Record Spend, Fewer Shows: New Data Reveals Gaps in SVOD Support for Key Genre – SPA welcomes the release of the ACMA SVOD report and record increase in spending on adult drama in particular. However, despite the high spending figures, it is clear that Australian audiences are seeing less hours and titles of Australian screen content.
Remarkably, there has been a 25% drop in commissioned Australian titles, despite an increase in spending of 41%.
Most of this growth came from a 54% surge in spending on adult drama, despite only a 6.7% increase in the number of titles – largely due to a significant investment by one provider in an as-yet-unreleased feature film at end of the financial year.
Despite this heightened expenditure, the volume of commissioned content is falling. The number of programs commissioned by SVODs declined 25% year-on-year, with 41 titles compared with 55 in 2023–24 and 67 in 2022-23. As a result, Australian audiences are seeing fewer titles – and therefore fewer hours – of newly commissioned Australian content.
Also of concern is that children’s drama remained flat, with expenditure holding at $3.3 million. This represents just 1% of total drama spend, despite children accounting for roughly 18% of the population.
Documentary experienced a particularly steep decline, with expenditure falling 69% to $3.8 million. The genre also recorded a 16% drop in the number of titles and 22% fewer hours of content.
Light entertainment increased slightly in spend, rising 3% to $22 million, but still saw a 7% decrease in the number of titles and a 13% decline in hours.
SPA believes that spending on vulnerable genres such as children’s and documentary programming requires careful monitoring by the ACMA and the Australian Government over the coming years, particularly as the new Australian Content Requirement Regulation comes into effect on 1 January 2026.
Media Release – SPA
Link to SPA HERE
TV Central Screen Producers Australia content HERE
Record Spend, Fewer Shows: New Data Reveals Gaps in SVOD Support for Key Genre
