News

Los Angeles Filming Falls 16% in 2025, Raising Stakes for Global Production Hubs Like New Zealand

Stan Gogan 16/01/2026

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UKTV to drop more full episodes on YouTube as broadcaster hails ‘best year yet’

Stan Gogan 16/01/2026

UK multi-channel broadcaster UKTV will double down on its YouTube and social media strategy after posting record ratings and audience share figures during 2025. Last year marked the company’s strongest year to date across social media, with UKTV’s social team…

My Name Is Pati Leads NZ Line-up With World Premiere At Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Mark It 16/01/2026

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RIP Aroha Awarau

Mark It 15/01/2026

The New Zealand screen, theatre and journalism communities are mourning the loss of Aroha Awarau, a gifted storyteller whose work across media consistently elevated Māori voices and contemporary Aotearoa experiences. Awarau built a distinguished career spanning journalism, theatre and film,…

SXSW Sydney to End After Three Year Run, Citing Global Market Pressures

Stan Gogan 15/01/2026

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New Zealand Production Body Says Country Risks “Disadvantage” After Australian Streamer Quotas Begin

Stan Gogan 15/01/2026

Australia‘s new streaming content quotas has “materially changed the competitive landscape” for New Zealand‘s production community, a screen body has warned. New Zealand’s producers guild, Spada, said New Zealand was at risk of being left “at a disadvantage unless policy settings catch…

Global Content Spend to Hit NZ$420b in 2026 as Streamers Pull Further Ahead – Raising Stakes for New Zealand

Mark It 14/01/2026

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YouTube Makes UK Ratings History By Beating BBC On Audience Reach

Mark It 14/01/2026

YouTube has continued to upend the natural order of UK television by overtaking the BBC on a key measurement of audience reach, according to an analysis by Deadline. In an unprecedented moment, YouTube passed the BBC in monthly audience reach…

Cook Islands film ‘Stranded Pearl’ surges past two million views

Mark It 14/01/2026

A Cook Islands feature film has garnered over two million YouTube views and numerous international accolades, which the producer hopes will showcase the nation’s beauty and attract major studio productions to the islands. Stranded Pearl continues to win accolades and views…

Banijay and All3Media Owner RedBird IMI in Merger Talks – What Could It Mean for NZ’s Screentime and South Pacific Pictures?

Mark It 14/01/2026

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Labour commits to introducing levy for streaming giants, National still coy

Mark It 14/01/2026

Labour is promising to implement a levy on local profits of streaming giants like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video if elected, but National says it is still considering its options and won’t commit to any plan yet. It follows …

WIFT NZ 2026 Awards Finalists Announced

Stan Gogan 13/01/2026

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How the film industry’s new shape is an amazing opportunity for filmmakers

Mark It 13/01/2026

Last week, I wrote part one of a two-part series on how the film industry has changed, titled “Why the film business is considerably riskier than it used to be.” Today I’m sharing the companion piece, focusing on all the…

UK Unions Criticize Government Over Freelance Champion Delay

Mark It 13/01/2026

UK unions representing freelancers in the TV and film industry have slammed the government for missing the deadline to appoint a Freelance Champion. As thousands of freelancers remain out of work, we are told Bectu head Philippa Childs contacted Culture…

Town rallies behind shooting of new film

Mark It 13/01/2026

Policeman turned novelist, scriptwriter and director producer Stef Harris says he’s exhausted. After more than a year of intensive plotting and planning, the shooting of his latest film, Blood Moon, starts on Tuesday. While Harris said he was looking forward…