TV2 (New Zealand)

infobox TV channel
name = TV2
logofile = Tv2-2007.png logosize = 100px
logoalt = TV2 Logo
launch = June 30 1975
country = New Zealand
picture format = 576i 16:9 (SDTV)
720p (HDTV)
share =
share as of =
share source =
owner = TVNZ
former names = South Pacific Television
Channel 2
web = [http://www.tv2.co.nz/ tv2.co.nz]
terr serv 1 = Analogue
terr chan 1 = VHF Band
"normally tuned to 2"
terr serv 2 = Freeview|HD
terr chan 2 = Channel 2
terr serv 3 = SKY Television Analogue
terr chan 3 = Channel 2
sat serv 1 = Freeview
sat chan 1 = Channel 2
sat serv 2 = SKY Television Digital
sat chan 2 = Channel 2
cable serv 1 = TelstraClear InHomeTV
cable chan 1 = Channel 2
|

TV2 is a national television network in New Zealand, which is owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster TVNZ. It targets a younger audience than its sister network, TV One. TV2's line up consists of dramas, sitcoms, and reality shows, most of which are produced in New Zealand or imported from the United States.

History

TV2 was formed following the dissolution of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation in 1975, and took over the AKTV2 and CHTV3 stations in Auckland and Christchurch. It began broadcasting in those cities on 30 June of that year, but did not begin broadcasting in Wellington until that November.

TV2 opened with a Telethon for the St John Ambulance Service. As there was only one national link, and TV One had priority, TV2 used the link overnight to feed the next day's programmes between Auckland and Christchurch so they could be broadcast simultaneously.In 1976 TV2 was renamed South Pacific Television, and along with TV One and Radio New Zealand it became part of the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand (BCNZ) in 1977.

In 1980, South Pacific Television (which reverted to its original name of TV2) and TV One merged to form Television New Zealand, with the promise of 'complementary programming'.In 1981, tenders were called for the supply of programmes for TV2's morning slot. The following year Northern Television began producing programmes as the first private enterprise TV broadcaster in the country. In 1983 Northern TV was forced to close due to high costs and low advertising revenue.

The National government debated selling off TV2 to a private enterprise in 1983, but this did not happen. In 1988 the Labour government dissolved BCNZ, and deregulated the broadcasting market. With the launch of TV3 in 1989, TV2 (now rebranded 'Channel 2') moved away from complementary programming and repositioned itself as an entertainment channel, leaving more serious programming to TV One. In 1995 Channel 2 reverted to its old name, TV2.

On September 22, 2007, TV2 went into 16:9 widescreen on Freeview 24 hours a day.

Programming

News Programming

News and sport is usually catered for by sister channel TV One. However, the show does feature one news show, "20/20", based on the American show of the same name. While TV2 has never had its own newscast, TV2 once featured headline updates at the top of the hour, but these were discontinued in 2002. TV2 does broadcast headlines for the "ONE News" bulletin at 5:00pm and 5:30pm.

Original Programming

TV2's original programming is also produced and filmed in New Zealand.. Due to the small population of New Zealand, and TV2's small viewing audience when compared to TV networks in America and the United Kingdom, most shows have a low budget as the television viewing audience in New Zealand is not large enough to justify high cost programming. Many shows also rely on government subsidies provided via New Zealand On Air. Most of TV2’s original programming is reality shows, which are known to be much cheaper to produce than scripted programming.

Notable current original programming includes:
* "Shortland Street"
* "Neighbours at War"
* "Motorway Patrol"
* "20/20"
* "Moon TV"
* "Sensing Murder"
* "Police Ten-7"
* "Mitre 10 Dream Home"
* "Treasure Island"
* "My House My Castle"
* "Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old?"Notable past original programming includes:
* "Flipside"
* "NZ Idol"

Imported Programming

The majority of TV2's line up is imported from other television markets, mostly from the United States. TV2 has major contract deals with Disney-ABC International Television, Warner Bros. Television,Sony Pictures Television International and DreamWorks Television for supply of most of its American programmes. Notably, TV2 features no shows from FOX, apart from "American Idol", "The O.C.", and "Mad TV" as "American Idol" is distributed by Fremantle Media. "The O.C" and "MAD TV" are supplied through TVNZ's Warner Bros. Television agreement, as FOX has an exclusive agreement with TV2's main rival, TV3. In a rare situation in mid 2007, TV2 screened episodes of ABC drama "Men in Trees" months in advance of the US, as ABC decided to attach these episodes onto the second season of the show.

Notable Imported programming includes:
*"Aliens in America"
*"The Amazing Race"
*"American Idol"
*"Army Wives"
*"The Best Years"
*"The Big Bang Theory"
*"Big Day"
*"Big Shots"
*"Cashmere Mafia"
*"Cavemen"
*"Chuck"
*"The Contender"
*"Desperate Housewives"
*"Dirt"
*"Dirty Sexy Money"
*"Eli Stone"
*"ER"
*"Friends"
*"Gossip Girl"
*"Greek"
*"Grey's Anatomy"
*"Lost"
*"Moonlight"
*"Neighbours"
*"The New Adventures of Old Christine"
*"Notes From the Underbelly"
*"October Road"
*"Private Practice"
*"Pushing Daisies"
*"Reaper"
*"Samantha Who?"
*""
* "Ugly Betty"
*"Torchwood "
*"Viva Laughlin"

Current Primetime Schedule

"News and Current Affairs" are in Grey;"Drama" is in Blue;"Sitcoms", "Animation" and "Comedy" are in Purple;"Lifestyle programs" are in Green;"Factual programs" and "Documentaries" are Yellow;"Reality", "Game shows" and "Talk shows" are in Red; "Sport" is in Orange; "Movies" are in Pink.The above represents TV2's usual primetime schedule. It does not reflect one-off events, and program starting times may vary from those shown. This schedule is current as of 2008-07-10. For up-to-date information, see TV2's online television guide. ( [http://tvnz.co.nz/view-preempt/tv2_epg_skin/channelDesc=tv2#9:00 link] ). †This programme is interrupted for 5 minutes at 8:00pm for the Lotto draw.

Logos

TV2 has had numerous logos throughout its history. The current logo is highly comparable to that of .

ee also

"For a more extensive list of programs screened on TVNZ, see List of TVNZ television programming".

References

* [http://www.tvnz.co.nz TVNZ]

External links

* [http://tvnz.co.nz/view/tv2_index_skin/tv2_index_group/ Official Site]