As it Stands: TV in Australia
It’s 2002, I am trying to go to bed, but I am reeling. Earlier that night I watched Neighbours. In this episode, Steph thinks she is about to get married but at the alter it comes to light that her future husband, Mark and her sister, Flick, have been having an affair. They have a fight in the street, Steph pulls out the sparkly hairclip that Flick gave her. The episode ends with a close-up of the hairclip in the drain.
I couldn’t sleep. I don’t remember ever being so distressed about a TV show.
After this I waited for Rachel to get off the plane in the final ever episode of Friends, I watched Nicky get buried alive in the Tarantino directed cliff-hanger of CSI, Grave Danger (2005), I hoped Sashi would beat Ben and get crowned the winner of MasterChef (2018) and I was filled with hope as Maeve and Otis finally kissed and then Maeve did what was right for her (2021). None of these haunt me in the same way that Steph and Flick did fighting in the street.
Recently it was announced that Neighbours is finishing. Quite surprising this hasn’t happened sooner. Several years ago, when free-to-air TV channels were trying to brand their digital counterparts, Channel 10 moved Neighbours to 10Peach, 10Bold, Eleven, I literally couldn’t even tell you what it was called, the point is, they moved it in what seemed like a bid to drive people to this digital channel. I don’t think it worked.
In 2017, it was announced that CBS would be buying 10. This felt like a big shift in terms of overseas Media ownership in the Australian market. SBS has a partnership with American cable channel Vice and Murdoch owns everything with his strange citizenship situation.
So, before we go too far down that path, let’s take a step back and look at the current landscape of television in Australia.
There are three major commercial channels in Australia, 7, 9 and 10. Each of these have digital offshoots. Some are marketed for a certain type of content, or a certain audience. For example, 73 or 7 Mate is a ‘blokes’ mainly filled with content bought from other networks. Some of it is new, or new to us. In some cases, this can be where shows go to die, or go to draw audiences to them. Obviously, commercials are their main revenue. Each channels have their masthead shows, or talent. This may be their reality TV offering, whoever hosts their news or a drama series they have (although even saying that seems weak because I can’t think of any).
Then we have SBS and its multiple channels. As discussed in the radio piece, SBS receive funding from multiple streams. SBS and ABC (who we will get to) seem to successfully precure shows from overseas on an exclusive basis before they go to streaming services. SBS does have ads, but they will not deter me from watching Bosch. SBS also aired Brooklyn 99 long before it was on Netflix. In fact, I feel like the latest series hasn’t made it there yet.
ABC is a government funded station. Their digital channels consist of a secondary main channel, a channel solely dedicated to news and another for kids. There is a higher value of and focus on Australian content. ABC are also funding a range of TikTok series by Australian creators. I am yet to hear of other channels doing the same.
There are other channels like Channel 14, TVSN the home shopping channel, which is far superior to anything you are envisioning. There are no ads because the whole thing is an advertisement, but the content is more engaging than you would think. Yes, I have watched it a lot.
This then brings us to our streaming services. In Australia, the main players currently are Netflix, Binge, Paramount Plus (I may be stretching it by calling this a ‘main player’), Stan (the most ‘Australian of them all’), Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Disney Plus. Each of the commercial channels have their own catch-up service which contain shows played on TV and exclusive content. There is obviously a whole heap of other streaming services like BritBox, Tubi we go on, but let’s focus on the ones above.
Now that we have an understanding of what the situation is currently looking like,I want to pick up where I was headed in The Lost Audience.
What is becoming apparent is that what audiences want from their media has changed, not necessarily in the content itself, although that can be the case, but rather how, when and where they access this content. In addition to this, television is no longer dealing with desperate audiences. Not only are we inundated with choice for things to watch but the kind of things we watch. Shows and movies chosen for us, at the whims of the station, are no longer our only options.
Ads are a huge deterrent for the way people interact with television. Most people I know who still watch commercial television have fancy televisions that record shows and then they don’t have to deal with commercials. Commercials actually make me feel like my brain is melting. I understand they’re the trade-off for ‘free’ TV. Catch up services still have commercials, in fact, the ads feel worse because they are often the same ad over and over, I have never sold online commercials, but the salespeople must be very good at telling people they will get lots of exposure. Lots of spots. I don’t know, I don’t work in marketing sales.
I think it’s important to acknowledge that we are not necessarily in a utopia of content. We are still at the mercy of executive decisions, hidden agendas etc. I know that may sound ridiculous given the amount of content we have to choose from but every day I feel like I am hearing of more writer cuts at Netflix. Writers of colour, writers from the LGBTQIA+ community. Which means what we see is from the same voices. Even if these are the very platforms that are giving us stories like I May Destroy You, This Way Up and Pen15… I could go on but yeah, it’s complicated. And frustrating. I am not even going to touch commercials television with its lack of diversity. It’s embarrassing.
What commercial channels seem to be struggling to do, is keep up with the demand for content. News and variety shows, such as Have You Been Paying Attention, The Cheap Seats, The Voice, MasterChef etc. feel like the only thing that suits their non-binge format. Even if a streaming service has a show that they’re releasing weekly, when you finish it, there’s other stuff to watch. Not the case on our free-to-air channels. Many of the shows on commercial channels are long standing too. I’m pretty sure Australian Idol is coming to Nine (whilst I hope this is where Delta Goodrem turns up, because seriously, where is she?) I just feel like this is more of the same.
I don’t mean to just be shitting all over commercial television. But I am frustrated when content creators are busting their chops to be recognised for original and quality content and people with money and momentum just serve us the same shit with Karl Stefanovic or Sonia Kruger as the face of it.
Further to this, traditional media platforms help and hinder each other. You may need to watch a show to get the ‘code word’ for a radio show to win the prize, or read someone’s column in the paper to understand what they’re talking about on TV. This strengthens the web, or tightens the noose depending on how you look at it. They are either creating an elite club for their audience or ostracising those who don’t want to listen to the interview with the latest MAFS contestant or whatever.
Channel Nine have been clever, they’re linked to Stan, a solid streaming service option. Channel 10 are linked to Paramount Plus but it looks like both of them have an image problem, which is a shame. There could be stuff on Paramount Plus, but I feel like I am walking into a dark room with nothing much happening every time I look for something. Also, why couldn’t they sort out Sabrina the Teenage Witch so it’s better quality and fits the shape of new TVs? I am sure there is a term to describe what they need to do. Channel 7, well I don’t even know what to say. I imagine they play Home and Away, Kochie, The Voice and Sonia Kruger on repeat. They also have the free to air rights for the AFL. This is obviously important. They did a much better job of the tennis than Channel Nine. But I couldn’t even let you know what else is happening. Oh and I think people watch Lego Masters, but I couldn’t tell you what channel that’s on.
And I think that’s telling, we like shows not channels, but channels want us to pick them. They’re advertising tries to imply that they are the 'place’ we want to be (does anyone remember Nine’s ‘Still the one’ campaign? ), but we are nomads. Shows drive us to streaming services too. Stranger Things got me on to Netflix and Morning Wars inspired me to get Apple TV. But this doesn’t fit the current model. We will not be forced to choose, we want it all, when we want it.
I guess that’s for them to sort out. But more Steph and Flick levels of audience investment are needed.