Digital TV Facts - Don't Ask Maharey

new-zealand-national-party

Tue Mar 20 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Digital TV Facts - Don't Ask Maharey

Tuesday, 20 March 2007, 4:06 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party

Jonathan Coleman MP
National Party Broadcasting Spokesman

20 March 2007

“The Labour Government simply doesn't know how many households will be watching digital television when the Freeview TV service launches on May 2,” says National Party Broadcasting spokesman Dr Jonathan Coleman.

"Labour is spending $104 million of public money on digital television, yet Steve Maharey can’t, or won’t, say how many people he expects will be watching."

Dr Coleman is commenting after Mr Maharey ducked Parliamentary questions about the confirmed start date for TVNZ's new digital channels, and said important information, like expected audiences, were ‘a question for the industry’.

"The Government wants all the credit for digital TV, but won’t take any of the responsibility.

"The reality is that now we know it will cost at least $700 for anyone to receive ‘Freeview’ the audience projections will be in freefall. Steve Maharey knows that – and is running for cover.

“This Minister is on track to do to broadcasting what he did to tertiary education. The question is whether this time Michael Cullen will be roped in to clean up his mess.”

Ends

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}

Using Scoop for work?

Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.

Join Pro Individual Find out more

Find more from New Zealand National Party on InfoPages.