Federal government investment in television drama has increased, but Australians are receiving less cultural and social value in return, according to a four-year study by QUT researchers. .
Australian TV drama hours are down 55 per cent from their peak in the early 2000s, and poor government policy means that dramas produced are aimed at the international streaming market, leaving the community disappointed. says a new QUT report.
The Uncertain Future of Australian Television Drama: Australian Cultural Policy Fails is produced by the Making 21st Century Australian Television research team within QUT’s Digital Media Research Center and funded by an ARC Discovery Project Grant. Masu. This book is written by Professor Amanda D. Lotz, Dr. Marion McCutcheon, Professor Anna Potter, and Professor Kevin Sansone.
TV drama in decline: Globalization or bad policy?
Globalization, changes in technology and a changing commercial environment are creating the conditions for this situation, but the report shows how government policies have failed and conspired in the fall. The grim statistic states: “Over the 10 years to 2023, federal government funding for television increased by an average of 15.6% per year, but hours watched of Australian TV drama decreased by an average of 5.6% per year.” There is.
Read: A study of 20 years of queer representation in Australian television
The report identifies four key factors that are changing the scope and type of drama produced in Australia.
Due to a sharp drop in advertising revenue, commercial broadcasters have drastically cut back on drama orders. Domestic-focused industries became globally intertwined with multinational industries.
services (Network Ten) and production companies (Matchbox,
Southern Star, Cracker Jack, Screen Time, Playmaker, Ringo, Werner Film Productions). Commissioning series is increasingly dependent on multi-territory streaming services such as Netflix. The dependence on foreign funds for drama budgets is increasing.
Other factors contributing to the issue, the report said, include changes made by former communications minister Paul Fletcher to Australian content standards, which meant that Network Seven and Ten were primarily aimed at audiences outside Australia. One example is that they are now able to cover their drama assignment obligations through low-priced soaps. Additionally, production requirements for children’s television have been removed.
Read: Energy, climate and corporate ties in Australian documentary
How Australian?
While these debates around television drama are not new, the report suggests that we need to continue to have them and be very specific about the difference between cultural and commercial purposes. are. Sometimes they coexist, but often they don’t.
The report states that producer offsets and location kickbacks are not producing the culturally specific drama (or amount) that they once did, citing several specific examples.
“Many of these tax-refunded series are ostensibly set in Australia but tell stories that could take place anywhere. For example, Wolf Like Me (Stan, 2022-) takes place in Adelaide. A romantic comedy about two Americans, Lie With Me (Network Ten, 2021) is an affair thriller set in Melbourne, where a couple has recently moved from England. , some are filmed in Australia and set elsewhere, such as Clickbait (Netflix, 2021) and Nine Perfect Strangers (Prime Video, 2021-). These series receive up to 30% of their spending as tax rebates from the federal government, and often receive additional funding from state governments as well, and streaming services may be spending more per hour. However, the lack of meaningful engagement with all aspects of Australian society raises questions about what concrete value Australian communities receive from these funds.”
QUT researchers Dr Marion McCutcheon, Professor Kevin Sanson, Professor Amanda Lotz and Professor Anna Potter. Image provided.
QUT researcher Professor Anna Potter said the government’s failure to address the impact of digital technology was leading to a situation where corporate profits were prioritized over Australia’s culture and identity.
“Australians have previously watched films such as “Blue Heelers” (Seven Network, 1994-2006), “Water Rats” (Nine Network, 1996-2001) and “The Offspring” (Network Ten, 2010-17). He enjoyed free-to-watch long-running series and miniseries such as All the Rivers Run (Seven Network, 1983), The Dimissal (Network Ten, 1983), How That! Kerry Packers War (Nine Network, 2012),” Professor Potter said.
Co-author Professor Amanda Lotz said this was no longer the case and that Australian dramas currently airing were becoming less and less indigenously Australian stories.
“We are also seeing increased federal support for productions commissioned by multi-regional streamers like Netflix for a global audience, even though those dramas may be set here. “They rarely engage with Australian social and cultural themes in any meaningful way,” Professor Lotz said.
“These services are focused on maintaining international subscriptions and are not interested in returning value to Australians in exchange for the funds and tax offsets they receive.”
Read: Screen Australia to fund 29 new local film and TV projects
Professor Potter said fit-for-purpose policies, based on impartial sector expertise, were needed to respond to the significant disruption that digital technology was bringing to Australian television.
“Instead, Australia’s cultural and economic policy objectives are mixed, with policy consistently putting corporate interests first,” Professor Potter said.
“The sector’s main policy instruments, the Producer Offset Tax Rebate and the Fund managed by Screen Australia, operate with low levels of transparency and are not subject to independent review.” It has prioritized the economic activities of the sector over achieving the social and cultural objectives that have historically underpinned content regulation and support in Australia.
“More recently, the government has expanded support for the industry without creating Australian content standards.”
The research team, including Dr Marion McCutcheon and Professor Kevin Sanson, found that the level of television drama in Australia has suffered a dramatic decline in recent decades, with a decline in drama provision by commercial broadcasters being the biggest cause. I discovered that.
“In the past, commercial broadcasters Seven, Nine and Ten competed by producing hundreds of hours of drama for the attention of Australian viewers. “We were able to bring about significant results,” Professor Sanson said.
“With fewer dramas now being funded by commercial broadcasters, their costs are increasingly being subsidized by Australians through tax rebates to the production sector.
“The government is currently one of the most significant investors in Australian drama, but there is little guarantee that the lost tax revenue will benefit Australian communities.”
The report said Australia should separate and redevelop its cultural and economic policy efforts to ensure that Australians have unfettered access to uniquely Australian TV drama stories, not just those made in Australia. concludes that it is necessary to do so.
The report recommends four interventions for television drama.
Cultural specificity, access and diversity should be the primary goals of cultural policy for Australia’s film sector. This requires establishing funding to ensure Australians have access to 50 to 75 hours of new, diverse and culturally specific drama a year. There is a need for clarity regarding Producer Offset and Screen Australia’s cultural objectives. Ideally, social and cultural objectives should be separated from economic development. ABC and SBS are important cultural institutions that should be central to delivering the cultural goals of screen drama. Enforce social obligations and fees on entities that use the broadcast spectrum.
View the full report online.
