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Viewers connect with local stories

Australian viewers want local shows they can relate to according to new research from Screen Australia.

2012-12-03_1846Australian viewers want local shows they can relate to such as Offspring, House Husbands, Packed to the Rafters and Australian Story according to new research data released by Screen Australia.

These are some of the findings of a report to be presented today at a conference in Canberra where industry will seek to remind politicians of the importance of Australian stories on our screens.

Research commissioned from Ipsos Australia has identified the ways some Australians connect with our film and television. Focus groups were held in Sydney, Melbourne and Orange with 36 individuals representing a cross-section of ages, genders and ethnic backgrounds.

The study says that local audiences’ strongest desire is for quality Australian content that offers up stories they can recognise and relate to.

Screen Australia’s Chief Executive Ruth Harley said, “Ipsos’s research clearly tells us that local audiences truly value watching their own stories. Australians have a keen sense of themselves – they’re down to earth, honest, grounded in reality and have a distinct sense of humour – and they enjoy seeing themselves reflected on screen.”

Dr Rebecca Huntley, Director of Ipsos Mackay told TV Tonight the focus group data was quantitative research, which whilst not meant to represent a national picture, did identify some common responses. She said Screen Australian has previously conducted qualitative research to show national trends.

Amongst the findings in the Hearts & Minds report were identifying “content clusters”:

2.1 Australiana
Screen stories based on real people and events, particularly in the criminal realm, or quintessential Australian themes such as the outback were popular with participants.

2.2 New nostalgia
The recent rash of TV series delving into Australian life in the 1970s and 1980s including Howzat, Paper Giants and Puberty Blues inspired a sense of nostalgia.

2.3 Suburban/urban dramas
Television dramas that dealt with contemporary themes and social complexity were widely praised by participants – be they mainstream and comedic like Offspring, or edgier and political like The Slap and Redfern Now.

2.4 Satirical comedy/comedy
Participants enjoyed connecting with Australian humour in local screen stories and shared theirlove of highly original and insightful comedies like Summer Heights High and Angry Boys.

2.5 Documentary
Participants’ passion for ‘real life’ stories included documentaries such as Go Back to Where you Came From and The First Australians, and even programs like Australian Story.

Here are some select comments pertaining to specific shows:

House Husbands and Offspring:

I don’t mind House Husbands. And my wife likes it so we watch it. It’s quite enjoyable. Some of the characters I
like. It’s not a bad show. (Man 60s)
It’s one of those shows you think an American TV show would be about. So now it applies to us and I think it’s
just funny. You kind of think, this is realistic. It’s like a new Home and Away for me or a new Neighbours but
better. (Woman late teens)
I loved Offspring. It’s hilarious. Quirky. Light and it’s local. It’s very well done. (Woman 50s)

The Slap:

[The Slap] touched a nerve. It raised so many questions. There was a lot of discussion in my family about
whether you would or wouldn’t smack a child like that. It’s not just, ‘oh he did something wrong,’ this child was
extreme. (Woman 30s)
I liked the idea that [The Slap] posed questions. ‘What would you do? What are your values?’ That’s what it was
about. (Woman 30s)

Puberty Blues:

Woman late teens 1: I actually loved that [Puberty Blues]. The actual story [what happens to characters] still
happens today to teenage girls. It’s just funny that it happened back then as well.
Woman late teens 2: Like the relationship between two people, the smoking, the drinking, the drugs and all that.
Woman late teens 3: It was so graphic for me. I watched an episode and I was like, ‘wow!’
Woman late teens 1: It was just funny to know that everything that happens today happened in your
grandparent’s generation.
For mothers of young adults, Puberty Blues provided an important exploration of contemporary issues.
My kids loved Puberty Blues. It was brilliant. It has a whole lot of issues around rape, domestic violence, drugs. (Woman 50s)

Kath and Kim:

Man 60s 1: Oh Kath and Kim, they are brilliant.
Man 60s 2: I think they had their good times but I think the bad ones outweighed them. They just took the
mickey out of Australians and made Australians look like we were all yobbos.
Man 60s 3: Yeah, but I like that.
Man 60s 1: But we are good at doing that. We are good at having a laugh.
Man 60s 2: I’m not disagreeing with that. I just thought that some of the time, the way they carried on, was just a
little bit over the top. We are not that dumb or stupid.

My Kitchen Rules and MasterChef:

Shows like My Kitchen Rules and Masterchef, you can relate to it because they’ve got people like you in it.
(Man 20s)
My Kitchen Rules brings in a lot of different cultures and it gives them a chance to show their different cultures
through their food. (Man 40s)

The report concluded:

Local screen stories were an important part of participants’ media diets. They had watched a wide range of TV
programs, TV series and films, which fell into various content clusters or genres.
Television was the key access point to Australian content, with a range of barriers preventing viewers from making the
trip to the cinema to catch a local film.
More broadly, Australian content played an important role in the interior lives of participants and their sense of cultural
identity.
For many it was a valuable platform for the telling of ‘our own stories’ – be they portrayals of Australian history
(Indigenous or otherwise), real people and events, or fictional tales that captured our way of life and the complexity of
our contemporary, multicultural and urban culture.

You can download the full report here.

9 Responses

  1. Australian programming is crap the only good Australian shows out there is good game house husbands ,& puberty blues but I do have to admit I only watched puberty blues because the two actress who played Debbie and Sue I find absolutely beautiful & im surprise they haven’t left Australia & go to America because there awesome but not all Australians like Australian programs they want to watch American programs because American programs are better then what we produce

  2. So, in addition to home renovation programs, adult cooking shows, children’s cooking shows, no talent talent competitions and watching overweight people being humiliated on-screen, we want to watch badly acted tear-jerker soaps and unchallenging glossed-over “documentaries” about B and C grade “celebrities”. Because we can “relate” to them…

    I often get the feeling I’ve stepped into a time warp and been sent back to a truly twisted version of the 1950s.

    1. It’s easy to generalise but read the report if you want full context. People mentioned The Slap and East West 101 and I don’t see those as tear jerkers with C-grade celebrities. But they also said they like some of these other shows as a way of winding down from their day.

  3. Did we really need a report to tell us we like seeing similar stories of our lives on tv shows? Isn’t it common sense. If you can relate to something its more likely to get you talking to people about it.

  4. News Flash.

    Self funded, annecdotal research by vested interests of local TV production supports continued government support and protection for the vested interests……

  5. A non-random sample of 36 people, in 3 location isn’t quantitative. It is anecdotal.

    The idea that viewers wouldn’t want to watch local TV is a fairly uniquely Australian and Canadian phenomenon where US shows are popular. Both countries have introduced local quotas and large government subsidies for local TV industries to appeal industry lobby groups who argue US shows are evil.

    In Australia it is because US shows are cheaper and have much higher production budgets because of Australia’s small population. In Canada because of proximity.

    But popular Australian shows have always been top rating shows. Number 96, Cop Shop, A Country Practice, GP, Blue Heelers, Water Rats, All Saints, Packed To The Rafters this has always been true.

    And now US dramas are being watched less and timeshifted that is even more true.

    The ACMA figures show that local networks are spending 3 times as much on local content than overseas content. They get a lot more volume for their buck form OS content though.

  6. As l was watching The Voice last night I couldn’t help marvel at how 9 is back ‘connecting’ with their audience- and this is a strong point in their promos. They say to their audience- come with us and have some fun- as per Squizzy, AGT, and BB. It’s like they’re reaching out and spreading the love. 10 promos on the other hand are all about manipulation and trickery- they never deliver on what they promise, 7 is just dullsville, ABC feel nervous and unsure. I also think there’s an honesty and integrity in how SBS promotes that works.

  7. I’ll admit to loving or liking good documentaries. Australian or not. Also I like exploring different worlds, places and times. So that nostalgia thing would be true for me. But that said I like quirky or even futuristic stuff. That’s why I guess Doctor Who is so perfect. It travels to the past, future, contemporary and other places. But I don’t claim to be average.

    That said when television was a less harsher place from my point of view i.e. was usually on time and no pop-ups. Then I used to try almost anything and everything. If there was a two way clash I could record one thing on video to see if I liked it. There was only a dilemma for three or four (unlikely ) clashes. But I guess that’s dead and some nights the TV ends up being turned off for part or most of the night now. That’s why I got upset. I wanted to watch more of television in an unlimited way rather than less. I did my best. Although I still plan on watching each network as much as I can. It might not be very much.

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