With Three (TV3) staff now embedded in Sky’s central Auckland headquarters – after Sky’s $1, debt-free acquisition of that business from Warner Bros Discovery in 2025 – the hard work has started to crunch together two organisations and cultures into one.
Job losses and cost cuts are common in the modern media era. While 2025 was relatively calmer for the industry compared with a tumultuous 2023 and 2024, Sky is already outlining proposed cuts to staff.
“You don’t get something for a dollar if it’s profitable,” Moloney said last year. “But we’ve structured this so we’ve got time – the runway, as we say – to get to that ebitda [earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation] growth of at least $10 million by FY28.”
To extend that metaphor, the plane is starting to roll down the tarmac.
Sky is about to merge its advertising sales teams – bringing together those who have been selling commercials for the traditional Sky channels and those who have come across from free-to-air Three.
Sky TV chief executive Sophie Moloney.
“We have started confidential consultation to bring our Sky and Three sales teams together into one unified, market-leading team,” Sky TV spokeswoman Karina Healy confirmed to Media Insider.
“The proposed changes aim to create a team structure that best supports our business and delivers even greater value for our advertising and agency partners, ensuring we are well positioned to maximise revenue growth and generation.
“We have invited feedback from relevant team members, and no decisions have been made. Out of respect and care for our people, we won’t be providing further comment while we work through this confidential process.”
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During the past two weeks, Sky has declined to address specific questions about its restructuring or how many job losses are proposed in the coming months. It also would not provide up-to-date total staff numbers.
According to its most recent annual report, Sky had 638 staff as at June 30 last year. A further 130 or so staff joined from Three later in the year.
The company needs to extract as much value from the loss-making former Three business as quickly as possible.
Sky expects the Three deal to be positive for free cash flow from this financial year and has reiterated its commitment to a 30 cents per share annual dividend.
Combining teams and cutting costs will need to be carefully handled from a workplace culture perspective, with suggestions already coming from inside the company that most former Three staff believe they will be “protected”.
That’s not going down well with some of the original Sky staff.
There was considerable industry surprise late last year when Sky jettisoned the role of its highly respected head of sales Ben Gibb as part of a restructure at the top of the commercial team. He walked straight into a top new job at another media firm, outdoor advertising specialists QMS.
Screen changes on way
The Pitt currently screens on Sky TV’s Neon platform – but Netflix is set to acquire HBO Max and its hit shows.
What does all this mean for Sky TV viewers and customers?
A lot, actually.
While all that restructuring work is starting to unfold, changes are also afoot across its news, sport, and entertainment channels.
Expect a range of new shows and faces in sport and news locally, and the potential loss of some marquee, international entertainment shows.
One of the biggest question marks is the possible departure of Warner Bros Discovery’s HBO Max – including shows such as The Pitt – from Sky’s Neon platform in mid-2026.
Media Insider was tipped off last year that the deal expires at that time, and no new deal had been signed.
Sky did not provide any assurance yesterday that the deal had been renewed.
“We have a long-standing, multi-faceted relationship with Warner Bros Discovery and they are a valued partner. We don’t have anything further to share at this stage,” said Healy.
In the background, Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) is set to be acquired by Netflix. Once that deal is eventually confirmed, Netflix would own HBO Max outright and eventually take over the content. But that’s still years away.
Is the door open in the interim, then, for a rival such as TVNZ to swoop in on HBO Max content? Or could WBD set up its own direct-to-consumer HBO Max platform, just as it’s done in other countries?
Ryan Bridge morning news show expanding to Three
Ryan Bridge interviews Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo / Michael Craig
Sky is partnering with Herald publisher NZME in a new deal which sees the Herald’s relatively new morning news show, hosted by Ryan Bridge, available on the Three Now digital platform from Monday next week.
Once technology issues are sorted, the 7am-9am show will also be simulcast on Three’s broadcast channel in the second half of 2026, in time for the election campaign.
The deal, revealed by Media Insider last year and confirmed today, should be a win-win for both companies on the assumption that they have nailed the revenue-sharing and licensing opportunities.
In a statement, NZME editor-in-chief Murray Kirkness and Sky chief business officer Juliet Peterson said they were thrilled with the expansion.
It certainly represents a significant new content partnership for two of the country’s big six media companies.
Until now, the show itself had been called Herald Now but – as part of the new deal with Sky – it is being renamed Ryan Bridge Today. Herald Now is retained as the name of the platform, just as Sky’s channel is called Three Now.
In their statement, NZME and Sky said the new deal would significantly grow the show’s reach. Citing YouTube and internal data, NZME said Herald Now was already attracting a monthly unique audience of one million people.
The expansion of Bridge’s show will also see a renewed and expanded battle at breakfast time between TVNZ and Three, with new TVNZ Breakfast co-host Tova O’Brien expected to be on air by March.
The new-look Breakfast show also returns on Monday with Ali Pugh co-hosting alongside Chris Chang in the meantime.
At the other end of the day, the 6pm Three News is produced for Sky by Stuff. Despite the best efforts of dedicated staff, resources appear to be tight, and that shows up at weekends, especially, against a vastly more resourced 6pm TVNZ news.
Sky’s 6pm deal with Stuff comes up for renewal in mid-2026. Whoever does put their hand up is likely to want and need a bigger fee and/or revenue-sharing commercial arrangement. Stuff is likely to have the first right of refusal before the contract is opened up to NZME or another possible player.
Healy said: “We have an ongoing partnership with Stuff to produce the bulletin for Three and Three Now and we are in regular conversation with them. Anything contractual is commercially sensitive between our two businesses.”
Sport changes
When it comes to sport, Sky has renewed its biggest contract of all – All Blacks and Super Rugby rights – for the next five years, and it takes back domestic cricket from TVNZ (and before that Spark Sport) later in the year.
However, it’s also facing renewed competition from a revamped and recharged TVNZ, whose new digital technology allows it to compete more strongly for sports rights.
TVNZ, for example, has the rights to this year’s Football World Cup and will offer a mix of select free-to-air and all-you-can-eat pay options for viewers.
With that as a strategic backdrop, Sky has already reshaped its sports team. Those and other changes are starting to come into the picture.
The changes include the departure of one of Sky TV’s longest-serving and best-known sports broadcasters, Stephen McIvor.
Stephen McIvor is one of Sky TV’s longest-serving and best-known sports broadcasters. Photo / Dean Purcell
He has been a regular face and voice on Sky’s sport channels since the broadcaster’s inception in 1990. Originally a full-time staff member, he has more recently worked as a freelance contractor for the company.
Across more than three decades, his various roles have included presenting the likes of Warriors league coverage, motorsport, special shows and – last week, for the final time – the ASB Classic men’s tennis.
He has also been the face of several high-profile overseas assignments, including the 2024 America’s Cup in Barcelona, where British skipper Sir Ben Ainslie infamously misinterpreted a comment from the Kiwi commentator calling him a “f***ing w***er” on a live mic.
Media Insider approached Sky about McIvor’s departure, which – until then – had not been announced by the company.
“Stephen has brought passion, heart and showmanship to every broadcast,” said Healy. “Always professional and understanding the need to entertain, he leaves an indelible mark on our viewers and our industry, and we thank him wholeheartedly for his outstanding contribution.”
McIvor says he’s not done as a broadcaster. He has been juggling his freelance TV work with a range of MC gigs and working as a communications consultant with corporates.
“Thirty-five years: it’s been fun, and I think I’ve seen the best of times in making TV with some really cool people,” McIvor told Media Insider.
“I love live telly, it’s my passion, but this market is tiny, so opportunities are few and far between, but you never know. My phone is always on.”
Presenters Rachel Hunter and Stephen McIvor at the 2012 Halberg Awards. Photo / Richard Robinson
McIvor’s departure comes amid a big shake-up within Sky Sport – 12 roles have been cut and 11 new ones introduced under a new strategy to introduce more entertaining sports shows to complement live coverage.
Sky’s sports content boss, Gary Burchett, an experienced former head of news at Fox News in Australia and Disney Star broadcast executive in India, has firm ideas and plans for more sports entertainment content out of Sky’s Mt Wellington studios, say insiders.
Sky TV host Laura McGoldrick is one of Sky’s best talents.
Central to these plans is Laura McGoldrick – one of Sky’s best talents. She is a cricket tragic, so will undoubtedly form part of the backbone of that new on-air cricket team. She’s also a superb presenter for All Blacks and Warriors live coverage.
Part of the changes in sport also include an overhaul of Sky’s Warriors NRL commentary team, with Glen Larmer moving to other sports.
“Beavan Dewar is Sky’s principal caller for Warriors men’s matches. This was put in place towards the end of the 2025 season and will continue through 2026,” said Healy.
“Glen Larmer remains a valued member of our Sky Sport commentary team. I don’t have anything to share today in terms of what he will be calling this year.”
Top programming boss leaves
Hard on the heels of the departure of Sky’s head of sales, Ben Gibb, and several executives (four of the five top leaders who attended the Paris Olympic Games for Sky in mid-2024 have all left the business), Sky has lost another respected staff member and top programmer, the head of Sky Originals, Thomas Robins.
Robins said: “My decision to resign from Sky late last year was for personal reasons, and not related to Sky restructuring. I loved my time at Sky and am proud of the achievements of the Sky Originals team in my almost five years there. It’s now time to pass on the Sky Originals’ baton to someone new, to recharge my batteries and move on in an industry I am so passionate about.”
Healy said Robins resigned in December and finished with Sky two weeks ago.
“He has been a driving force behind the growth and success of Sky Originals in recent years, bringing his deep passion for premium, local content and a remarkable eye for great storytelling. We are very grateful for his contribution and leadership during his time with Sky.
“Our commissioning teams across Sky and Three continue to operate separately for now, while we determine how the full integration of Three into Sky’s portfolio will work. No decisions have been made at this stage.”
Media musical chairs
A highly anticipated new battleground for audience opens up at breakfast time in 2026, with John Campbell joining RNZ Morning Report to compete against Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking; Tova O’Brien joining TVNZ Breakfast; and Ryan Bridge’s show expanding to Three Now. Photos / Nasa, supplied
Back to the refreshed morning news battle.
In a statement, Ryan Bridge said he was proud of what his show had achieved since it launched last May and described the expansion to Three Now (and eventually Three) as “fantastic”.
“It’s a testament to the hard work of our newsroom and proof that there’s a real appetite for quality news content delivered in a fresh way that’s easy to watch or listen, no matter where you are.”
Meantime, TVNZ says it can’t say when Tova O’Brien will actually start on Breakfast – no doubt some reasonably intense discussions are being held with her existing company, Stuff, over her restraint.
Similarly, TVNZ won’t say when its chief correspondent, John Campbell, is leaving to join RNZ as its new Morning Report co-host.
RNZ spokeswoman Kim Grade said yesterday: “We expect to have a start date very shortly, but right now what was in the media release still stands – the start date for John Campbell is still to be confirmed.”
Campbell’s arrival will draw intense interest among mediawatchers, especially with how he fares against Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking.
In other media moves announced yesterday, the former host of The Nation, Rebecca Wright, is joining Stuff as a political journalist, and Brodie Kane’s Kiwi Yarns podcast is moving to MediaWorks’ Rova platform.
Is Razor really ‘gagged’?
Scott Robertson’s sacking as All Black coach generated headlines here and across the world. Photo montage / Photosport, Ollie Rusden
Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson’s departure as All Blacks coach continues to be a fascinating case study of the modern-day news media environment – from how the story first emerged here and in Ireland, to the headline treatment it has been given, and to the way various parties have (and haven’t) responded, so far, publicly.
NZ Rugby chair David Kirk’s stand-up press conference was the epitome of a leader taking responsibility for a decision and being upfront with reporters in his response to a barrage of questions.
Robertson’s initial, and so far only, public statement was also all class – matched only, so far, by respectable silence as his whole world undoubtedly swirls.
Some people have questioned various mainstream media headlines, including one in the Herald that referred to a player ‘revolt’.
Without revealing any specific details of the review, NZR and Kirk have denied this. We haven’t yet heard Robertson’s view.
It’s reasonably clear that some players weren’t happy, highlighted by strong, exclusive reporting by the Herald’s Liam Napier.
Ardie Savea was clearly seeking a circuit-breaker regarding his own playing future.
A report in the Herald, by Gregor Paul, dismissed the notion that Savea had led some sort of senior player coup as “hyperbolic as it is untrue”.
We have yet to hear Savea’s views directly.
Another headline, on RNZ, referred to Robertson as ‘Disposable Razor’ – many journalists privately and publicly celebrated this, but it was brutal. Did cleverness trump empathy?
Social media, as usual, was pure shithousery.
This week, sports commentator and radio host Scotty Stevenson spoke out on his Sport Nation show, saying he believed Robertson had been “gagged” from speaking to the media.
He further believed Robertson was a victim of a “massive hit job”, questioning how the review was carried out and communicated. He described it as a “pantomime act”.
“Certain players have led this, and those players have the ear of some very influential people, and this to me looks like a massive hit job.”
Robertson has had a PR comms and crisis expert, Nathan Beaumont, in his corner. It is understood NZR has agreed to pay his costs.
Beaumont was not willing to comment on his involvement, but on LinkedIn this week made a pertinent observation when it came to crisis comms: “Public moments of pressure often get reduced to headlines and hot takes. What usually gets lost is the human reality underneath them. Behind every public crisis are people trying to process disappointment, protect their families, and make decisions while the scrutiny is at full volume.”
He said timing was “underrated”.
“Waiting, listening, and choosing the right moment often leads to better outcomes, even if it feels uncomfortable in the meantime.”
Media Insider understands Robertson has not been gagged – we can expect to see him speaking to media, eventually.
He will have to be careful not to breach any terms of what is likely to be a highly confidential settlement between the parties, just as NZR will be bound by the same rules.
On that front, it was interesting to hear Kirk answering questions about who Robertson could and couldn’t coach in the coming months, and confirming that he had been paid out until the end of this year.
NZR chairman David Kirk addresses media following the ousting of Scott Robertson as All Blacks coach.
On Beaumont’s involvement, NZR head of comms Paul Stevens told Media Insider: “There’s a huge amount of love and care for Razor at NZR. We recognise that he’s a high-profile person both here in New Zealand and globally and want to make sure that he’s supported over the coming months. I’m sure we’ll hear from him when the time is right.”
In response to the assertion of a hit job on Robertson, Stevens said that Kirk “has been clear about the process that was followed”.
More broadly, on media coverage, Stevens said: “The last week has shown the importance of media organisations and sports journalists to communicate with fans and provide breaking news, insights and analysis.
“A lot of the content you see on social media has come from journalists and their stories. The challenge remains that in a world where information moves so quickly and in a situation like this where there is so much noise, how do we still take the time to be accurate?
“I think some of the headlines and commentary in the immediate aftermath forgot that you can do great journalism and show a degree of empathy.”
NBR’s subscription crusade
NBR owners Todd and Jackie Scott.
National Business Review (NBR) co-owner and publisher Todd Scott is a colourful go-getter, never short of an opinion on the state of the media industry – or shy of sharing it.
And while he might have wound up some people in the past with his often forthright views, his campaign to ensure corporates and government departments are paying for an appropriate number of subscriptions for paywalled journalism is not only admirable, but it is also making a tangible difference.
Scott’s work with his lawyer and editors not only reinforces the value and importance of journalism but should also lead to real-world economic benefit for his company and others.
The NBR campaign is now reaching a boiling point.
As Media Insider revealed last year, Scott and NBR are planning to take Inland Revenue to court after the tax department acknowledged it had been widely sharing NBR articles with a limited number of subscriptions. NBR says this is a breach of copyright.
IRD has apologised, but it refused to pay the $36,000 Scott had sought for a settlement.
Unless there is a last-minute resolution, NBR says it will pursue the court action with the nature of damages to be determined by the discovery process.
Next in Scott’s sights are Macquarie and Sky City, both of which have been subject to NBR reports in the past week that they too have allegedly been sharing paywalled articles internally with single subscriptions.
NBR says it will be putting settlement offers to these businesses and heading to court if they’re not accepted.
NBR has also been looking at whether any third-party copyright agencies are liable, but for now the main focus is on individual corporates.
“The media industry has been under pressure for a long time, globally, but we’ve seen it, particularly in New Zealand over the last couple of years, with the closure of several significant media outlets, and many more being under continued strain,” NBR co-editor Hamish McNicol told Media Insider.
“We’ve had a paywall model now for a long time, and we think that this is the best way to fund journalism. We don’t take advertising or sponsorship or anything like that.
“We live and die by how many subscribers we have, and we think that’s the purest, most independent model, but that obviously relies on subscribers playing ball.”
NBR initially had an amnesty period last year, in which it gave corporates the chance to fess up and start paying for an appropriate number of subscriptions.
McNicol says subscriptions are up 10% over the past 12 months, in large part because of the campaign.
“I think part of it is a bit of an education piece. One previous company that we’ve called out said, ‘Well, people share Netflix subscriptions, so what’s the difference?’
“Netflix is one of the biggest media companies in the world. This is a privately owned small New Zealand business, which is, we think, doing great work.
“We’re one of the leading business publications in New Zealand, our journalism is award-winning year after year for what we do in the business and political space.
“If people want journalism to survive in this country – and we need journalism to survive in this country – then people need to pay for it appropriately.
“Stealing content from organisations and newsrooms, which are already under huge resource constraints, is obviously a massive hurdle to us doing that.”
A Sky City spokesman said: “Sky City has not received any formal correspondence from NBR regarding its allegations of copyright breach, beyond a request for comment in relation to a news article.
“Sky City holds an annual subscription with the Media Copyright Agency, which licenses the internal sharing of content from many New Zealand publications.
“Sky City supports high-quality journalism and the paid-content models that underpin it.
“We recognise the importance of sustainable, professional media and take our copyright obligations seriously. We are strengthening internal guidance to ensure our practices are clear, appropriate and consistent with our copyright licence.”
According to NBR, Macquarie sought in December to increase its number of subscriptions, following publicity about NBR’s campaign. That appears to have led NBR to discover 35 people had been using one subscription account since October.
A Macquarie spokeswoman did not come back to Media Insider with a response.
North & South pays up
Album cover of Introducing Dinah Lee.
A writer has sought and won payment – finally – after a magazine commissioned a feature on a legendary Kiwi singer but then didn’t publish the article.
British-based Kiwi Garth Cartwright was commissioned to write the 3000-word feature on Dinah Lee for North & South magazine in November 2023.
Cartwright – who also writes for the likes of The Guardian and various other big publications – told Media Insider this week it was an “absolute insult to have delivered good work for a low fee on a major Kiwi singer and then be told ‘changed my mind – I’m not going to use it’.”
He took the case to the Disputes Tribunal. North & South owner School Road Publishing did not participate in the hearing and attempts by the adjudicator to contact the company during the hearing were not successful.
In a written decision last April, the tribunal found in Cartwright’s favour, saying School Road Publishing was liable for the agreed $1200 fee.
After Cartwright wrote about the matter on the Kiwi Journalists Association Facebook page this week, Media Insider approached School Road Publishing owner Greg Partington, who said he had been unaware of the case and sought immediate details.
He resolved matters promptly, paying Cartwright the $1200 on Thursday and apologising.
“I apologise unreservedly for our failure to pay on time, necessitating all that we have put you through,” he told Cartwright.
Media Insider, the new Fair Go! And a win for freelance writers.
Editor-at-large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME, including managing editor, NZ Herald editor and Herald on Sunday editor, and has a small shareholding in NZME.