New data from ACMA shows more than $18 million was spent by subscription TV licensees and channel providers on new Australian drama programs in the 2022–23 financial year.
The subscription television’s new eligible drama expenditure (NEDE) compliance results also showed all seven subscription TV licensees and channel providers met the minimum requirements of the scheme.
The total of $18.42 million spent on new Australian drama programs was consistent with the 2021–22 financial year, when $18.72 million was spent.
Under the NEDE rules, subscription TV licensees that broadcast drama channels are required to invest 10 per cent of their total expenditure in new Australian drama programs. This requirement also applies to channel providers, being companies that provide drama channels to subscription TV licensees in Australia.
The rules provide for the expenditure obligation to be incurred in one year and acquitted in either the same financial year or the following year. This means that any shortfalls and surpluses from the previous year can be carried across the following financial year.
In each financial year, licensees and channel providers must acquit their previous financial year’s shortfall for each drama channel, in order to be compliant with the rules.
For the 2022–23 financial year, subscription TV licensees and channel providers reported amounts totalling $17 million in shortfalls to be made up in 2023–24.
The below tables from ACMA provide total industry results aggregated across licensees, channel providers and pass-through providers.
The drama channels and providers listed for July 2022 to June 2023 are:
Drama channels:
• BBC First
• BBC UKTV
• Boomerang
• Box Sets
• Cartoon Network
• CBeebies
• Comedy Central
• Fox Classics
• Fox Comedy
• Fox Crime
• Fox Funny (broadcast ceased 1 March 2023)
• Fox One, Fox SciFi
• Fox Showcase
• Fox Sleuth
• Fox 8
• Nickelodeon
• Universal TV
• DreamWorks
• PBS Kids
• Foxtel Movies service (comprising the channels Ultra, Premiere, Hits, Family, Kids, Action, Comedy, Thriller, Romance, Drama, Greats, and Lifetime Movie Network).
Foxtel Movies comprise 12 movie channels but Foxtel reports this as a single drama service.
Subscription TV licensees:
• Foxtel
• Telstra
• Fetch TV
Channel providers:
• BBC Studios Australia
• Foxtel Management
• NBC Universal International Networks Australia
• VIMN Australia.
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