Public Service Television
Fact and Fiction
Myth – “NZ On Air will provide public service TV”
NZ On Air only funds programmes the networks want to screen. If a network thinks a show won’t get ratings, they won’t play it so NZ On Air won’t fund it. Yes, NZ On Air does fund some great shows now and then, but they often screen on Sunday morning when most people don’t see them. Increasingly NZ On Air is funding commercial programmes such as NZ's Got Talent and The GC leaving less funds for programmes that really have no other way of being funded.
Myth – “Public Service Television isn’t popular in NZ”
In three years TVNZ 7’s audience has grown to 1.4 million viewers each 4 weeks - equal to Sky’s most popular channels – and it’s growing, doubling its viewers in the last year without any advertising or TV listings. With more time TVNZ 7 could become as popular as Radio NZ National, NZ’s most well-liked radio station.
Myth – “Public Service TV is expensive”
TVNZ 7 would cost only $16.25m annually or 1 cent a day for each New Zealander. That’s a third of the budget for Maori TV.
Fact 1 – New Zealand has the most commercial TV in the developed world.
Due to lack of funding, TVNZ relies more on advertising than any other national broadcaster in the world – almost twice as much as the second least funded, Ireland. To attract advertisers our TV programmes have to be more commercial, more accessible, less intelligent.
Fact 2 – TVNZ 7 need not cost us anything.
It’s amazing to realise that the rest of the developed world has plenty of public service TV channels, sometimes paid from taxes and sometimes from other sources. Australia has five public service channels mostly funded via 
a levy on commercial TV and Radio stations. In NZ, Sky makes very few programmes (apart from sport) yet took $120m in profits last year - $20m to fund TVNZ 7 might be a fair exchange for Sky’s lack of regulation.
Fact 3 – Public service TV enriches us all.
Kiwis need to be able to watch quality documentaries, arts, science, current affairs and educational programmes at a time that suits them. New Zealand needs at least one dedicated public service television channel.