8679.0 - Television, Film and Video Production, Australia, 2002-03  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 28/07/2004   
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TECHNICAL NOTE DATA COMPARABILITY


INTRODUCTION

1 Historical comparisons are not made for commercial free-to-air broadcasting businesses due to significant changes in the collection methodology since the conduct of the last Television Services Survey in 1999-2000.


2 Estimates for the 1999-2000 survey comprised a combination of directly collected survey data by the ABS on business counts, employment and production activity, while financial estimates were produced using aggregate estimates from another source - the Australian Broadcasting Association (ABA). This methodology changed for the 2002-03 survey. All data were directly collected by the ABS.


3 The change in methodology results in a change in statistical units. The ABS statistical unit used for the 2002-03 survey was the Type of Activity Unit (TAU) (refer paragraph 6 of the Explanatory Notes for more detail). Each business in the ABS collection had at least one licensed television broadcaster. A reconciliation of business units could not be made as ABS only had access to 1999-2000 aggregated financial data from the ABA.


4 Non-sampling error, data item definitions, and treatment of certain business transactions (e.g. inter-company transactions) would also be impacted by the change to methodology. ABS also included more detailed financial items which were not collected by ABA.


5 Readers are cautioned against making comparisons to historical financial data.

SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS, Commercial free-to-air broadcasters

1999-2000
2002-03

Income
Gross income from the sale of airtime$m
2,821.1
2,817.8
Other$m
449.9
992.8
Total$m
3,271.0
3,810.6
Expenses
Labour costs$m
384.6
587.4
Program rights used/amortisation of programs$m
863.9
796.7
Other amortisation and depreciation$m
68.9
85.4
Other$m
1,150.1
1,684.5
Total$m
2,467.5
3,154.0
Operating profit/loss before tax$m
803.5
658.9
Operating profit margin%
24.6
17.7