Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Stan to invest a fixed share of their Australian revenue or expenditure into homegrown programming.
The bill, to be introduced this week, will require major streamers to allocate roughly 10% of their Australian expenditure or 7.5% of local revenue to Australian drama, documentary, children’s and cultural programming. The move brings the digital giants under a regulatory umbrella that broadcasters have operated beneath for decades — and signals the biggest screen-policy reset since the Producer Offset.
Related Stories
Arts Minister Tony Burke framed the move as cultural common sense. “We should never underestimate how important it is for Australians to see themselves on screen,” he said, adding that while free-to-air and pay-TV networks have long faced content rules, “there’s been no guarantee we could see our own stories on streaming services.” The new obligations, he said, will ensure “those stories — our stories — continue to be made,” no matter which remote control viewers pick up.
Popular on Variety
Communications Minister Anika Wells said the reform was about visibility as much as economics. “We want to make sure no matter which platform people are watching, Australian stories are part of their experience,” she said, citing recent productions such as “Boy Swallows Universe” and “The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” while also pointing to the ABC-commissioned global hit “Bluey” as proof that Australian storytelling can travel. “Real Australian content matters — it connects us to who we are and shares it with the world.”
For the streamers, the headline is cost and definition. Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and Stan — all of which have bankrolled Australian hits from “Heartbreak High” to “The Artful Dodger” and “Class of ’07” — are expected to absorb the rules without derailing existing slates. But executives who took part in earlier consultations warned that tighter quotas could inflate budgets and spark disputes over what actually qualifies as “Australian.”
Industry reaction was swift — and jubilant. Screen Producers Australia called the legislation “an enormously significant moment” that levels the field after a decade of imbalance. “For too long, global streaming services could reap the benefits of doing business in Australia without contributing fairly,” said SPA CEO Matthew Deaner. “Today’s commitment recognises that Australian stories matter — and that they deserve to be seen and heard on every platform.”
The fine print — including how spend will be audited, whether marketing and postproduction count, and when the first targets kick in — will be finalized once the bill clears Parliament. But for producers, the direction is unmistakable: Australia’s stories are no longer optional for streamers; they’re part of the price of entry.
