11 August 2026
After years of rapid disruption to the way New Zealanders watch television, listen to music and consume digital content, the country’s media habits appear to be settling into a new routine.
The latest NZ On Air Where Are The Audiences? 2026 research suggests the dramatic shifts seen through much of the past decade are slowing, while cost-of-living pressures may be influencing where audiences choose to spend their attention and their money.
And there is an interesting twist.
After years in which global streaming services appeared to be steadily taking audiences away from traditional television, local television has shown signs of resilience.
Total television, combining local linear television and broadcaster video-on-demand services, now reaches 63% of New Zealanders daily, marginally ahead of global video-sharing platforms at 62%.
Even more strikingly, linear television has edged ahead of subscription video-on-demand services for daily reach for the first time in five years.
Linear television reaches 51% daily compared with 50% for subscription streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+.
For New Zealand’s media industry, that is worth paying attention to.
The numbers: how New Zealanders are consuming media
The 2026 research was conducted by Verian between 8 April and 7 May among 1,701 New Zealanders aged 15 and over.
Several findings point towards a market that is no longer changing at the extraordinary pace seen during the previous decade.
| Media trend | 2026 finding |
|---|---|
| Total TV daily reach | 63% |
| Global video-sharing platforms | 62% |
| Linear TV daily reach | 51% |
| Subscription video-on-demand | 50% |
| Total radio daily reach | 44% |
| Online music streaming | 44% |
| Spotify daily use | 27% |
| Daily time spent with total TV | 128 minutes |
| Global video-sharing platforms | 97 minutes |
| New Zealanders who like seeing NZ faces and places on TV | 81% |
| Actively seek NZ music | 37% |
| Would listen to more NZ music if surfaced by streaming services | 41% |
Perhaps the biggest overall finding is not about any individual platform.
According to NZ On Air, 2016 to 2022 was characterised by rapid changes in media consumption, while the period from 2023 to 2026 has shown considerably greater stability.
In other words, the digital revolution is hardly over, but New Zealand audiences may be reaching a more mature balance between traditional broadcasting, local digital platforms and global services.
Streaming’s seemingly unstoppable rise has hit resistance
For years, the direction appeared straightforward.
Traditional television audiences were declining while subscription streaming services gained ground.
The 2026 figures complicate that story.
Overall subscription video-on-demand usage has fallen 6% since 2024, according to the research.
NZ On Air Chief Executive Cameron Harland said the improvement in local linear television and stability of local broadcaster on-demand services coincided with declining viewing across Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+.
He suggested one possible explanation was that audiences were recognising the amount of content available free through local platforms.
That possibility becomes particularly relevant during a period when households are scrutinising discretionary spending.
One streaming subscription may appear inexpensive. Several subscriptions, alongside broadband, mobile services and other recurring digital payments, quickly become another household bill.
If viewers can find news, entertainment, documentaries, sport and other programming without another monthly subscription, free local platforms become more attractive.
Cost of living may be changing the streaming equation
The research indicates that this year’s movements appear to be influenced by cost-of-living pressures.
That deserves attention.
Streaming initially sold itself partly on convenience and value. But the market has fragmented significantly.
Consumers wanting access to programmes distributed across multiple services can find themselves maintaining several subscriptions simultaneously.
That changes the calculation.
The question is no longer simply whether New Zealanders prefer streaming to television.
It is increasingly whether a particular streaming subscription provides enough value to justify another monthly payment.
Local broadcasters have an obvious advantage in that contest when their digital services remain freely accessible.
Spotify also records a notable decline
Video is not the only area producing unexpected results.
Spotify daily use fell to 27%, down eight percentage points compared with 2024.
NZ On Air described the decline in Spotify streaming and podcast discovery as an interesting departure from international trends.
Meanwhile, traditional and digital radio combined remains remarkably competitive.
Total radio and online music streaming platforms both reach 44% of New Zealanders daily.
That suggests audio consumption is not simply moving wholesale from broadcasting to streaming.
Instead, different formats appear to be finding their own place in people’s routines.
New Zealand content still matters
One of the strongest messages from the research concerns local content.
An overwhelming 81% of New Zealanders say they like seeing New Zealand faces and places on television programmes.
The research also found clear interest in locally produced music.
Some 37% of respondents actively seek out New Zealand music, while 41% say they would listen to more local music if it appeared through their streaming service.
Harland said the results demonstrated that there was no shortage of interest in New Zealand music, but discoverability remained an issue.
That distinction is significant.
If audiences are willing to consume more local music but are not being exposed to it, the problem may be less about demand and more about how recommendation systems and digital platforms surface content.
Age still determines what people want to watch
The research also shows substantial differences in television preferences between generations.
Older audiences demonstrate stronger preferences for news, current affairs and documentaries, while younger audiences lean more towards comedy and drama.
That presents both a challenge and an opportunity for New Zealand media organisations.
Trying to make one type of content appeal equally to every demographic is increasingly unrealistic.
Publishers and broadcasters instead need to understand which audiences they are serving, what those audiences value and how they prefer to consume it.
YouTube, TikTok and social platforms remain formidable competitors
None of this means global digital platforms are losing their influence.
Global video-sharing platforms, a category that includes YouTube and social platforms such as Facebook and TikTok, still reach 62% of New Zealanders each day.
Users spend an average 97 minutes a day with these platforms.
That remains enormous.
But total television commands even more time at 128 minutes daily when linear and local broadcast-on-demand viewing are combined.
The modern media contest, therefore, is no longer simply “television versus the internet”.
Television itself has become digital.
Radio is consumed online.
News appears on social platforms.
Podcasts compete with broadcast audio.
And broadcasters increasingly distribute their programming across traditional channels, apps and on-demand services simultaneously.
Webfit News analysis: the winners may be those who understand the new mix
There is a temptation whenever new technology arrives to declare the previous medium dead.
Radio was supposedly going to kill newspapers. Television was going to kill radio. The internet was going to kill television. Streaming was then going to kill broadcasting.
Media rarely evolves that neatly.
The 2026 findings instead point towards coexistence.
New Zealand audiences appear to be building personalised combinations of free television, streaming subscriptions, social media, YouTube, radio, podcasts and music platforms.
Cost also matters more than it did when households were enthusiastically adding subscription services.
For local media companies, there is an important lesson here.
Being local alone is not enough.
The finding that 81% of New Zealanders enjoy seeing local faces and places demonstrates an opportunity, but audiences still expect quality, convenience and content that earns their attention.
At the same time, global platforms should not automatically assume that audience growth will continue indefinitely simply because consumption has shifted online.
When household budgets tighten, consumers reassess value.
And free becomes a very competitive price.
More detailed audience research coming
NZ On Air is also preparing four subgroup reports examining Māori, Pacific, Asian and youth audiences.
Those reports are scheduled for release on 18 August and should provide a more detailed picture of how different communities engage with New Zealand’s rapidly evolving media environment.
The 2026 research ultimately suggests that the country’s media transformation has entered a different phase.
The dramatic migration from old platforms to new ones appears to be slowing.
What comes next may be less about one medium replacing another and more about which broadcasters, publishers and platforms can earn a permanent place in increasingly crowded daily routines.
For New Zealand media, that could prove a much more interesting competition.
