Headlines:

Netflix seeks voluntary Australian content spending scheme

Facing the prospect that the Federal Government will impose local content spending obligations on SVOD services, Netflix asserts it wants the right to negotiate how much it invests over the next three years.
july 06 | www.if.com.au

Renewed: Ms Fisher’s MODern Murder Mysteries

A second season is coming for Ms Fisher’s MODern Murder Mysteries, set as a co-production between Seven and Acorn TV. Under the deal, Series 2 increases to an 8 part series.
july 06 | tvtonight.com.au

ABC ME announces MaveriX drama

ABC ME has announced a new motocross drama series MaveriX to be filmed in Alice Springs in 2021.
june 30 | tvtonight.com.au

Foxtel confirms Marta Dusseldorp is joining the cast of Wentworth

Dusseldorp is well known to Foxtel audiences after staring in popular period drama A Place To Call Home. Her role in Wentworth will see her playing Sheila Bausch, a senior figure in a cult, who finds herself on the inside after something terrible goes down among the group.
june 15 | tvblackbox.com.au

Jenny Buckland hails kids’ drama exports

One of the major but less recognised benefits of continuing to fund children’s television in Australia is the long tail of overseas sales for multiple series, according to Jenny Buckland.
june 10 | www.if.com.au

Vale: Jock Blair

Seminal writer, producer Jock Blair who produced classic Australian dramas Homicide and The Sullivans has died.
may 28 | tvtonight.com.au

'Lockdown is over': Prison drama Wentworth finally gets a season eight premiere date - as Foxtel releases a chilling new trailer

It's arguably one of Australia's most popular television series ever. And on Tuesday, Foxtel announced that prison drama Wentworth was returning for its eighth season on Tuesday, July 28.
may 25 | www.dailymail.co.uk

ABC: “We don’t see production happening very soon”

ABC is not expecting to resume Drama production until towards the end of the year as it navigates new protocols which impact on filming, and it awaits the return of international actors.
may 20 | tvtonight.com.au

Screen Australia announces $8.5M for ten projects

Screen Australia has announced three feature films, four television series, a children’s series and two online projects that will share in $8.5 million of production funding.
april 20 | tvblackbox.com.au

Opinion: Dumping local content right now would be a massive self-inflicted wound for TV

Australia’s commercial television networks are in trouble. Not simply because of the coronavirus but because they failed to develop effective strategies to counter the arrival of Netflix and other ‘streaming’ platforms — something anticipated long before it happened.
april 20 | www.themandarin.com.au

Content quotas are the most efficient way to ensure the creation of great Australian TV shows

I [John Edwards] produced huge hit shows like Police Rescue, The Secret Life of Us and Love My Way. But they only exist because of local content quotas
april 20 | www.theguardian.com

Australian producers react to kids quota suspension

In an effort to support local TV, the Australian government has suspended all kids content quotas for broadcasters until the end of 2020... The shift isn’t sitting well with kids TV producers...
april 16 | kidscreen.com

Mystery Road season 2: Director Warwick Thornton on Australia’s outback 007

Mystery Road star Aaron Pedersen first appeared as surly lone ranger Detective Jay Swan in two movies helmed by creator Ivan Sen... Jay’s back for more in a new town packed with old troubles when the first episode of season two of Mystery Road premieres on the ABC this Sunday
april 15 | thenewdaily.com.au

It's Underbelly, but not as you knew it

Informer 3838 begins as these things always do: with the words "the following is based on actual events." This is the story of Nicola Gobbo, who is, in her own words, or at least in the words of the actress playing her, the most notorious police informer in Australian legal history.
april 17 | www.theage.com.au

Former local author to launch podcast

Former Deniliquin resident and now romance author Jessica Everingham, who is now based in Queensland, is teaming up with New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hauck to launch The McLeod’s Daughters Podcast.
april 14 | www.denipt.com.au

Updates:

July 10...
The Heights guide updated
June 23 - July 09
Operation Buffalo guide updated
The Heights guide updated
Big Sky series 1 guide upgrade started
Rosehaven series 4 guide started
Operation Buffalo guide completed
Cop Shop volume 6 guide completed

previous updates

airdates:

July
08 - Rosehaven (ABC)
28 - Wentworth (Fox Showcase)

New DVD releases:

Dec 01
Frayed: Season 1 [Region 2]
Jan 27
His Dark Materials: Season 1 [Region 2]
Jan 29
Playing for Keeps: Season 2
Feb 17
Brokenwood Mysteries: Series 6 [Region 2]
Brokenwood Mysteries (Series 1-6) [Region­ 2]

birthdays:

July
1 - Nick Giannopoulos (1963)
2 - Grant Dodwell (1952)
3 - Jane Allsop (1975)
4 - Scott Major (1975)
4 - Ray Meagher (1944)
6 - Geoffrey Rush (1951)
8 - Ian McFadyen (1948)
10 - Danielle Horvat (1991)
10 - Jeffrey Walker (1982)
14 - Kristy Wright (1978)
14 - John Wood (1946)
14 - Deborah Mailman (1972)
14 - Joy Smithers (1963)
17 - Matthew Holmes (1976)
18 - Shaun Micallef (1962)
18 - Andy Anderson (1947)
18 - Grant Bowler (1968)
19 - Ivar Kants (1949)
23 - Eva Lazzaro (1995)
23 - Terence Stamp (1939)
24 - Chris Haywood (1948)
24 - Rose Byrne (1979)
25 - Christopher Gabardi (1969)
26 - Madeleine West (1979)
26 - Abe Forsythe (1981)
26 - Jonny Pasvolsky (1972)
27 - George Kapiniaris (1962)
27 - Jeremy Callaghan (1967)
27 - Ewen Leslie (1980)
27 - Indiana Evans (1990)
30 - Simon Baker (1969)
30 - Philip Quast (1957)
31 - Brittany Byrnes (1987)
31 - Ernie Dingo (1956)