ACTF reports record $10.2m production spend as development funding dips

The Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) invested $10.2 million in production in 2025-26, up from $6.2 million the previous year, according to its annual report.

According to the ACTF, the figure represents record spend within a single financial year, with no commitments made for projects starting in 2026-27. By comparison, nearly half of the $11.14 million in production funding reported for 2024-25 was committed to projects due to start in 2025-26.

At the same time, development funding fell year-on-year from $1.1 million across 25 projects to $623,616 across 16. The ACTF attributed the change to a matter of timing, with development spending running in cycles rather than financial years, and said the large 2024-25 development spend was reflected in the additional production expenditure in 2025-26.

Development and production support was given to Gristmill’s Little Lunch: New Class, Werner Film Productions’ preschool series Knee High Spies S2, Easy Tiger’s live-action comedy series Caper Crew, upcoming telemovie Scales for Stan, Ned Lander Media’s Little J and Big Cuz S5, and Wooden Horse’s Emma’s Dance Club.

The latest report lists two untitled television series from Easy Tiger ($40,000) and Cheeky Little Media ($22,000), both for script development.