Australianprogramming of all stripes is dominating the ratings among the free-to-air networks in Australia this year, boosted by a raft of new local dramas, infotainment and reality shows. Production is starting to benefit from a producer rebate of 20 percent of the budget, introduced in July 2007 by the Australian government, which applies to series of up to 65 episodes, telepics, short-form animation and documentaries. However producers argue the incentive won’t achieve its full potential unless the government allows recipients to claim it as soon as the program is delivered rather than months later. And the export of Australian dramas and formats is thriving. Aussie audiences’ growing fondness for helpings of their own pop culture is a godsend for the networks which had to delay the launches of numerous Hollywood series this year in the aftermath of the US writers’ strike. And it’s helped the broadcasters hold or build audiences in a year when once-popular US series such as Ugly Betty, Lost and Prison Break have waned, and Samantha Who?, Mistresses and Lipstick Jungle bombed. “We are seeing a swing back to infotainment,” said Tim Worner, Seven Network director of programming and production. “When the economic going gets tough Australians tend to cocoon themselves and that’s why backyard and home makeover shows tend to surge in these conditions; Better Homes and Gardens is having its strongest year for many seasons. “The overwhelming trend has been to Australian programming whether that be news and public affairs, drama, adaptations of international formats or home grown ideas. Seven’s Australian slate has grown rapidly and creatively the business is in a very good place.” Seven’s strengths include observational docs Border Security, The Force and RSPCA Animal Rescue; local dramas City Homicide and All Saints; and reality shows Dancing with the Stars, Australia’s Got Talent and Gladiators. Post Olympics, Seven successfully launched Packed to the Rafters, a local, light hearted drama which focuses on would-be ‘empty-nesters’ Dave and Julie Rafter, whose dreams of freedom last just 48 hours when their youngest son and his princess wife, troubled eldest daughter and Julie’s emotionally vulnerable father return to the family house. Another popular new offering from Seven is Find My Family, a reality show hosted by actor Jack Thompson, which aims to reunite long-lost families. The Nine Network’s resurgence this year began with Underbelly, a gritty crime series based on Melbourne’s vicious gangland wars that flared in the 1990s; it scored record ratings for Australian drama in the markets in which it aired which, sadly for Nine, did not include Victoria, where it was blocked by a court injunction. Among Nine’s other successes are Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, featuring blustering Scottish chef Gordon Ramsay; Domestic Blitz, which follows Shelley Craft and Scott Cam as they knock on the door of an ‘Aussie hero’ and renovate an entire home in 48 hours; and observational docus Fire 000, Missing Persons Unit and Search and Rescue. Post-Olympics, Nine launched The Strip, a cop show which centres on detectives on Queensland’s glitzy Gold Coast, starring Frankie J. Holden, Vanessa Gray, Aaron Jeffrey and Simone McAullay. FremantleMedia Enterprises is launching international sales of The Strip at MIPCOM. Nine did stumble with Canal Road, a drama looking at the professionals who work in a Melbourne medical-legal centre, and their clients; and My Kid’s a Star, which followed 10 children and their parents through a six-week boot camp. Network Ten’s schedule has been underpinned by marquee shows The Biggest Loser, Australian Idol and So You Think You Can Dance Australia. Ten suffered only one major programming casualty this year: the end of Big Brother after eight seasons, despite the gimmick of dropping Pamela Anderson and local ‘bad boy’ Corey Worthington into the house. Network head of programming Beverly McGarvey sees a positive in the end of BB in that it frees up a big chunk of hours and money to invest in new programming. Like other networks, Ten had to delay the launches of its US series—notably the returning House and NCIS plus debutante 90210—as production was disrupted during the writers’ guild strike. Looking at the crop of new season shows in the US, McGarvey said, “We’re hoping for a couple of breakout hits, but probably not as many as in prior years.” Its popular observational series Bondi Rescue has spawned a spin-off Bondi Rescue: Bali, in which a group of Bondi lifeguards go to Bali’s Kuta Beach, where they join Indonesian lifeguards for the summer season. Also in September, Ten launched Rush, an Australian drama series focusing on a critical incident response police unit from Southern Star John Edwards; Kenny’s World, a comedy/doco series featuring Australia’s favourite porta-loo plumber and part-time philosopher Kenny Smyth on a worldwide search for weird toilet technology and the people connected to them; and another season of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader. Despite the slowing economy, the free-to-air networks are still receptive to buying in shows while pay-TV channels are a growing source of business, according to indie producers. “Obviously the broadcasters are counting every penny that is commissioned but they all appear very much open for business in terms of new product,” says FremantleMedia Australia (FMA) CEO Mark Fennessy. However Fennessy cautions, “I think the flow on effect of the economic downturn will bite much harder in 2009.” FMA launched at the beginning of 2007 after integrating Grundy Australia and Fennessy’s Crackerjack into the group. Really hitting its stride this year, its output includes So You Think You Can Dance Australia, The Biggest Loser, The Farmer Wants a Wife, Australia’s Got Talent, The Gift, Hole in the Wall, Arena TV’s Project Runway Australia, and Ten’s new stripped dating show, Taken Out. Screentime took advantage of the producer rebate for False Witness, a telemovie dealing with bickering intelligence agencies, fallible police forces and international tensions, commissioned by cabler UKTV Australia; it was co-funded with Film Finance Corp. Australia, now Screen Australia, with international distribution handled by Power Television. The offset has the “the potential to be a viable funding model if the model is amended to enable the offset to be claimed on delivery of the project and not three months after the end of the financial year irrespective of the delivery date as is currently the case,” said Screentime executive director Bob Campbell. Fennessy lauds the rebate as a superior structure for drama than the former 10BA tax incentives, which were rarely utilized. “We are launching an entirely new platform and philosophy in regards to local drama,” he said. “A cornerstone of this is our joint venture with Posie Graeme-Evans and Millennium Pictures. We presently have three very exciting projects in fully funded development and there will be announcements forthcoming.” Screentime’s Underbelly has been a major success internationally, with Fox International Channels acquiring the series for broadcast on branded networks in more than 50 countries. On top of that, Campbell says the series has been sold to other markets including Canada and Spain, and additional deals will be announced by distrib Portman Film & Television at MIPCOM. Nine has commissioned a second series of 13 episodes, which will be a prequel since most of the characters were killed or in jail. “Sales remain consistent and very promising for our product and Australian product in general,” says Southern Star International chief executive Cathy Payne. “The global credit crunch hasn’t really affected international television sales as overseas broadcasters will always need new programming. This is reflected in the continued international success for programs such as Home and Away, City Homicide, Underbelly and Sea Patrol.” Among recent deals, SSI sold the format of My Restaurant Rules to Germany’s Granada Produktion for airing on VOX, and the canned version to Discovery India, V-me Channel for Spanish-speaking US and Canada, and South Korea’s Food & Channel. Drama Rain Shadow went to the Australia Network for pan-Asia, Ireland’s RTE, Slovenia’s RTV, Belgium’s SBS, Hallmark International Channels, Sweden’s SVT and Norway’s TV Norge; and cop series City Homicide was snapped up by Hallmark Australia, TVNZ New Zealand and Africa’s Daar Communications and GTV Communications. SSI has endeavoured to hedge against currency movements by contracting in euros or pound sterling, which have been relatively stable, rather than in US dollars wherever possible. Pay-TV is proving to be a steady buyer of Australian programming. “Foxtel are providing a range of opportunities for the local production business,” says Screentime’s Campbell, which is producing the second series of former Test cricketer Stuart MacGill’s Uncorked on the new vineyards and vignerons of Australia and New Zealand for the LifeStyle Channel.