Platform Papers 12: Film in the Age of Digital Distribution: The Challenge for Australian Content

Australian audiovisual production faces an uncertain future. The recent proliferation of new forms of digital delivery is both a promise and a threat to the screen content business and poses challenges to established forms of government intervention.

Many ambitious predictions have been made about the impact on the Australian media landscape and the explosion of sites such as YouTube, and the investment of media moguls like Murdoch and Packer suggest profound change is taking place.

But where does Australian content-our stories-stand? Recent media legislation debate was all about technology; the issue of content was notably absent. This is of serious concern because the fracturing of the media sector and copyright laws, globalisation of production and distribution, have the potential to undermine the existing structure for the creation, production and distribution of Australian material.