Collaboration lifts TV sales

By SIMON HENDERY

International sales of local television shows have received a boost thanks to better collaboration between TVNZ and local production companies.

Auckland-based production company Greenstone Pictures has generated more than $1 million in foreign exchangeearnings over the past two years, selling programmes overseas, including documentary series The Zoo and MotorwayPatrol.

Greenstone managing director John Harris said recent sales had been helpedby a more "partnership-orientated" approach to business by TVNZ, which originally commissioned the programmes, and pockets a share of proceeds from overseas sales.

"Selling New Zealand programmes overseas not only returns a passive income to TVNZ, but it also puts revenue back into the development of new programmes," said Harris.

"The bonus is that we are also exporting New Zealand culture, which is good for business and tourism."

TVNZ spokeswoman Diana Schnauer said that while the company had been more guarded about its commercial contracts in the past, it was now focused on supporting and promoting the growth of the local production industry.

Support could include assistance in negotiations with overseas broadcasters to secure sales.

"We are always looking for opportunities that can be maximised for the benefit of both parties," she said.

An example of the collaborative approach was the sale of The Zoo, a documentary series based around the working lives of Auckland zookeepers, to the Discovery Asia network.

Greenstone is at present producing a fifth series of The Zoo and has sold the first two series to Discovery, along with options for the third and fourth series.

TVNZ's The Zoo contract with Greenstone excluded sales of the series to any other broadcaster whose broadcast "footprint" covered New Zealand.

This would have precluded the Discovery deal because the network is broadcast by Sky TV.

But TVNZ waived the restriction to allow Greenstone to complete the sale to Discovery, Schnauer said.

"This is one such example of how together with the local production industry we can showcase New Zealand as a source of world-class and award-winning productions while generating much-needed overseas earnings."

Harris said Greenstone and other production companies were "starting to grow up and look to markets overseas because New Zealand is a small territory and we need to sell our programmes overseas to recover some of the money that's been invested by ourselves and TVNZ and New Zealand On Air and to provide us with a bit of fuel for our continued growth."

Greenstone's other overseas sales have included the Motorway Patrol reality series to Australia's Channel 9 and the documentary To Hell and Back: Tanjas' Story to Channel 5 in Britain.

Another example of the strengthening relationship between TVNZ and Greenstone was a partnership between the two organisations to market The Zoo videos and DVDs in the domestic market.