Free local TV is quietly winning back New Zealanders — and Netflix is paying the price.
New research from NZ On Air shows total TV reach, combining linear broadcast and local on-demand platforms, has edged out global video sharing platforms like YouTube and TikTok as the most-used type of media across a typical day. Sixty-three percent of New Zealanders use some form of local TV daily, versus 62% for the global platforms.
More striking: linear TV has beaten subscription streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ for daily audience reach for the first time in five years. Linear TV sits at 51% daily reach; subscription streaming has slipped to 50%, down 6% since 2024.
NZ On Air chief executive Cameron Harland says the numbers tell a story worth paying attention to. "This has also coincided with a fall in viewing on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+, which taken together may be an indication of audiences realising they can get great content for free on local platforms," Harland said.
The research, carried out by Verian between April 8 and May 7 this year with 1701 New Zealanders aged 15 and over, is the latest in NZ On Air's ongoing Where Are The Audiences? series. This round included a larger sample than previous years and added new questions about content preferences.
Cost-of-living pressure is a likely driver. Subscription fatigue is real when the bills stack up and free-to-air is right there on the same screen.
Music streaming is also wobbling. Spotify use has dropped to 27% daily reach, down 8% since 2024 — a notable departure from international trends. Broadcast and online radio now match music streaming platforms exactly, with 44% of New Zealanders using each daily.
When people do watch TV, they watch a lot of it. Local linear and on-demand combined clocks 128 minutes of daily viewing on average. Global video platforms — YouTube, TikTok, Facebook — come in second at 97 minutes.
Content preference splits sharply by age. Older audiences lean toward news, current affairs and documentary. Younger audiences prefer comedy and drama. What cuts across age groups: 81% of New Zealanders like seeing New Zealand faces and places on TV.
Local music tells a similar story. Thirty-seven percent of New Zealanders actively seek out local music. Another 41% would listen to more of it if it surfaced on their streaming service.
"It's heartening to see that 37% of New Zealanders actively seek out local music, and 41% would listen to more of it, if it was promoted on streaming platforms. There is no lack of love for local music — we just need to help audiences find it," Harland said.
The broader picture, according to the research, is one of stabilisation. The rapid upheaval in media habits between 2016 and 2022 has settled. Change is still happening — just more slowly, and increasingly shaped by what things cost rather than what's shiny and new.
Four additional sub-group reports covering Māori, Pacific, Asian and youth audiences will be released on August 18. The full 2026 report is available on the NZ On Air website.