Australia’s screen and games sector contributed $11.1 billion to the economy in gross value added during fiscal year 2023/24, employing 68,844 people, according to a major report released by Screen Australia on Wednesday.
While industry exports climbed to $1.6 billion and titles like Bluey
achieved global dominance, the landmark Screen Currency 2026 report revealed a striking paradox at the heart of domestic consumption. Three-quarters of Australians want to watch and play more locally made films, TV shows, and video games, yet only 15 per cent choose domestic titles over foreign alternatives more than half the time.
Economic Footprint and the Rising Tide of Digital Games
The comprehensive federal study maps an industry operating at substantial scale across both traditional screen production and digital interactive media. Of the total $11.1 billion gross value added contribution, screen activities accounted for $10.8 billion, while digital games development contributed $317 million. Employment figures reflected a similar division, supporting 68,844 workers across the board, with 66,080 jobs in screen and 2,764 in digital games development.
Digital games represent the fastest-growing segment of the ecosystem. Games exports climbed at an average annual clip of 15.4 per cent between 2016/17 and 2023/24—surpassing three times the growth pace of screen exports, which ticked up at 4.7 per cent annually since 2008/09. By the close of FY 2023/24, total exports reached $1.6 billion, consisting of $1.3 billion in screen exports and $323 million in games exports. Royalty exports rebounded to $415 million in FY 2024/25.
Despite this momentum, intellectual property ownership remains a persistent hurdle for domestic studios. Just 45 per cent of games businesses retain full rights to their titles upon first release, with 15 per cent holding partial rights and 40 per cent owning none at all.
Breakout Hits and the Reality of Global Discovery
International recognition for Australian storytelling remains formidable. When Screen Australia tested awareness of 11 recent Australian titles across eight overseas markets, the United Kingdom and New Zealand led with 88 per cent recognition, followed by India at 80 per cent, the United States at 67 per cent, China at 65 per cent, Canada at 61 per cent, Singapore at 60 per cent, and Germany at 46 per cent. Furthermore, half of international survey respondents stated that Australian screen content had increased their interest in visiting the country, led by a 51 per cent lift in India.
Domestically, the animated phenomenon Bluey
emerged as the report’s primary cultural export. The children’s series claimed the title of the most-streamed show in the United States in 2025 and the most recognized Australian title among international respondents.
Yet industry stakeholders urge caution when interpreting sector-wide health through the lens of individual blockbusters. Games executives interviewed for the research pointed out that critical darlings such as Untitled Goose Game,
Unpacking,
and Hollow Knight: Silksong
originate from small teams capturing niche markets.
“success depends on a multitude of factors that are often just not in the control of game makers.”
Unnamed games executive
The Visibility Gap: Loving Local Content Without Watching It
The report’s most revealing tension concerns domestic viewership. While 84 per cent of Australians consider local screen content important to access and 75 per cent express a desire for more of it, only 36 per cent find those titles easy to discover. Nearly two-thirds of Australians spend less than 30 per cent of their total viewing time watching domestic productions.
Screen Australia’s chief executive noted that offshore algorithms increasingly dictate discovery, creating an environment where domestic titles struggle for visibility against global competitors. Australians remain deeply attached to narratives reflecting their own experiences, but platform design routinely pushes foreign alternatives to the forefront.
Cultural Identity and Government Policy Quotas
The findings reinforce the sociological weight citizens place on domestic media. More than three in four Australians—77 per cent—report that quality local content fosters national pride, while 78 per cent state it contributes to a distinctive national identity and helps preserve Australian culture. Additionally, 71 per cent credit local stories with connecting them to the nation’s past.
Minister for the Arts Tony Burke linked the data directly to ongoing legislative efforts, pointing to rules designed to mandate local content carriage on digital platforms.
Burke added that the government is actively working to build on the momentum of Revive
through a refreshed National Cultural Policy that introduces streaming obligations for digital services.
Navigating the Inflection Point
As the industry moves through what leadership terms a pivotal moment of transformation,
the path forward relies heavily on institutional financing and strategic adaptation. Government funding, both direct and indirect, has expanded to become the primary financing source for Australian narrative drama, documentaries, and children’s television, working alongside public grants, platform licence fees, and private capital.
Industry leaders argue that long-term survival depends on local businesses securing durable intellectual property rights and improving discoverability metrics. Without deliberate interventions to counter algorithmic bias, the sector risks maintaining high cultural appreciation paired with persistently low domestic viewership.
