Audrey Young today blogs about TVNZ’s counter offer for the Rugby World Cup coverage. She spends most of her post describing the gutted feeling of Maori and, in particular Pita Sharples. Though I do feel sorry for Maori TV, I remain puzzled over John Key’s tactics in this. He has basically encouraged a snub of his government’s partner for reasons that escape me. It was not as if only Maoris would get to watch the Rugby World Cup. What does he stand to gain? Redneck votes? What does he need them for?
But the weirdest thing is that this is one government department bidding against another. Admittedly, neither TVNZ nor Maori TV are government departments – but the money they are bidding with is government money. All this achieves is an increase in the price of coverage for the world cup. This would be a bit like Telecom’s Retail division bidding against Telecom’s Network division for a new broadband technology. Few companies would, after shooting themselves in the foot, take careful aim and unload the other barrel into the other foot.
This is precisely what happens when government stick its fingers into businesses that should be running autonomously (i.e. privatised). Markets are severely distorted and we all end up paying a lot more for a lot less.
Just like ACC.
Additional:
It appears National have had second thoughts about pitting one part of government against another…
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Oct 13 09 11:06 pm
Life imitates satire – one publicly owned tv station fights another publicly owned tv station with public money.
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Oct 13 09 11:20 pm
But the weirdest thing is that this is one government department bidding against another.
That’s what a communist would call free trade I suppose
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Oct 14 09 7:51 am
You are only be able to get the Maori channel coverage ‘if’ you have an aerial addition, that also enables Prime channel reception. Lots of folk (in the BOP anyway) only get Channel 1, 2, and 3 by choice. Channel coverage doesn’t equate to recieving the signal.
Oct 14 09 8:53 am
Hey I don’t get MTS. Do I not deserve to watch the rugby world cup because I spend my money on power bills rather than Sky?
You know, you talk about “a few rednecks” but really you’re talking about a reasonably significant number of people who don’t follow politics but just want to watch some rugby. Now we’re suddenly not rugby viewers, but outcomes for TPK: they spend our money letting us watch the FTA games at the price of spoon-feeding us some Maori phrases which in all likelihood we’ll never use again.
If Maori want to leverage off all the opportunities it brings great, be entrepreneurial. But as I’ve learnt the hard way, being entrepeneurial can be a zero-sum game. When other entities or people stand to lose money, they don’t just lie down for you. Boo hoo. Get smarter.
Actually I’m getting sick of the Rugby World Cup already. In all likelihood the hype (starting a full year ahead of the damn thing) was going to be overwhelming, but now it’s effectively degenerated from NZ hosting a big sports tournament into this skeevy race-card playing loserfest.