Overview of children’s TV drama production

Most children's TV drama programs are either series or mini-series. There were only eight children's telemovies made during the 1990s, with total production budgets of $12 million. In the nine years since July 2000, seven telemovies were made for children: Blinky Bill’s White Christmas, Gumnutz, Koala in the Kitchen, Southern Cross, Street Soccer, Tabaluga Christmas Special and The Adventures of Charlotte and Henry.

The total production budgets for TV drama made for children, particularly mini-series, increased during the 1990s, averaging $48 million each year in the first half of the decade and $79 million each year from 1995/96 to 1999/00. Over the whole decade, 126 children’s drama programs were produced, with total budgets of $636 million. Most of these were Australian (106 titles), with 11 co-productions and nine foreign titles also made over the period.

In the nine years since July 2000, there have been 120 TV dramas made in Australia for children with total budgets of $807 million (an average of $90 million per year). This was comprised of 87 Australian, 28 co-productions and five foreign titles. 2007/08 saw a record high of seven TV drama co-productions for children (85 hours) with total budgets of $62 million. There have been no foreign TV dramas for children made in Australia since 2003/04.

Australian drama production for children is supported by the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s requirement for a minimum number of hours of first-release Australian children’s drama on commercial television. Commercial broadcasters are required to screen 96 hours over three years with a minimum of 25 hours per year – see Free-to-air TV: Commercial broadcasters: Regulation.

A quarter of the finance for Australian and co-production children’s TV drama between 1995/96 and 1999/00 came from government sources, mainly the Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC), which funded 30 of the 62 Australian and co-produced drama programs made for children during this period. Other government sources included the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, the Commercial Television Production Fund, and state government agencies. Foreign sources of finance contributed 35 per cent of the finance and Australian broadcasters and production/distribution companies 28 per cent, with a further 12 per cent coming from Australian private sources.

Government sources continue to be a significant source of finance for Australian and
co-produced children’s TV drama programs. The FFC funded 48 of the 115 Australian and
co-produced titles in the nine years since 2000/01 and accounted for more than three-quarters of total finance coming from government sources. (In July 2008, the FFC became part of Screen Australia.) Foreign investment also continues to be significant, with foreign sources contributing 38 per cent of finance in the same period.