This report examines the major differences between digital media markets in Australia and the US. The researchers created a list of the most popular media titles over the last five years and checked their availability and price with Australian and American digital content providers over one month in early 2017.

For all four media types considered in the study (games, music, television, and movies) Australians were disadvantaged, compared to American consumers, in some way. Australians either cannot access a large portion of content that is available to American consumers, or they have to pay more for the same level of access.

This report is the first snapshot of a longer term project to monitor changes in digital media markets over time. With funding provided by ACCAN, the researchers have been able to develop the infrastructure to allow ongoing monitoring into the future. Future analysis will be able to provide additional detail about other concerns of Australians – including, for example, the lag between release dates for content in Australia compared to the US.