Bluey Leads a $7.9 Billion Screen Sector, Says Screen Australia's Screen Currency 2026 Study

Australia's screen and games sector contributed AUD11.1 billion ($7.9 billion) to the national economy in gross value added in fiscal year 2023/24, according to Screen Australia's Screen Currency 2026 study, published 18 August 2026 (Variety). The children's animated series Bluey — a Brisbane-made show about a family of dogs, watched for billions of minutes overseas — was singled out as the country's most effective cultural export.

Bluey was cited in the report as the most-streamed show in the United States in 2025 and the most recognised Australian title among international survey respondents. Screen Australia tested recognition of 11 recent Australian titles across eight markets: the U.K. and New Zealand led at 88%, followed by India at 80%, the U.S. at 67%, China at 65%, Canada at 61%, Singapore at 60%, and Germany at 46%.

Of the sector's total gross value added, AUD10.8 billion ($7.7 billion) came from screen production and AUD317 million ($225 million) from digital games. The sector directly employed 68,844 people in fiscal year 2024/25 — 66,080 in screen and 2,764 in games development. Screen Australia described digital games as the country's fastest-growing sector, with growth rates outpacing the rest of the industry.

Exports told a similar story. Australian screen and games exports reached AUD1.6 billion ($1.1 billion) in fiscal year 2023/24, split between AUD1.3 billion ($923 million) in screen exports and AUD323 million ($229 million) in games. Games exports climbed at a 15.4% average annual rate between 2016/17 and 2023/24, against a 4.7% annual rate for screen exports since 2008/09. Games made up roughly a fifth of the sector's total export earnings.

The report also tracked industry structure. Australia had 188 registered digital games businesses in fiscal year 2021/22, growing at a 15.3% average annual rate since 2015/16. Of those businesses, 45% retained full rights to their titles at first release, 15% held partial rights, and 40% owned none. Royalty exports rebounded to AUD415 million ($295 million) in fiscal year 2024/25 after a prior decline.

For Australian audiences, the appetite is clear but the access lags. 84% of Australians rated local screen content as important to have access to, and 75% said they wanted more of it. Yet only 36% considered local content easy to find. Nearly two-thirds of Australians reported watching local content for under 30% of their total viewing time. The cultural pull remained strong: 77% said quality local content left them feeling proud to be Australian, 78% said it contributed to a distinctive Australian identity and helped preserve and share Australian culture, and 71% said it connected them to the country's past and cultural heritage.

Half of respondents across the eight international markets surveyed said Australian film and TV had made them more interested in visiting the country, with India showing the strongest lift at 51%, followed by China at 30%.

Australian Minister for the Arts Tony Burke tied the findings to government policy on local content quotas. Burke said the government is working to build on the momentum of Revive — Australia's national cultural policy — through a new National Cultural Policy, and pointed to new legislation requiring streaming services to carry a minimum amount of Australian content.

The Screen Currency program itself was launched via a Request for Proposals by Screen Australia, seeking to value and evidence the economic, social and cultural impact of Australian screen and games production (Screen Australia).