The second Australian content report shows streaming services collectively spent more on Australian programming in 2020-21 than in 2019-20.
The Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA)’s second subscription video demand (SVOD) Australian content report shows Amazon Prime, Disney, Netflix and Stan spent more on Australian programs in the last financial year compared to 2019–20.
Collectively, the SVOD providers spent $178.9 million on Australian programs in 2020–21, up from $153 million the previous year. These are programs that meet minimum requirements for key creative roles, including producers, directors, writers and cast being Australian.
Key changes for this report include the expenditure on the acquisition of sports programs for the first time, and an increase in expenditure in Australian drama programs compared to the previous year. Spending on Australian children’s drama and non-drama programs was down compared to 2019–20.
In 2020–21 SVOD providers also spent $450 million on acquiring, producing or investing in Australian-related programs. These are programs that meet some but not all of the criteria of an Australian program.
Australians were also able to watch more Australian content on all four services. At 30 June 2021, 2,030 Australian program titles were available to Australian audiences across these services, representing 6,019 hours of content. SVOD providers also made Australian programs available to audiences in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and many other countries.
This is the second year running that the ACMA has collected data about SVOD expenditure on Australian content. The reports, provided to the ACMA on a voluntary basis, provide a measure of the SVOD providers’ contribution to Australian content and will continue to inform the government’s consideration of proposals outlined in its Media Reform Green Paper.
