This report explores viewer expectations for television (TV) content in Australia and the community understanding of the existing safeguards – particularly for online TV content. TV viewing habits are changing, and the main way Australians watch TV is subscription video on demand services. However, this research reveals many do not understand the rules and the services they apply to.

In this report, ‘safeguards’ refers to rules, measures or technical tools implemented by broadcasters or streaming service providers to protect and support audiences. Safeguards are generally intended to uphold community standards, protect minors and maintain trust in TV content. 

Key findings

• A large majority of Australian adults want rules to ensure that content meets community expectations. 
• A majority also support consistent rules across all free-to-air broadcast TV, streaming and on-demand content.
• Most viewers think it’s important to have safeguards, including restrictions on certain content and rules for media organisations using artificial intelligence (AI).