Meanwhile, TV funder NZ On Air is under pressure, with growing demand for its money, and signs that its legislation (the Broadcasting Act) has fallen behind changes in the way people consume media.
Next week Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry will announce that two members of the NZ On Air board - Ross McRobie and successful media entrepreneur Ian Taylor - will fill two of the three vacancies at the Film Commission. The two agencies are both housed at the NZFC building in Wellington.
It is unlikely there will be more substantial moves towards a merger in the next two years, but the two agencies will be working more closely together.
A source familiar with both organisations said there would be barriers to a full-scale merger. For one thing, it would require new legislation - and that could not happen overnight.
Some network bosses resent the influence NZ On Air has in making decisions that affect their business strategies.
The government agency has been attacked by TVNZ in the past and has been under pressure from MediaWorks. But the networks have had notable influence over taxpayer handouts for commercial shows.
Land ahoy!
Gibson has played a major role in encouraging the Auckland Council organisation Ateed to develop a 10ha film studio site at Hobsonville. Gibson says the studio development will provide valuable infrastructure for the screen industry and has been working to attract Chinese interest.
He will also be aware that Ateed interest in the project marks a local body commitment in the sector, taking pressure off the commission, and that there is limited interest among the private sector to pay for such a project alone.
This month the Auckland Development Committee gave Ateed until the end of October to pursue a deal with private sector investors which are interested in building and operating the "screen precinct" and to report back to the committee in November with a conditional deal. Ateed is talking with unnamed investors and studio partners.
If it is unable to secure a conditional deal, the committee will adopt an alternative proposal put forward by Auckland Council Properties to use the land for residential and mixed-use commercial developments.
ASB ends sponsorship
ASB Bank and MediaWorks have parted company, ending a commercial relationship over the 3 News stockmarket and business reports.
"After an excellent 10-year sponsorship relationship with TV3 we will not be continuing the ASB live news cross after this Friday - and we wish the team at 3 News all the best," said Roger Beaumont, ASB executive general manager of marketing and communications.
It is understood the decision followed a price rise and a planned change of format by 3 News.
Beaumont said: "We do not comment publicly on the terms of any of our commercial relationships." By print time, MediaWorks had not responded to queries about whether it had a new partner to replace ASB.
Bits 'n' bobs
The sale of Television New Zealand is off the agenda, but it seems partial asset sales are not being ruled out.
Finance Minister Bill English recently joked about the sale of TVNZ, noting that it might once have been valuable, and the lost value to taxpayers made him unhappy.
While the sale of a purportedly culturally important organisation such as TVNZ would elicit negative reaction, a source familiar with National Party thinking said there was no hard and fast rule against partial sales of state media assets.
Meanwhile, the Government is warning state media against competing too aggressively with the private sector - for listeners and web browsers in the case of Radio NZ, and advertisers at TVNZ.
It's an old National Party ideological battle cry - and to be honest, one I thought had long been forgotten. It's also ironic, given that National removed the last requirements for non-commercial TV content six years ago, making TVNZ more competitive in the market.
I wonder if the Government's view of competition in the media market has anything to do with the potentially imminent signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Radio moves
Longtime broadcaster Dallas Gurney is moving on as NZME's head of talk radio, which includes Newstalk ZB and Radio Sport.
He is taking on a new role at NZME Group level, focusing on growing commercial branded content, PR and communications services for clients.
NZME Radio has secured experienced broadcaster Steve Kyte to replace him.
