I have a sinking feeling
Another week and another proposal of a media company mash-up. It seems like the only solution we have for New Zealand’s struggling media industry is to just glue two companies together. It’s like taping a brick to a rock to help it float. It’s like, ‘‘Hey Dick Smith is failing, but don’t worry there’s an interested buyer . . . Video Ezy!’’
I’m a free agent now (a fancy way of saying unemployed), so I can speak freely when I say that when it comes to New Zealand media, we’re all doomed (except companies supported by the Government, and whoever controls the rights to the rugby).
This isn’t a conspiracy theory, or a carefully planted PR piece (believe me, if anyone wanted to lobby the Government, or start a PR offensive, I wouldn’t be the first cab off the rank. Then again, maybe this is a PR piece to lobby the Government and, the fact that I’ve been chosen, is in itself a cry for help. I hope not).
Things are bleak: I don’t want to speak for everyone . . . actually, yes I do – every major newspaper, journalism provider and TV company in New Zealand is most likely in trouble. Like with global warming, democracy and the problem of freedom campers, the time to panic is now.
If you’re reading this and you’re a New Zealand media company that’s not in trouble, can I get a job?
The reason I’m chipping in is, I think we’ve lost sight of where the problem is and what’s actually happening. A lot of people are blaming other New Zealand media companies, which I’m sure is an issue but not the problem.
The problem is a two-fold attack from overseas. Immigration . . . no, just to be clear, that was a joke . . . probably too soon, based on the current political climate.
The advertising industry on which the media industry is based has changed massively, and if it hasn’t already gone online, it’s going online and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.
The problem with online is that New Zealand media companies, which were massive preglobalisation are, comparatively, minnows online.
And it gets worse. Online revenue is dictated by social media companies, which constantly change their algorithms to throttle whatever traffic local businesses were managing to get out of them.
It gets worse. These companies that are taking most of the advertising revenue, aren’t paying their fair share of tax in New Zealand. Or anywhere!
It gets worse! Those companies are now returning with their own streaming services and content that further reduces our market share.
It gets worse than worse! The biggest companies in the world haven’t even arrived yet!
That’s business, baby. Why is this a problem? Besides the obvious aforementioned (does that mean previously?) billions of dollars heading overseas, this means the slow, steady death of journalism here outside Government-funded initiatives, international brands’ token efforts, and small boutique companies fighting to stay alive.
Less importantly, but still worth mentioning, is that Kiwi content is becoming harder and harder to find. This may sound laughable, but Kiwi content is an important part of maintaining and developing our culture. We’re already drowning in Australian and American content, and that’s only going to get worse.
Now, I love American sports and comedy so I’m part of the problem, but sometimes it feels like we’re just slowly becoming another American state. Maybe that’s fine – and I’m just an old 32-year-old yelling at a cloud.
It’s also hard not to argue that traditional media companies have done this to themselves, scraping the bottom of the barrel with too much reality TV and too many clickbait headlines.
But forgive us our sins, we were only following the ratings, desperately lungeing at the last dollars available before they’re gone for good.
We have to do something!? Don’t we? Maybe this is just the way it is and I just have to accept that journalism and video content (I’d say ‘‘TV’’ but people love saying ‘‘I don’t even watch TV’’, forgetting that they watch Netflix every night), is going the way of Kiwi industry and retail – we live in a global world, adapt or die.