 19%; however, budgets and spend were both up by 45% and cost-per-hour by 78%.

Of the seven titles, the ABC financed six, including animations Bluey series 3 and The Strange Chores series 2, and live action titles Born to Spy, Hardball series 2, Itch series 2 and MaveriX . Dive Club was financed by 10 and Netflix, while Alice Miranda: A Royal Christmas Ball (released on Stan) is classified as an Australian Online drama.

Online TV @ 30 mins or more: SVOD (e.g. Stan), BVOD (e.g. ABC iview), AVOD (e.g. YouTube) and TVOD (e.g. iTunes).

In 2020/21, 25 titles were first released online, 22 of which were series and three single episode titles. Hours decreased by 17% year- on-year, but budgets increased by 22%, spend by 20% and cost-per-hour by 46%. The online sector continues to grow. The total spend of $125 million in 2020/21 was nearly five times the spend in 2016/17, which was when this report first measured online titles independently from TV drama. The number of titles with budgets in excess of $10 million has increased from one in 2016/17 to five in 2020/21.

Foreign TV

Foreign TV and online drama activity accounted for $530 million in Australian expenditure in 2020/21, more than double last year, driven by spend on titles for VOD platforms. Among the 41 titles contributing to this result were US titles that shot in Australia, Escape from Spiderhead, God’s Favorite Idiot, La Brea and Nine Perfect Strangers, and PDV- only titles including US titles I Am Groot, The Book of Boba Fett, Rainbow High series 1 and 2 and WandaVision. Some titles that commenced work in 2020/21 forecast significant spend in future years.

Sources of Finance

Direct government sources provided $66 million for 49 titles, or 17% of total finance. Screen Australia provided $39 million to 42 TV and online drama titles that commenced principal photography during the year (79% of all titles in the Australian TV and online drama slate). The state and territory agencies contributed $24 million for 42 titles. Screen NSW and Film Victoria provided 68% of this funding. The Australian Government provided direct funding via the Location Incentive to one title, The Tourist. Nearly $4 million of direct government funding was provided by local councils, the ACTF and other government agencies.

Foreign investment in Australian TV and online drama rose by 4%, to $129 million, above the 5-year average and just 1% below the Australian screen industry’s share of finance. With the public broadcasters included, Federal Government sources contributed 37% of total finance for Australian TV and online drama in 2020/21. The Producer Offset, ABC, and Screen Australia provided the vast majority of Federal Government funding.

Drama production by location (inc. film)

New South Wales $912m 48%: accounted for the largest share of total expenditure in Australia and set a new record.

Queensland $553m 29%: expenditure in Queensland reached an all-time high in 2020/21.

Victoria $307m 16%: spend was down 4% on last year and just below the 5-year average.

South Australia $96m 5%: spend fell from last year’s all-time high.

Western Australia $29m 2%: spend fell by 16% on 2019/20.

Tasmania/NT/ACT $18m 1%.

Drama Series

Aftertaste Closer Productions ABC
Australia’s Sexiest Tradie Oldboy Productions Seven
Fisk Porchlight Films ABC
Home and Away series 34 Seven Network Operations Limited Seven
How To Stay Married series 3 Hell And High Waters Holdings 10
Metro Sexual series 2 Humdrum Comedy Nine
Mr Inbetween series 3 FX Productions, Blue Tongue Films, Pariah Productions FX Network
Neighbours 2021 series Fremantlemedia Australia 10
Preppers Prepper Productions, Spirit Pictures ABC
Rosehaven series 5 Guesswork Television, What Horse Holdings ABC

Miniseries

Amazing Grace Playmaker Media Nine
Doctor Doctor series 5 Easy Tiger Productions Nine
Fat Pizza: Back in Business series 2 Antichocko Productions Seven
Fires Tony Ayres Productions ABC
Frayed series 2 Guesswork Television, Merman Television ABC
Jack Irish series 3 Easy Tiger Productions ABC
New Gold Mountain Goalpost Television SBS
The Newsreader Newsreader Productions, Werner Film Productions ABC
RFDS Endemol Shine Australia Seven
Total Control series 2 Blackfella Films ABC
The Unusual Suspects Aquarius Films SBS

Children’s

Bluey series 3 Ludo Studio ABC
Born to Spy Aqf Holding ABC
Dive Club The Steve Jaggi Company, Dive Club Season One 10
Hardball series 2 Northern Pictures ABC
Itch series 2 Komixx Entertainment ABC
MaveriX Brindle Films ABC
The Strange Chores series 2 Media World Pictures, Ludo Studio ABC

Online Drama

1 For All Deerstalker Pictures YouTube
Alice Miranda – A Royal Christmas Ball SLR Productions Stan
All My Friends Are Racist Maximo Entertainment ABC iview
Amazing Grace series 2 J.A.M. Productions Facebook
Bump series 1 Roadshow Rough Diamond Stan
Celebration Nation Molly Daniels YouTube
Eden Every Cloud Productions, Balloon Entertainment Stan
Flunk series 3 Lilydale Films YouTube
Hug the Sun Haven’t You Done Well Productions YouTube
Iggy & Ace Lazy Susan Films SBS On Demand
Mia Culpa Rogan Brown YouTube
The Moth Effect Mangrove Films Amazon Prime
Ms Fisher’s MODern Murder Mysteries series 2 Every Cloud Productions. Acorn TV
The Power of the Dream Chips & Gravy Films Facebook
ReCancelled More Sauce Facebook
Scattered Passionfruit Bites TikTok
Sunset Paradise Glitch Productions YouTube
Superwog series 2 Princess Pictures Holdings, Bobcat Entertainment ABC iview
Surviving Summer Werner Film Productions Netflix
The Tailings Good Lark, The Two Jons SBS On Demand
The Tourist Two Brothers Pictures, Highview Productions Stan

Statements:

Screen Australia

“It’s important to look at both of the production years that were hit by the pandemic. We were on track to break records in 2019/20, and what we are seeing now is the hard work of the Australian industry, who adapted and continued to work through COVID, paying off,” said CEO Graeme Mason.

“It’s simply unprecedented to have 10 big foreign productions shooting here in Australia, and especially notable that so many had key Australian creative involvement. From Chris Hemsworth starring in Thor: Love and Thunder and Escape from Spiderhead, to Bruna Papandrea, Nicole Kidman and others bringing the adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers to Australia. A mix of local and global talent and finance drove this extraordinary result. Australia cemented its reputation as a leading destination for international productions in 2020/21, thanks not only to our world-class cast, crew, facilities and stunning physical locations and Australia’s lower rates of COVID-19 but also due to the incentive and investment framework supported by the Federal, state and territory governments.”

“For the first time in this report we can see the specific role of SVOD investment, where spend on Australian titles reached $116 million in 2020/21. Over the past five years we have seen average production budgets for Australian SVOD drama expand from $800,000 in 2016/17 to $13.5 million in 2020/21. Spend and cost are just one of several measures of drama production, but it is worth noting that spend on Australian SVOD drama has grown and that the combined spend on drama by FTA and SVOD platforms is at similar levels as that traditionally spent by the FTA sector alone.”

Screen Producers Australia

“Whilst this activity offers a welcome economic boost, it does not provide any local upside in terms of intellectual property generation and fewer opportunities for local creatives and cast. These productions contribute a minimal amount to the building of sustainable local production businesses and do not enhance our ability to create Australian cultural content that speaks with a genuinely Australian voice,” said CEO Matthew Deaner.

“We need to treat the Drama Report numbers with caution, because whilst they present a very strong top-line figure, a closer examination reveals challenging conditions for local Australian productions.

“The investment figure from streaming services comes against the backdrop of global streaming content budgets of AU$37 billion and strengthens the case in favour of the appropriateness of ongoing safeguards which protect local investment from outside fluctuations.”

MEAA

“Caution should be taken when reading the drama report as 2020-21 was a unique year when Australia was the fortunate beneficiary of decisions to relocate foreign film and TV production from the northern hemisphere,” said MEAA Chief Executive Paul Murphy.

“A single boom year should not be an excuse to avoid dealing with underlying issues about the competitiveness of Australian screen incentives and the lack of a local content regime for streaming video on demand services.

“Meanwhile, the emerging slump in local television investment is a direct consequence of the relaxation of content quotas for free-to-air TV. It’s hard not to conclude that local drama and children’s TV are on a downward spiral because of this short-sighted Morrison Government decision.

“Fortunately, a concerted campaign prevented the government from also slashing the content requirements for subscription TV or the picture would be even bleaker.

“Last week’s passage of legislation to increase the producer offset for television to 30% is welcome, but it is disappointing that another year has passed without any action by the Morrison Government on local content regulations for streaming video services like Netflix and Disney+.”

Screen Queensland

“The success of Queensland’s screen industry, thriving despite the challenges of a global pandemic, is evident in this report,” CEO Kylie Munnich said.

“The Queensland Government via Screen Queensland has invested significantly and wisely, via the Production Attraction Strategy, the recent boost to the PDV incentive, the Screen Finance Program, the new North Queensland Regional Program and additional studio facilities planned for Cairns and the Gold Coast, in a sector that continues to go from strength to strength, generating huge economic returns for the state.

“While locally made productions like This Little Love of Mine and the 2021 AACTA Award-winning series Bluey andAll My Friends Are Racist have made a huge splash on screens nationally and internationally, Queensland is clearly a location of choice for both international and interstate productions, attracted not only by our competitive incentives but also our diverse locations, highly skilled crews and great facilities.

“In 2020-21, approximately 5,500 jobs were created for Queenslanders from Screen Queensland-supported productions, in addition to the important work we are doing to grow local talent through workshops and career-building initiatives.

“With a deeply experienced and expert local film workforce, studios and post-production facilities, built over 30 years of back-to-back productions, Queensland is perfectly situated to capitalise an increased demand to film here, the state’s unique and original creative talent, alongside an insatiable global appetite for screen content.

“We have had a fantastically busy year of production, which means film fans and series-bingers the world over are in for a treat next year, with local Queensland talent and locations on show in a number of upcoming movies and series, made by talented, skilled local cast and crew who make the magic happen.

“And we are  eagerly awaiting the release next year of Academy Award-winner Ron Howard’s film Thirteen Lives and of course, the great Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic, both filmed on our gorgeous Gold Coast.”

Free TV Australia

Not supplied.

8 Responses

  1. Comments-Free TV Australia-Not supplied.

    It is as if they do not care about the significant reduction in hours of Aussie drama. The mini series are also short run and leave little time to invest and then often a two year wait or a non renewal….

  2. I guess looking ahead the main question could be whether the Australian film and TV industry will be able to handle the politics that will undoubtedly come with an increased US presence making SVOD shows and movies in Australia; part of the reason why Hollywood moved offshore all those decades ago was the tax incentives and cheaper and more efficient production facilities available overseas, quite simply Hollywood had priced itself out of the market. You don’t have to be too smart to see that SVOD and streaming is the expanding global entertainment business now and in the future, and that’s the way it should always be looked at, as a global business not just Australian, especially if jobs and careers are important for the future. If the Australia film and TV industry starts overpricing itself, Disney, CBS and others wont be making many movies and mini series in Australia. Excellent article David.

    1. They are making TV and movies with bigger budgets due to foreign investment for the global market. More money, fewer hours. So the sky didn’t fall then, but that’s ok they are sure it will next year.

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