17. Hottest Media Product: HeiHei
Nominees: 90 Seconds of Stuff, The PwC Herald Talks, The Boy and the Lemon, Idealog + Blunt + Generator Umbrella Experiment, Battle to the Beehive, The Valley, The Spinoff Bulletin, Vodafone TV, Sky Go
New kid on the media block HeiHei, is the result of a partnership between NZ On Air and TVNZ, as well as $1.5 million to build the site and app, and $12 million to produce shows and games. Cate Slater, TVNZ’s content director, tells us what it’s all about.
What is HeiHei?
HeiHei is all about engaging our youngest viewers with content that inspires them, makes them laugh, and broadens their horizons. The majority of programmes on the platform are local (38 out of the 50 shows available at launch), including standouts like Fanimals, Māia The Brave, Kai Five, What Now, Darwin and Newts and The Barefoot Bandits. HeiHei is very much an opportunity for Kiwi kids to see themselves reflected on screen.
Why was HeiHei created?
Kiwi kids have been missing out on local programming. We know children are watching more content than ever; it’s just not always local content that speaks to their own unique stories. Over 90 percent of New Zealand children spend an hour in front of a screen each day. Parents have told us that they’re worried about the lack of local content available for their kids, especially across various digital platforms. We agree with them and HeiHei has been developed to meet this need.
Who are the partners involved in creating it?
HeiHei was kicked o by NZ On Air. They did a lot of research into what kids were watching and how they were watching. This, in turn, sparked a huge commitment from them to develop and fund an online home to better serve this special audience. We’re thrilled that TVNZ was selected as the partner to make this platform happen.
The New Zealand production community has also been vital in helping us get this project o the ground. HeiHei is an amazing reflection of the breadth and depth of talent in this community. The content they have created for the platform is fun, diverse, exciting and informative.
In the announcement of its launch, NZ On Air chief executive, Jane Wrightson said “Tamariki are an important audience for NZ On Air – they need stimulating and engaging media in a safe environment”. What was unsafe about the existing media environment to children?
HeiHei offers an environment where children can safely explore and consume quality, age-appropriate content. There is no risk of viewing mature material. Everything on the site is just for kids, and that gives parents piece of mind. We know that there has to be special care around children and advertising. It’s something we plan with consideration on our linear channels. HeiHei is an ad-free platform.
People’s Choice: The Spinoff Bulletin
19. Hottest Media Start up: PressPatron
Nominees: Wipster, Contento, The Social, One Room, Parrot Analytics, ReoBot, Zavy, Lumo
After experiencing the decline in print revenue as editor of Tearaway magazine and evaluating revenue strategies while working towards the Master of Advanced Technology Enterprise, Alex Clark founded PressPatron in 2014. He talks us through why the donation model works.
What was the motivation behind PressPatron?
My thesis evaluated a range of revenue strategies for online journalism. After completing initial market research, I found donations were more popular with survey respondents than paywall subscriptions.
For my enterprise project, I decided to build a funding platform that would allow publishers to easily adopt the most promising business models. Our original platform had a different name and focus, but eventually evolved into the PressPatron platform that is being used today.
Why does a donation model work compared to a paywall model? [and]What’s been the response from those using it?
Donations and memberships build a stronger relationship of goodwill between publishers and their audience. I think this is the key reason why donations can be more successful than paywalls. We are seeing the emergence of a new ‘economics of generosity’ where financial transactions are driven by people’s values, rather than the cold-hearted rationality that forms the baseline assumption of so much old-school economic theory. In the context of journalism, you don’t need to force people to pay. Publishers need to create powerful journalism that fulfils its democratic mission of informing society, holding the powerful to account, exploring new ideas and basically just helping us to understand each other so that we can become a better society.
Another advantage of PressPatron is it allows publishers to achieve the holy grail of pricing: dynamic pricing that matches the budget of every reader. By trusting readers to reward quality journalism with a fair price, you can generate higher revenue than a fixed-price paywall model. A publisher might charge $10 per month for their paywall subscription.
By contrast, a PressPatron publisher might receive $50 per month from a wealthy reader and $5 per month from a reader with less disposable income. Both scenarios represent significant income that is completely lost under the fixed-price paywall model.
The average recurring contribution is $11.40 per month, The average one-time contribution is more than $49, with 44 percent of supporters giving $50 or higher and 14 percent donating $100 or higher.
Where to next for PressPatron?
I’ve recently been on a trip across the USA meeting with dozens of publishers, who are now evaluating PressPatron with their teams or preparing for launch later in the year. To fuel our growth even further, we’re raising investment to boost our team and development capacity.
We also have some exciting new features that are currently in the pipeline, as well as some ambitious long-term goals.
People’s Choice: PressPatron
- We’ll be posting the rest of the Hot List over the next week. To get a print copy of the Hot List, subscribe here to NZ Marketing.
