What’s at stake in RNZ-TVNZ merger: a competitor’s view

by Stuff — 28 February 2022

It appears the will-they-won’t-they courtship between TVNZ and RNZ has finally reached a resolution, two years after the first Cabinet paper on a proposed merger to create a stronger public media entity was tabled.

As TVNZ’s only major direct competitor in New Zealand, Discovery has obviously taken a keen interest in where this relationship is going, what it means for NZ audiences, the advertising industry, production community, and the broader ecosystem we operate in.

We’re hoping that the decision is one that serves the public and the industry by creating a new public entity that runs as a not-for-profit.

As it stands, we have a state-owned broadcaster which is commercially focused and driven to return a profit and dividend to Treasury.

That leads to decisions that are inconsistent with public media goals and that are not necessarily for the public good but are completely sensible when viewed through the lens of a “profit first” mandate.

 

Read the original article here.