This page explores the number of titles produced hours, budgets, spend and average cost per hour. General FTA TV and BVOD drama is drama made for family and adult audiences first released on either FTA television — ABC, NITV, SBS, Seven, Nine and 10 — or those broadcasters’ online platforms — ABC iview, SBS On Demand, 7plus, 9Now and 10 play. It does not include children’s drama, which is reported separately.

1990s – an average of 31 titles were made annually, generating an average of 558 hours of content. The average cost of an Australian TV drama in this period was $5.57 million, or $348,000 per hour.

2000s – the average number of titles dropped slightly to 29, with average hours down to 529. The average cost rose to $6.80 million per title, or $373,000 per hour.

2010s – the average number of titles made each year rose to 38, largely as a consequence of the growth in BVOD platforms, however the average number of hours fell to 437. The average cost was up slightly, to $7.09 million, and the average cost per hour rose to $620,000.

In 2023/24, there were 15 Australian free-to-air TV and BVOD dramas made for general audiences, generating 275 hours of content with budgets of $193 million, or $701,000 per hour.