New Research Furer Supports Industrys Call for an Increased Producer Offset

NEW RESEARCH FURTHER SUPPORTS INDUSTRY'S CALL FOR AN INCREASED PRODUCER OFFSET

6 May 2013

The Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) welcomes today's release of the new research undertaken by Screen Australia and the Australian Children's Television Foundation. The findings clearly show that boys and girls aged 2-14 years have an overwhelming preference for children's narrative' screen content, be it live action or animation. They like it the best, it is more engaging and a significant proportion of them are seeking out related content on second screens.

This is a more sophisticated picture of what children want to watch. It shows that when compared to family viewing times, television ratings alone often understate the importance of children's programs to children. What we can now see is the extent to which they are discerning viewers, seeking out content made specifically for them when they have control of the remote, said Matthew Deaner, SPAA's Executive Director.

Not only did 91 per cent of boys and girls say that they liked' programs for them', but 54 per cent said that they liked them the best'. In comparison, just 11 per cent said they liked family programs and 4 per cent said they liked adult programs the best.

Boys and girls tend to prefer programs with characters' and when watching them they are significantly more engaged. For example, when looking at multitasking rates, 80 per cent of children watching narrative content are often just watching the show and not doing any other activities at the same time. This rate falls, particularly among older children, when watching other types of presenter'-based programs. But, importantly, multitasking does not always suggest that the child is less engaged, with 31 per cent of children often doing activities that are related to the television program they are watching.

Children are increasingly connected to a growing array of media and communications devices and there is no home-ground advantage. With this in mind, producers, broadcasters, distributors and policy makers of Australian children's content need to adapt to the changing paradigm of more choice via the internet, digital free-to-air multi-channels and other screen activities, such as interactive games, said Deaner.

Following the alarming decline of investment by broadcaster platforms, coupled with the now relaxed quota requirements, the vital and valued role of Australian children's content runs the risk of being undermined by market forces. This research punctuates the industry's ongoing calls for an increase in the Producer Offset for television production and the need to nurture new commissioning opportunities for multiplatform content across emerging distribution models, concluded Deaner.

LINK:	http://www.spaa.org.au/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=698...
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