CHANGING CHANNELS: EXPLORING THE FUTURE OF CO-PRODUCTIONS IN BROADCAST

Public broadcasting is under unprecedented pressure – and the documentary sector is feeling every tremor.

With political scrutiny intensifying, budgets tightening, and organisations becoming increasingly risk-averse, what does it take to keep making bold, culturally defining nonfiction?

In this candid panel conversation, network executive Erika Dilday (American Documentary | POV) and two highly experienced producers, Aloke Devichand (Mindhouse) and Karina Holden (Northern Pictures), confront the most urgent questions facing public broadcasters today – and what those realities mean for filmmakers working at the coalface.

Moderated by Stephen Oliver (ABC), this session explores:

Why public broadcasters still matter and how co-productions are becoming increasingly important for telling the stories that only they are positioned to champion. How commissioning is shifting as audiences abandon traditional platforms and expect documentary storytelling across every screen and format. How political and funding pressures can shape editorial courage, innovation, and ambition. Where filmmakers themselves can apply pressure—and how the sector can organise, advocate, and push for braver, more resilient public institutions.

 

Image credit:The Space Shuttle That Fell to Earth (Mindhouse, 2024)