As previously reported, TVNZ has completed a remarkable financial turnaround over the past 12 months, announcing a $25.7 million net profit after tax ($10.7m adjusted), and a dividend to taxpayers for the first time in three years.

O’Donnell’s salary, benefits and bonus compare with the total remuneration for the TVNZ chief executive role of $670,642 in 2024; $1.006m in 2023, $2.35m in 2022 and $897,628 in 2021.

Her base salary is below that of two publicly listed media company chief executives, but above RNZ’s chief executive.

Sky TV chief executive Sophie Moloney earned $1.611m in 2024/25, made up of a base salary of $1.065m and bonuses of $546,349; NZME chief executive Michael Boggs earned $1.495m in 2024; made up of a base salary of $899,045 and bonuses and shares totalling $596,788; and RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson earned $557,734 in 2023/24, including a base salary of $474,103.

O’Donnell – who became TVNZ chief executive in late January 2024 – has a 25% short-term incentive (STI) based on the $700,000 base salary.

The additional maximum $175,000 is broken down to cost targets (40% of the bonus), growth in digital audiences (20%), growth in digital revenue (30%), and workforce development (10%).

The annual report shows she fully achieved the cost and workforce development targets and most of the digital audience and revenue targets.

“The CEO short-term incentive payment is determined by TVNZ’s board in line with the CEO’s employment terms and conditions,” said a TVNZ spokeswoman.

“We provide a full breakdown of how it’s calculated against the performance targets in the annual report for transparency.”

TVNZ’s annual report also reveals that 273 of the company’s 542 staff earned more than $100,000 during the financial year; 50 of them earned more than $200,000.

TVNZ transformation

TVNZ’s total staff number of 542 compares with 601 in 2024 and 735 in 2023 – a reflection of the massive transformation at the public broadcaster over the past two years.

According to the annual report, the company paid $4.1m in reorganisation costs in 2024/25, compared with $5.88m in the previous year. Most of these costs relate to redundancies for staff who lost their roles across the organisation, including its newsroom.

A TVNZ spokeswoman said the company was not anticipating major changes to its total staff count this financial year.

“If any redundancy payments are made during this financial year, they’ll be disclosed in our next annual report, but no business-wide change like that experienced in FY24 or FY25 is planned.”

A return to profit

TVNZ’s recently announced profit – from an $85m net loss after tax in the previous 12 months – follows major cost-cutting across the organisation, including roles at every level and the loss of shows such as Sunday and Fair Go.

The final reported net profit after tax of $25.7m included net positive, non-cash impairment adjustments.

On an adjusted basis, the net profit after tax was $10.7m – at the top end of its earlier guidance – compared with a net adjusted loss of $22.9m in the previous 12 months.

TVNZ also confirmed a dividend of $3.1m for its full financial year, to June 30, 2025. It is the first time since 2022 that the state broadcaster has paid a dividend.

Increase in upheld complaints

The overall number of formal content complaints to TVNZ dropped from 2558 in 2023/24 to 1555 in 2024/25. The annual report noted there were no “complaint campaigns” in the most recent year.

However, the report also reveals TVNZ’s internal complaints committee upheld 114 of the 1555 complaints – a sizeable increase from the 37 upheld in 2023/24.

“The higher-than-average number of complaints upholds in FY25 by the TVNZ committee in part reflects the challenge of reporting on complex geopolitical issues and an increasingly divisive political landscape,” says the report.

“Additionally, misinformation continues to drive an increase in complaints to mainstream news outlets.

“The TVNZ complaint process, which enables complaints to be escalated to an independent regulator, provides a robust way to support trust in TVNZ as a publicly owned institution.”

A spokeswoman told the Herald: “While this was an increase year-on-year, the complaints relate to a small number of entertainment programmes and news stories.

“A significant amount was driven by inaccuracies in third-party licensed news content (for example, 41 complaints were upheld relating to mislabelled footage in two stories supplied by Reuters, 12 complaints upheld relating to a comment made by an AP reporter in one live broadcast).”

TVNZ’s formal complaints committee agreed that a comment made by the AP journalist during a live broadcast regarding events in Gaza was inaccurate.

For the Reuters stories, the committee agreed with complainants that protest footage was mischaracterised.

“Our news leadership team raised these issues with AP and Reuters,” said the spokeswoman. “We’re comfortable with the processes they have in place and continue to use AP and Reuters stories.”

Ombudsman opens inquiry

Details of the upheld complaints come as the Ombudsman investigates TVNZ’s refusal to release to the NZ Herald an independent review into its news operation.

“I have written to TVNZ today to commence an investigation into your complaint below,” Office of the Ombudsman early resolution manager Nick Kennedy said in an email to the NZ Herald.

“We have sought relevant information in order to assess the decision to withhold the information you requested.”

TVNZ has declined to release anything other than its own summary of the review – conducted by former Australian news executive Alan Sunderland – and said in an email it would address the Herald’s request through the Ombudsman’s investigation.

TVNZ says the review has identified only “minor” issues – and “no evidence of systemic bias or lack of impartiality in 1News’ reporting”.

‘Painful’ changes

Outgoing TVNZ chair Alastair Carruthers says he recognises how “painful the changes have been” at the broadcaster.

“After a challenging FY24, trading conditions in FY25 worsened and revenue fell further amid a local economic slump and a global digital revolution,” Carruthers wrote in the annual report.

“TVNZ became leaner and advanced long-held plans to thrive in a digital world. I acknowledge TVNZers from across the business in FY25.”

He said TVNZ had returned to profitability and was “able to face the future”.

“The company went hard on cost, supported much-loved news and shows, and faced tough reprioritisation.

“It built cash to invest (over the next two years) in digital systems to serve New Zealanders better than any other local or international streaming platform.”

Put simply, he said, “the company is now more valuable than last year”.

“It also has larger cash reserves to keep investing in great free-to-air shows and sport, premium paid global content, and a new streaming platform that will serve every Kiwi viewer well into the future.”

While TVNZ’s overall revenue was down 2.7%, there had been “excellent progress” in reforming the business.

“Digital revenue grew 12.7% year-on-year, delivering a quarter of TVNZ’s revenue, and this is expected to grow to a third in FY26. While not yet enough to offset declines in broadcast TV, headway is being made, and an inflection point is nearing. The direction of the business is evident.”

He said that “throughout the next two investment years, TVNZ will need to stay laser-focused on managing costs”.

O’Donnell says in the annual report that she feels privileged to lead TVNZ.

“We have another big year ahead of us, but we are still pursuing the same goals, and our priorities are clear.

“The next financial year will see a large-scale investment, self-funded through our cash reserves, to guarantee TVNZ’s endurance and success in an ever-changing media landscape.

This investment will be in new revenue-generating products, our new TVNZ+ platform, and our upgraded technology.”

Top shows

The annual report reveals positive numbers for TVNZ’s shows, for both traditional television and streaming on TVNZ+.

The 1 News at Six bulletin topped both charts.

TVNZ shows occupied 19 of the top 20 watched linear TV shows in 2024/25 – the only exception being an international rugby challenge match on Sky TV.

1 News at Six’s average linear audience was just under 600,000. TVNZ has previously said that when total audience reach and streaming numbers are taken into account, audience numbers exceed one million for each bulletin.

On TVNZ+ itself, 1 News at Six drew more than 15.75 million streams across the year, on 616,015 accounts.

This was followed by The Day of the Jackal (434,308 accounts – 5.072m streams); The Rookie (385,140 accounts – 23.326m streams) and Bluey (282,068 accounts – 46,928m streams).

Advertising watchdog ‘out of touch’

The marketing rebels at Hell Pizza have arguably received the best support that money can’t buy – a complaint about one of its advertisements has been upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The pizza company is certainly raising merry hell with the decision, accusing the watchdog of being “out of touch”.

A majority of the ASA’s complaints board said email ads for Hell’s Doobious pizza “encouraged or condoned an illegal practice, consuming recreational cannabis, and were therefore not socially responsible”.

The first email advertisement had the subject line “Score a herb grinder with our new Doobious Pizza”.

According to the ASA, the body of the email included imagery of the Doobious pizza, a grinder and a bag of herbs, as well as the text: “If you’re partial to something sticky-icky, our latest smoky creation comes with a baggie of herbs and grinder – ready for you to grind up and sprinkle over top … Limited stash … get your hands on one before they go up in smoke …”

The ads did not mention medicinal marijuana, but Hell said this was part of the campaign.

“Doobious was a limited-release pizza designed to get people talking about changing attitudes towards cannabis, particularly medicinal use,” it said in a statement.

Hell Pizza chief executive Josh Drake said the decision proved why the campaign was needed.

“It brings into clear focus the shame that surrounds medicinal cannabis use; that it’s taboo, or something to hide or fear. Doobious was designed to provoke a conversation about that stigma, because until we open up about it, patients are the ones who lose out.”

However, the ASA complaints board said the cannabis references in the advertisement were not about medicinal marijuana.

“The complaints board said it is part of Hell Pizza’s marketing strategy to push the boundaries in advertising, and this is another example. The board said the cannabis references in the advertisement were not about medicinal cannabis.”

Complaints about two similar website advertisements “did not reach the threshold to encourage or condone an illegal practice”, said the ASA complaints board.

CEO leaving Great Southern Television

One of the country’s best-known television and screen industry executives is leaving her role, and warns that the industry’s systemic issues still need to be addressed.

Great Southern Television (GSTV) chief executive Cate Calver is departing after joining the production company in January last year. Before GSTV, she spent almost 11 years at TVNZ in senior leadership and executive positions.

She says she’s having a “break and a recharge whilst I ponder what’s next for me”.

“It’s been an intense period for our industry,” Calver, a lawyer by trade, told Media Insider.

“The economic downturn, combined with the structural issues, has meant we’re working twice as hard to get half as far.

“I’ve always managed to stay optimistic – because I care so deeply about our sector – but until some of these systemic issues are addressed, the reality is we’re unlikely to see a huge rebound.”

Earlier this year, the Government released a media reforms paper – including a proposed requirement on international streamers “to invest a proportion of annual revenue in the creation or acquisition of local content”.

However, most of these proposals appear to have been put on the back burner, in the context of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and his administration’s likely dim view of any imposition on US-owned platforms.

The screen sector has certainly been pushing for more support from the Government.

“For some time Spada has been lobbying for Government regulation of the international streamers so they contribute to the local industry in some way,” Screen Production and Development Association of NZ (Spada) president Irene Gardiner wrote last year.

“This should have happened years ago, to avert the crisis we now face, but it’s never too late. The streamers don’t pay tax here, they use our broadband infrastructure, they harvest our data – and they don’t currently contribute anything.

“This has been remedied in many other countries with levies, quotas, or hybrids of the two. We’re a little late to the party.”

Meanwhile, Calver said she had loved her time at GSTV, “developing and making TV shows that have a real social purpose”.

“For me, it’s all about getting the right mix of creativity and commerciality – understanding what audiences (here and globally) want to watch, finding great people to tell those stories and putting together the funding jigsaw.

“I’m proud of all the projects I’ve been part of bringing to life. Shows such as The Hui, Hospice Heroes and The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes have all had a huge impact.”

GSTV founder Phil Smith, who will take the reins of the company once again, said: “Cate has been an important part of GSTV’s journey, contributing energy, creativity, and professionalism to every aspect of her work”.

“Her leadership, warmth, and positivity have been deeply valued by the team, and she leaves with our sincere thanks and very best wishes for her next chapter.

“Cate has made a real impact during her time with us. She’s brought enthusiasm, care and a collaborative spirit to everything she’s done.”

GSTV is fighting to save The Hui news and current affairs show – Media Insider reported this week that funding agency Te Māngai Pāho (TMP) had decided not to support the show next year, leaving it in NZ on Air’s hands as to whether the show survives in pared-back form.

TMP funded The Hui to the tune of $1m last year; while NZ on Air approved funding of $788,000.

GSTV will know next month whether NZ on Air will continue funding the weekly show, which screens on Three, Whakaata Māori, Stuff and YouTube.

If it does return, it will likely be for a 26-episode season, rather than 40 weeks.

Smith says it has been an “amazing” year for GSTV – in a fortnight, it launches The Ridge, a major international thriller that will screen on Sky/Neon and BBC2 in Britain.

The company also had two dramas on Netflix – Friends Like Her and Noob, and it was shooting a major French/NZ co-production, Blue Murder Motel, for TVNZ in Auckland.

All of these shows had been strongly supported by NZ on Air, with additional support from the screen rebate, said Smith.

“They are certainly getting our amazing country on air globally these days – creating so much employment and most importantly creating huge tax spends in New Zealand.”

RNZ’s new chief audio officer

RNZ’s new chief audio officer has been named – internal candidate Pip Keane takes the reins for what will be one of the most challenging roles in media over the next 12 months.

Keane is a highly experienced and regarded media executive with a strong background in broadcasting, including television. As an executive producer, she has handled some of the biggest names in the game, including Paul Holmes and John Campbell.

“Thank f*** for Pip Keane,” one source with intimate knowledge of RNZ’s inner radio operation told me. “No brainer … carries the place.”

Keane, who has been at RNZ for almost 10 years, is tasked with a huge challenge – turning around RNZ’s radio listenership.

She has at her fingertips a recently released, scathing review of RNZ National by former RNZ news boss Richard Sutherland.

RNZ has thrown many of the Sutherland recommendations to the new chief audio officer to consider.

She will certainly need the full backing of her chief executive, board and other leaders to execute the major changes required – including any recommendations that she agrees with from Sutherland’s report.

His review described a proliferation of on-air voices – “especially in news” – who don’t meet audience expectations, and said an audit of all RNZ National presenters was urgently needed.

The report acknowledged that tightening on-air standards and “potential presenter changes” would cause friction.

“Both come with legal and morale risks and must be handled carefully with HR involved. But the reality is, some people shouldn’t be on air. Standards matter. Ratings matter. It’s time to stop dodging the hard calls.”

RNZ declined to put Keane up for an interview this week.

NBR co-owner’s 2026 predictions

NBR co-owner Todd Scott has earned a reputation as something of a media industry Nostradamus over the past two years, being uncannily accurate with many of his predictions, as outlined to Media Insider.

He’s got in early this year, with six predictions for 2026.

Here they are, in his own words:

We’ll keep an eye on these, and have more predictions for 2026 closer to the end of 2025.

PMN/ABC partnership

Auckland-based Pacific Media Network has teamed up for a new secondment partnership with the ABC in Australia, an organisation which has certainly managed to snare several talented PMN broadcasters over the years.

The new partnership is designed to build career development for Pasifika media professionals and empower their voices.

The ABC will provide an annual two-week work placement for a Pacific broadcast journalist from PMN, as part of the new “Sio atu” initiative.

It will provide a PMN journalist with international exposure, advanced skills training, and networking opportunities at the ABC.

Pacific Media Network chief executive Don Mann said: “The National Pacific Media Trust (the owner and operator of the PMN) has a trust deed obligation to develop a robust pipeline of Pacific broadcast talent in New Zealand.

“This partnership with ABC International is a significant step in fulfilling that obligation and is a testament to the high-calibre talent we’ve developed. The ‘Sio atu’ placement will provide an invaluable opportunity for our journalists to refine their skills and gain international experience, which will in turn strengthen our overall journalistic capabilities when they return and share their new knowledge with our team.”

New Herald ad campaign focuses on journalism

NZ Herald journalists feature in a new marketing campaign designed to showcase their passion for – and the importance of – journalism.

The new campaign – News You Can Trust – launches on Monday, featuring several Herald journalists, including Jared Savage, Stephanie Holmes, and Vaimoana Mase.

“The campaign demonstrates how deeply our journalists care about their role in holding the powerful to account, uncovering stories that need to be told and keeping New Zealanders informed on the issues that affect their lives,” said NZME.

The campaign is an extension of the Herald’s News Worth Knowing campaign, and will run across multiple platforms, including radio, print, digital, television and out-of-home.

PR firm reshapes itself

One of the country’s longest-established boutique public relations firms has reshaped itself, with a new name and leadership.

NSPR (formerly Niki Schuck PR) is now known as Sayso, with Niki Schuck remaining a shareholder, and her fellow directors Rebecca Reid and Kate Grant taking the helm.

“The kaupapa (purpose) of Sayso remains the same, with us believing the best partnerships are built on mahi tahi (collaboration), whakaute (respect) and whakatūturutanga (authenticity),” said Schuck.

Schuck said she would continue to be involved at board level.

“Kate and Rebecca are smart, talented and not afraid of hard work. They are Sayso, and I am very proud of how they are adapting the business for the future needs of clients.”

Editor-at-large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including managing editor, NZ Herald editor and Herald on Sunday editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.