Australian Government Affirms Commitment to Homegrown TV Content

SYDNEY: Australia’s minister for broadband, communications and the digital economy has outlined a series of measures to ensure that quality Australian television programming continues to be shown across the country.

Senator Stephen Conroy, the deputy leader of the government in the senate, has said that the government will immediately extend the current rebate on TV broadcasting license fees by another 12 months. This comes ahead of moving to reduce TV broadcasting license fees permanently by 50 percent, to a maximum of 4.5 percent of revenue. The rebates will take effect for the 2012-13 fiscal year.

The government will also introduce a multichannel Australian content requirement for each commercial broadcaster of 730 hours in 2013. This will increase to 1,095 hours in 2014, and to 1,460 hours in 2015. This includes an incentive for first-run drama by making one hour of such program count for two hours under the transmission hours requirement for multichannels.

The current 55 percent transmission quota for the commercial broadcasters’ primary channels stays in place, but greater flexibility will be introduced to the current arrangements for sub-quotas.

“Free-to-air television plays an important part in our lives, and seeing Australian stories told on TV is vital in reflecting and maintaining our Australian identity, character and diversity,” Conroy said. “To make sure that we keep being able to watch Australian content, we are taking a number of steps to enable commercial television broadcasters to continue to invest in and broadcast Australian content.

“These measures are part of the government’s initial response to the Convergence Review. The government’s consideration of the review is continuing, and further announcements will be made next year.

“The government will develop legislation to implement the reforms announced today by March 2013, with appropriate transitional arrangements for the new Australian content measures. These content requirements will apply from January 1, 2013.

“The government will also start consultations early in 2013 on how captioning levels will be increased on multichannels following digital switchover. These measures address content and captioning levels on digital multichannels that were to be separately reviewed.

“Commercial free-to-air television is under pressure from the structural change taking place in the media due to the convergence of content delivery platforms and changing consumer habits. Without adjustments to the current rules, the industry could be forced to drop quality Australian content as cost-cutting bites into programming.

“Updating the rules on commercial free-to-air television broadcasters gives them certainty, and allows them the flexibility and capacity to innovate and thrive."

The government has also decided that no spectrum or broadcast licenses will be made available to enable a fourth free-to-air network. The move follows the minister’s review of future uses for the so-called "sixth channel" of TV spectrum.

“Online technologies like IPTV are giving people new ways to access content. The low barriers to entry for these online content services and the scope for future innovation mean that in the long term, these online platforms are likely to be a real alternative to traditional terrestrial television. The rollout of the NBN will further facilitate this.

“Potential uses of the sixth channel will be considered in the longer term, in the light of the Australian communication and media authority’s assessment of future broadcasting technologies.

“In the meantime, the government will allow community television to use spectrum intended for the sixth channel until at least December 31, 2014. The government remains committed to ensuring community television has a permanent spectrum allocation for digital broadcasting.”