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Pay TV invests $707m in local content

The Pay TV sector invested $707 million in local content over the past financial year, an increase of 6%.

WentworthASTRA has released audited data which indicates Australia’s subscription television sector invested $707 million in locally produced content over the past financial year, an increase of 6% on the previous 12 months.

This supported a record 267,391 hours of Australian programming, a quarter of it first run Australian content.

The data, which was audited byPwC, was reported by more than thirty independent channel providers including SKY NEWS, BBC, Disney, Discovery and Viacom, as well as channels owned and operated by Foxtel.

During the 2012/13 fiscal year, Australian produced content included Wentworth, Top of the Lake, Grand Designs Australia, plus sports and news coverage.

“Australian produced programming continues to dominate viewing, with audiences responding positively to first run local content,” ASTRA CEO, Andrew Maiden, said.

“The subscription TV sector’s large investment in first run local content plays a significant and growing role defining and advancing Australian culture.

“Subscription TV reaches more than a third of Australian homes, and invests more in first run Australian television content than the public broadcaster.”

The new data also revealed:
· News and current affairs invested 24% more in Australian content, generating 37% more first run hours than the previous year, with subscription TV now offering audiences more hours of news and current affairs than all free-to-air networks and public broadcasters combined.

· The factual genre recorded the fastest growth in overall investment, up 94% compared to the prior financial year, boosted by new programs such as Kings Cross ER.

· New South Wales enjoyed the greatest share of investment (44%), followed by Victoria (30%) and Queensland (21%).

· Express broadcasts of drama and entertainment within 24 hours of their original broadcast in the US or UK jumped to 1,629 hours or more than four hours daily.

6 Responses

  1. I agree with all the previous comments that too much reality content is made by STV with too few other-genre programming commissioned. At least while Movie Network was operating they had the crime/thriller Conspiracy 365. What have Foxtel done in the last year of operating all the movie channels that has invested in the local economy? Zip. If anything it took away from the local economy by making an entire company foreclose – putting individuals out of a job, and closing production of 365.

  2. If only all this money was spent on Australian drama but it’s sadly not. Most of this money by pay tv in Australia is spent on sport and those crappy cheap and nasty reality programmes that no one watches.which is probably 99% of the budget.the sky news budget must be very small .sky news looks like it’s done on a tight budget. its not a good news story at all for Australian actors and Australian production crews or Aussie viewers.

  3. The vast majority of that money is sport, or worthless reality/talent rubbish.

    Filming a bunch of blokes chasing a ball or some silly girls bitch is not content.

    The fact of the matter Foxtel spends virtually nothing in drama, comedy, action, thriller or any other kind of scripted programming.

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