The Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) is lobbying for local children’s content to have its own app on smart TVs and other devices in order to become more discoverable.
The recommendation is part of its response to the Federal Government’s Prominence Framework for Connected Television Devices Proposals Paper, designed to develop legislation that ensures that local TV services can easily be found on connected platforms.
In its submission, the ACTF calls for the introduction of an app that would be “prominently positioned on all smart TVs (and related devices) purchased in Australia”, while also being available on the App Store/Play Store, so users may be able to access it on their tablets, phones, and other devices.
Further, the foundation believes there should be a requirement that all remotes sold in Australia carry a “KIDS” button that would lead consumers directly to the Australian children’s content app.
ACTF CEO Jenny Buckland told IF the app would make sure that every Australian children’s program gets maximum exposure and was easy to find.
“We have so many options for shows to watch these days, but sometimes the choice is overwhelming and Australian content is just a drop in the ocean of all the available options,” she said.
“An Australian children’s app that makes the search easy by aggregating all of the available Australian children’s content in one place and then sends the viewer off to the relevant platform – whether that’s the ABC or NITV or one of the SVODs that the household subscribes to or a commercial free-to-air broadcaster – would be a good thing. I’m sure families would welcome it, and it maximises the investment that the Commonwealth makes in great Australian shows by ensuring the intended audience finds them.”
Informing the ACTF’s submission is a four-year, $328,000 research project into the state of children’s television that it commissioned in 2021.
Delivered in partnership with academics from Swinburne University and RMIT, ‘Australian Children’s Television Cultures’ examines how and why audiences value, discover, and consume local children’s content in the era of on-demand streaming via national surveys, industry interviews, catalogue analysis, and social impact studies on focus groups.
According to data from the project, parents favour streaming services that have “child-friendly” apps and platforms, selecting ABC iview (65 per cent), ABC Kids (62 per cent),
and ABC ME (29 per cent) among the top services their child regularly uses.
The research also suggests that parents trust streaming services that have clearly demarcated “kids’ sections”, using these services more frequently than those without clearly organised or promoted kids’ sections.
Researcher Jessica Balanzategui said the TV distribution environment was not meeting Australian children’s ‘best interests’.
“Our audience research with children and parents has found that even in era when children have access to a wide range of different digital devices, they most often watch television on a TV set,” she said.
“Both parents and children find it difficult to navigate smart TV interfaces to discover Australian content, and our research with children 7-9 suggests they even find it hard to identify Australian from non-Australian content.
“It is vital that the child audience is accounted for in any legislation around prominence and discoverability on smart TVs.”
Find the full ACTF submission here.