Strategic Framework For A Sustainable Media System Published Today

The Strategic Framework for a Sustainable Media System has been published today, providing a roadmap to guide the work that Manatū Taonga - Ministry for Culture and Heritage - can do in partnership with the media sector to support a vibrant, trusted and diverse media system in Aotearoa.

The Strategic Framework for a Sustainable Media System has been developed to provide a foundation for future policy decisions and a way to assess the effectiveness of various policy, regulatory and funding initiatives.

In recent years, the New Zealand media system has experienced considerable change, with the shift toward digital content, fragmenting of audience consumption and a decline of traditional revenue streams. COVID-19 exacerbated these changes with advertising spend down and viewership up.

The Government’s current policy work programme includes supporting local media organisations to negotiate with digital platforms for the use of news content online, reviewing content regulations such as harmful communications and misinformation, media diversity, and ensuring a strong public media service to support Aotearoa’s diverse communities and aspirations.

This policy work builds on the Government’s recent funding support for the media sector, such as the $50 million Covid Response Package for the media sector, and the Public Interest Journalism Fund, which allocated $55 million to provide targeted, short to medium-term protection of public interest journalism.

The Framework also provides a means to evaluate and guide Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage’s future media policy work programme.

In developing the Strategic Framework, Manatū Taonga consulted with government organisations, media organisations, academics, unions and industry associations.

Find out more on our website: Strategic Framework for a Sustainable Media System.

Background notes:

• The evolution of digital technology has led to a fundamental shift in the way that people consume media, as New Zealand audiences consume less media content from linear and traditional mediums such as radio, newspapers and television, and consume greater amounts of media from digital mediums such as video-on-demand, online video, streaming platforms, and informal digital media. - Online video: used daily by 59 percent of the population (14 percent increase over five years) - Linear TV: used daily by 56 percent of the population (17 percent decrease over five years) - Broadcast radio: used daily by 47 percent of the population (12 percent decrease over five years) - Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD): used daily by 51 percent of the population (28 percent increase over five years)
• The media, as an economic sector, employs approximately 14,000 people and contributes $2 billion in Gross Domestic Product in New Zealand directly and up to $4.7 billion to the wider economy, with the vast majority from commercial media.
• In addition, the advertising industry-providing the majority of funding for commercial media-contributes up to $6 billion to Gross Domestic Product every year.
• Between 2011 and 2020 newspaper advertising revenue in New Zealand fell from $533 million to $219 million, while digital advertising expenditure more than tripled to $1.6 billion.
• Census data reveals that the number of journalists employed fell from 4,284 in 2006 to 2,061 by 2018.

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