Subscription TV licensees and channel providers spent $18.72m on Australian drama shows in 21/22

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released subscription television’s new drama expenditure (NEDE) compliance results for the 2021–22 financial year, with the results showing that $18.72 million was spent by subscription TV licensees and channel providers on new Australian drama programs in the 2021–22 financial year.

All eight subscription TV licensees and channel providers met the minimum requirements of the scheme in the 2021–22 financial year. The $18.72 million spent by subscription TV licensees and channel providers on new Australian drama programs was an increase on the two previous financial years with $8.75 million spent in the 2020–21 financial year and $13.74 million spent in the 2019–20 financial year.

For the 2021–22 financial year, subscription TV licensees and channel providers reported amounts of $8.6 million in shortfalls to be made up in the next financial year and $3.2 million in carried forward expenditure which can be used to acquit next financial year’s NEDE obligations.

The 2021–22 financial year results are a return to the full NEDE requirements for subscription TV licensees and channel providers. Previously, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACMA decided to exercise forbearance which was implemented via a reduced NEDE target of 5% for FY2019–20 and FY2020–21.

Under the NEDE rules, subscription TV licensees that broadcast drama channels are required to invest 10% of their total expenditure on new Australian drama programs. This requirement can also be met by channel providers – companies that provide drama channels to subscription TV licensees.

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, at the very least acquit their previous financial year’s shortfall for each drama channel, in order to be compliant with the rules.

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Emma Shepherd

Emma Shepherd was the acting deputy editor at Mumbrella who has over seven years of print and digital experience in the industry and has previously worked as a reporter for media outlets Bauer Media (now Are Media), Yahoo Australia, and a content strategist and writer for various independent marketing agencies.

topics ACMA NEDE subscription television’s new drama expenditure The Australian Communications and Media Authority TV licenses

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Comments: 1 Add Comment

Justin Askin 4 Nov 22

One wonders what the pre-COVID spend was.

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