TVNZ prepares to launch second digital channel

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TVNZ prepares to launch second digital channel
February 29th, 2008 - 15:05 UTC by Andy

TVNZ logoSix months after launching its first digital channel TVNZ 6,
Television New Zealand (TVNZ) is shortly to launch its second digital
channel. Advertising-free digital channel TVNZ 7 will launch on Sunday
30 March 2008 with an event and live broadcast from Parliament. TVNZ 7
is New Zealand's first local free-to-air factual channel. It will
screen a broad range of news, current affairs, documentary and
commentary shows.

TVNZ CEO Rick Ellis says that TVNZ 7 will have a distinctive New
Zealand flavour. Freed from the constraints of commercial scheduling,
it will offer New Zealanders more access to fresh and engaging local
content in prime time. "We want TVNZ 7 to be a place where New
Zealanders come to be informed and to form their views on the issues
of the day. We want TVNZ 7 to be a place that expresses the diversity
of perspectives in New Zealand today. Around 70 percent of the
channel's content will be locally-produced, and around 40 percent of
that will be programming made specifically for TVNZ 7. News will make
up 30 percent of the schedule."

The significant news component of the TVNZ 7 schedule extends the TVNZ
News and Current Affairs team's commitment to providing the best news
to New Zealanders across multiple platforms, anywhere, anytime. Mr
Ellis says that news on TVNZ 7 will be complementary to TVNZ's
flagship news product ONE News at 6, and the late night news bulletin
Tonight.

"The news on TVNZ 7 will run at different times to the ONE News
broadcasts to fit in with New Zealanders' busy lives. There will be
ten minute bulletins called TVNZ News Now, which will go live on the
hour, every hour, as well as a one hour news bulletin at 8pm, TVNZ
News at 8."

TVNZ launched its first digital channel, TVNZ 6, on 30 September 2007.
TVNZ 7 will be available on Freeview from 12 noon on Sunday 30 March.

(Source: Television New Zealand)