Australian Streamers Face Local Content Quotas Under New Legislation

Streaming services operating in Australia must apportion funding for local screen content under new laws introduced into Federal Parliament this week.

Streaming services in Australia will be legally required to devote either 10 per cent of their local expenditure or 7.5 per cent of their Australian revenue to the production of Australian screen content following legislation introduced in Parliament this week.

The new laws are designed to address a perceived imbalance in the playing field between streamers and traditional broadcasters, who have a legal expectation to produce Australian content enforced as a condition of their license. Streaming services do not pay a license fee to operate in Australia.

As Australian Variety have it, Arts Minister Tony Burke sees it as an important move in the ongoing effort to carve out a space for Australia in the glutted global streaming market.

“We should never underestimate how important it is for Australians to see themselves on screen,” Burke is quoted as saying. “We have Australian content requirements on free-to-air and pay TV, but until now, there has been no guarantee on streaming services. No matter which remote control you’re holding, Australian stories will be at your fingertips.”

Meanwhile, Communications and Sport Minister Anika Wells lauded some recent high profile local productions as proof that there’s a market out there for Australian stories. “Many streamers are already producing great Australian shows like Apple Cider Vinegar, The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Boy Swallows Universe; this announcement makes sure shows like these continue to be part of our national identity. Real Australian content like Bluey matters, it connects us to who we are and shares it with the world.”

It’s worth remembering that the ABC absolutely screwed the pooch when it came to licensing Bluey internationally, and almost none of the absolute money fountain that is that pre-school perennial is flowing into Australian coffers, but I digress.

According to the AFR, the new laws will see market leader Netflix being required to put $100 million a year towards producing Australian drama, documentary, arts, education and children’s programs. However, the piece goes onto say that, at the time of writing, all but one streamer is currently meeting the requirements of the new laws. They don’t say who the hold out is, though, which is a shame.

With that in mind, I guess we should expect that the status quo will be more or less maintained. I’m not sure what the point of a quota system is if it’s not going to materially change the amount of money being put into local screen production. At best, you could view this as a baulk against future backsliding but, man, that strikes me as a pessimistic view. Then again, so’s this: we got a quota, but it’s not going to change anything.