ALL TV drama formats
Hours by format

Series and serials

Australian series and serials production averaged 479 hours per year in the decade between 2000/01 and 2009/10, with an average cost per hour of $0.29 million. In 2019/20, 293 hours of Australian series and serials were produced with an average cost per hour of $0.35 million. Long-running serials, Home and Away (Seven) and Neighbours (10) provide stability to this format. For data, see Series/serials: Activity summary.

Mini-series

In the 2000s, mini-series production averaged 40 hours, $43 million in budgets and an average cost per hour of $1.2 million. The 2010s saw a marked increase across all metrics, with average hours increasing to 130, budgets to $171 million and the average cost per hour to $1.3 million. In 2019/20, 58 hours of Australian mini-series were produced with an average cost per hour of $1.65 million. The significant decrease in mini-series activity in 2019/20 was a direct consequence of the coronavirus pandemic that saw many productions postponed. For data, see Mini-series: Activity summary.

Telemovies

Over the past decade, telemovie production has ranged from a high of 18 hours in 2011/12 to just three hours in 2008/09. Cost per hour for Australian telemovies averaged $1.66 million over the 10-year period 2000/01–2009/10. The number of telemovies produced has been declining each year, with none entering production in 2019/20. For data, see Telemovies: Activity summary.

Children’s TV drama

An average of 135 hours of Australian children's TV drama was produced each year from 2000/01 to 2009/10, with an average cost per hour of $0.65 million. In 2019/20, Australian children's TV drama production totalled 178 hours, almost half the previous year, with an average cost per hour of $0.67 million. The decrease in activity can be attributed to both the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the cyclical nature of children’s television production. For data, see Children’s TV drama: Activity summary.