NZ | Movie + TV News

[SYDNEY]

Hobbit 'bigger than cup' for tourism

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30 MAR 12 HOBBITON WAIKATO by Urban+Explorer, on Flickr

The big-screen exploits of Bilbo Baggins and a gang of dwarves are an "extraordinary opportunity" for tourism and will draw more people to New Zealand than the Rugby World Cup ever could, says the architect of the 100 per cent Pure campaign. George Hickton said the The Hobbit films would generate more money and overseas interest than the All Blacks' win, and urged New Zealand businesses to do everything - including getting staff to "put on hairy feet" - to attract tourists. He said The Hobbit's effect would be even bigger than The Lord of the Rings films. "One of the things we have to do is get to understand the psyche of people who want to come and see it," he told a meeting of tourism figures in Hamilton yesterday. "This is bigger than last time. You need to be actively aware of what it looks like, what the story is. "You need to talk about Hobbits, put on hairy feet. Do whatever you can to make sure that when people come to this place that you absolutely embrace it, that you 'get it'. "Frodo Baggins is going to be more important to tourism than Daniel Carter kicking off in the Rugby World Cup." Mr Hickton said Waikato businesses were the luckiest in the country with Sir Peter Jackson's Hobbiton film set "just down the road". The set of The Shire, which features 44 "Hobbit holes", was first built on Russell Alexander's farm near Matamata for the Lord of the Rings trilogy in 1999.

Initially it was to be bulldozed but Mr Alexander turned the set into a tourism venture, Hobbiton Movie Set and Farm Tours. When filming began on the prequels to the trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and There and Back Again, last year, the set was rebuilt using permanent materials and will remain as a tourism drawcard. Mr Hickton said films sparked an emotive response in people, giving them an ongoing relationship with a country, and formed part of the decision-making process to travel there. Statistics showed 80 per cent of Britons who planned a holiday here did so after seeing the film locations on the big screen. Wellington's Weta Cave, a mini-museum joined on to Weta Workshop - the special effects artists behind Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, as well as the biggest-grossing movie of all time, Avatar - attracted 100,000 visitors, 70 per cent of them international, each year. Hobbiton itself, the idyllic home of Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, was the "premier" location of all the Middle Earth destinations in New Zealand, and attracted 266,000 people in the past 12 months, a 60 per cent increase because of renewed interest ahead of The Hobbit.

CINEMA TAKINGS

Avatar - $2.7 billion
Titanic - $1.8 billion
Harry Potter - $1.3 billion
Transformers - $1.1 billion
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - $1.1 billion
(Avatar and Return of the King were made in New Zealand.)
Figures in US dollars.

[nthbeach]

Kiwi western a labour of love

Good for Nothing started out as a boy's fantasy. The young Mike Wallis spent most of his family holidays in Central Otago, and roaming the rugged and untamed territory he pictured himself being part of one of his beloved western movies.

Being a fan of Spaghetti Westerns, which take the stories of the Old West and shoot them half a world away in Italy, he thought to himself "wouldn't it be interesting...".

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment...labour-of-love

JULE SCHERER

[SYDNEY]

James Cameron buys more Kiwi land

Hollywood blockbuster director James Cameron has snapped up more New Zealand farmland. The man behind Avatar and Titanic has added another chunk of land to his $20 million Wairarapa estate after being given the go-ahead to buy a neighbouring lifestyle block. Last month, Cameron was given approval to buy two large farms - a 250-hectare working dairy farm and 817-hectare hillside property overlooking Pounui - in the South Wairarapa and he signalled his intentions to reside indefinitely in New Zealand. Now he has been granted consent by the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) to buy 10 hectares of freehold land adjoining the Pounui farm and mainly comprises of native bush. Although the cost of the land is listed by Land Information New Zealand as confidential, it was understood to have been on the market for about $350,000.

The OIO summary states: "James F. Cameron and his family intend to reside indefinitely in New Zealand. "They are acquiring the land as part of a larger acquisition of land in South Wairarapa which they will use as a residence and working farm. "The overseas investment transaction has satisfied the criteria in section 16(1)(e)(i) of the Overseas Investment Act 2005." The 57-year-old movie mogul intends to join fellow director Sir Peter Jackson as a Wairarapa resident. He has applied for residency under Immigration New Zealand's Investment Plus scheme for those investing more than $10m. Cameron will have to spend at least 44 days in New Zealand each year in the final two years of a three-year investment period and he has vowed to work on the Avatar sequels while living here.

[cle]

I read they're starting production in California. Hopefully that doesn't preclude Wellington from getting a lot of the work?

If it's water based, no doubt they'll want that massive pool facility place near San Diego they all use...but lots of relatively unknown (globally) coastline and islands around Wellington, Cook Strait and Tasman.

[SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by cle

I read they're starting production in California. Hopefully that doesn't preclude Wellington from getting a lot of the work?

If it's water based, no doubt they'll want that massive pool facility place near San Diego they all use...but lots of relatively unknown (globally) coastline and islands around Wellington, Cook Strait and Tasman.

I think that Weta will be used for most of the special effects etc. Cameron knows a good thing when he sees it and he will definitely be using Wellywood

[GI_Joint]

Yep, Weta will have its work cut out for it.

"We've spent the last year and a half on software development and pipeline development. The virtual production methodology was extremely prototypical on the first film. As then, no one had ever done it before and we didn't even know for two and half years into it and $100 million into it if it was going to work."
Cameron continued, "So we just wanted to make our lives a whole lot easier so that we can spend a little more of our brainpower on creativity. It was a very, very uphill battle on the first film. So we've been mostly working on the tool set, the production pipeline, setting up the new stages in Los Angeles, setting up the new visual effects pipeline in New Zealand, that sort of thing. And, by the way, writing. We haven't gotten to the design stage yet. That'll be the next."

http://au.movies.ign.com/articles/122/1224410p1.html

[SYDNEY]

Hobbit Production Video #7

[SYDNEY]

Auckland is NZ's film capital

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08 APR 12 21°C by Urban+Explorer, on Flickr

Wellington may claim to be the movie capital of New Zealand but last year more than three quarters of the $3 billion generated by the film, screen and digital sector across the country came out of Auckland, new figures reveal. Racey television series Spactacus and World War II epic Emperor are among international productions that generated $2.3b, according to recent figures from Statistics New Zealand. By contrast Wellington, home to award-winning director Peter Jackson and Weta Digital, made $571 million. "The screen industry in Auckland is not just show business, it's big business," said Michael Brook, of Film Auckland.

"It brings in a lot of income to the region, it creates a lot of jobs and from that point of view it's an economic contributor. The creativity and the exposure that it produces internationally for our region is important." Big productions also bring in big names like Spartacus star Lucy Lawless, Matthew Fox, who featured in Emperor, and House's Hugh Laurie, who will star in Andrew Adamson's adaptation of Llody Jones' novel Mr Pip. Major companies Honda, Sony, Canadian Club and Tooheys have also filmed international advertising campaigns in Auckland in the past year.

But it's not just the big-budget international productions which keep the tills ringing, with major local productions like Nothing Trivial, Go Girls, Hounds, Auckland Days, Almighty Johnsons and local features like Sione's Wedding 2 also making an impact. Brook believed that local and international productions were drawn to Auckland because of the diversity and range of locations as well as the world-class talent. "We've got a really good world-class crew base here, which helps us a lot in terms of diversity in the crew base, we have a system structure to support production across various sectors - film, television and commercials," he said.

A huge drawcard for attracting big-budget productions to Auckland - and the rest of New Zealand - was the advantage of the low Kiwi dollar and our weather. "What really helps us, and for the rest of New Zealand as well, is the alternate seasons, especially for people in the northern hemisphere, if they're wanting a certain look and a certain season and the calendar is not going to work for them up in the northern hemisphere, it might work for them down here," said Brook. The Auckland figures come as game and digital media developers officially joined forces with Auckland's film industry to form the Auckland Screen and Digital Content Sector. The partnership, announced Friday, aims to ''unlock the city's economic potential across the wider screen and digital content sector'' by working together.

''Current screen production sector statistics don't include digital content and high value technology sectors such as gaming, digital media and software development. This strategy broadens the definition of the sector to include these increasingly significant areas,'' rigger Happy CEO and ASDCS co-chair Shona Grundy said. Grundy said the screen production sector has been identified as a potential growth sector by both Central Government and Auckland. "Its growth potential is increased exponentially when the high value digital content sector comes into the picture,'' she said.

[SYDNEY]

Filming for The Hobbit wraps up

Sir Peter Jackson has thanked cast and crew for their part in shooting The Hobbit. The director confirmed on his Facebook page today that principal photography for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey wound up today. "We made it! Shoot day 266 and the end of principal photography on The Hobbit," the Oscar-winning director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy posted. "Thanks to our fantastic cast and crew for getting us this far, and to all of you for your support! Next stop, the cutting room. Oh, and Comic Con." Within 25 minutes of the post appearing more than 8000 people had "liked" the update, and more than 1000 had shared it with others. The film is the first of two multimillion-dollar Hollywood blockbusters telling the story of hobbit Bilbo Baggins' quest into the heart of a dragon's treasure-laden lair. The film has been shot here in Wellington, with famous faces from the cast and crew becoming familiar sights around that city over the past two years. The world premiere will also be held in Wellington on November 28. Wellington City Council has set aside about $1 million for the event and has said it will be on a similar scale to The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King world premiere held in 2003, with a street parade and public entertainment.

[SYDNEY]

New Hobbit scenes revealed

Warner Bros has unveiled, via EW, a massive panoramic banner for Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Click here for full-size image. The epic scroll shows ten scenes featuring Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey, Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield, Jed Brophy as Nori, James Nesbitt as Bofur and many others. It also gives a first look at the character Beorn, a woodsman who has the ability to transform himself into a bear. The banner for the first of the two Hobbit movies was released for the Comic Con that starts this Thursday in San Diego. Jackson is to the travelling Comic Con and it is expected that more details about the movie will be released during a Hobbit panel on Saturday. After 266 days of shooting The Hobbit was completed last Friday and the stars celebrated the wrap on Saturday. On Sunday Jackson posted a new poster on his Facebook account. Shooting for both films was done simultaneously, but after the first movie premieres in November in Wellington, further work is expected to continue on the sequel next year.

[SYDNEY]

Film industry expects investment boost

Investment in the local film industry should be boosted by giant French film company Studio Canal's purchase of Hoyts Distribution in New Zealand. Studio Canal said yesterday it had bought Hoyts Distribution across Australasia, which is owned by Hoyts Group and in turn Private Equity Partners. While the Hoyts Cinema chain would remain under Hoyts Group ownership, Screen Production and Development Association chief executive Penelope Borland said Canal's investment in a distribution foothold in New Zealand could have much wider consequences. Borland hailed Studio Canal's announcement as "absolutely stunning news", in particular the statement that indicated the studio, one of Europe's largest film companies, would be willing to invest in both local and international films being made here.

"Getting investment up front... from someone like Canal Plus or Studio Canal could make all the difference to getting some really exciting local productions going in partnership with international partners," Borland said. She said Studio Canal's business model often involved co-producing films with various other investors, meaning they had a hand in making films that would not otherwise get made. In announcing the Hoyts purchase, Studio Canal chief executive Olivier Courson said the company would be "looking at new opportunities for its international productions in Australia, with its great talent and favourable tax incentives". Borland said she understood the comment also applied to New Zealand. "What tends to happen is that people know more about Australia because it's bigger, but our large budget grant scheme is virtually the same as the producer off-set [tax incentive] in Australia."

She pointed to Courson's statement that the company believed it could ''structure interesting local productions here" and that he referred to wanting to add staff over time to "drive the local production market". On the distribution side, Hoyts Distribution's local marketing director Elizabeth Trotman said her four-person Auckland office was already decorated with red, white and blue balloons in honour of the change of ownership. "Having a very big, reputable, experienced film company, the biggest in Europe with some very exciting productions in their pipeline, we feel very excited about our future with them," said Trotman. She said Hoyts Group's core business had always been exhibiting movies and it needed to focus on converting cinemas into the new digital format. "They're undergoing a lot of changes with the digital roll-out in their cinemas at the moment, so the investment required to do that is significant and obviously they continue to refurbish their sites across Australia and New Zealand so they need ongoing investment for that."

[SYDNEY]

Shopping channel hopes for half a million Kiwi women

The owner of New Zealand's first 24-hour television shopping channel is expecting over half a million Kiwi women to tune in every week. Ogilvy New Zealand boss Greg Partington said The Shopping Channel, launching in October, could well become the most watched channel on New Zealand screens. "Our research is telling us that New Zealand women will watch our channel, particularly our prime-time viewing. "We understand that we will get in excess of 600,000 Kiwi women watching the channel every week, and that's huge." The new channel will screen on channel 18 on Sky and Freeview, and will also stream live online. Auditions last month for local presenters saw about 350 Kiwis turn up in Auckland to show off their on-screen personalities by selling a pencil.

Shopping Channel chief executive Alistair Duff said the 350 had been whittled down to about 30 people who auditioned again yesterday. Around a dozen part-time presenters would be chosen. Full-time presenters already confirmed include Candy Lane, Monty Betham and Mike Puru. The channel would screen eight hours of live television every day, spilt into blocks according to particular categories. Between 6pm and 7pm, for example, the show would sell food and beverage products. A key measure of success would obviously be whether the channel sold its products, Partington said. "We just don't know. Although, we assume that if we make it easy for them to buy - and in most cases we deliver to their home in the next day or the day after - that buying actually happens.

Partington said the most challenging element to setting the channel up was working out why it was needed. "Once we understood the 'why', then the business started to happen and happen quickly." Research showed that 69 per cent of New Zealand women were buying offshore over the internet, Partington said. That could mean up to $1.5 billion was being spent overseas each year, he said. "The 'why' is that that is not in New Zealand's interests. The Shopping Channel is about what's good for New Zealand." The channel would provide a market place for Kiwi companies to test new products before taking those product to the world, he said. "I'm doing this because I think that matters. The Shopping Channel can single-handedly stimulate the NZ economy by stimulating NZ business."

"I want to encourage entrepreneurs and inventors and innovators to be able to design and manufacture and distribute products." Duff said the channel would generate 80 to 100 jobs straight off, made up by the likes of production crew, presenters and call centre staff. Between 30 and 50 companies had signed up to the sell products on the channel, and discussions were taking place with about 100 more, Duff said. "In terms of our revenue, it's been kick-started over the past eight weeks. We're on track," he said. The next five weeks would be about getting the right products, sold at the right time of day. Production would initially take place at Prime's studios in Albany before shifting to Sky's Mt Wellington studios after the Olympic Games. Partington said the venture was definitely not without its risks. "I do spend quite bit of time in the middle of the night worrying about how we're going to pull this business off."

[SYDNEY]

Jackson unveils new Hobbit footage

Peter Jackson has unveiled new footage from The Hobbit and plenty of behind-the-scenes material in his latest production video diary. The eighth video in Jackson's Facebook and YouTube video series was first unveiled at the recent Comic-Con in San Diego, and shows new scenes from the first of Jackson's highly anticipated two films, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The video, which covers the last five days of principal shooting, also shows Jackson's team making farewell speeches and saying their goodbyes on their final day together. One scene shows Sir Ian McKellen, who plays wise wizard Gandalf, hugging Jackson and placing Gandalf's hat on the director's head. The footage also gives a sense of the scale of the films, with sets being built overnight, costumes being constantly tweaked and altered, and random props - like intestines - being painted to look realistic.

"You literally just wake up every morning and go shoot a movie, and it seems to last a lifetime," says Jackson at one point. Another scene shows Martin Freeman, who plays Bilbo Baggins, joking around between takes, sitting at a table and quoting a line from comedy show Little Britain: "Write the theme tune, sing the theme tune." Later on, Freeman says: "I'll miss the camaraderie of the folks that we've built up and the cast and crew. We've spent an awful long of time together, there's like 12 or 13 of us that have been in a mini-army." Jackson recently announced that he could shoot more Hobbit footage - possibly turning the two Hobbit films into a trilogy - next year. He said there were more "challenges" ahead in post-production, and he would keep posting video updates during that process. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is due for release on December 14, with a world premiere being held on November 28 in Wellington. The sequel, There and Back Again, is due for release on December 13, 2013.

[SYDNEY]

Viewers take a peek at TV talent

A torrential downpour and work commitments failed to deter hundreds of people from queuing to watch the Auckland heats of New Zealand's Got Talent. The TV talent show hit the City of Sails this afternoon for the first of two days of auditions. About 35 acts will perform for the judges and live audience today with a similar number expected tomorrow. No details about the acts can be revealed until the show screens in September, as each contestant has signed a confidentiality agreement with TVNZ. The filmed show is expected to last three hours. This will be the performers' first time in front of the celebrity panel of judges - former model Rachael Hunter, OpShop singer Jason Kerrison and UB40's Ali Campbell. While the talent slipped through a back entrance to avoid spoiling the surprise, there were queues of excited audience members snaking around the TelstraClear Event Centre. Free tickets to the heats have been up for grabs online and organisers are expecting a big turnout. The venue can seat around 3,000 people. New Zealand's Got Talent first screened in New Zealand four years ago on Prime Television. This time around TVNZ is offering the $100,000 prize money. Tamati Coffey will host the show, which is due to screen in September.

[SYDNEY]

Third Hobbit film likely to happen

A third Hobbit film looks increasingly likely, with Hollywood studios keen to make it happen. Talks are underway between studio New Line Cinema, a subsidiary of Warner Bros, with actors and others needed to sign off the plan, The Los Angeles Times has reported. The newspaper estimates the budget so far for the franchise to be US$500 million ($639 m). Jackson let slip last week at pop culture expo Comic-Con in San Diego that he was considering splitting the second film into two parts. ''According to three people who were not authorised to speak publicly'' New Line Cinema was eager for a third film to be made and Jackson began serious discussions with the studio about two weeks ago. Talks with a number of The Hobbit actors - including Martin Freeman and Sir Ian McKellen - have been taking place in the last few weeks.

However The Los Angeles Times cautioned whether it was an absolute certainty that a third Hobbit film would be made, due to the numerous rights-holders and actors involved. What plot details would be held back for the third Hobbit and how the first and second would be shaped as a result, would be a critical question for fans. Of particular interest is whether Jackson would hold back the climactic battle that takes place at the end of The Hobbit book for the third movie, The Los Angeles Times said. If Jackson were to keep that battle in the second film, the third movie could centre on material from The Lord of the Rings appendixes, which have not previously been adapted for screen. Jackson finished up principal shooting on The Hobbit this month, with only a small amount of additional filming planned next year for part two, There and Back Again.

It was not clear how much additional shooting Jackson would have to undertake, or whether the additional picture could largely be crafted through artful editing of existing footage, which would bring the cost down. The franchise is seen as a comparatively safe bet in the risk-laden movie business. The movies in Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which focused on many of the same characters, grossed nearly US$3 billion worldwide. Due to the complicated rights history of The Hobbit, a number of stakeholders must agree to the plan for a third picture. Independent studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer controls 50 per cent of the film rights and international distribution, though it has contracted with Warner Bros. to handle those duties on the first two movies.

Producer Saul Zaentz has a long-running participation claim, as do Harvey and Bob Weinstein. The independent film moguls originally developed The Lord of the Rings movies when they ran Miramax Films. The Tolkien estate receives a share of the earnings from the movies but does not need to grant permission for additional productions. Breaking a single book into multiple movies has come into vogue in recent years as studios seek to wring value out of popular material. The Harry Potter, Twilight and Hunger Games franchises all split a single book into two pictures. But there is no known precedent for turning one book into three films. A spokesman for Jackson said the film-maker would not comment on the details in The Los Angeles Times article.

[SYDNEY]

Avatar Sequels in Wellington would provide a Timely Boost

Reports that the Avatar sequels are likely to be filmed in Wellington are exciting for the region according to the Wellington Employers’ Chamber of Commerce. “Wellington needs a boost and this announcement comes at a good time,” said Chamber President Richard Stone. “The first Avatar film injected about $100 million into the local economy and employed hundreds of people. If the filming of the sequels were to replicate this we would be very pleased. “As well as the direct impact, the production would have positive spinoffs from the increased exposure it provides. “James Cameron living in the region provides a vote of confidence for Wellington generally as well as the local film industry. “In addition to the sequels, we would welcome any investment he were to make in Wellington film production facilities. “The film industry is crucial to Wellington and continued activity is essential if it is to be maintained”, Mr Stone concluded.

[SYDNEY]

Jackson confirms 'Hobbit' trilogy

Peter Jackson has confirmed he'll add a third film to what was planned to be the two-part series The Hobbit. The director of the Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings movies announced on his Facebook page that after viewing a cut of the first film and part of the second that there was room for a third. Jackson said that a lot of JRR Tolkien's tale of Bilbo Baggins would remain untold if a third film wasn't made. The films are set in the fictional world of Middle Earth 60 years before The Lord of the Rings. "We recognised that the richness of the story of The Hobbit, as well as some of the related material in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, gave rise to a simple question: do we tell more of the tale?" Jackson said in a statement.

"And the answer from our perspective as filmmakers and fans was an unreserved, 'Yes.' " "We know how much of the tale of Bilbo Baggins, the Dwarves of Erebor, the rise of the Necromancer, and the Battle of Dol Guldur would remain untold if we did not fully realise this complex and wonderful adventure," he said. Reaction on Facebook was swift and overwhelmingly positive, with Jackson's statement receiving almost 12,000 "likes" in the hours after being posted. "I am so excited. Do whatever needs to be done, for I have complete faith in Peter Jackson, the cast, and the crew to make a ridiculously amazing trilogy yet again," posted fan Ariel Heiman. "Awesome! Pete, you're a true fan's director. Thanks to you and your extremely talented team!" said Michael Smith.

Some voiced concerns at the potential for story dilution. "I really hope this doesn't become like the split harry potter film, which was so drawn out the first one was terrible and nothing happened, this just seems like money grabbing," said Simon Bell. Warner Bros and MGM will continue their partnership to make the trilogy. The first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, hits theatres on December 14, while the second, The Hobbit: There and Back Again is set for release on December 13, 2013. The third film will come out in 2014. All three movies are being shot in digital 3D in New Zealand, which is home to Jackson's Weta Digital special effects house. Principal photography recently finished on the first two films. Jackson, his wife Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro are listed as co-writers of the first two films

[SYDNEY]

Move to digital TV growing

With less that two months to go before television in the first regions go digital 86 per cent of households nationally are ready for the change. The latest Going Digital research from Colmar Brunton shows a two per cent increase nationally in the number of households who have gone digital since the last report in April. In the first regions to go digital, Hawke’s Bay and the West Coast, more than nine out of 10 homes are ready. “Hawke’s Bay and the West Coast go digital on 30 September and while most households are ready, I do expect that there will be some people who don’t go digital and won’t be able to watch TV. Our aim is for people to make an informed choice,” said Going Digital National Manager Greg Harford.

New Zealand is going digital in stages over the next 16 months. After Hawke’s Bay and the West Coast go digital in September the rest of the South Island will be next on 28 April 2013 followed by the lower North on 29 September 2013 and finally the upper North Island on 1 December next year. After each region goes digital everybody in those areas will need Freeview or SKY if they want to watch TV. “As many people have already found going digital is easy. You don’t need a new TV but you will need some new equipment such as a set-top box or TV with Freeview built-in together with a UHF aerial or a satellite set-top box along with a satellite dish,” said Mr Harford. Everyone can find out what they need to go digital by visiting www.goingdigital.co.nz/myhouse.html and typing in the address where the TV is located.

For more information on the move to digital TV call 0800 838 800 or visit www.goingdigital.co.nz.

[IThomas]

Block director: TVNZ7 was savable

The director of TV3's hit reality TV show The Block says the free-to-air TVNZ7 channel needn't have been closed, and she suspects Television New Zealand may have let the highbrow channel die to “make a point” about funding cuts. Julie Christie, whose knack for selling reality TV formats has made her a millionaire, said TVNZ7 could have continued with a few changes, even though the Government refused to fund it. Replaced by a “Plus One” channel rebroadcasting TV One an hour later, it had been running since 2009, and the closure sparked protests and a "Save TVNZ7" Facebook campaign. “With some clever integration, it could easily still exist. You have to wonder if TVNZ was making a point. If I'd been in charge I'd have absorbed costs and kept it going.”

She said the channel could have used TVNZ local programming that airs in poor slots on TV One and TV2, in prime time. “What are your choices at 7pm? It's current affairs or Shortland St. What would you rather have? "That's what I'd be looking at. There's some good fringe stuff on the mainstream channels that's better than what was being made for TVNZ7. There are 5.30pm fishing shows, and little travel shows. Something that goes at 10pm on One could easily have gone at 7pm on TVNZ7.” Her version of TVNZ7 would have a different character, but “in a country this size, we can afford only so much niche TV”. She said TVNZ7 had carried shows that "didn't deserve to be on” but she liked political chat-show Back Benches. “That's a show I'd really like to make, its quirkiness is fantastic. NZ On Air should fund it for TV One at 9.30pm.”

Christie said TVNZ7 could also have done “a lot more news-wise", but she suspected it would have been difficult with the “we-will-not-change” attitudes in news. TVNZ spokeswoman Megan Richards said the point of a public service channel was that it supplied material to meet the needs of a country's many niche audiences. "What public broadcasting is not, is another channel to rerun shows that already have a place in a commercial mass broadcaster's schedule. TVNZ is expected to make a solid return on investment. It would not have been possible for us to justify diverting our profit into subsidising a channel that gave no financial return.”

[IThomas]