• Local content programming on New Zealand television
• Māori language speakers
• Language retention

Local content programming on New Zealand television

Relevance

Television is the dominant cultural medium for most New Zealanders. The 1998/1999 Time Use Survey indicated that New Zealanders spend almost two hours a day watching television or videos.⁸¹ Ninety-eight percent of New Zealand households have at least one television set.⁸² For many people, television is a major source of news, information and entertainment and strongly influences their sense of local and national identity. A local content measure reflects the extent to which we see our culture reflected through this medium.

Current level and trends

In 2007, local content on six national free-to-air television channels made up 43 percent of the prime-time schedule – similar to the level in 2006 and higher than in previous years going back to 1988. The proportion of local content on the three main free-to-air channels rose from 24 percent in 1988 to a peak of 42 percent in 1994, before dropping to 35 percent in 1995. It reached 42 percent again in 2003 and 2004. The fall to 38 percent in 2005 was mainly attributable to the inclusion of Prime Television which had a low level of local content. The subsequent addition of more local sport to Prime Television’s schedule and to those of other free-to-air channels, along with the inclusion of C4’s local entertainment programming, were important factors behind the increase in 2006.

The percentage of local content in prime-time transmission hours in 2007 differs across the channels: TV One: 56 percent, TV2: 20 percent, TV3: 44 percent, Prime: 17 percent, Māori Television: 62 percent, and C4: 56 percent. Between 2006 and 2007, percentages of local content in prime-time television declined for TV One, TV2 and C4, increased for TV3 and Prime, and remained steady for Māori Television.

Figure Cl1.1 Proportion of local content on prime-time television, 1988–2007

Source: NZ On Air
Notes: (1) Up to 2004, the figures are for prime-time (6pm-10pm) local content on TV One, TV2 and TV3 only (2) Figures from 2005 include Prime Television and Māori Television (2005 Māori Television figure derived by Ministry of Social Development) (3) Figures from 2006 include C4

Four programme types accounted for over three-quarters of the local content hours in 2007: news and current affairs (27 percent), information programmes (18 percent), sports (16 percent) and entertainment (15 percent). This was similar to the pattern in 2006, although information programmes accounted for a slightly greater proportion of local programming in 2007.

Table CI1.1 Percentage share of total hours of local content, by programme type, selected years, 1988–2007

Source: NZ On Air
Notes: (1) Information on types of local programmes in prime-time hours was not published before 2005 (2) These figures relate to a 24-hour period up to 2002; from 2003 on, figures relate to 18 hours (6am to midnight) (3) Up to 2004, the figures are for TV One, TV2 and TV3 only; figures from 2005 include Prime Television and Māori Television (2005 Māori Television figure derived by Ministry of Social Development); figures from 2006 include C4

International comparison

International comparisons are difficult due to the inconsistencies in measurement approaches by different countries. However, in 1999, local content accounted for 24 percent of total transmission time in New Zealand, a smaller proportion than in 10 other surveyed countries. This was compared to the United States (90 percent), the United Kingdom (BBC only, 78 percent), Canada (60 percent), Norway (56 percent), Finland (55 percent), Australia (which mandates a local content transmission quota of 55 percent on all free-to-air commercial networks) and Ireland (RTE only, 41 percent).⁸³ Note this is a measure of total air-time programming, rather than prime-time programming, which is the measure this indicator is based on.