TVNZ may rue the day it chose to go after Sky TV in it’s recent submission to a Government review on broadcasting. Adam has posted a number of times on the gall of TVNZ seeking to hobble a suuccessful competitor and especially seeking to so do through special pleading to the Government to take action that would destroy Sky shareholder value. Not that this Government seems to have any regard for that vide Telecom, Auckland International Airport
Following an earlier NZ Herald editorial the Dominion Post wades in this morning, amongst other comments is this:-
Today, the pay-TV network is a robust and profitable company, which offers more than 100 channels to almost 721,000 subscribers. In many areas, its programming has eclipsed those of its free-to-air rivals, TVNZ and TV3.
At the same time, another taxpayer-funded free-to-air competitor, Maori Television, is thriving such that it can justifiably vie with TVNZ for the mantle of “public service broadcaster”.
Ouch. Well TVNZ has only itself to blame. Then a little further on:-
Essentially, TVNZ wants Sky to be forced to relinquish what it calls its “monopoly” on sports programming, so it too can have a better bite at events that pull in ratings and advertisers, such as rugby tests.
The hypocrisy of the fact that TVNZ felt it could use some of its “charter” money to outbid both TV3 and Sky to snaffle the Olympics seems to elude it. So does the fact that charter money should be used for programmes that would not otherwise screen. So no one planned to watch the Olympics, then?
Another palpable hit. The consequence of misusing charter money, yours and my tax dollars readers, is that nice Mr Mallard has put them on a new approval regime, via the quango that calls itself New Zealand on Air.
Then the DomPost says:-
Sky’s success is the result of hard work and foresight. Losers who whinge and then seek a rules change look pathetic.
The DP really does not like TVNZ management it would seem. Well TVNZ deserves everything it gets. It has been mismanaged for years, as well as being the regime’s poodle. In fact TVNZ has behaved very much like the Vicar of Bray.
The final shaft from the DomPost is this:-
:For TVNZ and TV3 to now be seeking to hobble Sky’s future shows nasty envy at work. If Sky’s founders and backers were perspicacious enough to see that the future lay with digital television, especially sport, and divined a mix of programmes that people would pay for, why should they be penalised for their success?If TVNZ is in trouble, it can blame only itself for historical arrogance and its boards for their inability to convince successive ministers that the future lay in digital TV.
Indeed the board and past boards are probably part of the problem being political appointees, especially in recent years.
The special pleadings should be ignored and TVNZ made to improve it’s performance.
Tags: Broadcasting Review, Envy, Governance, Media, SKY TV, TV3, TVNZ
