Is Foxtel really a tomb for Australian drama?

There are winners and losers in the Foxtel v FTA fight for drama success, but both sides see deregulation as their magic pill.
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Hanging out the Foxtel washing. Image: The Kettering Incident

Let’s look at a normal night on Foxtel.  On Sunday 17 September, the Foxtel ratings figures topped out with the golf on 187,000, followed by supercars on 172,000, cricket on 165,000 and the Singapore Grand Prix on 159,000.

All these are live events which get most of their audience in the first screening. The highest drama figure for the night was China Girl with 73,000 and Hacksaw Ridge on 71,000. 

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David Tiley was the Editor of Screenhub from 2005 until he became Content Lead for Film in 2021 with a special interest in policy. He is a writer in screen media with a long career in educational programs, documentary, and government funding, with a side order in script editing. He values curiosity, humour and objectivity in support of Australian visions and the art of storytelling.