Australia to Introduce Local Content Quotas for International Streamers

The Australian government has revealed plans to introduce requirements for local content on streaming platforms “so that Australians continue to be able to see and hear quality homegrown content, regardless of which platform they are using.”

The proposal is part of a new National Cultural Policy.

It notes that there is an increasing consumer trend away from broadcast and subscription television services to online subscription content. “In 2020–21, for the first time, Australians were more likely to have watched an online subscription service than live or recorded free-to-air television. The Australian subscription video-on-demand market grew nearly 50 percent in 2021, with estimated total earnings exceeding A$2.4 billion.

“These new streaming platforms are producing some high-quality Australian content. However, unlike free-to-air broadcasting services and subscription television, these services have no requirements to make Australian content available on their platforms. The ready availability of mass content produced in other countries, particularly the United States, risks drowning out the voices of Australian storytellers.”

It said that the government has committed to take “the necessary action so that Australians continue to be able to see and hear quality home-grown content, regardless of which platform they are using. It is important that streaming services invest in key genres, including children’s content, scripted drama and documentaries.

“As well as this, the Government will also ensure that Australian music remains visible, discoverable and easily accessible across platforms to all Australians, driven by a vibrant, agile, sustainable and globally facing local music industry.”

The plan is to introduce requirements for Australian screen content on streaming platforms to “ensure continued access to local stories and content,” in the third quarter of 2023 and to begin no later than July 1, 2024.

It would also provide security of funding and independence for Australia’s national broadcasters, ABC and SBS, by delivering five-year funding terms and reinstating indexation for ABC funding.