Phil Smith: Great Southern Television founder on Sky TV buying Three from Warner Bros Discovery

One fellow industry lead has welcomed the news of Sky TV purchasing Three Now and TV3.

Warner Brothers Discovery has sold its New Zealand television arm, saying it was no longer commercially viable on its own.

Great Southern Television founder Phil Smith says this means there's more opportunities for local content, which is great news for Kiwi punters.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from news Talk zed B.
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
Very good afternoon to you. We are talking about this
Sky TV deal buying the three News brand, well not
the three News, but the three brand for one dollar
taking ownership Friday, August the first. It is a big
move in the media sphere. And keen to hear from
you on eight hundred and eighty teen eighty on whether
you still watch terrestrial TV and what this could.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Make Logan still does I still have a forty year
old national quintracks I still periodically use with a free
view receiver. Cannot do away with my TV, says Logan.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Good on your Logan right so standing by right now
we have Phil Smith. He is the owner of Great
Southern Television. He currently has right now shows on TV
and zd TV, three, Sky, Netflix and the BBC. So
a very very good person to chat to.

Speaker 4 (01:00):
Phil.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Very good afternoon to you, great to.

Speaker 4 (01:03):
Chat, good aftertone.

Speaker 3 (01:05):
How's it guarding fantastic? Is this a good move from
and what do they get out of taking over three?

Speaker 4 (01:12):
Is this good news? Well? Tyler and Matt, I'll say
I was on Loching the last eight seconds of The
Warriors on Sunday night. So when I heard it, Yeah,
when I heard it this morning, I was thrilled, and
I was thrilled for basically, you know, the consolidation of
our media sector that's just had so much turmoil and

(01:33):
uncertainty and to see such a clever move being now
was just wonderful. But most of alls thrilled for the
viewer because you know, it's New Zealand. We've now got
two powerful New Zealand owned media companies. They're going to
go head to head, but it's going to be great,
great for content, and just that absolute certainty that TV

(01:56):
three is around to give great the great viewing experience
to key reviewers well into the future.

Speaker 3 (02:02):
Now, all we've heard for years is how much TV
three is losing. How can Sky make money from them
if others have failed.

Speaker 4 (02:10):
Well, it's actually not good. It's going to be a challenge,
but not that difficult because they can absorb so many
costs into their system, their transmission costs, they're advertising sales costs.
They can bring so much together, so it really is
an absolutely natural marriage. Warner Brothers Discovery have delivered them

(02:32):
a palette of wonderful content and ongoing devils. It hasn't
been talked about, but it is the big three letter word,
which is HBO, which I imagine could be packaged into the steal,
but overall just just a deal of wonderful synergy.

Speaker 3 (02:51):
And what does this mean for three and the people
that work there currently, Well, at.

Speaker 4 (02:58):
The moment, like it's you can see that it's pretty
much steady as she goes because they're all complementary services.
So you've got you know, TV three and going to
continue as a three to wear it't three now which
has been increasing its audience significantly, and you know, the
team at three over the last year have done a
wonderful job. And then you've got Sky's supplementary service and

(03:22):
so overall the it's a broad template and so for
Sky they've now got a really exciting offering to take
out the advertising market.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
So clearly Sky backed themselves fail to have the resources
to take on TV and Z. That's that's long been
king in terrestrial TV in New Zealand. Part of what
was that You're saying Sky TV believes it's got the
resources to take on the likes of TV.

Speaker 4 (03:48):
And Z absolutely well, Sky obviously been publicly listed and
you know, it's performed wonderfully over the last three years.
They have more than enough pash resources to ensure that
three carries on in its state and they build that
brand and they can bring across a lot of their

(04:08):
their viewership, you know, in terms of you know, we
could have a Friday night with it's a bit of
rugby Saturday, a bit of rugby Sunday League match. So
overall skuy can bring across a lot of its resources
and plug it into three. There will be an interesting
debate about what happens to meon and two three now,
But you know, one's an AVO which is advertising supported

(04:32):
which is what three dollars, and the other is obviously subscriber.
So at the moment, I think they'll remain different and
the viewers will be able to access both of them.
But the Sky a really interesting package that they'll be
able to take out to the market.

Speaker 3 (04:48):
Now, you've made a lot of shows over the years
and you currently have got shows on three, You've got
TV and Z, Sky, BBC, Netflix. What does this mean
for the for the TV industry and from a production perspective,
will there be more shows made in New Zealand.

Speaker 4 (05:05):
Well, I think Sophie Maloney today said that she's you know,
really strongly committed to the output of New Zealand content.
And you know Sky has been putting its toe in
the water in terms of neon and making local content.
You know, one downside you could say, well there's one
less media player in the market, but at the same
time that media player has now got a lot more

(05:27):
cash resource to to finance some fund local content. And
I think that you'll see you'll see both TV three
and Sky continuing on their programming paths in terms of
picking up local content and getting it out to the
news and audience.

Speaker 3 (05:44):
And what's in it for me, Phil as a punter
sitting at home, sitting my fat ass down on my
couch and turning my TV on, what's in this for me?

Speaker 4 (05:55):
Well, I think I think you're going to see a
better TV three. I think they're going to have a
lot more content available and therefore it's going to create
more competition with TV and Z. I mean this is
a bit a sweet for TV and said today. You
know they've got obviously they want to have an active
market advertising market. So that's good for them because it's
competitive at the same time, they've now got a genuine competitor.

(06:19):
But for you, it means that you'll probably see better
shows on three. You might see a bit of that
premium content on the leak across onto TV three. You'll
see better sport on TV three. They're committed to supporting
the news which stuff has done a great job over
the past year, you know, just keeping it on air,
and it is a tribute to everyone. It's three over

(06:41):
the last year that they have actually kept the place
going on a shoe string of about three hundred stuff
gone down to one hundred and thirty. So this is
a real victory day for them, and it just means, Matt,
you'll see I think you'll see better shows. I think
that the network will a bit more polished and you'll
still have a digital offerings.

Speaker 3 (07:03):
Are they still in that leak or on Flower Street
or have they moved out?

Speaker 4 (07:07):
Well, you know, they've always been like the foster kid,
haven't they been. I think they're finally found a home,
you know, and for old TV three, you know, they
really are our pirates and our battlers and they do
a great job. But where they end up being housed
in the end. I mean, obviously they'll be part of
Sky's operation and they'll be housed Sumheerre at Sky. But

(07:31):
in the interim they are doing, they are out of
Flower Street. They're out of Flower Street on Friday. So
where they go, they'll they'll walk out and they have
got they have got officers in moving to for an
interim period, I believe in then I'd say that the
transition will begin.

Speaker 3 (07:51):
Forty days in the nights and then they'll end up
out in Penrose probably. Hey, thank you so much.

Speaker 4 (07:57):
Yeah, I mean the office is downtown as well, so
who knows they'll be they'll be juggling, but but yeah,
it's a home. It's good for viewers, and yeah, everyone's
pretty excited.

Speaker 2 (08:08):
Love it pel great to chat with you and get
your expertise. We'll catch up again soon.

Speaker 4 (08:13):
Okay, cheers, guys.

Speaker 2 (08:14):
That is thanks mate. That is Phil Smith, owner of
Great Southern Television.

Speaker 1 (08:18):
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