TVNZ wants $2M for Games

Press, 14 February 1986, Page 4

TVNZ wants $2M for Games

PA Auckland Television New Zealand is asking about $2 million to cover the 1990 Commonwealth Games, the “Auckland Star” reported yesterday. Negotiations between TVNZ and the Games’ organising committee are at a stalemate after a row broke out at a recent meeting, the newspaper said.

Representatives of the organising committee left the meeting with , plans to by-pass TVNZ and seek the backing of an overseas broadcasting company. The committee |'rgues

that the Edinburgh Games organising body is getting $1.2 million from the 8.8. C. to cover this year’s event — a figure considered by most officials to be too cheap.

TVNZ paid $85,000 in 1974 for the rights to televise the Christchurch Commonwealth Games.

The Broadcasting Corporation has estimated it will cost it between $7 million and $8 million to provide coverage In New Zealand and overseas of the 1990 games.

The $2 million TVNZ wants will cover the corporation for its production

costs only. The other $5 million will be used to buy in special hardware for the coverage — that equipment would remain in the corporation’s possession.

TVNZ has the upper hand, because it owns the only signal available in New Zealand to provide television coverage of the games, the “Star” says. Normally, TVNZ sells its signal at $5OOO for 30 seconds.

The newspaper says it is highly unlikely the “old boys’ club” of Games broadcasters — the Unital States, Britain,

Canada and Australia — would turn on the host broadcaster simply because there is disagreement between the games committee and TVNZ. It is believed the Games committee is looking for very handsome television rights to run at a profit, the “Star” says.

But TVNZ executives say the committee has only to find one more sponsor to come up with the $2 million the corporation has asked for. The Games’ marketing director, Mr Malcolm Beattie, has already,said that operational for

the event would be covered by sponsorship deals worth $25 million. Mr Beattie has secured $6 million worth of sponsorship from four backers. TVNZ says there will be no Games without its providing television coverage, because no sponsor will invest in the event without television. The corporation also says that selling on-air commercial time — which is its right — during the Games coverage is not a consideration. That air time would have been sold anyway.