Opportunities galore in TVNZ new season line-up

TVNZ has unveiled a strong programming catalogue for 2015, featuring a multitude of opportunities for advertisers.

“After a stellar 2014 which saw TVNZ hold the number one programme in every key genre, 2015 will not only see the return of many of these shows, but also the best new content from at home and around the world,” says TVNZs head of sales & marketing Jeremy O’Brien.

“Media is on a journey of evolution, and at the forefront is video content. Of all the hours that Kiwis view, the vast majority is TV content, and we’re proud that 3.4 million New Zealanders find their favourite programmes courtesy of TVNZ each week.

“With the enormous line-up we’ve got in store for 2015, we have ample content to continue providing must-watch TV every day of the week, regardless of the screen you’re seeing it on. For our partners, this breadth of content means the ability to reach Kiwis from all walks of life.”

A $100 million commitment to local production will mean even more ground-level opportunities for brands to reach their targets, and TVNZ continuing to find innovative ways to help them do so.

The original format multi-night series Our First Home will partner with BNZ, Fly Buys and Toyota to take viewers on an emotive journey, on-screen and across digital activation to see just how far parents will go to help their children, especially when they’re faced with the challenges that home ownership presents to young people today.

TVNZ has also unveiled plans for its brand new primetime lifestyle show Kiwi Living, featuring everything that New Zealanders love about the lifestyle we have down under, with segments such as cooking with celebrities, gardening tips, travel planning, health, DIY and pet advice.

“Our First Home and Kiwi Living will build on TVNZ’s track record of integrated production formats that are co-developed with our advertising partners,” says O’Brien. “For Our First Home we worked with our partners from the early development stages, as part of our continuing commitment to partner brands and content for the maximum benefit of both clients and viewers.

“Kiwi Living remains in early development and we are having positive conversations with a number of potential partners.”

After reaching an average audience of over 400,000 people per episode, and helping key sponsor Genesis to win new customers, MKR NZ will return for a second season, and will aim to set the bar even higher for audiences and advertisers alike.

As part of the 4100 hours of local content due on TVNZ platforms next year, viewers can also expect New Zealand’s only locally made drama about WWI, the big-budget When We Go To War. There will also be the joint New Zealand/Australian drama 800 Words, starring Erik Thompson (Packed to the Rafters) as a recently widowed Sydney father uprooting his teenage sons for the quiet life in small-town New Zealand.

International distribution deals will see the continuation of hugely popular shows like The Big Bang Theory and Broadchurch, plus the arrival of some of overseas audiences’ favourite new productions, including the USA’s number one new drama, How To Get Away With Murder, starring double-Academy Award-nominee Viola Davis.

The remake of cult classic Thunderbirds Are Go will be a joint production between ITV and Pukeko Pictures, using cutting edge animation from Weta Workshop; and the much-anticipated drama Aquarius, starring David Duchovny, will follow the notorious Charles Manson lead murders.

“Committed to engaging Kiwis’ hearts and minds with content on every screen, TVNZ’s successful strategy of premiering new and returning shows OnDemand saw a record 6.3 million streams in October 2014 alone, and resounding feedback of audience appreciation,” O’Brien said.

“With on-going investment and development into this service, viewer registration for TVNZ OnDemand will help to give an even deeper understanding of what Kiwis love, and will eventually provide new levels of insight for advertisers.

“TVNZ will continue to help brands reach their targets through traditional advertising placement, programme integration and beyond. With an established and successful production partnerships division, and leveraging the creative and production capability of in-house agency Blacksand, the opportunities exist to deliver sustained business results for clients.

“You only need to look at Spark’s Tech in a Sec, Mitres 10’s Easy As or Lion Breweries’ The Mix campaigns – in their second, third and fourth years respectively – to see that these production partnerships work, and that we’re continually adding new production solutions to complement our established client media relationship.”

• For more details of TVNZ’s 2015 programming, go here: www.tvnznewseason.co.nz

HIGHLIGHTS FROM TVNZ’S NEW SEASON

New to TV ONE

• When We Go To War – as New Zealand prepares to mark the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, this local drama was made with funding from New Zealand On Air’s premiere Platinum Fund.  With household Kiwi names like Ido Drent and Shavaughan Ruakere, combined with high quality production values, this promises to be a New Zealand television event.
• Our First Home – a brand new and locally made multi-night format.  With BNZ, Fly Buys and Toyota making up the family of sponsors, this series showcases TVNZ’s continuing commitment to partner brands and content for the maximum benefit of both clients and viewers, providing brands another opportunity to reach their targets in innovative ways.
• Kiwi Living – sit back, relax, and plan out your weekend with the very best of the quintessential New Zealand lifestyle.  Learn new recipes from cooking with the stars, get the very best in pet advice, pick up a few tips for brightening up your garden, and get some help planning your next big holiday.
• Nigel Latta Blows Stuff Up – Kiwi favourite Nigel Latta will be back on our screens, but with a difference; making science fun for the whole family.  Expect to see what happens when a house burns down, and an explanation of what happens when you get hit with 10,000 volts of electricity.
• I Am Innocent – a chilling new documentary series telling the stories of six New Zealanders whose lives were shattered after being wrongfully imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit.
• 800 Words – a joint New Zealand and Australian drama starring fan favourite Erik Thompson (Packed to the Rafters) as a recently widowed father of two teenage sons who leaves Sydney in search of a simpler life in a picturesque Kiwi town.
• Aquarius – the killings that shocked a generation; based on the true story, David Duchovny stars as the homicide detective working on the notorious Charles Manson-lead murders.
• Stalker – starring Maggie Q and Dylan McDermott, and already confirmed for a full season run in the USA due to its popularity, this psychological thriller delves into the minds of those who become obsessed.
• Forever – also confirmed for a full season run in the USA, this drama follows a New York City medical examiner with a vested interest in studying the dead; he himself can’t die.  Starring Ioan Gruffudd and Judd Hirsch.

New to TV2

• How To Get Away With Murder – the number one new drama out of the USA.  From Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes and starring double Oscar-nominee Viola Davis (Get On Up) as a defence attorney and criminal law professor who teaches her students the dark truth about law.
• Thunderbirds Are Go – the smash-hit TV show gets a 2015 treatment using cutting-edge animation from our very own Weta Workshop, co-produced by ITV and Pukeko Pictures.
• Terry Teo – the 1980s classic is back!  Join Terry in a modern day adaptation of the savvy teenager surviving the mean streets of Auckland.
• The Big Ward – from Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital, follow the diagnosis and treatment of six morbidly obese Kiwis seeking help.
• Bogans – and they said he couldn’t make a career out of a PhD in “boganism”.  Dr. David Snell presents the vibrant lifestyle of everything that comes with being a bogan in New Zealand. Prepare to cringe and laugh with some great Kiwi humour.
• The Mysteries of Laura – successfully managing the tricky task of premiering in the USA’s weekly top 20 shows, this new dramedy sees Debra Messing play a gifted NYC detective overrun by her twin six-year-old boys.
• Marry Me – based on the creator’s relationship with his wife, who also happens to be the star of the show (Happy Endings’ Casey Wilson), this comedy follows the long and bumpy road between agreeing to marry someone, and actually doing it.
• Marvel’s Agent Carter – as superheroes continue to dominate on TV, Ondemand and at the movies, Hayley Atwell reprises the role she held in the short-film of the same name, a spin-off from the box-office record-breaking Captain America franchise.

Returning to TVNZ

• More of the best local programming including a feature-length episode of Shortland Street, MKR NZ,  Step Dave, Police Ten 7, Best Bits, Piha Rescue, Return to Gloriavale and much more.
• Proven audiences favourites with multi-night viewing including MKR Australia, MKR NZ, The Voice Australia, The Voice USA and The Amazing Race.
• Premier international content such as Broadchurch, Offspring, The Big Bang Theory, Wentworth, Call the Midwife, Arrow, Gotham, The Flash, Person of Interest, 2 Broke Girls, The Mentalist, The Walking Dead, Castle, Mom and much more.
• Still the home of New Zealand’s favourite soaps, with Shortland Street, Home and Away, Neighbours, Coronation Street and Emmerdale.