Screen Australia reviews TV funding, pushes cross-platform

Screen Australia has released Funding Australian content on ‘small screens’: a draft blueprint, proposing a number of changes for the television sector – including the creation of two funds: Convergent Television ($30-35m) and All Media ($2-5m).

The proposed changes also included an increase of licence fee minimums; funding only the first two series of any production, and making foreign formats ineligible for funding.

The announcement was made by CEO Ruth Harley at the Screen Producers Association of Australia Conference in Sydney. The draft blueprint aims to support production of television content of “national significance”, as well as support cross-platform storytelling in a “borderless” media environment that goes beyond the traditional television screen.

In the draft blueprint, funding is broken into two funds:

Convergent Television: premium content which is driven or triggered by a television broadcast platform distributed on at least one other digital media platform – which, for the time being, can be as simple as a broadcaster’s online catch-up service.

All Media: content driven or triggered by any transmission platform but that must have a multi-platform component. This fund absorbs the Ignition and Digital Sandpit programs.

The other proposed changes are:

• increasing licence fee minimums by 10 percent (rom $400,000 to $440,000 per hour for adult drama), with the introduction of an annual CPI increase and the removal of the requirement for broadcasters to pay a percentage licence fee
• introducing specified holdback periods consistent with the ‘holdback’ arrangement agreed between the ABC and SPAA
• removing artificial distinctions between series and mini-series, and capping funding at 13 episodes
• revising investment decision-making criteria, guided by quality and innovation
• ruling foreign formats ineligible for funding
• only providing funding for the first two series of any production;  and only the first series under the All Media fund

In terms of documentary, around $16m of total funds would be allocated to factual content. The amount of funding that any one broadcaster can access (per funding round) would be capped at 60 percent. If the funds from a particular round are not exhausted, the remainder would be transferred to the following round.

Three programs would be established instead of the existing five:

• National Documentary – premium slate, themes of national significance
• General Documentary
• Signature Documentary – strong authorial work from filmmakers.

The draft blueprint is available here.

An online discussion board (plus a webcast of Harley’s SPAA address will be available on the Screen Australia website next week.

Feedback will be received until 31 January 2011. The agency anticipates releasing draft program guidelines in March for further industry comment; final guidelines will be released in May to take effect from 1 July 2011.