A Brief History of Television Broadcasting in New Zealand

The 1990s

Early 1990 was a tumultuous period for New Zealand television. The market was adapting to deregulation and the resultant increase in competition. Public funds from the licence fee were being distributed to producers to make television programmes by the new agency, New Zealand On Air (NZOA). A spectacular rise in local content resulted.

The traditional audience measurement system was also changing from diary surveys to the more sophisticated PeopleMeter Audience Measurement System. In May 1990, TV3 announced that financial difficulties had forced the company into receivership. May also saw the launch of the first Pay TV operator with Sky TV commencing with three channels in the Auckland market.

A legislative change allowing overseas investment of up to 100% was passed as an amendment to the Broadcasting Act. This opened the door for the Canadian broadcaster CanWest Global System to buy a 20% share of the ailing TV3 at the end of 1991 and for Time Warner and TCI, two US companies, to take control of Sky TV.

TVNZ diversified into an electronics communication business, investing in Asia, Pay TV, and seeking international projects.

The Broadcasting Standards Authority was formed by the Broadcasting Act to regulate standards within the industry.

In 1993 the responsibility for complaints about advertising moved to the Advertising Standards Authority, which considers advertising complaints through the Advertising Standards Complaints Board.

Regional television had mixed fortunes. Horizon Pacific Television, TVNZ's regional network, was launched in 1995.It was closed two years later due to a lack of profitability. The proliferation of small regional stations continued through the 1990s in Nelson, Dunedin, Gisborne, Christchurch, Invercargill and the Hawkes Bay. New owners brought about a resurgence in regional TV from 1999.

Maori Television also had mixed success in the 1990s. A Maori broadcasting funding agency was established in 1993, this evolved into Te Mangai Paho in 1995. The aim was to promote Maori programming on the existing channels and to introduce a separate Maori channel. Aotearoa TV came and went between 1996 and 1997 amongst many charges of mismanagement.

The televised coverage of sport illustrates the changes over the decade. Rugby, cricket, netball and rugby league became the four big sports which dominated television coverage. Professionalism in each code was fuelled by the sale of TV rights, mainly to Pay TV. Despite public pressure, the Government maintained hands off approach and most live sports coverage of these codes moved to Pay TV, with delayed coverage on free to air.

In this commercial environment of the 1990s NZOA had fulfilled the role of funding local programming with a less commercial focus through its disposition of the Broadcasting Fee. The structure changed in 1999 when the Fee was abolished, and funding is now made directly from the Government to NZOA.

On screen, Shortland Street became a national institution following its launch in 1991, and entrenched itself as New Zealand television's most successful and long running soap.

Increased levels of news and lifestyle programming emerged, with the introduction of Breakfast, Good Morning and Midday News on TV One and late news on TV3.

Other changes in programming style included the demise of game shows such as Sale of the Century and Wheel of Fortune and the rise of reality programmes such as Middlemore, Police Rescue and Motorway Patrol.

The cocooning trend of the 1990s also sparked a range of lifestyle programmes such as Location Location Location, Changing Rooms and Maggies Garden Show. Cooking programmes also had a come back.

In 1998, a fourth National Free to Air channel was added, TV4, owned by CanWest. Aimed at a younger audience, the channel covered all the major cities of the country.

2000 - present

The first decade of the 21st century saw massive changes in the broadcasting landscape.

Maori Television launched in 2004, and became a very successful broadcaster, speaking to and reflecting the Maori people and culture. In 2008 Maori Television launched a second channel, Te Reo, which has a mandate to broadcast 100% in the Maori language.

TV4 was not a financial success, so CanWest changed the focus of the channel and it became C4, a music based youth channel in 2003.

Sky kept adding channels and developed the first digital services in New Zealand, reaching their subscribers via satellite.

In 2007, CanWest Television decided to sell off their New Zealand assets, and the new owner of TV3 and C4 is Ironbridge, an Australian Private Equity Company. The operating company became publicly known as MediaWorks TV.

In 2007 the Government, MTS, TVNZ and MediaWorks began the switch to digital Television with the launch of the Freeview platform. Freeview is a dual delivery platform, available both by satellite and by terrestrial means. The Terrestrial signal provides High Definition signals of TV One, TV2 and TV3, while the Satellite signal is Standard definition.

While no date for digital switch over (DSO) has been set, a process for reaching that milestone has been developed. When 75% of homes receive their primary signal via digital means, or by 2012, whichever comes first, a date will be set. Current expectation is that the analogue system will be shut down by 2015.

Digital Television has provided the opportunity for new Free to Air Channels. TVNZ has launched TVNZ6, a general interest family channel and TVNZ7, a news and current affairs channel. TVWorks has launched a new channel TV3+1 which provides a one hour delayed signal of their current TV3 programming. Other regional and niche broadcasters have also joined the Freeview platform.