Streaming giants such as Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime will be required to meet quotas for Australian made content by July 1 next year if they wish to continue operating in the marketplace.
Arts Minister Tony Burke says these quotas are part of a new National Cultural Policy unveiled today, although the “exact number and how we cut it” is yet to be ironed out.
“The days have to end, where you’re sitting there with a remote control, going through show after show and everything appears to be from either the United States or the UK,” he told ABC News Breakfast this morning.
“If you’re watching the TV, and it’s free-to-air, you’re getting Australian content.
“But if you’re watching through the Internet, you’re not guaranteed to get anything at all. And that just needs to change.”
Regardless of exactly where the numbers land, local content quotas will provide a huge shot in the arm for the Australian film and television industry.
Free-to-air stations are currently required to broadcast a certain amount of first-run, prime time locally-produced drama, but international streaming service have so far been exempt from these rules.
Given that 65 per cent of Australians pay for at least one streaming service, with the average Aussie paying $39 a month (according to Finder), the likes of Netflix and Disney will be forced to play ball or lose this market entirely.
