Australia’s kids-content pipeline has yet to recover from the axing of children’s content quotas, but hours, budgets and spending on it were slightly up from last year, according to Screen Australia’s new Drama Report.

In 2021/2022, 11 kids series went into production, according to the report released yesterday. The country’s local children’s content spend grew 5% from last year to US$43.8 million (AUD$67 million), compared to last year, but that’s 1% below the five-year-average. The total hours of content produced was up 12% to 58, while the total cost of productions grew 4% to US$46 million. Four of the 11 productions are animated, the same number as last year.

Public broadcaster ABC financed eight of the projects, including animated series 100% Wolf: The Book of Hath, Ginger and the Vegesaurs (pictured) as well as live-action series Crazy Fun Park and season two of First Day. Australian free-to-air broadcaster National Indigenous Television financed one: live-actioner Barrumbi Kids. Free-to-air broadcaster Network 10 greenlit Rock Island Mysteries and Netflix ordered Gymnastics Academy: A Second Chance. (This year’s report is the first time that Screen Australia grouped together kids projects that were released on TV, SVODs and online instead of just covering linear TV releases).

Looking back over the last five years, there’s been a steady decline in kids-content production from a peak 2018/2019 period when 20 new titles entered production, and more than 167 hours of content were produced, according to Screen Australia.

The change in broadcast regulation that dropped the requirement for broadcasters to order youth-specific content as part of mandated quotas. For its part, the Australian government has set up increased funding for the nonprofit Australian Children’s Television Foundation and Screen Australia, as well as offset rebates for kids series.

Industry org Screen Producers Australia called the decline “disastrous” in a statement released today. It is calling for Aussie broadcasters and SVODs operating in the region to commission more local children’s content.

“Urgent regulation across these platforms is needed if we want to ensure our children can dream Australia dreams,” the statement reads.