The commercial free-to-air networks and Foxtel are major beneficiaries of the Federal Government's package of measures to help sustain Australian media businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Federal Government's decision to rule out extending the $1,500 a fortnight JobKeeper wage subsidy to casual workers who had been employed for less than a year will penalise many thousands of cinema industry employees and screen sector freelancers.
Most independent production companies and thousands of freelancers in the screen industry face financial hardship as they don't qualify for the Federal Government's $1,500 a fortnight JobKeeper wage subsidy.
Screen Producers Australia (SPA) has partnered with APRA AMCOS and ARIA to launch the 'Aussie Made' campaign, which from April will rally Australians to support the local music and screen industries.
As the industry grapples with the impact of coronavirus, Screen Producers Australia (SPA) has urged the Federal Government to keep commercial broadcasters' local content obligations in place.
The initial findings of Screen Producers Australia's survey on the impact of COVID-19 estimate the damage to the sector is greater than $2 billion, affecting more than 20,000 employees, freelancers and contractors.
In a bid to present a holistic picture to government of how COVID-19 has impacted the screen industry, Screen Producers Australia (SPA) has called on the entire sector to share how coronavirus has affected their production slate and release schedule, and launched an industry survey.
Amid ongoing debate over local content quotas, the Seven Network has threatened to halt the production of children's programs and to scrap plans for new adult drama, raising the ire of producers.