Commercial television broadcasters are buying record amounts of Australian content, but some genres are losing support while others are thriving.

This is according to the ACMA report: TV in Australia: Spending on commercial TV programs for FY23, which shows $1.67 billion was spent by the commercial TV broadcasters on local content during the 2023 financial year, a record amount.

87% of all program expenditure was for Australian content, an 8% leap on the previous year, with a 16% increase on regional news, despite what Free TV notes are “challenging market conditions”, with “unreasonable spectrum fees remaining in place”.

If you look back at spending patterns over the past five financial years, the rights and production costs for sports have gone through the roof, more than doubled in that time — with a 17% hike in the past 12 month period alone — while investment in local documentaries has also more than doubled since FY19.

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In contrast, spend on children’s programming has taken a dive, as has spend on scripted dramas. This is clearly seen in the end-of-year ratings for 2023, in which just two episodes of scripted TV made the Top 50 watched shows of the entire year.

Although overall spend in programming dropped between FY22 and FY23, the spend on local content increased. This may have also been a result of the overseas writer’s strikes, which forced a move away from scripted first-run programming from the US.

Bridget Fair, CEO of Free TV said these results “are a powerful demonstration that Free TV broadcasters see themselves as the home of Australian content. No other media platform makes the consistent investment in our local content year in, year out.

“This level of investment is a clear reason why the Australian Government should ensure that our policy settings support the sustainability of the commercial television sector. If we are going to have a Future Made in Australia, a strong local media industry is central to that objective.”