SPA identifies ‘concerning’ disconnect between Aussies’ appetite for local content and ability to find it
New research from Screen Australia has found that although Australians value local stories more than ever, they are becoming harder to find on streaming services, with local producers calling for government intervention to address the issue.
Screen Australia this week released its summary findings from its new Screen Currency 2026 research, which point to the significant economic and cultural value generated by the country’s screen sector.
Screen Producers Australia (SPA) welcomed the release of the research, which highlighted critical challenges around the discoverability of Australian stories, Australian IP and the long-term sustainability of Australian screen businesses.
The report found that Australians value local stories but are struggling to find them as they increasingly rely on algorithmically driven recommendations for viewing decisions.
According to the summary findings, 84% of Australians value access to Oz content and 75% are interested in watching more. Despite this, 60% spend less than 30% of their viewing time on local content and only 36% said it is easy to find.
SPA said Screen Australia’s summary findings point to a “concerning” disconnect between Australians’ appetite for local content and their ability to find and consume it.
“This should concern anyone who cares about the future of Australian stories,” SPA CEO Matthew Deaner said. “There is clearly an appetite for Australian content. The challenge is ensuring those stories are commissioned in sufficient volume and can then be found in an increasingly crowded and fragmented global content environment. Making Australian content available somewhere within a streaming catalogue is not the same as making it visible to Australian audiences.”
According to Screen Australia’s summary findings, the screen and games sectors generated more than A$11bn (US$7.8bn) in gross value added to the Australian economy in 2023-24, and directly employed nearly 70,000 people in 2024-25.
Deaner said the scale of the economic contribution was significant but cautioned against viewing headline production activity as a measure of the health of Australia’s domestic screen industry.
SPA said the headline findings must also be considered in the context of broader challenges facing Australian producers, including declining commissioning opportunities, particularly in genres such as children’s after the removal of quotas on commercial networks.
SPA also pointed to financing and deal structures that can limit producers’ ability to participate in the long-term value of their work.
“Being a world-class production destination is something Australia should be proud of, but our ambition must extend beyond being the place where other countries come to make their stories,” Deaner said.
“We must also have a strong domestic industry capable of developing, financing, producing and exporting our own.
“Producers invest years developing projects, assembling creative teams, securing financing and carrying the considerable risk involved in getting an Australian story onto the screen. Yet increasingly, deals can provide an upfront production fee without meaningful opportunities for producers to participate in the back end or future revenues generated when that content succeeds.
“That might finance the production in front of you, but it does not necessarily build the sustainable Australian production businesses we need to develop and finance the next generation of Australian stories.
“A healthy independent production sector needs businesses that can build value over time, retain and exploit intellectual property and reinvest returns from successful projects into developing new Australian content.”
SPA said Screen Australia’s summary findings raise important questions for the government and the industry as they consider the settings required to support the sector over the coming decade, including through the development of Australia’s next National Cultural Policy.
“These initial findings point to the enormous economic, cultural and social value generated by screen content,” Deaner said, with Screen Australia’s report pointing to the international success of Aussie shows such as Bluey and Colin From Accounts.
“The opportunity now is to ensure more of that value translates into Australian stories, Australian intellectual property and sustainable Australian production businesses. Without that, we risk becoming an increasingly successful place to make the world’s content while diminishing our capacity to make and own our own.”
