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Australian and co-productions: TV drama: Production activity by type of production

Series and serials for adults
Mini-series for adults
Telemovies for adults
Children’s programs

Australian and co-production TV drama slate by type of production, 2004/05–2008/09
Hours	Value of production (spend in Australia)

Series and serials for adults

Series and serials typically account for the majority of TV drama hours and expenditure in Australia.

Total budgets for the Australian slate were down slightly on last year ($128 million compared to $135 million). Hours also decreased with 17 titles accounting for 410 hours this year, compared to 18 titles and 465 hours last year, mainly due to the cancellation of last year’s new serial Out of the Blue. However, cost per hour rose to a high of $313,000, up from $291,000 last year and above the five-year average of $273,000 per hour.

There were several new series this year, mainly made for subscription TV, including 30 Seconds, The Jesters, Tangle and Whatever Happened to That Guy? Series/serials that were renewed this year included Rush, Wilfred, Chandon Pictures and The Librarians, while City Homicide and Satisfaction each went into a third season.

No series or serials were made as co-productions.

	No. (In-house)	Hours¹	Total budgets ($m)	Spend in Aust. ($m)	Av. cost/hr ($m)
Australian programs
2004/05	14 (4)	502	119	119	0.238
2005/06	14 (2)	389	87	87	0.223
2006/07	20 (3)	436	131	131	0.299
2007/08	18 (4)	465	135	134	0.291
2008/09	17 (4)	410	128	128	0.313
5-yr av.	17 (3)	440	120	120	0.273
Co-productions
2004/05	1 (0)	3	4	3	1.247
2005/06	2 (0)	23	5	4	0.228
2006/07	0 (0)	0	0	0	0
2007/08	0 (0)	0	0	0	0
2008/09	0 (0)	0	0	0	0
5-yr av.	1 (0)	5	2	1	0.345
Australian programs and co-productions combined
2004/05	15 (4)	505	123	122	0.244
2005/06	16 (2)	412	92	90	0.224
2006/07	20 (3)	436	131	131	0.299
2007/08	18 (4)	465	135	134	0.291
2008/09	17 (4)	410	128	128	0.313
5-yr av.	17 (3)	445	122	121	0.274

Notes:
Figures may not total exactly due to rounding.
1. Commercial broadcast hours rather than actual running time. Individual program duration has been rounded to 15, 30 or 60 minutes as appropriate (including commercial breaks).

Mini-series for adults

Production of mini-series rose this year. Eight titles (73 hours) with total budgets of $72 million were well above the five-year averages and last year’s six titles (48 hours) and $44 million. Average cost per hour also rose to $986,000, up from last year’s $917,000. Once again, all of this year’s adult mini-series were Australian – three of them 13 hours each (Rescue Special Ops, Sea Patrol (Series 3) and Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities) – and all spent their entire budgets in Australia.

	No. (In-house)	Hours¹	Total budgets ($m)	Spend in Aust. ($m)	Av. cost/hr ($m)
Australian programs
2004/05	2 (0)	10	22	22	2.187
2005/06	2 (0)	13	11	11	0.854
2006/07	8 (1)	64	50	50	0.782
2007/08	6 (0)	48	44	44	0.917
2008/09	8 (0)	73	72	72	0.986
5-yr av.	5 (<1)	42	40	40	0.957
Co-productions
2004/05	1 (0)	3	8	6	2.667
2005/06	1 (0)	6	10	7	1.642
2006/07	0	0	0	0	0
2007/08	0	0	0	0	0
2008/09	0	0	0	0	0
5-yr av.	0 (0)	2	4	2	1.983
Australian programs and co-productions combined
2004/05	3 (0)	13	30	27	4.853
2005/06	3 (0)	19	21	18	2.495
2006/07	8 (1)	64	50	50	0.782
2007/08	6 (0)	48	44	44	0.917
2008/09	8 (0)	73	72	72	0.986
5-yr av.	6 (<1)	43	43	42	0.999

Telemovies for adults

There were two Australian telemovies in the slate in 2008/09, with total budgets of just $4 million compared to four titles and $10 million in 2007/08. These levels are well below the five-year averages, reflecting a decline in adult telemovie production since 2005/06.

There have been no co-produced telemovies since 2001/02’s unofficial co-production Seconds to Spare.

	No. (In-house)	Hours¹	Total budgets ($m)	Spend in Aust. ($m)	Av. cost/hr ($m)
Australian programs
2004/05	6 (0)	10	15	15	1.546
2005/06	9 (0)	13	18	18	1.439
2006/07	4 (0)	6	13	12	2.084
2007/08	4 (1)	6	10	10	1.707
2008/09	2 (0)	3	4	4	1.400
5-yr av.	5 (<1)	8	12	12	1.608

Children’s programs

In the combined children’s TV drama slate, 15 titles (161 hours) with total budgets of $123 million allocated $103 million to expenditure in Australia. Hours produced were down on last year’s slate, but above the five-year average, while total budgets, expenditure in Australia and cost per hour were above both last year and the five-year averages.

The increase in production levels this year was due mainly to local titles, with co-productions dropping back again after last year’s increase.

Eight of this year’s 12 Australian titles (76 hours) were animated, compared to four titles (42 hours) last year; all three co-productions (33 hours) were animated, compared to four titles (34 hours) last year.

	No.	Hours¹	Total budgets ($m)	Spend in Aust. ($m)	Av. cost/hr ($m)
Australian programs
2004/05	7	66	40	33	0.597
2005/06	10	102	71	66	0.701
2006/07	9	75	55	50	0.730
2007/08	8	88	53	41	0.604
2008/09	12	128	96	90	0.748
5-yr av.	9	92	63	56	0.685
Co-productions
2004/05	2	26	11	4	0.418
2005/06	4	38	23	12	0.603
2006/07	4	34	24	11	0.696
2007/08	7	85	62	27	0.731
2008/09	3	33	27	13	0.821
5-yr av.	4	29	14	43	0.468
Australian programs and co-productions combined
2004/05	9	92	50	37	0.547
2005/06	14	139	94	78	0.674
2006/07	13	109	78	61	0.719
2007/08	15	172	115	69	0.666
2008/09	15	161	123	103	0.763
5-yr av.	13	135	92	70	0.683