Free-to-air TV and radio channels are to receive $26 million of benefits as the government waives the annual fee for using spectrum. FTA channels and subscription -TV drama channels will also not have to meet the national quotas which specify minimum amounts of Australian drama, children’s and documentary content to be broadcast in 2020, though they will still be expected to meet the overall 55% local content quota.
“Broadcasters and newspapers face significant financial pressure and COVID-19 has led to a sharp downturn in advertising revenue across the whole sector,” said Paul Fletcher, federal Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts. “We are acting to offer urgent short-term support to the media sector. At the same time, we are progressing our December 2019 commitment to consult on the future framework to support Australian stories on our screens.
“Regulated free-to-air broadcasters are competing with unregulated digital platforms and video streaming services. It has been evident for some time – and the COVID-19 crisis has made it even more obvious – that this is not sustainable,” said Fletcher. “These arrangements threaten the sustainability of television broadcasters – and in turn the sustainability of the film and television content production sector.
The suspension of the drama quotas was contested by trade body, Screen Producers Australia. “These hard cuts have the potential to at worst cripple Australia’s production industry and at best snuff the opportunities for a rebound for much of our sector at a time when it is facing a very real battle for survival,” said the organization’s CEO Matthew Deaner.
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