Following four weeks of shooting on location in Nelson, Kiwi Flyer has wrapped, with many of the cast and crew making a sad departure.

“Filming in Nelson has been just fantastic,” says Christchurch-based director and co-writer Tony Simpson. “The weather has been stunning – clear blue skies almost continuously and the people have been marvellous, so generous and supportive…”

“NZ On Air has too often rewarded mediocrity. How often have I attended Qantas Awards and heard the winners declare “this is simply the best team”, or “we worked so hard on this and deserve recognition”, when the television show or short film has appeared once in off-peak, or was dropped after a few weeks of ratings failure, or did not produce the ratings needed to justify the investment. There is a reluctance to reward success. Outrageous Fortune is a good example where the battle to secure funding for years 4, 5 and 6 was significant – and without which, the programme could not be made…”

MediaWorks surprised media and ad agencies in Wellington this morning when it revealed TV3 and C4 would be targeting older demographics next year.
TV3 will seek to seize the 25-54 year-olds mantle from a struggling TV One while C4, which will be rebranded FOUR, is to become a big-gun entertainment channel with its sights fixed on 18-49 year-olds.

The strategy behind TVNZ’s investment in TiVo is becoming clearer as the big picture emerges about the PVR icon’s plans to become the Netflix of Asia.
The company that’s the exclusive licensee of TiVo in NZ and Australia, Hybrid Television Services, has revealed video on demand (VOD) ambitions that could see its content reaching “millions” of viewers this time next year.

RadiRadiRah’s prospects for renewal look promising after consolidating its Friday night viewership between Glee and 7 Days.
“Given how the rest of our schedule is doing – we have some very soft performers at the moment – I think it’s holding its own,” MediaWorks TV programming chief Kelly Martin says.
“We have had conversations about another series, but so far that’s as far as it’s gone. Personally, I like the idea of developing and building series rather than just canning them after one season.

Kiwi broadcasters are among the 1250 buyers in Los Angeles this week for a sneak peek of what they hope will be their next primetime titans.