Wednesday 17th October, 2012

NZ On Air announces new TV line-up for children and special interest audiences

NZ On Air is announcing more than $22million in funding for nearly 600 hours of new and returning programming for a wide variety of specialist audiences.

NZ On Air allocates a considerable portion of its television funding to special interest and children’s programming each year, reflecting the importance of these audiences.

There are two new series for pre-schoolers. Poppet Stars will animate songs in English and Māori on TV 2. Moe, a new puppet adventure series looking at problem solving, literacy and numeracy, is being supported for FOUR. Popular pre-school series Tiki Tour, will also return to TV 2 in 2013.

Older children and teenagers will be well served with What Now, The Erin Simpson Show, Girl vs Boy, I am TV, Just the Job, Let’s Get Inventin’, Operation Hero, and Small Blacks TV all returning for another series on TV 2, while the daily Sticky TV returns to FOUR.

A new special interest series has also been supported. Real Pasifik shot in New Zealand and the wider Pacific, will bring Robert Oliver's colourful forays into South Pacific food and culture to small screen audiences.

NZ On Air funding is also supporting the return of Attitude, Neighbourhood, Praise Be, Rural Delivery, Tagata Pasifika and the final of the Young Farmers Contest to TV One in 2013. New series of Both Worlds and Media3 will screen on TV3, and The Nutters Club will return to Māori Television.

English language subtitling of te reo children’s series Pukana, for the benefit of audiences on FOUR, has also been funded.

ends