Free-to-Air Television Broadcasting in Australia - Market Size, Industry Analysis, Trends and Forecasts (2024-2029)

Channel change: Streaming services are reducing advertising revenue as consumers look elsewhere

Companies in the Free-to-Air Television Broadcasting industry have faced numerous challenges in recent years. Many Australians are shifting away from watching free-to-air TV programs, instead choosing to consume media on various other platforms. In response, some advertising agencies have moved towards more lucrative online advertising markets, limiting demand for advertising timeslots on free-to-air TV networks. Foreign entities, like Facebook and Google, now command an increasing share of advertising revenue in Australia. This trend has negatively affected traditional media outlets. The COVID-19 pandemic's economic disruption contributed to a significant drop in demand from advertisers, sharply reducing industry revenue in 2019-20 and squeezing profit margins. Revenue is expected to dip at an annualised 0.3% over the five years through 2023-24, to $5.2 billion. This trend includes an anticipated fall of 4.5% in the current year owing to a decline in total minutes of TV watched and stiff external competition.

Industry players broadcast visual content using over-the-air transmission networks. Players broadcast TV programs at no cost to consumers.

This report covers the scope, size, disposition and growth of the industry including the key sensitivities and success factors. Also included are five year industry forecasts, growth rates and an analysis of the industry key players and their market shares.