1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,599 Speaker 1: Now, local media may soon be on a more level 2 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: playing field. Global streamers like Netflix, Apple and Disney could 3 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:09,840 Speaker 1: be required to invest in local key we content underproposed 4 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:12,920 Speaker 1: changes to the media sector. The Screen Producers Guild has 5 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: been lobbying for regulation of international streamers for quite some time. 6 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:19,440 Speaker 1: In Sparta, President Irene Gardner is with me this morning, 7 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: as always, appreciate your time, Irene. 8 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:27,480 Speaker 2: Lovely to be here, Willie it is. 9 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: What are your thoughts on this? Will this be enough? 10 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 2: Well, it's a really good start the discussion. That's a 11 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:38,520 Speaker 2: lot of the discussion document is actually very very good. 12 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 2: It's it's quite detailed, quite considered, and it shows a 13 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 2: really good understanding of the local production sector and the 14 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:51,240 Speaker 2: challenges that we're currently stacing. So that's great. We feel 15 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 2: kind of you know, listened to, which is always a 16 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 2: nice thing. And as you mentioned in your intro, we're 17 00:00:56,720 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 2: particularly pleased to see regulating the international stream in companies 18 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 2: is one of the proposals because we've been lobbying for 19 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:08,400 Speaker 2: that for for such a long time. There's still a 20 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 2: lot of work to be done, you know, there's different options, 21 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 2: and that's the whole point of a discussion document, is 22 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 2: that people will now submit and we would look out 23 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 2: the best way forward, but at least it's there. The 24 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 2: way they're talking about it is perhaps an investment on 25 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:29,320 Speaker 2: a percentage of revenue that the streamers are making, and 26 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:32,680 Speaker 2: that the same sort of local quota amount would be 27 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 2: put on our local broadcasters if there's slight danger there. 28 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 2: We don't want to hurt the local bod casters who 29 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 2: are operating in the same amount of money. You know, 30 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:43,600 Speaker 2: that's part of our problems that we don't have the 31 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:47,320 Speaker 2: revenue so much anymore because of the impact of the streamers. 32 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 2: So we'd have to make sure that the local part 33 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 2: of it was manageable and it wasn't hurting anybody, so 34 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:57,200 Speaker 2: wasn't unintended consequences. But you know, that's the sort of 35 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 2: stuff that can all be worked through. We've actually proposed 36 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 2: for a levee system where they just paid a percentage 37 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 2: of their New Zealand revenue and that was invested back 38 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 2: into local production, which may maybe a better system might 39 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:14,800 Speaker 2: be fairer, harder to work around a. 40 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: Little bit and simpler maybe to I ring. 41 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, but you know, we're open to anything that helps 42 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:23,359 Speaker 2: the level of playing field, because you know, it really 43 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 2: has been incredibly tough as the streamers have kind of 44 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 2: got a strangle hold over audiences and therefore, you know, 45 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:33,679 Speaker 2: affected the ad revenue that local fuctions are wels relied on. 46 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 2: So it's it's a bred start. Well that's the little 47 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:37,919 Speaker 2: way to go. 48 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, that's the question. Isn't it as New 49 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:41,519 Speaker 1: Zealand showing up too late on this? 50 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 2: Well, ideally it should have happened years ago, and you know, 51 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 2: we wouldn't have gotten to the problem we're in now. 52 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:50,960 Speaker 2: We're advertising revenue is completely fell off a cliff this 53 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,359 Speaker 2: past year and everything is really tough. But it's never 54 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 2: too late. So yeah, let's just really push and hope 55 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 2: that it happened because they you know, I mean, we 56 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 2: love the streamers. They've been wonderful content here sometimes they 57 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,240 Speaker 2: shoot shows here, but you know, they haven't invested in 58 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,359 Speaker 2: local at all and they've taken our eyeballs and our 59 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 2: ad rev and so they kind of should be part 60 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 2: of the solution because it's them that's the great things, 61 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:22,079 Speaker 2: and anything any regulation in this area that helps them 62 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 2: all the plainfield will be very very welcome. 63 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 1: Irene. Have the streamers have faced regulation in other countries similar. 64 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 2: To the starting too, starting to yes, there's quite a 65 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 2: few countries that are much further out of the block 66 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 2: than US. A lot, particularly European Scandinavian territories. They seem 67 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 2: to have all been very good at getting things happening. 68 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 2: Australia has been pushing and pushing and pushing, but still 69 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 2: haven't quite got there. And you know, what there are 70 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 2: is quite similar to what's been proposed in the document, 71 00:03:55,880 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 2: which is a percentage of their Australian revenue you know, 72 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 2: invested into local content. So you know, maybe we'll do 73 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 2: something that's quite similar. And you know, being too, territories 74 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:15,480 Speaker 2: quite connected. But internationally there's levees us yearly round about 75 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:19,920 Speaker 2: sort of five six percent on their local revenue, and 76 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:24,360 Speaker 2: there's also sort of hybrids. You know, you pay the levy, 77 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 2: but you know you can also make local content instead 78 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 2: and get your levee amount reduced. So there's different ways 79 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 2: of looking at it, and you know, to be fair, 80 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 2: this is a discussion document and it's just put it out, 81 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 2: but it's put streamers regulating in there, put you know, 82 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 2: a proposed perhaps preferred way of doing it. But it's 83 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 2: also said that they're open to looking at different ways 84 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:49,479 Speaker 2: so you know, SPARTA and others can come back on 85 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 2: that and say, well, hey, you know this might work better. 86 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 2: It might be that what the reporters down has gone 87 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 2: for what is most palatable, you know what, because obviously 88 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:02,680 Speaker 2: there's big companies and they do push back when regulation 89 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 2: has tried. They might be thinking that this is more 90 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:12,080 Speaker 2: palatable than a straight levy. I think the tricky thing 91 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 2: was something like this is you can maybe sort of 92 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:17,280 Speaker 2: sneak around it in ways like you can just buy 93 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 2: a whole lot of local content instead of investing in 94 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 2: making some, or you can make one incredibly expensive local 95 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 2: production and that kind of only helps one area. But 96 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 2: you know, all of this splu worked out. 97 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: As you say, a discussion document. Lots to talk about 98 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 1: oroon Garden Always appreciate your time. 99 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 2: For more from earlier edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live 100 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 2: to News Talks. 101 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:41,839 Speaker 1: It'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast 102 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.