On Sunday,Netflix confirmed that Heartbreak High is also now in its top ten most viewed television shows globally.
Netflix’s much anticipated Heartbreak High reboot has been a hit for the streaming service.Netflix
Paul Muller,chief executive of the Australia New Zealand Screen Association (ANZSA),which represents Netflix,said it shows that the streaming platforms are putting quality Australian content at the core of their offering,and warned this could suffer with heavy-handed local content regulation.
“Streaming services are making fantastic local shows,and being successful with that in Australia and around the world,” Muller said.
“Heartbreak High is actually an example of something that is Australian as it can be,based on an Australian IP (Intellectual property). Every writer,every actor in it,everyone is Australian.”
ANZSA is releasing a report on streaming by Frontier Economics on Monday highlighting the sector’s contribution to the local economy,and Australian content,but also warns of the potential unintended consequences of a badly designed local content policy.
The report found that there is strong demand for Australian content which drives investment.
“As a country’s VOD (video on demand) service subscriber base grows,so do the incentives to produce local content,” the report said.
But it also showed that some policies implemented in other countries led to reduced investment in local content.
“In other words,the more restrictive the country is,the worse the levels of investment in local content,” Muller said.
“When thinking about how to regulate investment in local content,it is really important that great care is taken with how such a plan is being designed.”
Netflix returns to the beloved 90s teen drama series.
According to the report,four major streaming services – Netflix,Nine Entertainment’s Stan,Disney and Amazon Prime – invested $629 million in Australian,and Australian-related,content for the 2020-21 year. Paramount+ was not included as it had not made its entry to Australia at that stage.
The report’s consumer survey showed 73 per cent of Australians considered it important that their streaming,or TV,services provide Australian content,and 58 per cent were satisfied with the amount of local content on their streaming service. It also showed that 40 per cent of viewing time with the streaming services was local content.
The Frontier Economics report surveyed 1,107 internet users in Australia. Around 15 per cent said these streaming services do not provide enough local content,compared to 58 per cent who were satisfied with the amount of local content provided.
However,a federal government discussion paper released in February this year found that Netflix,the most popular streaming platform in Australia,is. Apple TV+ had zero per cent,and Disney + had 0.1 per cent.
The paper also found that the majority of Netflix’s Australian content was more than five years old.found that Australians want much more local content produced by streamers. The survey found that 60 per cent of Australians want the streaming companies to spend 20 per cent of their revenue on local content.
These local and international streaming services have been urging the federal government to dump plans that would force them to make a certain amount of local programs,warning it would have unintended consequences and make the cost of production unpalatable.
The Morrison government first proposed a system to encourage streaming services to invest in local content early this year. The new communications minister,Michelle Rowland,has said she would push ahead with plans to regulate how much local content streaming services are making.
In June,Australian actors,directors,writers and producers launched the Make it Australian campaign to pressure the government and ensure the streaming services have some minimum investment levels of Australian content.
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