Some TVNZ OnDemand viewers have reported feeling alarmed at a series of ads that address them by their names. So how does it work? Jihee Junn finds out. Recently in a Spinoff Facebook group, a rather lively discussion was sparked by a post about an ad shown on streaming platform TVNZ OnDemand. “Does the Skinny … Read more
Even bigger than the Rugby World Cup, Spark’s acquisition of six years of local cricket signals the end of a sporting era – and that the telco giant is deadly serious about sports, writes Duncan Greive. Subterfuge is a time-honoured sporting technique, present in all codes from one degree to another. The dummy and side-step … Read more
Vodafone TV is yet another damn thing to plug into your television – but one you really should take a look at, says Duncan Greive. What is it? A small box – about the size of a sandwich – which you plug into an HDMI port on your television, along with a simple remote to … Read more
The big boys are here and they want to make it clear: they do not like young women raising their voices. Josie Adams on Mike Hosking and Duncan Garner’s visceral reactions to a tearful 16-year-old telling them to emit less. Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg’s global reprimand at the UN this week was delivered in … Read more
Otago University’s student magazine Critic Te Arohi has had a stellar couple of years, producing bold, disruptive journalism that delights in poking authority with a large stick. Respective editors have taken the same approach to their covers, producing a number of anarchic images designed to provoke and titillate (with great success). As anyone in magazine … Read more
Could Spark’s Rugby World Cup streaming failure force a pragmatic alliance with Sky? Trevor McKewen asks what this would mean for each of the corporate giants – and NZ Rugby. Spark Sport has just dumped incoming New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson with his first serious challenge. The streaming platforms “abject disaster” – as … Read more
Covering Climate Now: Alex Casey watches 2040, a climate change documentary determined to let the light in. I’ve seen enough documentaries about climate change to know what I don’t want to see anymore. I don’t want Leonardo DiCaprio stroking his goatee on a sheet of ice and saying “folks: it’s bad”. I don’t want Al … Read more
Facing streaming giants with multi-billion dollar budgets, the state broadcaster has announced it expects a big 2020 loss. Duncan Greive goes to find out why TVNZ CEO Kevin Kenrick is still smiling. Kevin Kenrick is dreaming big. “I think our biggest competition, because of their ability to wrap their hands around the digital revenue streams, … Read more
It’s one of the great genres of New Zealand news: the unusual thing that just blocked our main arterial road. Here’s a sampler. The Timaru sea lion A repeat offender. “He’s just living up what we have to offer here in Timaru … He’s been having fun as young guys tend to do,” said Timaru … Read more
‘A girl’s best friend’ was Creme magazine’s tagline, and for many girls growing up in New Zealand in the early 2000s, that was absolutely true. Five years after Creme shuttered, Amanda Robinson looks back at a teen phenomenon. When I think of Creme magazine I think of grocery shopping at the Foodtown in Glenfield Mall, … Read more
Leading New Zealand broadcaster has many questions for himself. As one of New Zealand’s leading broadcasters, Mike Hosking asks a lot of people a lot of questions. Including himself. Drawn from his published opinion pieces from the last few months, here is a selection of Hosking asking questions and answering them. Are the Asian internet … Read more
Analysis of New Zealand media headlines reveals a lot of people slamming a lot of other people. Slamming is at epidemic levels in New Zealand news. Drawn from just the last month, we present a selection of slamming. On July 27 A union boss slammed David Clark On July 29 Police slammed a dangerous photographer … Read more
Two recent scientific discoveries rocked us to our fossily core, but there’s a bigger, more shocking story to be told. Who are the silhouette people? Tara Ward finds out. It’s been a big month for bones. First, New Zealand scientists uncovered evidence that a giant parrot once roamed the country around 19 million years ago, … Read more
Lists are good and so are Sundays. We combine both those things in a new Spinoff feature. This week: Headlines from the past six months about the the Reserve Bank governor, Adrian Orr RBNZ prepares to stick its Orr in ASB, March 29 Banks Orr-struck yet again The Australian, April 10 Big banks brace for … Read more
Could a new hybrid of all the government’s major media holdings solve multiple media and government problems? The media industry, despite what some of us might like to believe, really doesn’t matter all that much economically. Doesn’t employ all that many people. Relatively low wage. Provides a vital service that keeps your democracy vaguely upright … Read more
The ancient Australian shock-jock yesterday targeted Jacinda Ardern, urging Australia’s PM to ‘shove a sock down her throat’. It’s all in keeping with a substantial history of being an arse. The plucky nation of Australia excels in a range of endeavours, but nowhere more than the angry, anguished howls of bloated, Jurassic men. It’s a … Read more
The old utopian ideal of an unmoderated free speech arena can’t survive this upswing in right wing violence, writes the co-author of a report calling for greater regulation of the internet. Like many people my age, I feel like I grew up both on and with the internet. There was an amazing sense of freedom … Read more
Cameron Slater’s mendacious, bullshit-ridden site has finally been shut down – and yet, somehow, the grift goes on, writes reformed blogger Danyl Mclauchlan I once had a blog on the internet. This was during the golden age of blogging, the late 2000s and early 2010s; a window when blogs were new and interesting and – … Read more
The white supremacist terrorist who killed 20 people in El Paso over the weekend claimed direct inspiration from the Christchurch mosque shootings. Don Rowe explores how our darkest day became an aspirational target for the far right. Scrolling 8chan after another white supremacist terrorist attack was foreshadowed on the site over the weekend I flicked … Read more
Air New Zealand released their new safety video this morning, featuring the legendary Louis Litt from legal drama Suits. Tara Ward buckles up to watch. Prepare yourself for the brace position, because Air New Zealand just dropped its latest safety video. In typical Air New Zealand safety fashion, it’s filled with famous faces like Cliff Curtis, George … Read more
The most notorious publication of the digital media era in New Zealand has closed down for good. Alex Braae writes the obituary to Whaleoil. It is customary to say kind words about a person or entity when they leave this world forever. So what then can one say about Whaleoil, the blog which in 2014 … Read more
Despite two unsuccessful appeals against his convictions for child sex abuse, doubts around the reliability of the evidence against Peter Ellis have hung heavy for almost three decades. Yesterday it was announced that the Supreme Court would give him an opportunity to clear his name. What’s all this then? Peter Ellis, a convicted child sex … Read more
Two months of sustained coverage of the local elections, all around New Zealand – brought to you by The Spinoff Members. Plus, a week concentrating on climate change. A month ago, we launched The Spinoff Members – a new initiative to enable our readers to contribute to our work both financially, and with editorial guidance. … Read more
The state-owned broadcaster has quietly announced it sees no prospect of paying a dividend in the ‘foreseeable future’ TVNZ has told its government owner that it will in effect become a not-for-profit, with the goal of returning a dividend jettisoned in favour of a focus on “the future sustainability of the business”. In the annual … Read more
Spark has issued a blunt invitation to Sky TV to get into the ring over the fight for Kiwi sports fans and their eyeballs. This week Sky’s CEO took that up. There were moments at Sky TV’s relaunch of its sports product which felt like those famous Apple annual conventions the late Steve Jobs used … Read more
Emily Writes dives once more into the frozen gaping maw of online news, so you don’t have to. What a week! Boris is PM and he’s already fucked off the Queen by revealing the sweet nothings she whispered in his ear. He said the Queen told him privately: “I don’t know why anyone would want … Read more
The Australian Communication and Media Authority has identified ‘serious questions’ about the screening of images from the Christchurch terrorist attack, but declined to find a specific breach. Coverage of the Christchurch terrorism by Australia’s television channels raised “serious questions” about whether they had breached the television codes of practice, according to the broadcasting regulator, the … Read more
Kris Faafoi sits down with The Spinoff’s managing editor to discuss all that bedevils a rowdy sector with big problems and high expectations. After months of trying, the new broadcasting minister Kris Faafoi finally arrived at The Spinoff’s offices for an interview in early March. It was 4pm on Friday, and we drank a beer … Read more
While researching NZ on Air for a recent history, Duncan Greive noticed a shocking 30 year trend. News broke over the weekend that Love Island NZ, Three’s biggest announcement of the year, will now not screen in 2019, and realistically is unlikely to be made at all now. The fall of a much-discussed, much-critiqued reality TV … Read more