Summary

This eighth JMAD New Zealand media ownership report observes a considerable shift in New Zealand media ownership. In 2018, Australian Nine Entertainment took over Stuff’s parent company Fairfax Media. The report notes that the impact of this merger on the future ownership of Stuff and its New Zealand media holdings remain unknown. In 2018, New Zealand’s print newspaper market had already shrunk considerably after Stuff closed more than 35% of its print newspapers and announced additional cuts in community papers.

During 2018, the New Zealand media market remained at least partly competitive. In September, the Court of Appeal rejected the NZME-Stuff merger, and the two companies continued their duopoly and dominance in print and online news.

In November, MediaWorks announced that it had signed a conditional merger agreement with Australian outdoor advertising company QMS. If the deal goes through, QMS will have a substantial shareholding in MediaWorks. However, its current owner Oaktree Capital Management will maintain the majority shareholding in the merged entity.

New Zealand media ownership: key trends and events • Australian Nine becoming the largest owner of Stuff • NZME & Stuff merger denied and abandoned • MediaWorks plans to merge with Australian QMS • Trust owned, non-profit media outlet Crux emerges