All AUSTRALIAN TV & VOD drama
Sources of finance

Contributions to australian tv and vod drama finance ($m)

This section reports on the financing of all titles produced for Australian FTA broadcasters, subscription TV providers and VOD platforms: from short-form, low-budget titles to high-end, big-budget series.

The Producer Offset, cashflowed by producers in various ways, has contributed an average of 11% of finance since its introduction in July 2007. The industry itself was the largest source of Offset cashflow, with the larger production companies and broadcasters tending to find the funds from their own resources. Other sources include specific industry funds, government and loans from the banking and private sectors.

Foreign investors are also a significant source of finance, with contributions averaging 25% since 1995/96. A substantial proportion of foreign contributions are for co-productions.

Since 1995/96, direct Australian Government sources (excluding the Producer Offset) have provided an average of 12% of finance for the Australian TV and VOD drama slate. Up until the end of 2007/08, most of this finance came from the Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC), which invested in both Australian and co-production TV dramas. In July 2008, the FFC became part of Screen Australia, which is now the primary source of direct government financing.

Private investment tends to be very low in the TV and VOD drama sector and, since 1995/96, has averaged 3%. While the primary source has been through Division 10BA of the Income Tax Assessment Act, the increases in contributions from private sources in 2001/02 and 2002/03 were due principally to the investment of funds raised by the Macquarie Nine Film & TV Funds. Division 10BA closed to new applicants in July 2007, although the concessional status for investment in productions holding a valid 10BA certificate was available until 30 June 2009.