WBD NZ annual accounts filed with the Companies Office shows it sold its 50% stake in the Bravo TV NZ joint venture to NBC Universal in December 2024. That transaction flew under the radar but was obviously tidying up loose ends before the trade sale or close down decisions for local WBD operations were made. The 50% stake was sold for $1. Sounds familiar…
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So Bravo NZ is not part of the Sky deal? Does that mean Bravo NZ is a wholly owned NBC Universal property? Can’t believe this Bravo sale has been missed.
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Yes Bravo TV NZ is now 100% owned by NBC Universal. Im not sure why none of the media reported this at the time - it is publicly avaliable information on the Companies Office website.
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Wow I did not see that coming. I wonder what this means for Bravo NZ going forward.
Good spotting @GdubNZ
I don’t think it’s a huge surprise.
Suspect WBD would have been told to clear the decks and a company affiliated with another distributor was always going to be one that raise eyebrows of potential investors as the company splits.
WBD were keen to be rid of it a year ago.
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Seems to have happened around the same time WBD and NBCU announced their renewed partnership.
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I wonder how that works with the LCN numbers, does NBCU “lease” it of WBD? They must be carrying Bravo on their Mux for a fee now, then?
Sure, the LCNs are only a minor thing, but I thought Freeview had gone out of their way to align the lower ones between the main two networks and Whakaata Maori?
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Just gonna take a guess, we’ll we see some playout changes when Sky takes control of WBD FTA channels when the deal is finalized approx Friday?
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Looks like Sky is filing a trademark called “Sky Free” and the domain website http://skyfree.co.nz/.
Logo:
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Good. I assume ThreeNow will become SkyFree?
Article said it will keep the Three and ThreeNow brands. It’ll be under that name company I believe.
“We’re not planning any change to the much-loved Three or ThreeNow brand names,” a Sky spokeswoman told Media Insider on Monday evening.
“Sky Free is simply the legal business name we’ll be using once the acquisition completes, as we will no longer be able to use Discovery NZ.
“And the team will be called Sky Free within Sky, along similar lines to our other team and business unit names.”
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Ohhhh! Yeah that makes sense.
Sky Free isn’t a terrible channel name (specially when compared to +hr=e , lol). As the name of the app sounds better too, when it’s home to a lot more than Three content.
But bit of a non story by the sounds…
Edit … FreeNews may have sounded a little strange 
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Given Sky’s acquisition of Three, would Sky be permitted to configure its set-top boxes to default to Three upon startup as a means of promoting its own channel? Are there any regulatory restrictions or industry guidelines that would limit such a move, particularly in relation to fair competition or platform neutrality?
Ideas..
1. Default channel on startup:
Sky has control over its proprietary set-top boxes (e.g. Sky Box, Sky Pod) and could set Three as the default channel shown when the box powers on.
- This is similar to how some broadcasters or streaming platforms autoplay their own content on home screens.
- Sky could justify it as a platform design choice - especially if they now own and want to promote Three and its sub-channels (e.g. Bravo, Eden).
2. Personalisation:
Sky might implement this as a “personalised startup preference” feature - but pre-select Three as the default for most users unless they manually change it.
TVNZ will exclusively broadcast the entire ANZ Premiership 2026 season next year. All games will be available on TVNZ+ with most games on terrestrial television on 2.
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Does Netball NZ have seperate agreements for competitions? Where does this leave Silver Ferns games?
Yes, internationals are separate.
Tipping Point: Travel Guides special finally has a New Zealand airdate: Sunday August 10 at 7pm on TVNZ2. Seven cast members from the show will be divided into three teams, competing to win A$40,000 for their chosen charities.
The special was first scheduled for mid April this year before it was pulled.
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Taskmaster NZ Season 6 has been announced; with the series airing twice weekly on Monday and Tuesday nights.
The full cast are:
- Bree Tomasel
- Pax Assadi
- Jackie van Beek
- Jack Ansett
- Alice Snedden
Taskmaster NZ Season 6 starts Monday August 18 on TVNZ2 & TVNZ+.
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The new company name “Sky Free” replacing WBD NZ; their website is live.
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