By Beverley McGarvey, Chief Content Officer, Network 10.
Every day, someone, somewhere declares that the television business is in trouble. They are wrong. Dead wrong. The quality, breadth and depth of Australian television content has never been better and the way that content is delivered to consumers is evolving and improving all the time.
The constant talk about the rise of the technology platforms and their impact on free-to-air television broadcasters has created a perception versus reality gap. The perception in some quarters is that television is sick. The reality is that television still draws the largest viewing audiences, produces great local content, tells more Australian stories than any other video medium, reaches people through myriad distribution platforms, and delivers strong results for advertisers.
The doomsayers ignore a key point (often deliberately to serve their vested interests): television is not just television anymore; television has grown and evolved.
The spread of technology platforms and resultant splintering of people’s media consumption has forced television companies to push their content into new areas. While broadcast television remains the heart of our business and continues to draw big audiences, newer platforms such as on-demand, streaming and podcasts have taken television content broader and deeper than ever before.
Headlines broadcast on 10 News First receive additional coverage on 10’s online news service 10 Daily and more coverage again on our podcasting service 10 Speaks, with the three platforms working together to give audiences more breadth and depth of content. This multi-platform approach works equally well for our entertainment programs that benefit even more from 10’s online catch-up service, 10 Play, and our subscription television service, 10 All Access. We can, and do, now deliver our content in ways that support the viewing habits of our audience and, therefore, the reach of our advertisers. This is the new television.
No one in television denies that traditional viewing habits have changed forever. No one denies that linear viewing as measured by the overnight television audience numbers is lower than it was two, three or 10 years ago. But those numbers are crude and outdated. They don’t reflect how audiences are consuming our content on the new television.
Every night, about 12 million Australians watch linear free-to-air television. Add in other forms of viewing and that number jumps at least 10%. The true size of television audiences will become very soon, as when Nielsen and OzTAM are poised to start rolling out Virtual Australia, a “total television” database covering viewing of broadcast and streamed television.
Audiences have not gone anywhere. They’re still watching television, the new television, and audiences still watch it because free-to-air television commissions great content. Just look at I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!, Lego Masters, Five Bedrooms and Australian Survivor, plus long-running dramas Neighbours and Home and Away.
The free-to-air networks are the backbone of the local television production industry. We fund the industry. We create jobs. The shows we finance and promote are a breeding ground for local talent, in front of and behind the camera.
Unlike the technology platforms, the free-to-air networks invest heavily in Australian content. Every year, the commercial free-to-air broadcasters spend $1.6 billion on Australian content. We search endlessly for innovation, creativity and Australian voices to keep our viewers and advertisers engaged.
At 10, recent examples of creativity and innovation include Pilot Week and the series we have commissioned as a result of that initiative. We will be airing four local scripted series this year plus a broad range of comedy content as well as our news, sport, reality and entertainment content.
Without that investment, the local television production sector would be decimated. Thousands of people in production companies would lose their jobs. And Australians would stop seeing Australian stories on their television screens, stories that reflect and connect communities. Of course, we get that not every show on free-to-air television is to everyone’s taste, but there is absolutely something for everyone – and they are watching.
For advertisers, television remains the fastest and most effective way to reach a large number of consumers in one hit. Television gives advertisers access to quality, brand-safe content – something many other media can’t guarantee – and engaged audiences. And we don’t just do it on television; we do it across a multitude of interlinked platforms that give audiences, and advertisers seeking to reach them, an unmatched experience.
But it isn’t just reach. Television builds brands. The technology platforms cannot match the brand-building power of television. They don’t do what we do, they way we do it. In fact, when those platforms want to promote their services to millions of consumers, where do they turn? To television, of course.
