Since 1989 NZ On Air has measured local free-to-air television content. This report compares the schedules of the three nationwide free-to-air channels, to observe trends and changes in the local content landscape.

Key trends

  • Total hours of local programmes remained static with 6190 hours in 2001 compared to 6187 in 2000. (refer fig 1)
  • Total first-run hours (prime time and offpeak) decreased slightly from 5182 in 2000 to 5151 hours in 2001(refer fig 2)
  • Total repeat hours increased by 35 to 1039 hours (refer fig 4)
  • These fluctuations mean that, overall, local content remained static, comprising 23.6% of the total broadcast hours in 2001, compared to 23.5% in 2000 (refer Appendix 3)
  • News and Current Affairs remains the single largest local content genre, comprising 33% of total local hours, an increase of 3% on 2000 (refer Appendix 3)