Piracy: Networks turn to Aussie content and streaming to stem tide
Increasing the focus on local content and making more international shows available early and en-masse online are some of the ways Australia’s broadcasters are trying to combat the surge in piracy.
While figures released today show Game of Thrones was the most-pirated ever show, with Aussies leading the way, and other programs like Sherlock seeing massive declines in live audiences networks say there is an increased emphasis on homegrown shows like Channel Nine’s Love Child to keep viewers.
Mel Kansil, director of strategy for the Nine Entertainment Company, said Australian content, made available across a variety of platforms at any time through its catchup app Jump In has been a successful strategy for Nine.
“With Australian content it isn’t available until it’s broadcast and that is increasingly what we find Australian viewers want to see is homegrown content,” she told Mumbrella.
The other issue is the amount of advertising which renders some shows, Resurrection for example, virtually unwatchable. I suspect part of the attraction for downloaders is an absence of ad breaks.
Nine and Seven see local production as a solution but it is expensive to produce, particularly drama and I haven’t seen them or Ten exceeding their Australian drama minimum quotas. The only way to deal with this is abandon all US Studio output deals and use the savings for domestic production but this will still cost them a lot more than those old cosy studio bulk deals. But while they maintain the anti siphoning rules for sport the biggest loser is Foxtel. But with less than 30% of domestic households having PAYTV the politicians are much wiser to protect the free to airs than succumb to Rupert even though they owe him big time.