Foxtel has proposed stripping away Screen Australia’s funding for drama and documentary and using the money to cover the costs of raising the Location and TV Producer Offsets.
The ABC has strongly rejected the commercial free-to-air broadcasters’ demands that it restrict its role to providing programming which they cannot or will not provide.
Netflix has publicly cautioned the Australian Government against imposing local content obligations on its Australian service, warning of its disruptive effect.
The Department of Communications and the Arts, Screen Australia and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) have launched a consultation paper inviting industry input towards the Australian and Children’s Screen Content Review.
Since 2014 the Federal Government has made numerous policy decisions that benefited sectional interests such as commercial free-to-air broadcasters, the US studios and local service businesses, while neglecting screen producers.
With two parallel yet overlapping inquiries under way into the Australian screen sector, what can the industry realistically hope will be the outcome?
To be specifically reviewed are the mechanisms that support Australian drama, documentary and children’s content, and the Australian Screen Production Incentive.
Fifield said the content review is looking for an "identification of a mix of regulation and incentives fit for a multi-platform, highly competitive digital era".