We must show returns: Scott ABC managing director Mark Scott has warned staff of the need to "demonstrate strong returns to audiences" to secure additional funds for news and digital media beyond 2015-16, the last year of this triennial funding package. Scott wrote to staff following the budget welcoming the results, despite looming cuts to its television and radio divisions after the three-year funding cycle. In Tuesday's budget, the ABC received an additional $59.4 million over three years to expand the "depth and quality of our news and current affairs in the digital era" and an extra $30m to deliver digital media services, such as the provision of the popular iView. As in previous years at the beginning of the funding cycle, the ABC has three years to convince the incumbent government that additional funding has been well spent and should thereafter be included in the general operations budget. The reality for the public broadcaster is it will have to negotiate the next rounds of funding with what is likely to be a Coalition government primed to make cuts. "The additional tied funding for news and digital services is allocated for three years only through this budget allocation," Mr Scott told staff. We will need to demonstrate strong returns to audiences for this investment to demonstrate why this funding should be continued beyond the 2015-16 budget. I am confident we will be up to this challenge. Mr Scott said the ABC had achieved this from the last triennial funding package. "The money we were given in the previous tri-funding allocation (and continuing in this one), was well spent," he told staff. Our audiences have seen great returns for the investment in new Australian drama, the ABC3 children's channel and ABC Open. We have also demonstrated our commitment to audiences by finding internal efficiencies and reinvesting savings in establishing important new services like ABC News 24, iView, digital radio programming and a host of new apps and websites. We also argued that in an uncertain media environment, continued strong funding in the ABC is a key to ensuring quality content, the delivery of Australian stories and a commitment to local journalism and broadcasting. The federal budget represents a pleasing funding result for the ABC in what has clearly been a difficult budgetary environment.