ViacomCBS Australia & New Zealand Chief Content Officer & EVP Beverley McGarvey said: “Today’s announcements are a significant step forward for broadcasters, content providers, producers and, most importantly, Australian audiences in ensuring a sustainable and enduring local production industry.
“The reforms are a win for audiences, a win for networks and a win for the local production sector.
“They promise fairness and flexibility, allowing us to continue to invest in the programs our audiences love while giving them the choice of the time and the place that they choose to watch them.
“They also properly recognise the significant contributions that children’s content and long-running dramas make to the local production industry in the form of jobs and talent, rewarding our ongoing investment in popular Australian dramas such as Neighbours, while also incentivising our involvement in larger-scale productions such as The Secrets She Keeps and Five Bedrooms.
“Similarly, they properly reward our significant and growing investment in children’s television and encourage rolling investments in documentaries such as Todd Sampson’s BodyHack or Lindy Chamberlain: The True Story.
“At ViacomCBS, we’re proud of our commitment to the local production sector. Our content is watched by 20 million Australians every month across our brands on Free to Air, Pay TV and streaming platforms.
“We can’t wait to reveal the exciting pipeline of local content coming to your screens in 2021 at our upcoming Upfronts event and look forward to working with the Government on continuing to build a successful local production industry.”
