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LoginAfter 4 years, Stratos is off the air – “no longer financially viable,” says co-founder
News release from Stratos
Stratos Television, the Auckland-based free-to-air, nationwide broadcaster has switched off after four years of serving up real public service broadcasting to a growing number of New Zealanders.
The channel, which has provided a different window on the world from other channels through the likes of Al Jazeera news in English, is no longer financially viable.
Co-founder and chief executive Jim Blackman says Stratos has survived four years because the people behind it have 15 years experience of delivering great television at low cost and without having the advantage of access to taxpayer dollars.
“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,” he 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.
“Stratos was founded on the principles of recognised public broadcasting. We could have also filled the gap the proposed closure of TVNZ7 will create, but after four years of proving ourselves, we are no closer to being given the opportunity. Auckland viewers in particular, where the demographic is rapidly changing to include more Polynesian and Asian peoples, will miss Stratos.”
Stratos TV has screened free-to-air on Freeview Digital Channel 21, on Sky Channel 89 and TelstraClear Channel 089.
It is a sister channel to Triangle Television, which screens similar programming across Auckland on UHF channel 41.
Apart from the hugely popular Al Jazeera news, Stratos served up series like the worldwide top-rating “Jewel in the Palace”, a Korean drama about palace life and traditional cuisine, and the international talent quest Eurovision that discovered the likes of ABBA. Its news and current affairs programmes, screened in both English and mother tongues, has covered more than a dozen countries.
Stratos 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.
Blackman says his team studied the Australian SBS model and set out to “provide regional, multilingual and multicultural television services that informed, educated and entertained all New Zealanders and reflected the diversity of New Zealand’s regional and multicultural society”.
Statement from Stratos CEO Jim Blackman
It is with a heavy heart and a huge amount of regret, particularly at this time of the year, that I have to tell you that Stratos Television has ceased broadcast as of 23 December.
The transmission costs coupled with the economic environment and general lack of support at all levels has meant that it simply could not survive.
We know the channel had a significant number of viewers across the country that were steadily growing. We are sorry to have let them down.
I want to pay tribute to the dedication of our staff, presenters, programme providers and contractors who have worked with such passion and pride over the years Stratos has been on air.
The contribution made by these folks has been outstanding. I am so proud of them and I am just sorry they won’t see it blossom into the vision we started out with.
For further information please refer to www.stratostv.co.nz. Please feel free to leave messages on the guest book on that page. Email contact can be made at info@stratostv.co.nz
Auckland viewers will be able to access most of Stratos’ programming on the Triangle Television analogue service.
This is awful news for all New Zealanders. I’ve only recently switched to Freeview, which offers a shamefully small selection of stations – Stratos is by far the strongest and most interesting of them all. Government claims of wanting diversity in television are shown to be a sham by its lack of support for Stratos.
i agree—-
A very good channel. Not a tabloid rubbish like TV1 and TV3. With the demise of Stratos and TVNZ7, we are being left with nothing interesting to switch TV to. How low we can go with TV programmes?
The demise of Stratos – and the state’s refusal to help it – seems to be part of a government campaign to drive all viewers towards its friends at Sky. But Sky, in spite of having more channels, offers less diversity than Stratos provided any night of the week. The Broadcasting Minister spoke last year about the need for diversity on television – but he and his government show the reality is they have no interest in diversity, or in quality.
give it back
Just when I was looking forward to watching for the next 10 days. Am really heavy hearted about this.
Stratos treated us with intelligence and respect. TVNZ and TV3 treat us like dummies. I am greatly saddened they had to close, NZ broadcasting is much poorer. I wish their staff all the very best
Ah no! I actually watched Stratos sometimes, especially when Al-J news was on. Terrible thing that it is closing, perhaps it will be back one day when the niche opens up again but I doubt it.
A very sad day for folk who like to be informed. Stratos did give us a window on the world, for which I give a big thank you. Thanks to all the staff involved in bringing intelligent television to New Zealand. Now added to the June closure of TVNZ7, there will be no television for me and many other folk who do not want the crass rubbish on the main channels
Terrible news, feel angry. Stratos will be sadly missed; can we ever get it back? This has been the best channel on tv, by far.
Stratos will be missed, but obviously not by enough of NZ. This along with the imminent demise of TVNZ7 is a clear signal the we in NZ are not interested enough in alternatives to mainstream media and music channels. A second to the thanks to Stratos’ staff for attempting to provide one such alternative. All the best to you.
It is hugely regrettable that the only decent free television channel is being forced to close, possibly indicative of NZ’s slide back into the parochialism of the 1960s and 1970s as Government continues to flounder into the future, lowering bench marks all along the way.
this is a real blow to NZ television, especially with the loss of Aljazeera to Freeview tv in New Zealand. We are left with a seemingly endless supply of crap from mainstream media, highlighting such vapid topics as embarrassing fat bodies, random alcohol checkpoints, and airport drug sniffing dogs. Coupled with the all-night (and now, most of the day), self serving infomercials (“info” implies actual information, doesn’t it?) we are left turning to the internet for any meaningful source of information (and yes, entertainment too). I, for one, will miss Stratos.
A future without Stratos and then without Channel 7 – I’m devastated.
I am a pensioner so to buy my information through Sky TV is beyond
my means. Back to shortwave radio for replacing what Al/J News brings me. But I am deeply concerned for our society .
Sad to see Stratos go, but it is possible to view SBS one and two via the Freeview satellite receiver. SBS is an Australian TV station with similar programming to Stratos.
I really enjoyed Statos TV but even more when they screened RT.com. Sad to see it go. For someone who spent time in eastern Europe it was a window to Europe and the world outside of the usual crap derived from USA. I’ll even miss the Eurovision song contest. It seems to me that TVNZ is operated by what can only be described as a brain washing puppetry driven gay loving liberal bunch of twats, intent on forcing the “American way” on the population of NZ. I for one am sick of the propaganda from our so called friends. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think NZers are more intelligent and deserve a better TV alternative than just the crap from Hollywood.
very sad to see it go. no help from this govt – i’d imagine it has a secret plan of its own. i’ve heard recently that freeview and sky are doing a deal in that freeview will require a fee to view once the analogue signal is cut. . in return for paying the annual or monthly freeview licence, sky will give freeview some extra ch suce as the history ch, animal planet etc etc. is this true?.
Re deals: Sky and the government-owned TVNZ have announced a deal for a cheap pay service with a small number of channels. There’s no indication that Freeview will be charging – but as its offerings get fewer and fewer, it’s obvious that it’s failing to offer a service which is either encouraging or satisfying for viewers or in any way competitive with the Sky onslaught. Not that I want Sky – it’s so boring! But I do want the selection of international channels that was offered by Stratos.
Very disappointing to see Stratos TV go. I shall miss the Bollywood movies & European News. With all the TV channels we have, there is very little content worth watching.
Very disappointing from a news aspect. Al Jazeera and other world news/economy programs were the only form of Real news in N.Z of what is actually going on in the world. But the N.Z government do not seem up on its population being knowledgeable about world events, as it may give people ideas. Brainwashing reality T.V keeps the population far more subdued, and removing free international news/economic coverage and docos that tell of what really happens in life may give N.Zers far too much info on on matters that the government do not wish you to have an opinion on. Surprised it’s not already been replaced with infomercials as we are now expected to just shut up and consume and not think or create.
Really missing it. Will have to subscribe to the new channel once it becomes clear what will be on offer. AZ is so superior in every regard to our own home channels. TVNZ is lying dead in the water – a ship without a crew or engine.
It took a while before I was prepared to switch over to Freeview. I got a new aerial and a new TV and was all set to go. Being European, the Stratos channel and TVNZ7 were the channels I was looking forward to watch. Well, was that a rude awakening; Stratos had already gone and now I hear that Channel 7 is going as well. I really like those channels and am very disappointed that they are no longer available. I feel more or less ripped off, Freeview promised us all sorts, incl. Stratos and TV7. For me, there isn’t much left. So I’m not a happy customer.
Freeview continue to distribute advertising brochures claiming misleadingly that Stratos is part of their offer. I found one of these on a counter at TVNZ the other day. By allowing their two best channels to disappear, Freeview show they don’t give a damn for their viewers, when they should be offering a lively competitive selection for those of us who don’t want to pay a monthly subscription to Sky.