NZ On Air washes hands of MediaWorks’ soap ambitions

Broadcast funding agency NZ On Air has knocked back MediaWorks’ funding application for a new local soap opera for TV3.

In announcing its decision to contribute $4,116,000 to a third season of Prime’s murder-mystery series The Brokenwood Mysteries, NZOA noted the MediaWorks proposal “was given serious consideration but was not supported.”

According to the funder, “The project was unable to be considered a priority due to constrained funding and competing priorities. The proposal required an ongoing financial commitment from NZ On Air that the board felt was unsustainable in the current climate of a static budget but increasing demand.”

NZ On Air’s government funding has been frozen – and therefore diminishing in real terms – for the past eight years and The Brokenwood Mysteries was the only show to receive taxpayer assistance in the December funding round for drama and comedy programmes.

Decision a 'disappointment' to MediaWorks...
MediaWorks has expressed its chagrin with the decision via a release that quotes group entertainment content director Andrew Szusterman.

“We are extremely disappointed with New Zealand on Air’s decision,” he says.

“Outside of bringing some fresh, local drama to Kiwi audiences, this would have made a significant and ongoing contribution to New Zealand’s production industry and provided many on-going jobs for the creative sector."

That last point is a valid one – but only up to a point, given the soap’s future would have been as dependent on its commercial success in the proposed 5.30pm weekday slot (which isn’t exactly flush with potential advertising revenue) as on continued funding from NZOA.

Although – as South Pacific Picture’s John Barnett told NBR Radio last week – soap Shortland Street has had a positive impact on upskilling the local screen sector, its longevity is at least in part down to the much more lucrative 7pm slot it occupies. (It’s understood the trailblazing series received four years of funding from NZOA after it first started in 1992 but only year to year, with the amount provided reducing significantly with each successive year.)

Industry sources have also questioned whether New Zealand currently has the capacity to produce another two-and-a-half hours of soap opera a week.

“We are not awash with people with the required expertise, and those with it are occupied with another soap,” notes one.

The soap, and the intention for it to heavily feature product placement, has recently been promoted by MediaWorks as a key plank in its strategy, so it will be interesting to observe what it now fills the half-hour gap in its weekday schedule that acts as a crucial gateway to its nightly news hour and the rest of the evening’s programmes.

... while welcomed by others
While MediaWorks is understandably dismayed by the NZOA decision, others have been quick to hail it.

“It’s good to see that NZ On Air isn’t facilitating TV3’s new entertainment-focused schedule, which has meant the closure of much of its current affairs,” says Coalition for Better Broadcasting chief executive Myles Thomas.

“As we’ve said before, no one was calling for another early evening soap but a lot of people are worried about primetime current affairs so hopefully NZ On Air is looking at ways to make that happen.”

Meanwhile, Labour broadcasting spokeswoman Clare Curran – who last week somewhat pre-emptively criticised NZOA for considering the soap proposal as TV current affair shows fall by the wayside – has taken the announcement as an opportunity to sound the alarm about the funder’s declining budget.

“NZ on Air’s admission that its budget is under huge pressure should be of concern to New Zealanders who don’t believe there is enough good-quality New Zealand television programmes, she says.

Ms Curran goes on to claim NZOA would have been hesitant to fund the soap because the way in which “TV3 bosses repeatedly chopped and changed the scheduling” of the recently axed 3D – which had $500,000 of public funding – indicated “the current management of TV3 couldn't be trusted to use taxpayer money wisely.”

She adds that “if the government can spend $26 million on a referendum to change our cultural symbol, the flag, then they could surely increase funding to produce more culture such as quality drama, children’s show, regional programmes and prime-time current affairs,” and iterates her recent call for “a fresh look at how the funding model of NZ on Air operates.”

Use MyNBR Tags to track people and companies – and receive key-word email alerts. Find out how here.