ScreenScribe

First it was TVNZ that quit the Freeview platform to focus on expanding TVNZ OnDemand as a unique streaming platform; now Freeview boss Jason Foden is leaving the service, with Freeview product manager Leon Mead taking over as acting general manager. Here’s the media release: Departure of Freeview CEO Jason Foden Freeview’s Chief Executive Officer […]

TVNZ is offering a world first with an Interactive Connected TV initiative for TVNZ OnDemand that works on Chromecast and Android TV. The new service lets advertisers customise their video content so viewers can use their remote controls to learn more about products and brands. Here’s the media release: Interactive Connected TV is now available […]

Sky and Freeview today announced Prime could be streamed in HD on the SmartVU X streaming dongle and will be extended to other devices next year. The initiative coincides with Prime going HD on Freeview’s UHF service years after it was upgraded to 1080i on Sky’s satellite platform. Previous Sky CEO John Fellet long argued the […]

   Freeview UHF viewers can watch Prime TV in HD. The upgrade happened overnight and coincides with Prime’s owner, Sky, today relaunching BBC UKTV and BBC Earth in HD. The BBC channels are quasi HD (1440 x 1080i) but Prime offers 1920 x 1080i resolution (the not-so-good news is audio appears to be stereo only). […]

Sky has confirmed Prime will start broadcasting in HD on the Freeview platform as soon as next month. Full details are expected to be released next week but the confirmation is good news for viewers who don’t subscribe to Sky’s satellite service or Vodafone TV, hitherto the only platforms on which you could view Prime […]

TVNZ OnDemand will premiere the latest attempt to adapt Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 to the screen on May 18. Mike Nichols’ 1970 movie was a flop and Richard Dreyfus failed to spawn a series from a 1973 pilot commissioned off the back of M*A*S*H’s success. The six-hour series, which George Clooney produced, directed and stars in, […]

Streaming services have skyrocketed demand for broadband in NZ, with the latest Chorus figures revealing a 35% data hike year-on-year. Last month the average New Zealand home used about 234GB of broadband data, or the equivalent of streaming nearly 80 hours of Netflix, compared with 172GB in November 2017. “Most homes across the country now […]

Funding agency NZ On Air reports online media closing the gap but traditional broadcast still dominant with most Kiwis. Here’s the press release and a link to the full report: The way New Zealanders consume media continues to change, although the pace of change is slowing, and traditional broadcast media still leads the pack, just. […]

Maori TV will use the NZ HD premiere of 1952 Oscar-winner High Noon to launch a season of Paramount Pictures classics in 1080i. Director Fred Zinnemann’s western won three Oscars, including best actor for Gary Cooper, and was nominated for best picture (it lost to what’s widely regarded as “the worst best picture winner ever”). […]

MediaWorks’ new lifestyle channel, ThreeLife, will be available in HD on the Freeview|HD platform. It goes to air on April 15 with a reality-driven schedule that includes Married At First Sight USA, Restaurant Revolution and Bondi Vet. Each night will have a different programming theme, such as food on Mondays, DIY on Thursdays and romance […]