NZ’s Spada agitates for streamer levies in wake of landmark Oz regulation win 

The New Zealand screen producers’ guild Spada has accelerated the push for government to regulate international streaming platforms, bolstered by the passing of Australian streaming legislation last month.

Irene Gardiner

While the neighbouring territories enjoy close coproduction relationships and reciprocal content licensing ties which count towards free-to-air broadcasting quotas for the Australian market, the regulation of the markets are distinct and the introduction of streaming regulation in Australia could have adverse consequences for copro or second window licensing deals in New Zealand.

Spada president Irene Gardiner told C21: “We are open for discussion with policymakers on the best way forward and the right settings to go for, but the time to strike is now, so we can leverage off what is happening in Australia.”

Gardiner added that while Australia has rallied for a quota system, largely due to the fact that it has already established local production quotas for free-to-air broadcasters, New Zealand does not and as such views its local market as more suited to a levy-based approach to level the playing field.

“We have advocated for a levy on the streamers’ New Zealand revenue, which could then be invested back into local production via the screen funding agencies NZ Film Commission, NZ On Air and Te Māngai Pāho.”

In data released at last month’s annual Spada conference in Auckland, jointly commissioned by the New Zealand Film Commission, New Zealand on Air and Te Māngai Pāho,the screen industry contributed an estimated NZ$1.1bn (US$630m) to New Zealand’s GDP and NZ$3bn in output.

The research found that the sector’s contribution is also highly labour intensive, with around 5,000 waged employees and many more contractors sustaining an output over $1bn. The research found that while the 2024 financial year was bouyant and driven by major international productions and favourable global conditions, the last year has seen the NZ sector hit a downturn with production volumes contracting, international investment slowing, and many screen sector businesses facing significant challenges.

Gardiner said: “The streamers currently pay no tax in New Zealand, face no regulation, and use broadband infrastructure that was partially funded by our government. As has happened globally, their negative impact on local broadcasting viewership and therefore advertising revenue in the domestic market has been huge, which has created serious challenges for local production.”