Long running soap Shortland Street will screen three nights a week from 2025, down from five.
The news was confirmed today by TVNZ and South Pacific Pictures, who make the show. It will screen on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+.
The show is the most-streamed local series on TVNZ+ with 20.1 million streams and boasts a cumulative broadcast reach of 2.2 million viewers in 2023.
“The TV environment is changing fast and we’re moving with our viewers,” TVNZ chief executive Jodi O’Donnell said.
“For some time, we’ve been reimagining what is possible for Shortland Street and we’re delighted to be able to continue the much-loved show with this new, creative format.
“We’re extremely grateful for the external support from NZ On Air, as well as access to the New Zealand Screen Production rebate, to help keep this iconic drama on screen and make it a more commercially viable proposition for TVNZ.”
South Pacific Pictures chief executive Kelly Martin said: “We’re pleased to see the show continue into this exciting new chapter. Fewer episodes mean a greater focus on creating the storylines that will cut through with audiences in a competitive market.
“We’ll bring all the things Shorty viewers love on steroids for three days per week, with stories that dig deep into real-life and topical issues in New Zealand.”
Earlier this week Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith said the Government would “tweak” eligibility criteria for the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate for local shows “with strong industry and cultural value, like our longest-running drama Shortland Street”.
It comes amid widespread cost-cutting at media organisations around the country. Today the curtain comes down on Newshub, while the broadcast of long-running shows like Sunday and Fair Go at TVNZ has also ended.
TVNZ had previously said amid a slump in revenue it was looking at “everything across our slate to ensure we remain commercially viable”.
“This includes Shortland Street,” it said at the time.
