Reports by SIGN members

  • 10 Years of Netflix in Australia

    24 March 2025

    To mark the 10-year anniversary of Netflix in Australia, RMIT University has published the ‘10 Years of Netflix in Australia: Streaming Players and Local Content’ report. 

    This report pulls together profiles on the major subscription and broadcaster video-on-demand services operating in Australia and remembers the streaming platforms that have failed. The report also shares insights from the 2024 Australian Content in the Streaming Era Symposium, where industry insiders considered the deeper implications, opportunities and challenges of streaming on key local genres and formats: drama and comedy, reality, sport, kids content and film.  

    Access the report here.

    Suggested citation: Streaming Industries & Genres Network (2025) “10 Years of Netflix in Australia: Streaming Players and Local Content”, report, 24 March. Available at: https://apo.org.au/node/330087

  • Australian children’s streaming video platform habits, fluencies, and literacies

    19 September 2024

    Most Australian children now tend to use streaming video platforms to watch television “on demand” from extensive catalogues, many of which are mediated by algorithmic curation.

    This report outlines findings from a study conducted with Australian children aged 7-9 and their parents to determine how they use and find content on streaming platforms, their levels of technical fluency with these platforms, and whether they gravitate towards, are able to find, and are culturally literate with Australian content on these platforms.

    Access the report here.

    Suggested citation: Jessica Balanzategui, Djoymi Baker, Georgia Clift, Liam Burke, and Joanna McIntyre (2024) “Australian Children’s Streaming Video Platform Habits, Fluencies, and Literacies”, Swinburne and RMIT Universities. Available at: https://apo.org.au/node/328223

  • Smart TVs and local content prominence

    February 2023

    The television remains central to the domestic media ecology of Australian households. This research finds that two thirds of Australians use smart TVs (and/or other connected TV devices) to access video content, and that the vast majority of smart TV users are happy with the services and content available on their devices. All of this suggests widespread enthusiasm for connected TV culture in Australia.

    However, the researchers also find that smart TV operating systems are evolving in ways that warrant policy intervention. Throughout this report, they present evidence of widespread self-preferencing, partner-preferencing, search and recommendation bias, poor integration of third-party apps, and prioritisation of advertiser content over relevant local content in smart TV interfaces. The researchers also present evidence from a nationally representative user survey that establishes the scale of consumer confusion and misunderstanding.

    Access the report here.

    Suggested citation: Lobato, R., Scarlata, A. and Schivinski, B. (2023) “Smart TVs and local content prominence”, submission to the Prominence Framework for Connected TV Devices Proposals Paper, RMIT University/ADM+S. Available at: https://apo.org.au/node/321605