It’s a changing world… and never more so than in the modern era of the media. Newspapers have almost disappeared, and with the fantastic – and cheap – streaming services available nowadays, things have got tough for commercial TV stations. TV1 will be okay of course, because it is propped up by the long-suffering taxpayer, but TV3 is about to be sold… or, if a buyer cannot be found, it will be closed down.
MediaWorks staff are in a “state of shock” after being told of plans to sell off the company’s TV arm – with the network’s stars and shows facing an anxious, uncertain future.
The cash-strapped company today revealed plans to sell its TV business and its headquarters in Auckland’s Eden Terrace. The Flower St building houses its television head office and studios.
It is understood staff were told just six minutes before the announcement was made public.
Staff fear that if a buyer cannot be found quickly the network could be closed by Christmas this year, a source said.
Christmas is 9 weeks away. If a buyer has to be found that quickly, the network is in trouble indeed.
This follows very quickly on the heels of TV3’s announcement that they are cutting Guy Williams’ show, NZ Today, along with Married at First Sight, and reducing the number of episodes of 7 Days next year.
For me, there are only so many reality TV shows that anyone can stand to watch (like none), I disliked Guy Williams, and I used to watch 7 Days, but it became so politically partisan that I gave up on it years ago. The more I think about it, there is nothing on TV3 that I will miss. Certainly not The Project, which is the worst and most biased current affairs programme I have ever seen.
Commercial TV channels struggle these days for lots of reasons. Programmes are expensive to make. Advertising and sponsorship can be hard to come by. Let’s face it, most of us are sick to death of the relentless adverts on all channels (including SKY), but there is no way a commercial station can survive without them. It makes streaming channels, which have no adverts at all, extremely attractive, and once you have started watching ad-free TV, it is hard to go back.
The harsh reality for TV3 is that the quality of local news and current affairs reporting is poor, the reality TV shows are boring and the comedy is generally unfunny. There is very little world news, no world current affairs and no in-depth analysis at all. In an effort to appeal to large swathes of the general populous, they seem to have ended up pleasing no one. Once you start losing your audience, the die is cast. TV3 started losing their viewers some time ago, and it has been downhill from there.
MediaWorks chief executive Michael Anderson said today: “We are very pleased with the progress that Three has made over the past five years. This year we have had record ratings and revenue share highs and we are very proud of our stellar local content.
“The role Three plays in New Zealand society is significant, from Newshub through to investment in local comedy and drama. We believe MediaWorks TV is now in a place where it can be separated from the radio and outdoor business to be operated under a new owner in a more sustainable fashion – and, ultimately, for profit.”
A NEWSPAPER.
Nice words, but if things are so good, why did the network post a $5.5 million loss in 2018?
We are moving to a world where everything we watch will be via streaming networks. Already, I get most of my news online. Watching quite a bit of news from the UK recently, mainly to keep informed on the Brexit debacle, it is hard to imagine anyone like Tova O’Brien, jumping up and down with glee because the leader of the opposition’s ratings had fallen, working at a British news network. TV3 really is an amateurish outfit, and it is very noticeable when comparing it to decent news outlets.
It may be difficult to find a buyer with such a short time frame, so my guess is that TV3 is on its way out. Many journalists are saying that this will be a terrible shame for New Zealand, but personally, I don’t think so. The Commercial reality is cruel, but there it is.
And how is this for an example of the calibre of TV3’s ‘comedy’ staff? What was I saying about amateurism?
There is one thing that I am really sad about though. What a shame Hillary Barry moved from TV3 to TV1 some time ago.