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NZ bites back: Australia makes bad TV too

NZ media responds to claims the worst of their shows are being dumped in Australia for content points.

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2013-01-12_1641New Zealand media is responding to claims that the worst of their television shows are being dumped in Australia for content points by Australian networks.

The comments follow reports on both TV Tonight and the Sydney Morning Herald. The latter was light-heartedly critical of the standard of some shows.

But NZ Herald critic Colin Hogg said “We’re sharing the pain. We export some of our [bad programmes] to them and they export some of theirs to us.

No arguments there.

He said people needed to remember that budgets in New Zealand were significantly lower than those available across the Tasman.

“In the bigger markets, they make a lot of drama and comedy and sort of throw it at the wall like mud and see what sticks – we can’t afford to do that here.”

Chief executive of NZ On Air -the equivalent of Screen Australia- Jane Wrightson said Kiwi programmes were as good as any in the world and were generally made for a third less than Australian programmes.

But let’s be clear: NZ certainly makes some entertaining stuff and sometimes it’s bolder than much of what we come up with. Outrageous Fortune is the best thing they have made in recent years.

A Seven source, in commenting on my article, recently told me they run enough local docos to meet their doco quota regardless pf the NZ programming, but acknowledged others might be using NZ drama to meet their drama points.

Nevertheless, the NZ content we’re talking about is played in summer (non) ratings and is almost never pitted against first-run Aussie content during ratings.

It’s almost enough to put you off your fush and chups.

20 Responses

  1. With the ABC getting more government money for drama, wasn’t Australian Drama production up in 2012?

    I read an article that said it was so what is the crisis?
    Look just like good old fashion rent seeking.

    The high dollar is always going to count against Australian TV and Movie production though. As is the fact that TV revenues have halved.

  2. As Dave & Shazz touched on, maybe the TV networks & ACMA can see the future coming? New Zealand should really be another state of Australia anyway. 😉

  3. As a NZer, I thought the SMH article had a point. We do make a lot of crap TV in NZ. I just didn’t appreciate the no-doubt lighthearted reference to NZers being welfare bludgers in Australia. This gets referenced way too much. Of course there are NZers bludging off the system in Australia (although they cannot access it for their first 2 years in Australia), but I reject the idea that we are a nation of deadbeats. I appreciate that Australians must be sick of being swamped by NZers, but as a tourist who spends a lot of money holidaying in Australia (and loving it), I could do without the ‘jokes’ that we are all bums. Perfectly happy with jokes about our accent and our love of sheep though.

  7. I actually like shows like Motorway Patrol, Go Girls, Outrageous Fortune and SCU. There is some good content coming out of NZ but there is a lot of rubbish coming from all around the world. Just look at how many crap shows the US continue to roll out each and every year, especially stupid comedies.

  9. “NZ certainly makes some entertaining stuff and sometimes it’s bolder than much of what we come up with.”

    Sometimes? Outside the occasional programme on the ABC (I guarantee The Straits will be seen as a comedy classic in years to come), it’s been a long time since we’ve seen any prime-time show as original & innovative as Outrageous Fortune or The Almighty Johnsons from an Australian network.

  12. This wouldn’t be an issue if NZ had simply joined the Federation in 1901 like originally intended. The colonial administrators never intended for NZ to be a separate country.

  13. I enjoy the NZ shows, Outrageous Fortune, Go Girls, Almighty Johnsons and The Cult, the other “factual’ ones I don’t watch, then again I don’t watch the Aussie versions of them either.

    Would probably watch the drama type ones no matter what time they where on and when you see all the Swamp People type shows on, I can’t see why they can’t be on during ratings periods.

    Sure using them off as local content is not good, however some of the drama ones remind me of the days of Number 96, The Box, Pacific Drive, Chances on Aust TV. I loved all that stuff, sometimes even mediocre TV can be entertaining and I wish Aust (and the audiences) would return to it.

    Nothing wrong with taking your brain out and watching all that type of stuff at the end of the day, the endless procedurals just remind us of what the world is like outside (ripped from the headlines ones). I can see that on the News, give the larger than life characters of Outrageous Fortune, The Almighty Johnsons and Go Girls any day of the week.

  16. It still surprises me that the major Australian networks haven’t bought into the NZ market and vice versa. if the networks joined forces (with an increase of local content required) there would be bigger budgets and more to watch.

  17. Australians sound like they are saying

    feeesh and cheeps (sorry had to post that)

    I think shows like Motorway Patrol and SCU are quite good shows coming from NZ. You do notice a difference on shows like Home and Away vs Shortland Street though.

  19. The budget constraints are obviously a factor – but that doesn’t explain why NZ’S version of “The Block” should have been more aptly titled “Bogans with a Paintbrush”. Seriously terrible.

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