New Zealand Falling Behind in New Digital Media Ventures

Click to download report (.PDF format 59 Pages)
2014 Edition - Journalism, Media and Democracy (JMAD) New Zealand media ownership report [Update 8 Dec]

New Zealand media market lacks in innovation and in new digital media ventures according to the fourth Journalism, Media and Democracy (JMAD) New Zealand media ownership report released today. The JMAD report also finds it alarming that all the attempts to establish new alternative journalistic outlets in New Zealand have come to nothing.

“New Zealand clearly lacks behind the global trend in new digital media innovation. Other similar size markets have successfully produced new media outlets. There is no reason why New Zealand couldn’t do the same”, says the report’s author Merja Myllylahti.

The report finds it worrying that the traditional New Zealand media companies are increasingly owned by fund managers and bankers. Large financial institutions currently hold 67.7 per cent of Fairfax shares, 58 per cent of APN shares, 84 per cent of Sky TV shares, and 100 per cent of MediaWorks shares.

“Financialised ownership impacts newsrooms and journalistic practices as seen in the case of Fairfax. In Australia, the company continues layoffs, and journalists are now expected to edit their own copy, take photographs and moderate online commenting”, says Myllylahti.

According to the report, there is evidence that uncomfortable alliances between commercial and political outlets and media are increasing. As The Dirty Politics book revealed, politicians and public relations practitioners are increasingly using citizen and legacy media outlets to drive their own agendas.

In 2014 the convergence between in New Zealand mass media and the communications sector was in full swing, the report observes. Companies, such as Spark started to compete head-to-head with the traditional broadcasters in the online on-demand video market. The American online video subscription service Netflix is also launching in the New Zealand market in March next year.

JMAD is AUT University’s Centre for Journalism, Media and Democracy. For more information, visit: http://www.aut.ac.nz/study-at-aut/study-areas/communications/media-networks/journalism,-media-and-democracy-research-centre/journalists-and-projects

Previous JMAD report press releases:

2013 - Blogs have become more influential and prominent in NZ
2102 - Shrinking local media a threat to New Zealand’s democracy
2011 - The future of New Zealand media even more unpredictable

ENDS

© Scoop Media