Information media and telecommunications industry

How businesses in this industry operate

Businesses in this industry often:

• earn income from advertising, licences, royalties, service fees and subscriptions
• work with contractors and creative professionals on projects or productions.

Demand and competition

Many businesses in this industry need to adapt to changing customer preferences and compete for customers, audiences, subscribers or users. For example:

• Greeting card publishers need to respond to seasons, special occasions and changing design trends. They may also compete with digital products that let customers create their own.
• Film and television productions often compete for funding and distribution deals.
• Radio stations need to respond to changing listening habits, including the growth of streaming services. They may also compete for advertising revenue.

Digital tools

Many businesses use digital tools to manage daily work, staff, clients and records. These tools can help save time and keep track of work, but they can also introduce risks, such as cyber threats.

Businesses in this industry rely on digital tools to create, manage or distribute their products and services. For some businesses, these tools are essential and may be a large operating cost.

Risks and challenges

Businesses in this industry can face risks that affect costs, systems and business continuity.

Common challenges include:

• rising costs for software, web hosting, productions and printing
• cyber attacks, data breaches and system outages
• protecting content, software and other intellectual property from unauthorised use
• updating products and services as technology and customer expectations change.

Industry statistics

Data can help you understand how businesses in this industry perform and how your business compares.

You can:

• explore annual estimates of industry income, costs, profit and capital expenditure at the Australian Bureau of Statistics
• compare your business's performance against similar ones using the Australian Taxation Office's small business benchmarks
• get the latest job market trends and insights at Jobs and Skills Australia
• explore audience, industry and economic insights on screen content and games in the Screen Currency reports
• find consumer and industry trends at the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

These are some laws you may need to follow:

• Competition and fair trading laws are set out in the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.
• Rules about pricing, refunds, contracts and advertising are set out in Australian Consumer Law (ACL).
• The Privacy Act 1988 may apply if you collect personal details about customers, subscribers, users or audiences.
• Rules for sending electronic commercial messages are set out in the Spam Act 2003.
• The Copyright Act 1968 protects creative works such as books, music, films and software. It also sets rules for using and licensing copyright material.

Depending on what your business does, you may also need to follow these laws:

• Online platforms, search engines and web hosting businesses may need to comply with the Online Safety Act 2021.
• Businesses that publish, distribute or show films, computer games or some publications may need to follow classification laws.
• Television and radio broadcasters must follow industry rules and standards.
• Internet and phone service providers must follow telecommunication laws, including consumer protection rules.
• Businesses that use broadcasting transmitters or mobile phone networks must follow the Radiocommunications Act 1992.

Federal, state, territory and local governments manage licences and permits for the information media and telecommunications industry.

You may need licences, permits or approvals to:

• use copyright material, such as music or images, in your content
• film or take photographs in public places
• use drones for commercial filming or photography
• broadcast television or radio programs
• operate telecommunications networks and infrastructure.

Businesses in this industry employ a range of workers:

• Permanent employees often work in core business roles.
• Independent contractors are more common in creative, specialised and project-based work.
• Casual and fixed-term employees often help with projects or busy periods.

You’ll need to know if your worker is an employee or an independent contractor so you can meet your legal obligations. Check the differences between employees and contractors.

Make sure you know which workplace laws you need to follow before you create an employment contract or hire contractors.

Multiple awards may also apply to your business. For example, a book publishing business hires an editor and a personal assistant. The Book Award may cover the editor, while the Clerks Award may cover the personal assistant.

All businesses have a duty of care under work health and safety (WHS) laws. They must take reasonable steps to keep workers, customers and the public safe.

WHS hazards in this industry can include:

• heat-related illness from filming outdoors in the heat for long periods
• physical injuries from manual tasks, such as lifting heavy equipment in a recording studio
• falling when working at heights, such as maintaining telecommunications towers
• electrical hazards from equipment used on sets and in studios
• fatigue from long hours in broadcasting and screen production roles
• psychosocial hazards, such as high workloads or exposure to traumatic content and events in journalism, publishing and broadcasting roles.

Businesses must create a safe workplace for children and young people. This includes children working on advertising, film and television productions.

Intellectual property (IP) can be one of the most valuable assets in your business. This may include content, software, designs, brands and other creative works.

Copyright is a type of IP that protects your original creative works, such as books, music, films, software and broadcasts.

In Australia, copyright protection is free and automatic, but the copyright owner may not always be the person who created the work. For example:

• Your business generally owns IP created by employees as part of their work.
• Independent contractors own any IP they create for your business, unless it’s stated in the contract that you own the IP.
• Creators can sell or transfer their copyright to another person or business.

Make sure you know who owns the IP before you use or share creative work created for your business.

Your tax obligations depend on your business structure, the work you do and how you get paid. Make sure you know the taxes that apply to your business to help you avoid common mistakes.

You’ll need to report personal services income (PSI) if you earn most of your income from your personal efforts or skills. For example, if you work as an independent contractor in film production.

Businesses in this industry may use large amounts of energy, fuel and water. They can also create waste and affect the land where they operate.

For example, businesses may:

• use large amounts of energy to power telecommunications networks, data centres and cinemas
• create waste by discarding unsold or outdated printed publications
• create greenhouse gas emissions by transporting cast, crew and equipment between locations
• damage land from activities on filming locations, such as moving equipment and vehicles.

The environment can also affect your business. Extreme weather events may disrupt telecommunications, broadcasting and digital services.

Managing your impact on the environment can help lower operating costs and support community expectations.

Australian Government funding and incentives are available for some businesses in this industry. These can help you publish books and news, develop games and produce screen content.

Examples include:

• Australian Screen Production Incentive – tax incentives for eligible film, television and other screen productions.
• Screen Australia funding – funding to develop, produce and market Australian screen content, talent and screen businesses.
• Digital games – funding to complete, port and continue developing eligible digital games.
• Lending Rights schemes – annual payments for eligible Australian book publishers and creators when libraries hold their books.
• News Media Assistance Program – funding and support for eligible Australian news publishers.