Browsing: Mediaworks

News
MediaWorks cuts CBS ties, Prime takes up the slack
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MediaWorks TV has confirmed it will be not be renewing its output deal with CBS and is instead shifting the funds into the creation of local content. And Sky’s free-to-air channel Prime has taken over the rights and signed up for its first ever output deal. 

News
MediaWorks rejoices as More FM claims clean sweep at NZ Radio Awards
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52 awards acknowledging on-air personalities, programming, news and sports reporting, promotions, creativity and production, sales and community involvement were handed out via webcast last week at the 2012 New Zealand Radio Awards, and MediaWorks Radio is claiming victory after nabbing 21 of them, with More FM taking all three station of the year accolades.

News
Home is where the brands are as The Block claims a local first
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The Block is one of the biggest reality TV shows in the world. In Australia, where the show began, it remains the highest-rated television series of all time, and over 350 episodes have been produced in the UK, USA, Israel, Russia, Romania, Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. Given New Zealand’s penchant for property, it’s perhaps surprising it’s taken this long to arrive here, but it’s landing soon and MediaWorks is claiming a first for a major New Zealand television series by allowing foundation partners whose brands are integrated into the show the ability to use the stars in commercial campaigns outside the broadcast of the programme.

News
Watch sexy vids, tell joke, win 7 Days LIVE tickets
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When it comes to comedy, the Kiwi cultural cringe seems to have steadily departed and many of our local humour mongers are now popular drawcards, both on TV and in person. MediaWorks has focused heavily on comedy with its programming on both 3 and Four, and it continues to sponsor and broadcast the New Zealand International Comedy Festival (it is showing last week’s sold-out comedy gala tonight from 8.30pm-10:30pm). To celebrate this year’s edition, it’s put a few of its seductive stars in front of a well-vaselined camera and created some channel idents around the theme ‘Comedy is Sexy’. But if that’s not enough comedy for you, we’ve got a 7 Days VIP Prize Pack to give away, which includes 2 x tickets to 7 Days LIVE at SkyCity Theatre on Thursday 3 May. So tell us a joke and we’ll give the funniest one the booty. 

News
As questions linger over 60 Minutes, MediaWorks expands current affairs offering with Three60
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There’s been a bit of chatter in the media recently about whether MediaWorks will renew its licensing deal with CBS and whether the end is nigh for its flagship current affairs show 60 Minutes. That decision is still up in the air, but what is clear is that 60 Minutes host Mike McRoberts and new arrival Guyon Espiner are involved in a new international current affairs show called Three60 that’s screening on Sunday mornings and is being sponsored by Massey University. 

News
Igloo on ice? Sky/TVNZ joint venture given the once over by ComCom
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News surfaced this week that Sky and TVNZ had a date with the Commerce Commission after a complaint was laid about their joint venture Igloo and whether it met merger obligations under Section 47 of the Commerce Act. So if the decision goes against it, will it put the kybosh on the new mid-play TV network?  

News
Finger Pluk-ing good: advertisers mix TV with mobile as smartphone app kicks off
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After launching in January, giving away a new car to one person who signed up and doing a fair bit of promotion through MediaWorks’ channels, over 43,000 smartphone users have downloaded the Pluk app, which claims to offer an added level of interaction between brands and consumers and was developed by local company Foxtrot Media. And, after the first Pluk-enabled TV commercials went live this week, Foxtrot’s managing director Boyd Wason is fairly chuffed with the initial results—and so, he says, are the first clients Holden, InsureMe, Subway and Roadshow.

News
FOUR’s home of not rugby wins Glossies
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The January/February round of voting for The Glossies has been tabulated, and FOUR’s Home of NOT Rugby in ACP’s Metro, cooked up by FOUR and Special Group, has taken top honours with 27 percent of the vote. Yellow Pencil BrandSharp’s effort for Red Paris in NZ Marketing got them tantalisingly close, with 26 percent, and Chris Dobbs was third for Working Style in Metro (10 percent). That’s two in a row for Special Group…

News
MediaWorks laughs in the face of danger – with online premiere
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In defiance of the threat posed by digital to television, MediaWorks is taking a huge risk and premiering one of its top new shows online. As crazy and contradictory as this approach seems, when FOX did the same thing last year, it got some surprising results: despite over two million people watching the show before it was broadcast, it rated through the roof on the night, up 20 percent from its lead-in show Glee, way beyond the network’s wildest dreams.

News
Pluk me: launch of ‘world-first’ smartphone app puts spring in MediaWorks’ step
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Mobile devices are basically seen as a necessity these days and, like a dog without its bone, there’s almost nothing more depressing than seeing a modern human try to function without its phone. For marketers, these devices offer some very exciting creative possibilities, and MediaWorks has jumped on the ‘social TV’ bandwagon and released what it believes is a world-first smartphone app called Pluk that uses audio recognition technology to deliver content from the TV straight to the user’s phone.

Opinion
The Year in Review: Amanda Wilson
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2011 was a fairly challenging year for MediaWorks, with management restructures, debt problems and tax bills. But there were plenty of positives too, with the new dual-channel approach that saw TV3 trying to snatch away some of TVNZ’s wrinklier viewers and FOUR becoming a mainstream entertainment channel seemingly starting to pay dividends. Amanda Wilson, head of marketing at TV3 and FOUR, lets her opinions on 2011 be known.

News
Cudo to be culled?
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Rumours are rife Cudo is on the brink of closure after just nine months, with some claiming the company has already let most of its staff go.

News
TVNZ shacks up with Sky in pay TV “co-opetition” – UPDATED
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Sky and Television New Zealand have confirmed they are indeed launching a joint pay TV service.  Not wanting to say we told you so or anything, but we predicted this weeks ago. TVNZ will be taking 49 percent of a new pay TV platform called Igloo – with Sky holding the majority 51 percent, effectively freezing out the competition.

Movings & Shakings
Movings/Shakings: 7 November
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Craig Herbison returns from Australia to take up the chief marketing officer role at BNZ, Paul Henry gets shoulder-tapped by Lachlan Murdoch, Adshel welcomes Simon Paul as a senior account director, Tania Burgess takes on the night shift at The Breeze, and Anne O’Brien is handed the artistic reins for the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival. 

News
All shook up…
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…as Telecom farewells a marketing doyenne, MediaWorks lures Richard Fenner away from the golf course, Terabyte Interactive opens a Sydney office and QGroup announces a couple of new digital hires.

News
Paul Henry announces new TV show
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It’s been speculated about, and widely expected for the last six months, but now it’s official. At Mediaworks’ new season launch this morning Paul Henry confirmed he would be returning to our screens early next year, with The Paul Henry Show screening on Sundays at 7pm, between the News and 60 minutes.

News
The powerful few: Kiwi media becoming plaything of global shareholders, say researchers
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The News International phone hacking saga put the cosy network of media and government in sharp focus and showed how powerful media organisations can extert undue pressure on lawmakers and law upholders. And, according to a report by AUT University’s Research Centre for Journalism, Media and Democracy (JMAD), similar trends—and their associated dangers—are also evident in New Zealand. 

News
Special Group ‘un-rugbies’ its way to Bolly Award glory
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Special Group and MediaWorks TV took the non-rugby ball and ran with it for ‘The Home of Not Rugby’ campaign and their online ad that gave users the opportunity to ‘un-rugby’ an interactive banner has won the September IABNZ BollyAward, which aims to encourage great Kiwi-made online creative. 

News
Sad farewells and welcome additions…
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…as the industry says goodbye to Brian Milnes, MediaWorks finds its PR man, ASB’s Deborah Simpson creates a new future, Radio New Zealand finds a voice of the Pacific, and Terabyte Interactive helps out the Aussies.