Reality Television Review Volume 1 Final Report 30 March 2007 © Commonwealth of Australia 2007 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Manager, Communications and Publishing, Australian Communications and Media Authority, PO Box 13112 Law Courts, Melbourne Vic 8010. Published by the Australian Communications and Media Authority Canberra Central Office Melbourne Central Office Sydney Central Office Purple Building, Benjamin Offices Level 44, Melbourne Central Tower Level 15, Tower 1 Darling Park Chan Street, Belconnen 360 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne 201 Sussex Street, Sydney PO Box 78 PO Box 13112 Law Courts PO Box Q500 Belconnen ACT 2616 Melbourne Vic 8010 Queen Victoria Building NSW 1230 Tel: 02 6219 5555 Tel: 03 9963 6800 Tel: 02 9334 7700, 1800 226 667 Fax: 02 6219 5200 Fax: 03 9963 6899 Fax: 02 9334 7799 TTY: 03 9963 6948 Australian Communications and Media Authority ii Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY......................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1: PURPOSE AND METHODOLOGY.................................................................................. 5 Terms of reference .................................................................................................................................. 5 Scope of the review ................................................................................................................................. 6 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 6 Structure of this report............................................................................................................................. 7 CHAPTER 2: REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR REALITY TELEVISION........................................ 9 Overview ................................................................................................................................................. 9 The current rules.................................................................................................................................... 10 Classification provisions ....................................................................................................................... 11 Other broadcasting regulatory arrangements......................................................................................... 19 CHAPTER 3: WHAT IS REALITY TELEVISION? ............................................................................... 26 Overview ............................................................................................................................................... 26 ‘Highly edited reality’ ........................................................................................................................... 26 A brief history of reality television ....................................................................................................... 27 Not a single genre.................................................................................................................................. 29 How ‘real’ is ‘reality’? .......................................................................................................................... 32 The economics of reality television programming................................................................................ 36 Popularity of reality television programming........................................................................................ 37 What people enjoy about reality television programming..................................................................... 41 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER 4: COMMUNITY VIEWS—COMMISSIONED RESEARCH ............................................... 45 Overview ............................................................................................................................................... 45 Scope of this chapter ............................................................................................................................. 46 Commissioned research processes ........................................................................................................ 47 Concerns................................................................................................................................................ 53 Attitudes ................................................................................................................................................ 63 Classification......................................................................................................................................... 66 CHAPTER 5: COMMUNITY VIEWS—COMPLAINTS, INVESTIGATIONS AND PUBLIC SUBMISSIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 72 Overview ............................................................................................................................................... 72 Complaints and investigations............................................................................................................... 73 The public consultation process ............................................................................................................ 82 Conclusion............................................................................................................................................. 87 CHAPTER 6: FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................... 88 Overview ............................................................................................................................................... 88 Findings and recommendations............................................................................................................. 89 Australian Communications and Media Authority iii APPENDIXES A Discussion paper B National survey C Survey quality statement D Focus group report Australian Communications and Media Authority iv Executive summary Executive summary This report has been prepared by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), in response to a Direction from the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, to investigate the current regulatory arrangements for reality television programming on commercial free-to-air television. The Direction asked ACMA to investigate whether the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice (Code) is operating to provide appropriate community safeguards and reflects community standards in relation to reality television programming. Specifically, ACMA was directed to consider the appropriateness of the classification arrangements for reality television programs, the mechanisms for ensuring content that is or would be classified M or MA is not shown at inappropriate times and the effectiveness and timeliness of the complaints handling mechanisms for reality television programs. ACMA has now concluded its review of these matters, and has reached the conclusion that the current regulatory arrangements are generally providing appropriate community safeguards. ACMA also considers that the Code generally reflects current community standards. In the absence of ‘convincing evidence’ to the contrary,1 ACMA considers that it has no grounds to determine a program standard in this area. However, there are some areas in which ACMA considers the Code should be improved. In reaching these conclusions, ACMA relied upon an evidence-based approach that integrated a variety of quantitative and qualitative research strands. Information considered by ACMA in the course of the review included: ● a national survey of 1000 viewers aged 15 years and above of commercial free-to-air television; ● four focus groups of 15–17 and 18–24 year-old viewers of reality television programming; ● 2005 and 2006 five-city metropolitan OZTAM ratings data; ● complaints and investigations data held by the commercial free-to-air broadcasting industry and ACMA; ● ACMA’s experience in responding to unresolved Code complaints and conducting investigations; and 1 Broadcasting Services Act 1992, s. 125(1) requires that ACMA must be satisfied that there is ‘convincing evidence’ that a code of practice has failed prior to imposing a program standard. Australian Communications and Media Authority 1 Executive summary ● 184 public submissions responding to a Discussion Paper released by ACMA on matters relating to the Direction. These sources of information yielded different types of data, with varying degrees of scope and robustness. While the national survey yielded statistically valid data, the focus groups and public submissions provided greater understanding of particular viewpoints, although it is not appropriate methodologically to draw any statistical conclusions from the latter two sources. In particular, ACMA has considered carefully the strong concerns of some members of the Australian community in relation to reality television (in particular the Big Brother series) as identified in