The Fold

The Fold is taking a break over summer. We’ll be back soon with new episodes but, until then, here’s one of our favourites from 2025: Sophie Moloney has been CEO of Sky NZ for five years. For much of that time she’s been dealing with downsides – a failed acquisition of MediaWorks, Spark Sports gifting their rights to TVNZ and prolonged satellite issues. But lately, things have been looking up. They successfully brought NZ Cricket rights back, scooped up Three’s assets for $1, and just last week lengthened their rugby deal under very buyer-friendly terms. She joins Duncan Greive on the Fold to dig into all those issues and more. This episode was originally published on August 29 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fold is taking a break over summer. We’ll be back soon with new episodes but, until then, here’s one of our favourites from 2025: Nick Becker is an Aucklander who spent 15 years in the UK, much of it in key roles with huge EPL teams Arsenal and Manchester City, before a spell in Melbourne. He returned home to launch the city’s first professional football team in more than a decade – one which overcame early doubts to become a phenomenon right out of the gate. He joins Duncan Greive on The Fold to talk about the decision to let a documentary crew film their first season, how to build fan engagement and delve into the complexities of reach versus reward in sports rights. This episode was originally published on July 15 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Glen Kyne, a media commentator and regular contributor, joins Duncan Greive to dissect the dynamic landscape of global media in 2025. They dive into the impact of Netflix's recent acquisition of WBD and its ripple effects on market rankings. Discussions reveal the exclusion of Disney and Amazon from the top five, and a vibrant debate on Spotify’s growth challenges versus its audio dominance. They also explore the New York Times’ innovative subscriber strategies and Skydance’s ambitious acquisitions, before ultimately ranking Netflix as the top player amid regulatory uncertainties.

Glen Kyne joins Duncan Greive for a two-part finale, ranking the performances of New Zealand’s scale media companies. They take on MediaWorks, NZME, RNZ, Sky, Stuff and TVNZ, based on public facing metrics, conversations and general vibe-based diagnosis. There’s a clear winner, but wide disagreement on the losers. PLUS an instant reaction to the Netflix-WBD deal. RNZ’s Paul Thompson on that bombshell radio report Sky CEO Sophie Moloney on the NZ rugby and Three deals and the depth of its moat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025 has been a year of profound change in the regulatory landscape for Australian media. There is a social media ban for under 16s, which goes live next week. There are new local content spending rules for the big paid streaming platforms. And there is a revised version of the news bargaining code which aims squarely at Meta. Tim Burrowes has covered all this at Mumbrella, and rejoins The Fold to update Duncan Greive on what our near neighbour is doing – and what our government could copy (but probably wont). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Rachel Bayfield, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at PHD; James Davidson, Chief Strategy and Planning Officer at PHD; and Helen Brown, Chief Investment Officer at PHD, as they dive into the trends shaping local media. They dissect pivotal deals like Trade Me's stake in Stuff and Sky's acquisition of Three, the rise of clean-room technology, and the evolving creator economy. With compelling predictions for 2026, they also tackle the challenges of TV fragmentation and the potential risks of AI on trust in advertising.

Duncan Greive goes solo to deliver a quick response to the NZ Screen Awards, which fused film with television in a way which showed a lot of promise while also needing some serious tightening. There were big wins for The Convert, and a big beautiful crowd, but Tinā felt neglected and the randomised nature of the awards meant that energy came and went. The highlights more than justified the exercise – but a more streamlined and sequenced show should be the aim for 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Anna Rawhiti-Connell, Head of Audience at The Spinoff, as she delves into the changing landscape of children's media in New Zealand. Discover how YouTube's dominance has overshadowed traditional TV and learn about the struggles local content faces in terms of discoverability. The conversation also tackles the Broadcasting Standards Authority's research on trust in news, revealing generational divides in media consumption. Anna highlights how trust varies based on content type and age, painting a nuanced picture of modern news engagement.

Toby Manhire, editor-at-large at The Spinoff, discusses a journalistic blunder that involved misidentifying a wine importer as ex-New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. He shares a personal story about a mistake he made at the Guardian and examines how AI is exacerbating errors in newsrooms. The conversation shifts to succession planning at RNZ and TVNZ, evaluating potential hosts and the challenges of finding the right fit. Toby emphasizes the importance of managing talent wisely for a smoother transition in local broadcasting.