Just days after the announcement that the Eurovision Asia Song Contest would be hitting airwaves in the Asia-Pacific region, TVNZ have confirmed to Stuff that early talks between contest organisers and the broadcaster about New Zealand’s participation have already taken place.
Though no details have been confirmed, it is encouraging that interest has already been expressed by New Zealand’s largest broadcaster.
TVNZ has, in the past, produced global formats such as New Zealand’s Got Talent and NZ Idol which may see past participants or winners of these shows being future Eurovision Asia representatives, much in the same way Australia has sent representatives to Eurovision who previously found success on similar shows.
The only other real competition to TVNZ is MediaWorks, who operate numerous television and radio stations in New Zealand. Where MediaWorks really shines in potential is in its ability to reach an audience of around the age of 15 – 39 through premium media brands such as Three and the country’s most popular Top 40 radio station The Edge. MediaWorks has also produced The X Factor giving them a similar talent resource to TVNZ.
However, where TVNZ lacks multi-platform penetration and strong access to the youth market, they certainly more than make up for it by having a larger financial resource than MediaWorks which may prove to be more beneficial for the inaugural contest. Additionally, being an Associate Member, TVNZ also has established networks to the EBU where MediaWorks does not.
At any rate, we’re excited that talks have already taken place and can’t wait to see where they lead!
