Television Drama Production

Screen Australia supports the development of a creative and highly skilled Australian production industry supplying culturally relevant Australian content in a competitive commercial context.

The Television Drama Program assists in the production of high-quality adult drama, providing a diverse range of high-quality Australian programs to audiences both here and overseas.

Eligible projects

Screen Australia will finance the following categories of adult drama under this program:

• mini-series up to 13 hours in length;
• single telemovies (including telemovie pilots);
• telemovie packages of up to three telemovies;
• animated mini-series of up to 13 episodes, each not less than a half hour in length.
  

Subsequent series or telemovie packages will only be financed where the percentage and quantum investment by Screen Australia is substantially lower than for the previous program.

Before Screen Australia will invest in a subsequent mini-series or telemovie, the first mini-series or telemovie must have been launched at a major television market and secured acceptable international sales.

Screen Australia expects key creatives (producer, writer, director, director of photography, editor) to be sourced from the freelance market and not from the staff of a free-to-air or pay television channel. In addition, Screen Australia will not finance drama where the project has been developed by a broadcaster and sub-contracted at a later stage to a producer.

Marketplace attachments

Screen Australia encourages producers to pre-sell their television projects in as many territories as possible.

(a) General
Screen Australia requires a local presale for Australian free-to-air or pay television rights for all drama programs. In regards to the presale:

• the floor price licence fee (see below) may not include an equity component for the broadcaster;
• Screen Australia will not agree to the inclusion of pay television or exclusive satellite rights as part of the domestic free-to-air television licence fee;
• Screen Australia will not agree to the inclusion of New Zealand as part of the floor price licence fee.

In addition to the local presale, Screen Australia will require a sales agent for ROW to be attached on all projects financed under this program.

(b) Mini-series
Screen Australia will expect a local free-to-air or pay television presale of not less than 30% of the budget, with a floor price of not less than $400,000 per hour. It will also expect a percentage of the budget, to be agreed upon, by way of a substantial presale/advance against ROW, and/or equity investment.

In the case of longer mini-series – nine to 13 hours – Screen Australia will only invest where the production budget is a minimum of $800,000 per hour. The terms for any sequels or spin-offs are detailed in terms of trade.

(c) Telemovies
One-off telemovies (including pilots) and telemovie packages

Screen Australia will expect a local free-to-air or pay television presale of not less than 35% of the budget, with a floor price of $400,000 per hour, or part thereof. It will also expect a percentage of the budget, to be agreed upon, by way of a substantial presale/advance against ROW, and/or equity investment.

Screen Australia will only invest in a pilot if satisfied that the script is written as a self-contained story capable of being marketed as a ‘stand alone’. The terms on which Screen Australia will participate in revenue from any sequel or spin-off series are detailed in terms of trade.

(d) Higher-budget productions
Where the budget of a mini-series or telemovie exceeds $2 million per hour, the minimum percentage licence fee required by Screen Australia from the domestic free-to-air or pay TV network will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. However, the required licence fee will generally be at least $600,000 per hour.

(e) Animation
The terms and conditions for investing in animated programs will be the same as for live action television dramas (see above).

Investment decisions and level of funding

Screen Australia will not generally invest more than $2.5 million in a TV drama project, and will not exceed this threshold other than in exceptional circumstances. Limits also apply to the level of direct funding as a proportion of the project’s budget; these limits are set out in Screen Australia’s Terms of Trade.

Screen Australia welcomes an entrepreneurial approach by producers, and will consider a diversity of financing streams including equity investment and distribution guarantees.

Further, in order to maximise production levels and diversity of slate, Screen Australia encourages producers to secure as much non-Screen Australia finance as possible.

When considering applications for a particular tranche of funding, Screen Australia will therefore prioritise projects which have the lowest contribution from Screen Australia as a proportion of the budget.

If there are insufficient funds to meet demand from eligible projects with the same level of Screen Australia contribution, Screen Australia will take the following additional considerations into account:

1. strength of the marketplace (ie level of co-finance excluding Screen Australia and the state agencies);
2. recoupment potential;
3. level of subordination of Screen Australia investment;
4. successful track record and capacity of the creative team;
5. readiness of script (applicants must submit a completed script signed off by the network, subject to revisions and polishes; mini-series of eight hours or more should submit at least four episodes of completed scripts);
6. diversity of slate (ie. diversity of genre and format).

Screen Australia will advise applicants of the success or otherwise of their application, providing a brief statement of reasons.