2023: The good, the bad, the ugly
At the end of NZ media’s most tumultuous year, a roundup of comings and goings, the movers and shakers
We said goodbye to Kim and Kate and Karyn. We said goodbye to Spark Sport and The Project. Matty and Ryan moved from breakfast TV to new afternoon radio and evening telly shows. Peter Williams moved into an entire new Reality.
We said goodbye to Today.
We’re all planning — and aiming — for a better tomorrow.
We said hello to new executives and strategies.
We said hello — or are about to say hello — to new newsroom leaders in just about every major media organisation.
Some big clients moved advertising houses — ASB moved to Initiative — while Auckland Transport holds the keys to a massive set of contracts that will determine the future direction of some of our outdoor advertising businesses in 2024 and beyond.
As the media industry settled into 2023, with Covid in the rear- vision mirror, we thought this might be a year of relative serenity.
It was our most tumultuous year ever.
It rained and rained and rained in Auckland.
And Gabrielle hit.
Then followed the long- predicted economic tempest which has struck media hard.
The green shoots are coming, we’re told. First quarter of 2024! The first half of 2024! Sometime in 2024.
Those green shoots just need to burst through a literal and metaphorical layer of silt.
The local media industry is in a battle with global social media giants who care little about the importance of the Fourth Estate or the impacts that their platforms have on the social cohesion of Aotearoa.
They may yet be held to account by a brave government.
For a communications industry, we were sadly hopeless with our own PR.
The Public Interest Journalism Fund became an easy target for many people seething about a perceived bias in political coverage. In an increasingly polarised country, those people weren’t too hard to find. Will we start healing in 2024? We were called drongos — and worse.
Winston Peters threatened to take the broadcasting portfolio and have Jack Tame sacked for asking perfectly legitimate questions.
The All Blacks actually got over the line in the Rugby World Cup final but were called back. Technology is brilliant — it’s the humans who tend to muck things up.
Speaking of AI, some in the media think the sky is falling. It isn’t and it won’t. AI is a tool. Journalists are storytellers.
Some companies — like TVNZ — are preparing for massive technology upgrades. Many of us are planning new and new- look digital platforms and websites.
Sky will be planning for a hiccupfree year as it brings the Sky Pod into full- time play.
RNZ will be under intense scrutiny over how it spends its extra budget.
The media industry’s heart is beating — strongly in parts — but it is clear the patient has other ailments. We may still, sadly, face some amputations.
And yet, yet.
It remains an exhilarating, intriguing, inspiring industry. Full of good people doing great things, across all disciplines.
People who make a difference, who uncover the truth and operate without fear or favour.
And others who work with their clients to conceive and present worldclass marketing and advertising campaigns.
This year, we also said hello to Media Insider — thank you for your support and readership of the column since March this year.
It continues through the summer, with the next three weeks devoted to special Q& As with 17 of our top news media and ad agency CEOs.
The CEOs offer fascinating insight and timely humour. You’ll see some common themes, and possibly some divergent views as we look forward to 2024.
I am thankful for their time and focus, especially when they and their businesses are often in the spotlight in this column.
Don’t miss the first instalment next Friday.
In the meantime, Merry Christmas to all — today’s column is a mix of news and more reflection on the tumultuous media year.
More than 1000 jobs to go in five years — report
A just- released report paints a sobering picture of employment within the media and broadcasting sector.
The Infometrics report, released on the Ministry of Culture and Heritage website this month, says the media and broadcasting industry employed 25,398 people in 2022.
It forecast that number would increase to 26,678 this year — although this figure is likely now questionable given the economic pressures and cost- cutting that have hit most sectors of the industry over the past 12 months.
Regardless, the report predicted that by 2028, the forecast number of people employed in the industry would sit at just over 24,000 — around 1300 fewer than 2022 and more than 2600 fewer than this year’s forecast number.
Roles include writing, reporting, editing, camera and visual work, and leaflet and newspaper deliverers.
According to the Infometrics report, the number of those who described themselves as selfemployed grew from 5532 in 2002 to 11,336 in 2022 — almost 45 per cent of all roles.
The report gives little commentary on where cuts will occur but almost all mainstream media companies have been in cost- management mode this year. They’re also reshaping their businesses to reflect ever- changing audience and technological demands.
The Infometrics report says the media and broadcasting sector contributed $ 4.1 billion to New Zealand’s GDP in 2022
— 1.2 per cent of all GDP. There were 7886 media and broadcasting businesses, most of them small to medium enterprises.
“Workers in the Media and Broadcasting sector in New Zealand have a slightly younger average age profile than all workers in New Zealand,” says the report. “In 2018 the average age of Media and Broadcasting workers was 40.7 years, compared with 42.4 years for all workers in New Zealand.”
In the same year, 83.2 per cent of workers were European, 10 per cent were Ma ¯ ori, 8.2 per cent were Asian and 4.5 per cent were Pasifika.
The percentage of female workers was 46.2 per cent in 2022.
Ad agency’s big TAB win
It’s never easy when you’re the incumbent agency and the client wants a competitive pitch.
But in good news to end its year, MBM has not only retained TAB, it’s set to help deliver a massive change programme with the TAB’s new owner Entain.
“We are thrilled to have retained Entain after a competitive pitch,” MBM chief executive Lee- Ann Morris told Media Insider.
“We had a long- standing relationship with TAB but this has now been supercharged under the ownership of Entain. Entain have exciting plans to reinvigorate racing in New Zealand and we are proud to be the selected partner to deliver this.”
Entain said it was preparing for “a major transformation” for the TAB brand in 2024 “with a refreshed TAB brand and a new app.
“Our media agency relationship was always going to go through major change alongside this,” said an Entain spokesperson.
“We initiated this pitch process to make sure that our agency partner matched our ambition, and could tackle the significant increase in workload and complexity that 2024 is going to bring for Entain NZ.
“After a very thorough pitch process, we are pleased to confirm MBM will continue as our media agency partner.
“All the agencies involved were extremely impressive, but MBM shone through, really demonstrating their complete buy- in as genuine partners. We’re really excited to be extending our relationship with LeeAnn and the MBM team.”
‘ Status quo is not an option’ — TVNZ chairman
A big day at TVNZ on Thursday, with the announcement of Jodi O’Donnell as the new chief executive — the first female CEO in the company’s history.
It will be a popular move within the business — O’Donnell, who is currently the broadcaster’s commercial director, is highly regarded there and around the industry.
Before O’Donnell officially starts duties on January 30, TVNZ’s chairman and acting chief executive have outlined the huge transformation facing the state broadcaster in the next 12 months.
“Much of TVNZ’s current infrastructure is reaching end- of- life and maintaining the status quo is not an option,” says TVNZ chairman Alastair Carruthers in the broadcaster’s latest annual report.
“There is a need to move from a broadcast organisation with digital bolted on to a digital- first media entity. A new digital foundation will allow TVNZ to move more nimbly and flexibly. It will enable the creation of the future platforms required to serve a broader range of diverse audiences. It is pleasing to see this under way.”
Interim CEO Brent McAnulty said that while the merger with RNZ had been called off, “the challenges facing the media sector that provided the impetus for the proposal remain.
“People are watching more TV shows than ever before, but how they are watching continues to change significantly.
“The direction consumers are moving is clear and digital streaming is critical to TVNZ’s future success. We’ve made a great start, delivering consistent audience and revenue growth with TVNZ+. It’s time for us to move faster though, and that means accelerating our digital transformation.”
TVNZ’s annual report confirms the earlier 2022/ 23 financial results — a net profit after tax of just $ 1.7 million, compared with a $ 7.9m profit in 2022/ 23.
Media Insider revealed in July that TVNZ was expecting a bottom- line $ 15.6m loss for its 2023- 2024 financial year after two years of profitability.
Traditional broadcast audiences are dropping and TVNZ is embarking on a major digital and cultural transformation, including upgrading the technology and user experience of its widely praised TVNZ+ ondemand platform.
“This will require significant investment, to be funded through cash reserves and earnings,” says the company’s four- year statement of intent, released earlier this year.
According to the annual report,
TVNZ has set itself a vision to be the “number one streamer of trusted news and entertainment”, a position it clearly already holds since the main streaming services — Netflix, Apple, Disney, Neon and Amazon Prime — don’t deliver news, and Three is playing catch- up, having just released its own revamped ( and very good) streaming platform, ThreeNow.
It has called its transformation project Te Paerangi, with workstreams in 2024 covering:
● Extending digital audience reach
● Accelerating digital revenue
● Building a sustainable future business
“Underpinning this transformation is a significant investment in technology,” says the annual report.
“TVNZ’s current technology is holding us back from achieving our ambitions. It’s overly manual and unable to deliver adequate levels of innovation. We need to build a powerful, cloud- based engine that will replace our current one. A new digital backbone will give us the ability to keep in step with constantly changing viewers’ needs and preferences.”
The annual report says the investment in a new IP platform — a vendor appointment process is under way — will be critical in safeguarding local content.
“This business- wide transformation will take the collective brainpower and effort of all TVNZers.”
Nisbo’s remarkable run
Congratulations to Grant Nisbett and Mils Muliaina, who have re- signed with Sky TV for two more years as rugby commentators.
Alongside the likes of Justin Marshall, Jeff Wilson, and the recently poached Kimberlee Downs — as well as a swag of other top female hosts and commentators — Sky certainly has a strong and diverse mix of rugby presenters and commentators heading into 2024.
Nisbett, who turns 73 on Boxing Day, has called more than 340 tests for the All Blacks since 1984 — more than half of all the tests they have ever played.
Earlier this year, he gave Media Insider some insights into his preparations. While extensive, he also knows the beauty and importance of impromptu commentating.
“Once the whistle blows, it just becomes one major ad lib really,” he said.
Does he still get nervous?
“For the bigger games, I wouldn’t say nervous, maybe I’m a little more on edge.
“Because you know that there’s so much at stake. I think in many ways it brings the best out if you’re feeling a little bit, what’s the word, maybe anxious? It’s better to be that way than feeling too confident.
“I’m still enjoying it and that’s the key to it. And as long as people think that I’m doing okay, I’d be pretty keen to hang in there but who knows after the World Cup? It’s a bit like being a player!”
As well as being a great commentator, he’s also prescient.
In July, he picked the South Africans as the team to watch at the Rugby World Cup, ahead of the then hot favourites France and Ireland. “The Springboks just seem to be able to peak at the right time and I think that’s possibly being overlooked a bit by some pundits.”