Australia Unveils Relief Measures for Media Sector

The Australian government has released a range of initiatives to assist the media sector as it copes with the COVID-19 pandemic, including emergency suspension of content quotas this year.

“As an emergency red tape reduction measure, I have suspended Australian drama, children’s and documentary content obligations on free-to-air and subscription television for 2020,” said Paul Fletcher, Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts. “A decision will be taken before the end of this year as to whether this suspension should continue in 2021.

“It remains critically important that we have Australian voices on Australian TV, so there will be no change to the requirement for broadcasters to meet an overall 55 percent Australian content obligation,” Minister Fletcher said.

The relief package also includes a 12-month waiver of spectrum tax for commercial broadcasters, an A$50 million Public Interest News Gathering program for regional journalism and a fast-tracked consultation process on supporting Australian content.

“Many Australians are doing it tough right now and the media sector is sharing that pain, especially in regional areas,” Minister Fletcher said. “Broadcasters and newspapers face significant financial pressure and COVID-19 has led to a sharp downturn in advertising revenue across the whole sector.

“We are acting to offer urgent short-term support to the media sector. At the same time, we are progressing our December 2019 commitment to consult on the future framework to support Australian stories on our screens.”

Minister Fletcher added: “Regulated free-to-air broadcasters are competing with unregulated digital platforms and video streaming services. It has been evident for some time—and the COVID-19 crisis has made it even more obvious—that this is not sustainable. These arrangements threaten the sustainability of television broadcasters and in turn the sustainability of the film and television content production sector.

“That is why I want to seek industry feedback on the options put forward by ACMA and Screen Australia, and work with industry on a plan for the future, including how to best secure the market opportunity created by the explosion of streaming services.

“We need to re-emerge from COVID-19 with a regulatory framework suited to the 21st century that recognizes today’s competitive landscape—where television broadcasters compete with streaming services and a myriad of other internet-based businesses—and which positions both the television sector and the content production sector for a sustainable future.”