Plug pulled on Stratos Television
Free-to-air broadcaster Stratos Television is closing down after four years of public service broadcasting.
The channel, which provided a "different window on the world" through the likes of Al Jazeera news in English, is no longer financially viable.
“We simply have not had the support we were seeking – despite a growing audience of more than one million and reaching the stage where AC Nielsen were able to include us in the TARPS audience ratings,” co-founder and CEO Jim Blackman says.
“It is hugely disappointing because New Zealand is a country where 25% of the population are new New Zealanders and providing a window to the world helps develop understanding in our communities."
Mr Blackman says Stratos could also have filled the gap the proposed closure of TVNZ7 will create.
The broadcaster had international partnerships with the likes of DW-TV, France 24, Euro News in Europe, Voice of America, Bloomberg, Australia Network and CCTV, CQTV, NHK and YTN in Asia.
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Comments and questions133
Apart from my father I don't remember watching anything on Stratos
Good - the content was total bs.
I watched now and then – but low production values, particularly their inability to show programmes in their correct aspect ratio – were irritating and ultimately discouraging. They could have tried harder.
I think they did a great job with just 15 staff. They received not a cent of Government funding.
Meanwhile Maori TV is paying its 150 staff a $1,000 Christmas bonus each, courtesy of the taxpayer.
And the Government fully funds the maori language TV channel Te Reo which only broadcasts 6 hours a day, and also their own Parliament TV channel which is just running a test pattern until next February 2012. That is a lot of satellite time they are leasing, 24 hours a day, with no programming at all.
david frost,pbs and bloomberg business news gone.Typical nz no support for a channel that dared to be different and no rugby coverage to boot
With the very limited news coverage provided by TVNZ and TV3, Stratos was essential to help get a balanced view of world politics. I will miss it. Those that think it was "bs" must have a very jaundiced view of the world problems.
Does this mean no triangle tv? I quite liked dwTV (their arts, travel, car and technology shows). I was able to see Helen clark on Al Jazeera (who impressed me) and Obama's state of union address by conincidence and at the time not hearing a word of our own PM's address. I also enjoyed the disscussion from the american news shows, it was more indepth and raw than a TVOne news.
Have checked for you - Triangle is continuing for 18 months anyway, until the digital switchover is complete. It's hoping a longer future can be worked out.
Cheers
ED
A shame. Sometimes it had some less than shallow discussions on it. A different point of view is refreshing even if you don,t always agree with it
Will miss PBS News Hour and Al Jazeera.Quality news journalism.
I'm SAD. Al Jazeera and Bloomberg business are top offerings on any channel. Get business news on TVNZ.... about 10 secs per newscast.
Well we will just have to watch Maori tv and think we can understand.I have to say it will be missed.
Why why dont we have one country for all and tv stations to suit us all.Who are these maori apartheid folk who think they aare more important than others when born.nz is really running down badly with race relations and duplication spending.We williss the world news that is not local tv stations.
Why why dont we have one country for all and tv stations to suit us all.Who are these maori apartheid folk who think they aare more important than others when born.nz is really running down badly with race relations and duplication spending.We williss the world news that is not local tv stations.
Sorry Jim, A great effort.
Unfortunately it didnt have enough audience to support it as an ad based free to air TV channel. Maybe the way forward with this type of offering is as a part subscription /part ad based channel.
Sorry Jim, A great effort.
Unfortunately it didnt have enough audience to support it as an ad based free to air TV channel. Maybe the way forward with this type of offering is as a part subscription /part ad based channel.
I loved watching the Dutch news. It's a great disappointment Stratos had to close down.
back to 5 min news
This is really sad as good channels like Stratos and TV7 provide quite informative programmes. I guess only certain types of people in NZ do enjoys informative, global, educational programmes. You are what you consume I guess.
So its 24/7 Rugby bs for you then?
My, we are shallow today then aren't we?
Some of the best external news, world comment and european magazine shows available, now not to be.
I will miss Stratos. The sooner a self-funding alternative can be found the better.
Not all of us can afford or justify SKY TV for their world view, including those in small business.
This is a great loss and means that when Channel 7 goes we will have only the usual flea-weight TV news from TVNZ, 3, and Prime. I would like to see TVNZ included in the part asset sales, and the proceeds used to sustain Channel 7.
When National takes TV7 off air I'll switch the TV off for good and turn to the internet. Stratos was great, so is Channel7. TV1,2,3,4 is rubbish, TV6 adds insult to injury - it illustrates what mind dumbing crap our Government wants the masses to watch. It's a disgrace.
A sad day for independent TV 90% top class but Media 7, Citizen A,Bomber bradbury pull the standard down.
Let's hope financial aid can be found.
I, for one, would gladly pay a fee to have Stratos back on the air. A sad day for NZ's link to the rest of the world. Is there anyone out there willing to contribute toward a quick return of this (once) wonderful TV service?
PMartin
I had no idea this had happened and went to look for stratos last night b4 going to bed as I watch Al Jazeera thru the night (when I wake) I don't know what I am going to do without Al Jazeera news and docs. BBC is OK but I much preferred Al J. I am devistated - one less reason to have freeview which I find very limited. I am devistated - felt part of the 'real' world with Al J
I will miss Stratos I will miss TVNZ7 even more and I am so pleased that with a Freeview satellite decoder Box and a satellite dish left over from when I cancelled sky I can get the wonderful Australian SBS channel which has PBS, Al Jazeera, good docos, foreign films and varied world news. Often have to record to a USB and playback later but needs must.
I would rarely ever get involved with leaving comments about events, but this is one that needs ‘airing’. I can’t believe the MOST important channel on Freeview is now closed!. In particular, my regular viewing of Al Jazeera will be hugely missed. It is/was the only genuinely news worthy channel worth viewing. There were other important programmes on Stratos I watched which I also enjoyed. I would estimate that about 50% of my overall TV viewing was based around Stratos TV. What a bugger, that we have to lose the ONLY channel with INEGRITY. I would even be happy to pay a ‘subscription’ to have you continue if it were possible?. We need this type of service to keep our news & information ‘honest’ and UNBIASED. A supporter of REAL news.
The race to the bottom just speeded up
So sad! Freeview will be the worse for this decision. I watched Stratos every night for the Al Jazeera news (and more than the other stations because of their classic movies etc). It seems we are to be doomed to repeats of repeated repeats, with news that is lifted straight from the internet read by trained puppets. So sad to see you go, Stratos. Thanks for the regular newsletters telling us your schedules too. Shame, shame, shame.
I loved Stratos on Freeview. I can't believe they went overnight. This is terrible news.
TVNZ7 shows old news all night. Stratos showed us the real world news. This is a sad day for viewers.
What? I don't believe this? Stratos is such a good network to watch. Gone overnight. Just terrible.
I used to slot Stratos programmes into my regular TV Guide listings. I'd work out what I wanted to see on Stratos then write the information over the rubbish that was listed against that particular time slot in the TV Guide. This is sad news for NZ television.
Now what am I going to watch?
What am I going to watch now?
No more PBS News ? No more Al Jazeera? No more Classic Movies? No more Stratos? I can't believe it!
We used to watch the Wednesday 3.30 slot all the time. Great Sci Fi, Horror and Westerns. Wednesday's won't be the same now.
I guess I won't be watching the AFL Grand Final replay tonight then? Sorry to see the end of a great station.
Sad to see Stratos go but obviously the business model could not be sustained in these tough times.
Thought Maori TV have done an awesome job re RWC(had highest overall ratings etc) and staff fully deserve their token $1000 bonus.(better than TVNZ having to pay Hawkesby 6m which still irks me today!!!!)
I hardly watch the main networks. I love Shine TV and Stratos. Shine TV just had a 24 hour telethon to raise money. They raised enough to keep Shine TV on air for another 12 months. They do this every year. Perhaps Stratos should do the same? I'd say people would donate to keep you on air.
Very sad news. Stratos had much good content, although it was annoying that much of it was shown in the wrong aspect ratio. I'll particularly miss the exceptional quality ABC bulletin covering Pacific and Asian news.
With the closure of Stratos and the impending closure of TVNZ7, NZ will surely be left with the most vapid, unintellectual TV environment of any developed country.
Very disappointing because the news provided via Stratos was top of the line, other news channels are a joke and reflect the distant island mentality, ver saaaaaad
I watch Stratos for the up-to-the-minute world news they gave us every night and the terrific classic movies etc. TVNZ gets millions to show tripe. What's wrong with this picture?
very sad, part of a goverment plan?. keep the populace dumb maybe.
Obvious impact of the occupy protestors not having access to SKY tv !
Our NZ Government should consider funding or partly subsidising this channel. Not many elderly NZers with poor eyesight.are capable of using the internet...get real and fast before it is too late!
Stratos gone. Now we can revert back to tabloid news on 123456 and every other bloody channel that continues to serve up shite
Maori tv -$150m.
As if that's not enough, we have maori tv on mainstream tv1 as well! No wonder the country is going to the morons.
Kevin27 - You summed it up beautifully !
Maori TV squandering millions of taxpayers money even more insulting that other channels still feel compelled to air progs for the sake of PC and yet Stratos with its eclectic mix of quality and international feeds goes bust. Strewth we live in an armpit part of the planet, time for us to dropkick the bro and they can pay their own way for a change. Reckon they got heaps squirrelled away by now.
This is a big disappointmnet. I hope they can return to air sometime in the future, They obviously have a huge following.
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