Paddy Gower during this week's election debate; Same-day US shows such as Below Deck will screen on Hayu when it launches in NZ next week.
New Zealand’s streaming wars are about to intensify; Top magazine may be sold; Media Council rules on Prince Harry lip-reading complaint; Paddy Gower’s leaders’ debate highlight; NZ’s ad industry steps up in support of reputable publishers.
One of America’s biggest streaming giants will enter the New Zealand market next week, with same-day US shows, a set of exclusive reality series and a library of hundreds of popular shows.
In an exclusive announcement to Media Insider today, NBCUniversal says its Hayu service will launch on Thursday with some of the biggest reality TV shows in the world, including Below Deck, Vanderpump Rules, and the US The Real Housewives.
The move into the New Zealand market comes at a bold time, economically, with many New Zealanders facing a cost-of-living crisis.
The range of streaming services has never been stronger, with Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon’s Prime, Disney+, YouTube, Sky, TVNZ, Three and others all offering streaming platforms and content. Earlier this month, New Zealand Rugby launched NZR+, focusing on bespoke behind-the-scenes and unique rugby content.
But NBCUniversal is confident it can carve out a new market of reality TV superfans – a monthly subscription to Hayu (pronounced hey-you) will cost $8.99 ($43.99 for six months or $79.99 for an annual subscription).
Hayu will co-exist alongside Bravo, NBCUniversal’s free-to-air TV channel.
Bravo – which operates in New Zealand as a joint venture with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) – screens some of the reality TV shows that will now feature in Hayu’s line-up, and will continue to do so.
But Hayu’s advantage lies in several areas – aside from an extensive library, it will screen the vast majority of US shows on the same day as their American broadcast, and these will be ad-free.
Some shows – such as Made in Chelsea, The Real Housewives of Atlanta and Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen – will only be available on Hayu.
“Targeting fans of the reality genre, Hayu offers over 300 shows and more than 10,000 episodes of top reality TV content including every single series, season and episode, current and past, of world-renowned franchises and spin-offs including Below Deck, Vanderpump Rules, and the US The Real Housewives,” Hayu said in a statement released to Media Insider.
It says it will launch in New Zealand on all devices.
“As the destination for world-renowned reality content, this expansion to New Zealand continues delivering on our goal of super-serving the best reality TV to even more fans of the genre, of which there are many in New Zealand,” said a leading Hayu and NBCUniversal executive, Hendrik McDermott.
“It’s another important milestone to be launching our D2C subscription streaming service in the country, extending the service to 45 territories.”
NBCUniversal executive and Bravo NZ executive chair Chris Taylor said he was delighted to expand the portfolio of content in New Zealand.
“The launch of Hayu strengthens our ongoing commitment to the market,” said Taylor.
“New Zealand’s hunger for the best reality content has long been affirmed by the success of Bravo, our free-to-air channel that has now been broadcasting for over eight years, delivering audiences access to the biggest and best entertainment brands.”
New Zealand journalist Dan Wootton has been sacked by the Daily Mail website as a columnist, in the fallout of an interview on his GB News TV show in the United Kingdom.
Wootton, the host of a nightly GB News show, was suspended by the channel following an interview he conducted with fellow presenter Laurence Fox on Tuesday, in which Fox made offensive and sexist comments about a female journalist.
“Show me a single self-respecting man that would like to climb into bed with that woman ever – ever – who wasn’t an incel,” Fox told Wootton, adding: “Who would want to shag that?”
As the Daily Telegraph reported, Wootton laughed as Fox spoke and did not censure him. “She’s a very beautiful woman, Laurence, very beautiful woman.”
Wootton, whose journalism career started in New Zealand and who has broken a number of big exclusive stories including Harry and Meghan’s exit from the UK, apologised on social media this week.
However, Fox later shared screenshots of a text conversation he had with Wootton directly after the show, the Daily Telegraph reported. In that exchange, the Telegraph reported, Wootton sent a series of laughing face emojis and joked about his producers “freaking out”.
Wootton has been suspended by GB News and the British media regulator, Ofcom, has opened an investigation. It says it has received more than 7000 complaints about the interview.
Wootton has already been the subject of headlines in the UK this year, following allegations he used a fake identity, Martin Branning, to solicit sexual images from colleagues when he worked at News UK. The media firm is investigating the allegations.
A spokesperson for DMG Media, owner of MailOnline, told The Guardian: “Following events this week, DMG Media can confirm that Dan Wootton’s freelance column with MailOnline – which had already been paused – has now been terminated, along with his contract.”
One of New Zealand’s few but certainly best-read sports magazines is facing an uncertain future.
NZ Rugby World is in a hiatus period – its editor and several high-profile writers have been given notice, while its respected publisher appears to be working on a possible sale.
The magazine has produced more than 200 editions over more than two decades.
“NZ Rugby World is a market-leading magazine steeped in history,” says owner Mike Hansen.
“There are some rumours out there about the future of the magazine. At the moment we are unable to comment further as it is commercially sensitive.”
Hansen said he was “looking at all options on the table”.
“If we feel the best option is to sell the magazine as a going concern, we are sure that the next publisher will build on the great work that our team has achieved,” he says.
“We would like to thank the loyal NZ Rugby World subscribers and followers that have continued to support us and love our publication.”
Editor Jim Kayes confirmed he had been given notice, and he in turn had advised high-profile columnists such as Dylan Cleaver, Rikki Swannell, Neil Reid, and Jason Pine.
“I enjoyed working for Mike,” Kayes told Media Insider.
He said it had been a thoroughly enjoyable job, but the uncertain future reflected the pressure on media businesses more widely, with the impacts of an economic recession and rising costs such as postage and printing.
“I think it’s sad for the industry and sad for the game of rugby. I thought we produced a fantastic magazine. We tried to bring new voices into the magazine – women, Pasifika – and we did that really well.”
Latest readership data from Nielsen - for the 12 months to the end of June - shows NZ Rugby World has a healthy 161,000 readers, up 4000 on the previous quarter, and 50,000 ahead of its rival Rugby News.
Kayes said he had been the first editor to feature a female rugby player, Portia Woodman, as a cover star.
This week we correspond with Three’s Paddy Gower, widely praised after his performance as moderator during this week’s Newshub leaders’ debate.
The British media have occasionally used lip readers to try to ferret out what the Royals might be telling each other during high-profile public events, such as weddings, funerals, and other get-togethers.
NZ Herald reader Richard Hulse took exception to the practice. And he didn’t like that the Herald picked up a UK newspaper story, in which a lip reader quoted Prince Harry as saying, “I’m fed up with the way they treat me” as he took his place in Westminster Abbey for King Charles’ Coronation in May.
Hulse complained to the Media Council that the story breached two council principles – privacy and subterfuge.
He said public figures should have the right to expect that normally private conversations would remain private. And he complained that the content of the conversation was obtained by foul means, tantamount to spying.
He told the Media Council the Herald also had a duty to confirm the accuracy of the report, as lip reading was an art, not a science, and “certainly not fool-proof”.
The Herald told the council there could be no expectation of privacy in an event broadcast live around the world. It was not a private conversation, being in a wide-open public space, and the Herald did not accept the assertion it was tantamount to spying.
The Media Council, in a ruling today, said a person “having a sotto voce conversation with no expectation that it might be observed, might have a legitimate expectation of privacy”.
“But this was not an ordinary person, and this was not an ordinary occasion,” said the council.
“This was a conversation in a public place watched by millions, many of whom could lip-read. Prince Harry is one of the most watched people in the world, and this was one of the most watched spectacles in the world.
“A public figure, particularly one who has lived his whole life in the public eye and who has made a career of courting media outlets might expect lip readers to pick up on what he said at such an event. As for the accuracy of the lip reader’s report of what Prince Harry said, there is no indication that the lip reader got it wrong.”
The council ruled there were insufficient grounds to proceed with the complaint.
TVNZ has launched its hunt for a new boss, almost three months after the departure of CEO Simon Power.
The job ad, in last Saturday’s Weekend Herald, talks of a new CEO needing to navigate “an increasingly complex local and international media landscape”.
It also calls for someone with “a strong understanding of the political environment in which TVNZ operates and an ability to pragmatically balance political and commercial priorities”.
In my view, unless the successful applicant comes from within the business, the state-owned broadcaster will be doing well to have someone in the role by the end of the year. The most likely internal applicants are interim CEO Brent McAnulty, and chief transformation officer Cate Slater.
There is likely to be a lot of external interest, although timing might be an issue.
The recruitment firm wants applications by 5pm Friday next week.
I suspect some potential candidates will want to know the make-up of the Government come October 14. Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson will be a different proposition from Broadcasting Minister Melissa Lee (or perhaps, being cheeky, Broadcasting Minister Winston Peters!)
A third-term Labour Government is likely to be a lot more hands-on in driving TVNZ as a public service broadcaster, compared with a likely wholly commercial focus of a National Government.
Soon after he bought the punchy New York Post tabloid in the mid-70s, media tycoon Rupert Murdoch famously asked the chairman of Bloomingdales why the upmarket department store didn’t advertise in his newspaper.
“Rupert,” the executive is said to have famously replied, “your readers are my shoplifters.”
In a modern-day digital environment, where fake news sites are prevalent and conspiracy theories and graphic videos are easily posted on social media, the advertising industry is starting to pay far more attention to the environments in which their brands and products are being presented.
This week I joined Newshub investigations reporter Michael Morrah and Stuff Digital managing director Nadia Tolich on a panel convened by advertising agency GroupM to discuss the operation of, and challenges facing, modern-day newsrooms.
We discussed the role of journalists and journalism and the investment and focus that goes into running high-performing, well-functioning newsrooms to produce high-quality, trusted editorial work.
GroupM has launched, in New Zealand, its Back to News programme, a global initiative designed “to support the re-investment of media budgets in credible news publishers who are advancing the practice of responsible journalism around the world”.
It encourages advertisers to pay time and attention to the platforms where they spend their marketing dollars and ensuring they avoid less-reputable sites.
It’s all well and good to have stars in your eyes around millions of people on social platforms but it’s the quality and engagement of the audience that should count most for advertisers. You’re playing a very dangerous game if your brand unwittingly ends up alongside a conspiracy theorist’s latest rant or a piece of dangerous propaganda.
New Zealand’s media industry not only invests millions of dollars in frontline journalists, their work helps attract highly engaged audiences, collectively on a scale with the social media giants.
GroupM’s Back to News initiative, presented at this week’s function by chief executive John Halpin and chief digital officer Christophe Spencer, highlights 10 key pillars in a vetting process to determine credible publishers.
Advertisers Association chief executive Lindsay Mouat says the idea of brand safety and suitability came to the attention of advertisers in 2017 with The Times reporting big brands were unwittingly funding Islamic extremism in in 2017 with online ads.
“It came to a head in 2019 with the global industry response to the Christchurch terror attack, live-streamed on Facebook. In response, an across-industry initiative, the Global Alliance for Responsible media [GARM] was established by the World Federation of Advertisers [WFA] to address the challenge of harmful content on digital media platforms and its monetisation via advertising.”
He said brands were entitled to know the context and where and when their messages would appear. This had been a routine expectation with traditional media.
“Digital is more complex, of course, but advertisers are still entitled to protect their brands’ reputations by ensuring that ads do not appear next to content that is at odds with what the company stands for or the brand’s own individual purpose,” says Mouat.
While that addressed the protection of brand reputation from a governance perspective, there was a further question for boards to consider on where media dollars were invested and the consequences, intended and unintended, of those decisions.
“Advertisers and media have had a symbiotic relationship – media delivering viewers, listeners, and readers at scale for advertisers,” says Mouat.
“In turn, the advertising largely funds most media platforms. Around the world, that model has been threatened by the flow of ad revenue to global platforms away from local media in pursuit of audiences. The threat to the sustainability of media seems to be heightened in New Zealand for reasons of scale.
“What is the role for advertisers, as the funders of most New Zealand media here? Is advertising investment a simple equation of the most cost-effective ad spend, or does that expenditure also provide an opportunity for social good? In the same way that businesses increasingly address the impact of their business on society through energy sources, fair-trade sourcing, diversity, and equity policies, should businesses, either at board or C-suite level, also be considering their advertising investment in terms of social impact alongside commercial decisions?”
He said a starting point for boards to consider might be: “What principles does our business have to determine the allocation of ad dollars?“
“And should we ensure a minimum investment that supports local media for the benefit of New Zealanders? Addressed with input from media agency partners, surely we can make positive choices that support local media?” says Mouat.
The Department of Internal Affairs wants advertisements for an offshore gambling company removed but it may be on a collision course with some media firms.
JackpotCity has run television and radio ads for several years, advertising free-to-play gambling sites, with URLs such as jackpotcity.net.
Internal Affairs is concerned the ads are a gateway to illegal sites – the URLs are similar to real pay-to-play sites.
“We see those sites as just being a gateway to an online gambling site where you can spend real money. We’re pretty clearly of the view that that advertising doesn’t meet New Zealand legal requirements and is unlawful,” Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) general manager of regulatory services John Sneyd told 1 News this month.
Internal Affairs told Media Insider it had written to a number of media firms – NZME and MediaWorks have confirmed they are in talks with the government department; Warner Bros. Discovery and TVNZ say they are not aware of any letter.
“We received a letter from the Department of Internal Affairs recently regarding JackpotCity advertisements NZME and other media companies were running,” said an NZME spokeswoman.
“We continue to liaise with the DIA on this, as well as seeking our own legal advice. However, in good faith, we made the decision to immediately stop running the ads on our platforms.”
A MediaWorks spokeswoman said: “MediaWorks is in dialogue with the Department of Internal Affairs in relation to Jackpot City advertising.”
She did not respond to specific questions as to whether the ads were still running on MediaWorks channels.
Representatives for TVNZ and Warner. Bros Discovery said they had not received any letters from Internal Affairs.
“TVNZ airs this advertising after 10pm at night and only in AO classified content (M/16/18). We also apply frequency caps to prevent any repetition in ad breaks,” said a TVNZ spokeswoman.
“We take steps to ensure all our advertising activity complies with advertising standards. We also consider our viewers in the way we schedule our advertising.”
A Warner. Bros spokeswoman said: “On occasion, we run advertisements for gaming websites on Three and ThreeNow within strict parameters that we choose to enforce on our platforms over and above what the ASA requires. We take our role as a responsible broadcaster very seriously and this includes only allowing advertisements to run after 9pm with a limit of one advertisement per programme or movie, and requiring all creative to be reviewed and approved by our legal team prior to airing, as well as being cleared to screen by the Commercial Approvals Bureau.”
Sneyd told Media Insider in a statement that while Internal Affairs was still engaged with media firms, it was their preference “not to name them to allow open and constructive dialogue to continue”.
“The letters state our position that the advertising is unlawful and request a commitment to withdraw the advertising from their platforms.
“One outlet has responded positively and agreed to withdraw the advertising. We are pleased at the willingness to engage constructively with DIA, however our goal does remain to have the advertising removed.”
Sneyd said the department was not in a position to determine next steps “until we fully understand the approach the media outlets intend to take”.
“As section 16 of the Gambling Act states, advertising overseas gambling websites is an offence it would potentially be open for DIA to take a prosecution. However, there is some way to go before we could determine if that was the appropriate course of action.”
My colleague Fran O’Sullivan’s ‘baby’ turns 21 today – the Mood of the Boardroom survey launched in 2002, and the 2023 results are being presented on Friday morning at a breakfast event in Auckland; through extensive coverage on nzherald.co.nz; and as a liftout in the NZ Herald newspaper.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson and National finance spokeswoman Nicola Willis will feature in a head-to-head debate moderated by NZME and NZ Herald editor-in-chief Murray Kirkness and O’Sullivan will present the findings of the special election-year survey of 120 business leaders and CEOs.
As O’Sullivan writes in today’s report, “It’s become a valued and trusted barometer of CEO opinion”.
“On business. Politics. Personalities. Policies. Issues of the day. Risk factors and more.
“When we launched, it was a different age. Surveys were faxed to CEOs. We deciphered their handwriting and calculated percentages. I am sure some are grateful that electronic tools take care of that now.”
Regular readers of Media Insider will be well across the rampant changes under way at almost every major New Zealand media firm.
Now one of Auckland media’s favourite watering holes is facing its own upheaval.
Auckland’s Empire Hotel – an oasis for many NZME, TVNZ and Spark staff, and the scene of a massive Voyagers after-party this year – has been sold, with details yet to be publicly announced.
“What makes a pub is its patrons and staff,” says outgoing general manager Colin McMillan.
“Without them you have nothing. We’ve been very lucky over the years to have had a strong, loyal group of regulars who have supported us by simply walking through the door. Over time you get to know these people and they very much become a part of your life. Thanks to all who made it happen.”
'[This is]...an incredibly difficult decision, felt deeply across our small organisation.'