Another $1.6m in funding for reality tv - let the whinging begin

I have some great news for all those people who wished NZ On Air hadn’t given TVNZ $1.6m in funding for New Zealand’s Got Talent.  There will be no funding for TVNZ to produce the show in 2013.

Instead, NZ On Air has announced that they will be giving $1.6m in funding to Mediaworks for a local version of The X Factor in 2013.  Oh, I can hear the thunder of fists on desks rolling in the distance.

So this announcement means that TVNZ will either need to get their sponsors to dig deeper in order to get a third series of the phenomenally high rating show to air or put it to bed until it can secure funding again.  If TVNZ does decide to cover the costs of producing the show, rest assured the usual suspects will complain that taxpayer money is still being spent to produce television they only secretly watch.  Either way, TVNZ producing the show will draw criticism.

$1.6m in funding for TV3 will be a fantastic shot in the arm for the company that has had more than its fair share of financial woes over the years.  They’ve proven they can produce quality television that rates and performs for their advertisers so this will be their biggest opportunity to finally convince people to pick up their remotes and discover what the buttons do.

New Zealand’s Got Talent rated through the roof for TVNZ on its opening night and revealed that the acts were good and entertaining.  Even if The X Factor New Zealand performs half as well, it will be an enormous success for TV3 and we simply cannot wait!

In the meantime, the chorus of whingers will let their voices be heard.  Until, that is, those with far more talent and charisma steal the limelight and deliver New Zealand a new generation of performers we can fall in love with.

 

About the author

Regan is one of the co-founders of Throng Media.
He's currently watching Survivor, Homeland, House, Glee and can't wait for the return of Game of Thrones.
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  • Reece_555

    Not too concerned with the allocation of funds for commercial shows.

    But here i begin my whinging chorus (as you put it Regan) have we all forgotten NZ Idol (yes I know it rated) it looked cheap and the talent…. well. I think the country still has a cringe factor for that show. The only longevity any contestant from Idol had was to be involved with self parodies along with Jono Pryor and Ben Boyce. I hope these aren’t the generation of performers that we fell in love with that you’re referring to Regan.

    But i will still watch the auditions episodes to cringe and no doubt whinge on this very website :)

    • http://www.facebook.com/rachel.cunliffe Rachel Cunliffe

      The tweens and teens were the ones who fell head over heels in love with the Idol contestants hehe.

    • http://www.facebook.com/reganjcunliffe Regan Cunliffe

      Reece, the longevity of any artist from NZ Idol had nothing to do with the show itself but rather the incompetent music industry “professionals” who failed to turn 18 weeks of prime time television into financial gain. The prize was a recording contract with a major record label, was it not? It most certainly wasn’t with TVNZ.

      Contrast this to Masterchef and even New Zealand’s Next Top Model. Some people have figured out how to turn 18 weeks of advertising into a viable commercial activity.

      Sadly, we’re all aware of how backward looking the music industry has been. I’d suggest that people have learnt from their mistakes and understand that unless you get it right, you can kiss any chance of additional seasons goodbye.

      It’s about time we had someone take the TV talent show seriously in this country and not only produce a winner, but someone who can develop a global career.

      Could New Zealand produce the next One Direction? There is no reason why it couldn’t.

      • http://www.facebook.com/david.i.batten Dave Ian Batten

        Good point. Although looking back at NZ Idol, it was a mildly produced program. And I guess to a degree it was good, because that to me is how you can figure out what works and what doesn’t.

        Having said that, New Zealand is a small country, and that’s why people moan about these types of shows. I’ve seen it time and time again. But I believe it’s fixable, and we can do better.

  • R

    When did TVNZ come up with the idea of a local version of ‘Got Talent’? Surely it wasn’t before TV3 who came up with ‘The X Factor NZ’ in 2009/10. Why didn’t NZ On Air fund ‘The X Factor’ first?

    • Reece_555

      Uncertainty seemed to surround the NZ X Factor ever since TV3 announced it back in 2010. Maybe they committed to a local version when getting the US X Factor rights to avoid it going to TVNZ and then didn’t know what to do. TV3 might not have been brave enough to ask for NZ On Air for funding, but when TVNZ did it paved a way.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=684221341 Trevor Ashman

    It’s great news about a NZ X- Factor …..I think we should get Geri Halliwell as a judge :)

  • bobscoffee

    The NZ music industry in general is in the pits. NZ music isn’t that great. NZ Idol winner coming up with terrible ‘winners singles’ wouldn’t have helped their cause.

    I would much rather see money going into NZ’s Got Talent than X-Factor, at least there’s some variety in it than another music talent show with an ill-conceived format.

  • http://www.facebook.com/david.i.batten Dave Ian Batten

    The difference between NZ’s Got Talent and The X Factor is Got Talent’s prize is money, and The X Factor’s prize is a recording contract. Why bother? It’s not going to work. Put the $1.6m into something else, because the winner would more than likely to be forgotten 3 months after.

  • David Finch

    ” If TVNZ does decide to cover the costs of producing the show, rest
    assured the usual suspects will complain that taxpayer money is still
    being spent to produce television they only secretly watch. ” Or…. “If anyone dares to complain about massive investment of public money in highly commercial television programmes, rest assured the usual suspects at Throng will complain that they are elitist hypocrites who secretly watch programmes they pretend to have no interest in.” Works both ways Regan. Personally I have no problem with public funding for popular content but NZ on Air – the only public service television mechanism we currently have – is delivering an increasingly narrow range of programmes. I think that’s what most of the so-called “whinging” has been about.

    • http://www.facebook.com/reganjcunliffe Regan Cunliffe

      I can’t agree that NZ On Air’s content funding is narrow. NZGT and Back Benches are at opposite ends of the spectrum, really.

    • http://www.facebook.com/david.i.batten Dave Ian Batten

      Yeah. Well that’s another factor. But having said that, New Zealand has a “low level” market for these types of shows, that we have a low expectation of them. And yet they put on stuff like American Idol, which is imported from Fox. See, that to me is a waist of money. Because that money should be used for a kiwi comedy show of something.

  • ira1956

    Isn’t TVNZ and NZ On Air the same company [NZ Taxpayers]. I also am looking forward to XFactor coming to NZ! SIMON COWELL! Will you bring Rhema Marvanne with you when you come over! PLEZ! PLEZ! PLEZ!

  • ira1956

    PLEZZZZ NZ Xfactor can we have Rhema Marvanne and Jessie Hillel singing a few [hundred] songs on NZ Xfactor 2013!!! PLEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!