A new study conducted by RMIT University has found that locally produced film and television content makes up just 1.6% of Netflix’s Australian catalogue.
That is of course a very low percent – and it is actually getting lower. A previous report found a slightly higher percent of Australian content: 2-2.5%.
As explained in an article published on The Conversation: “This is due to Netflix’s overall catalogue growth, rather than any significant decrease in the absolute number of Australian titles available.”
Stan’s percentage of local content is more impressive, at 11.1% (172 titles out of 1,548).
The RMIT report arrives at a bad time for Netflix.
Recently in Australia a debate has been raging about whether or not to introduce content quotas for streaming platforms, similar to ones currently enforced for broadcast television.
This conversation is happening in other parts of the world. Earlier this month the European Parliament, for example, approved a quota for home-grown productions on platforms such as Netflix, mandating 30% of locally created content.
Will Australia follow suit? It is a discussion that may have far-reaching implications for the health of the local film and TV industry. We’ll let you know when we find out more.
