The Australian Broadcasting Corporation – or the ABC, or Auntie, as you will – is budgeted to spend $1 billion in 2018-19, and $4.1 billion over the forward estimates. About $57 million of this is funded through sales of merchandise, with the balance coming from the Budget. The ABC is the forty-fourth largest Commonwealth expenditure.
The ABC currently provides services through traditional free-to-air television broadcast (six channels), radio (AM/FM and digital) and the internet.
The costs of ABC services are not publicly available by type of transmission, or type of content. The cost of free-to-air transmission is publicly identified, and is subject to a long term contract with Broadcast Australia in partnership with SBS. The ABC share of this contract is $181 million in 2018-19, or just under 18% of its total funding.
Funding for the ABC declines in real terms over the forward estimates by 2.3% per annum, or by about $120 million over the four years.
You can choose:Funding for transmission services is subject to a long term contract and is quarantined from potential savings. In the longer term savings from transmission services will be realisable.
The model does not take account of second round effects, such as the impact of funding changes on its ability to produce new programs and achieve sales revenue.