PM 'kneecaps' Maori rugby bid

Maori Television has only 90 per cent coverage of the country on the analogue network. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Maori Television's bid for exclusive free-to-air rights to the Rugby World Cup has effectively been kneecapped by Prime Minister John Key's unrealistic demand its coverage reach 100 per cent of New Zealanders.

Weekend Herald inquiries have found that that bar is so high that Maori TV will have little choice but to share the rights with TVNZ.

Such a sub-licensing arrangement would be most likely to see TVNZ use its own commentators and packaging, diverting viewers from Maori TV and diluting the impact of its coverage.

Maori TV is the frontrunner for the rights to live coverage of the 16 games most important to New Zealanders - the All Blacks' pool matches and the finals - but Mr Key says everybody must be able to see them.

Maori TV has only 90 per cent coverage on the analogue network, and Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman is questioning the quality of the reception in areas it does reach.

"While about 90 per cent can get it, say if you live in Paraparaumu [which Maori TV says it covers], the reception is pretty poor," Dr Coleman said.

Maori TV can get to 100 per cent of population on the digital network, which would require viewers in black spots to pay for a Sky subscription or for a Freeview box.

But Dr Coleman said the population reach would be measured on the analogue network. He said TVNZ's reach was "over 99.9 per cent" and "effectively full coverage".

He said having spent public funds, "Maori TV is going to have to guarantee they can cover the whole country" and suggested it sub-license the rights to TVNZ - which receives a Government subsidy of $1.1 million a year to transmit to hard-to-reach areas.

He ruled out the Government subsidising Freeview boxes for those in poor reception areas to help them get Maori TV, saying that it would have to reach 100 per cent "without any further contribution".

Maori TV's chief executive, Jim Mather, also said the broadcaster would not subsidise Freeview boxes, which sell for $119.95.

He said no channel had 100 per cent coverage as the Prime Minister was demanding. People in the areas Maori TV did not reach had difficulty accessing any television signals, and most people had bought Sky as a result.

Maori TV has been pressured to ask the International Rugby Board if it could modify its bid to allow for sub-licensing after National Government figures found out about the $3 million boost in taxpayer funding its bid received from the Ministry of Maori Development, Te Puni Kokiri.

Maori TV has few other options to get near the 100 per cent target, as broadcasting sources say getting one of its rivals to broadcast into the black spots would be technically impossible and commercially unworkable.

There is no point in Maori TV building transmitters as the looming switchover to digital means the analogue network will soon be defunct.

Maori TV would be able on-sell the rights to the games for an appropriate commercial price, which in the case of TVNZ would also come out of public funds. But Labour Rugby World Cup spokesman Trevor Mallard said sub-licensing would "devalue" the investment by Maori TV and Te Puni Kokiri.

"If you can get it on TVNZ anyway, why the hell would anyone change over to Maori Television?"

POPULATION REACH
* TVNZ: 99.9 per cent
* TV3: 97 per cent
* PRIME: 91.3 per cent
* MAORI TV: 90 per cent

Source: The networks themselves, saying figures are based on information from Kordia and JDA consultancy.

MISSING OUT
The West Coast of the South Island, the Queenstown area, Blenheim, the coastal area south to Kaikoura, the East Cape and the East Coast around Wairoa, the Far North around Kaitaia/Awanui, southern Taranaki, and some other small and remote areas.
Source: Maori TV. (Broadcasting sources dispute this, listing several other areas as well).

ESSENTIAL PHRASES

Try: piro

Referee: kaiwawao

Tackle: rutu

Scrum: nonoke

Ruck: kakari

Lineout: apititu

Pass: maka

Kick: whana

Penalty: hamene

Knock-on: taka whakamua

First half: wahanga tuatahi

Second half: wahanga tuarua

USEFUL PHRASES

What, ref, are you blind?
E te kaiwawao kua kapo koe?

Okay, sack the coach!
Parea te kaiako ki tahaki!

That guy was a mile offside
Kua tu hapa noa atu te koroke ra !

Send him off!
Panaia te tangata ra!

What a crazy thing to do
Katahi te mahi heahea to tena!

He's the man!
Titiro ki te hau tipua ra!

Bring back Buck!
Whakahokia mai a Buck!