Streamers Required to Create More Australian Content

Platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime, and any other streamer with more than one million subscribers, will be required to spend at least 10% of their local spending, or 7.5% of revenue, on Australian content.

 The legislation will be introduced in Parliament this week and will apply to drama, documentary, arts, and educational programming.

 Arts Minister Tony Burke and Communications Minister Anika Wells said the move would help protect acting jobs. Streaming services have yet to comment.

Remarkable Shows

"We have Australian content requirements on free-to-air television and pay television, but until now, there has been no guarantee that we could see our own stories on streaming services," Burke said.

 "Since their introduction in Australia, streaming services have created some extraordinary shows. This obligation will ensure that those stories – our stories – continue to be made."

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the bill will be introduced to Parliament this week.

 The broadcaster said the new content requirements were to come into effect by July last year, but these plans were postponed due to concerns about how they would interact with the free trade agreement with the US.

 The government cited difficulties in negotiating with the US during the election.

 After President Trump was elected, there were concerns about whether these rules could prompt the US administration to impose retaliatory tariffs on Australia.

 Now, with the situation calming down and Trump advocating for his country's friendship with Australia, these regulations are back in the news.

 The Australian Writers Guild (AWG) and Screen Producers Australia (SPA) welcomed the news, but streamers have yet to comment.

 In 2022, streamers Stan, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Paramount+ released their Streaming for Australia report, highlighting their cultural and economic contributions to the country's creative economy.

 However, some saw this as a pre-emptive strike against any future attempts at regulation.

Recently aired Australian shows on Netflix include Heartbreak High, Territory, and Apple Cider Vinegar.

Fall in production

Like many countries, Australia's creative industries have suffered in recent years, partly due to a decline in production during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Investment in Australian-made feature films and television dramas is set to fall by almost 30% in the 2023-24 financial year, according to Screen Australia, the government's funding body for the screen production industry.