MEAA submission to the Australian and Children’s Screen Content Review
MEAA has made a submission to the Australian and Children’s Screen Content Review, which is being conducted by the Department of the Communications and the Arts, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, and Screen Australia.
Key comments and recommendations in this submission are:
Content Rules
• Existing Australian television content rules must remain in force and be extended to new market SVOD entrants such as Netflix, Amazon and Stan.
• SVOD providers should be required to invest a fixed proportion of Australian revenues into local content production.
• Consideration should be given to the Convergence Review’s (2012) recommendation to establish a Content Fund, to be funded by a percentage of total revenues from ‘eligible content service enterprises invested in Australian dramas, documentaries and children’s programs’.
• An Australian Content Fund would be managed by a statutory body and have a primary objective of increasing Australian live action drama productions.
• Children’s Australian Live Action drama quota to be maintained for commercial broadcasters and similar quota hours enforced across linear and non-linear providers of scale.
• Consideration should be given to establishing separate caps for children’s animation as a means of preserving live action children’s drama as a total proportion of children’s content obligations.
• Consider according Reality television less weight in terms of Australian content points and hours than other production formats.
Public Broadcasters
• Public television broadcasters must be properly funded and required to produce annual Australian content reports across all programs and genre areas.
Offsets / Rebates
• Permanently increase the Location Offset from 16.5% to 30%.
• Set the Producer Offset at a uniform 40% rate.
• Increase the PDV offset to 40% and permit those accessing other offsets to apply for the PDV offset.
Screen Australia
• Restore Screen Australia’s funding to 2013-14 levels – at least $100 million per annum
MEAA submission to the Australian and Children’s Screen Content Review
Last update: October 9, 2017
