66th Logie Awards Nominees Announced; Streaming Quota Passed; AACTA Awards Honor "Bring Her Back"

Australian Screen Industry in Focus: Logies, Quotas & AACTA Awards

A flurry of major announcements from the Australian screen industry has surfaced, including the nominees for the 66th TV Week Logie Awards, the passing of new streaming content laws, and the winners of the 2026 AACTA Awards.

66th TV Week Logie Awards

The nominees for the 66th TV Week Logie Awards were announced on June 22, 2026, at The Star casino in Sydney. The ceremony is set to take place on Sunday, August 16, 2026, also at The Star, broadcast on the Seven Network. Robert Irwin is confirmed as the host.

The following are nominated for the TV Week Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television:

• Ally Langdon (host and journalist)
• Julia Morris (presenter and comedian)
• Lisa Millar (journalist and presenter)
• Poh Ling Yeow (judge and co-host)
• Robert Irwin (presenter)
• Sam Pang (comedian and presenter)
• Todd Woodbridge (host and presenter)

• Most Nominated Broadcaster: The ABC leads the field, receiving 41 total nominations (or 33 in 'best' categories, per differing reports).
• Most Nominated Program: Prime Video's "The Narrow Road to the Deep North" leads with six nominations.
• Top ABC Show: "Mystery Road: Origin" earned five nominations, the highest for any ABC program.
• New Category: The Bruce McAvaney Award for Most Popular Sports Presenter has been introduced. McAvaney himself is nominated for his work on the World Athletics Championships for SBS.
• Multiple Nominees: Programs with three or more nominations include "Goolagong", "The Piano", "Dog Park", "The Family Next Door", "Austin", and "Muster Dogs".

New Streaming Quotas & Industry Conference

The Screen Forever 2026 conference, celebrating its 40th year, was held on the Gold Coast. Industry leaders debated new streaming content quotas, local content funding, and audience trends.

"The new legislation requires streaming giants with over 1 million Australian subscribers to reinvest at least 10% of their local expenditure in Australian productions."

• New Legislation: The Communications Legislation Amendment Bill, passed in late 2025, mandates that streaming services (including AppleTV, Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix, Paramount+, Prime Video, and Stan) reinvest at least 10% of their local program expenditure in Australian productions.
• ABC Funding: The law also includes a $50 million funding boost for the ABC to produce drama and children's programs over three years.
• Industry Statements:
  • Matthew Deaner (Screen Producers Australia CEO): "Local content rules took too long and caused friction, but there is an opportunity for change."
  • Damian Keogh (Hoyts CEO): "Australian box office is up 14% in 2026, with an extra 1.5 million cinema visits since January."
  • Paul Wiegard (Madman CEO): "Local film made up only 2% of the Australian box office, which calls for support of artistically led projects."
  • Hugh Marks (ABC managing director): "Intellectual property is key to reinvestment, but production timelines of 3-5 years are frustrating."
  • Rachel Perkins (Screen Australia First Nations Strategy director): Noted progress in Indigenous film, citing Goolagong, Wolfram, and Kangaroo.

Nine Network Considers Candidates for Today Show

The Nine Network is evaluating candidates to replace Karl Stefanovic on the Today show. Contenders include:

• Tom Steinfort: Currently filling in, with experience as a 60 Minutes reporter. Nine is reportedly reluctant to move him from his role as co-presenter of Nine News Melbourne.
• Joel Dry: Co-presenter of Nine News Brisbane.
• David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys: Hosts of Today Extra, could be moved as an interim solution.
• James Bracey: Nine News Sydney sports presenter.
• Michael Atkinson: Co-host of Weekend Today.
• David Woiwod (external): Co-host of Weekend Sunrise on Seven.
• Other Options: Include Peter Stefanovic, Tom Stefanovic, Todd Woodbridge, Michael Rowland, or Tony Armstrong.

2026 AACTA Awards

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards, hosted by Celeste Barber on the Gold Coast, recognized the year’s best in film and television. The ceremony aired on Network Ten on February 6.

"Bring Her Back" dominated the film categories, winning 10 awards including Best Film and Best Direction."

• "Bring Her Back": Won 10 awards, including Best Film and Best Direction (Danny and Michael Philippou). Sally Hawkins won Best Lead Actress. The film was produced by Causeway Films.
• "Kangaroo": Director Kate Woods' second film secured six nominations including Best Film and Best Direction. It was the most popular Australian film of 2025, earning $5.6 million locally. Deborah Mailman won Best Supporting Actress for her role.
• "The Correspondent": Won Best Lead Actor in Film for Richard Roxburgh, as well as Best Screenplay and Best Production Design.
• Individual Honors: Jacob Elordi won Best Lead Actor in Film for "The Narrow Road to the Deep North" and the International AACTA for Best Actor for Frankenstein. The late Julian McMahon posthumously received Best Supporting Film Actor for "The Surfer".
• Documentaries & Indie: "Journey Home, David Gulpilil" won Best Documentary Film, and "Lesbian Space Princess" won Best Indie Film.

• "The Narrow Road to the Deep North": Won 9 television categories, including Best Supporting Actress (Heather Mitchell) and Best Lead Actor in a Drama (Jacob Elordi).
• "The Newsreader" (Season 3): Concluded with 4 awards, including Best Drama Series, Best Lead Actress in a Drama (Anna Torv), and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama (Daniel Henshall).
• "Apple Cider Vinegar": Won Best Miniseries and Best Casting from 20 nominations.
• Comedy: "Bump" won Best Narrative Comedy Series. Miranda Tapsell won Best Acting in a Comedy for "Top End Bub". Tom Gleeson was named Best Comedy Performer.

• Sarah Snook: Honored with the Trailblazer Award and won the International AACTA for Best Actress in a Series for "All Her Fault".
• Bruce Beresford: Received the Longford Lyell lifetime achievement award.
• Margot Robbie: Named Favourite Australian Actress.
• Byron Kennedy Award: Presented to producers Kristina Ceyton and Samantha Jennings of Causeway Films by George Miller.

According to Screen Australia's annual drama report, spending on Australian movies increased by 76% to $379 million in 2024-25. Despite a 14% increase in overall spending on Australian movies and TV shows to $1.1 billion, the number of commissioned Australian titles decreased from 89 to 71.