More New Zealanders than ever watching locally made TV

NZ On Air’s annual survey of the amount of local content on New Zealand television has found that more New Zealanders than ever are tuning in to locally made TV.

The Local Content Report 2008 released today found that more than 11,600 hours of local programming screened in 2008 on the six national free to air channels. This is the highest level recorded to date and a 7% increase on last year. Thirty-four percent of the free to air schedules feature programmes by Kiwis, for Kiwis.

Chief executive Jane Wrightson said that healthy competition in the broadcast sector was driving excellent on-screen results.

“NZ On Air has compiled this report for the twenty years of our existence,” she said. “The comparison is remarkable. In 1989, the year the contestable funding system was being designed, only 59 hours of drama screened. In 2008 it was 711 hours. It’s the same for children’s programmes: 464 hours in 1989 compared to 1,047 hours in 2008. And the documentary figures are staggering: 34 local hours in 1989, 691 hours in 2008.”

“New Zealanders’ desire to see themselves reflected on screen remains undiminished’, she said.

NZ On Air invests over $80 million into local programmes each year, along with broadcasters and other funding sources. “What’s especially good this year is that first-run hours increased by over 8%,” said Ms Wrightson. TV One screened the most local content - nearly 4,000 hours - and Maori Television came second, with over 2,600 hours.

Quick facts: Local Content Report 2008 
 

• The report uses an 18-hour clock, counting programmes from 6am-midnight. The number of local content hours increased by 816 hours to 11,600 hours, a 7% increase on 2007 when 10,784 hours were broadcast. This is the highest level recorded to date.

• Channels included are TV One, TV2, TV3, C4, Prime TV and Maori Television

• Local content increased on four of the six channels surveyed in 2008.

• The percentage of local content on these six main free to air channels rose to 34% of the schedule (32% in 2007.) The increase in total local content hours (first run plus repeats) is generally attributed to higher levels of news, children’s and entertainment programming. The biggest increase was on TV3, up from 24% to 30%, mainly due to additional news programming.

• TV One screened the most hours of local content and screened the most first run (new) programming, with 3,427 first run hours.

Free to air television

• The biggest percentage increase in local content hours was on TV3, up from 24% to 30%.
• Total first-run local content hours increased by 711 hours in 2008 to 8,936 hours. (8,225 in 2007).
• Prime time local content hours decreased by 25 hours to 3701 hours (3,726 in 2007)
• 2,664 hours of the total 11,600 hours were repeat hours (23%).

Percentages of total local content hours (first run and repeat) by channel were:

NB: MTS and C4 do not screen 24/7 so percentages are higher 
 
 
 

Main genre variations (2008 vs. 2007)  
 

• Children's programming increased by 198 hours to 1,035 hours (837 in 2007) mainly due to increased output on Maori Television. TV2 was the only channel screening local children's drama (12 hours in 2008 compared to 19 hours in 2007.)
• Documentaries picked up ground in 2008 with 691 hours compared to 621 hours in 2007. TV One screened the most (294 hours); Maori Television came next (191 hours)
• Drama and comedy dropped 105 hours to 711 hours (816 in 2007). TV2 increased its drama hours by 55 to 379 hours and still screen the most drama with the weekday serial Shortland Street
• Entertainment programming increased significantly from 1,621 hours to 1,808 compared with 1,721 hours in 2006) mostly due to new programmes on TV One, Maori Television and C4
• Information programmes dropped from last year’s record s 1,919 hours to 1,708 hours in 2008.
• Maori programming for general audiences (excluding Maori Television programmes) dropped from 308 hours to 223 hours, mainly due to the format change of TV One’s Marae from hour long to half-hour episodes.
• News and Current Affairs hours are up to 3,660 hours (2,961 hours in 2007), mainly due to full-year runs in 2008 of Breakfast, Sunrise and afternoon bulletins (most commenced part-way through 2007), and Election coverage (NZ and USA)
• Sports hours rose from 2007:  1,754 hours in 2008 compared with 1,681 hours, mainly due to Olympic coverage

Pay television, regional television and Freeview channels 
 

• NZ On Air does not measure these channels as the number of channels and the varying definitions of ‘local content’, ‘first run’ and ‘repeat’, does not make the exercise practicable.

• Unaudited data is attached to the Local Content Report, from self-reporting by these channels. In 2008:

• Sky reports more than 44,000 hours of local content screened on its channels

• Regional broadcasters report more than 26,000 hours screened
• TVNZ6 and TVNZ7 report more than 8,000 hours screened.