The uncertain future of traditional television broadcasting has been raised in a briefing document to new Media and Communications Minister Melissa Lee.
“As the sector transitions online, companies will be required to consider the viability of ongoing investment in analogue broadcasting infrastructure,” says the Ministry for Culture and Heritage briefing document, released today.
“It is likely that the Freeview chief executives (from TVNZ, Warner Bros. Discovery, RNZ and Whakaata Maori) will raise the future of traditional TV broadcasting with you. TV broadcasters pay a fee to Kordia (a government-owned firm), and the costs are increasingly unsustainable as competition increases from global streaming companies.
“The ongoing transition away from legacy transmission infrastructure continues to require careful management. Analogue radio and TV broadcasting still contribute to New Zealand’s resilience during natural disasters and towards equity of access for geographically isolated New Zealanders.”
The document outlines the sector’s big shift to digital – TVNZ is investing heavily in a new streaming platform – but also details the impact that the likes of global tech giants such as Facebook, Google, and Netflix have on the industry.
“Digital products provide only a fraction of the revenue previously provided by traditional operating models. At the same time, the expense of maintaining those traditional models means broadcasters are now facing the prospect of switching off TV and radio AM services and moving exclusively to online streaming.
“There are opportunities to support both sector innovation and greater audience choice. The media and content production sectors are aware of the need to find funding from sources other than Government and are strong supporters of creating a more modern and streamlined system that encourages more effective investment.”
The briefing document paints a sobering picture of the New Zealand media industry’s financial challenges, citing TVNZ’s drop in profits from $59.2 million in 2020/21 to $1.7m in 2022/23 and a forecast loss of $15.6m this financial year.
It also outlines heavy losses for MediaWorks and Warner Bros. Discovery as well as NZME’s drop in profit in 2022. A line about another company has been redacted.
Stick a fork in them, they’re done.
This report is simply a justification for a continuation of substantial corporate welfare to prop up failing and moribund business models. The caterwauling should be ignored.
‘Adapt or die’ should be the Government mantra – along with ‘We ain’t paying anymore’.
If necessary sell these dogs to anyone who will pay.
Cam Slater is a New Zealand-based blogger, best known for his role in Dirty Politics and publishing the Whale Oil Beef Hooked blog, which operated from 2005 until it closed in 2019. Cam blogs regularly on the BFD - where this article was sourced.
5 comments:
When does the PIJF money run out? For me, it's a date that can't come soon enough.
I chopped up my analogue tvs years ago thinking it had ceased. Where is it now? No one watches TV (except for Country Calendar) because it is so dull. The PC world has eliminated traditional humour. Some of the engineering and disaster documentaries, even the pickers programmes, interesting but not so much the 3rd time around. The few themes remaining have been worked to death. News has been made a show, prolonging length and acting as a platform for much pro maori, pro late labour policy (same thing) still peddled by the indoctrinated, selected Boards and staffs.
RNZ listeners will be looking forward to Waitangi day; Ma???ngi Forbes and Julian Wilcox. I wonder if they will have Mutu and Packer as guest speakers for a fully non objective propogandised presentation.
Agreed! Let them all rot. Not a penny of taxpayers money should be spent propping them up.
Any remaining sympathy for mainstream media evaporated during covid when they unquestioningly pushed the government/WHO narrative. Their left bias is obvious.
I like to watch the TV News though. Not because it contains any actual news, but to see what they get wrong, what they're lying about and what they're deliberately omitting to mention because it doesn't fit their nasty narrative.
The media abandoned the people, now the people are abandoning the media.
Being the propaganda arm of a tyrannical government was only going to last a short time.
Go woke, go broke.
TVNZ is forecasting a loss this year and yet it continues to employ four presenters on its breakfast program?!? Presumably to tick the DEI box...
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