Larry Williams Drive

There's growing calls among industry experts for the Government to give NZ-produced reality shows a funding boost. Local versions of shows like Married at First Sight and The Block currently don't get the 40 percent screen production rebate available to other programs - and Kiwi TV broadcasters are hoping to turn that around. SPADA President Irene Gardiner says these shows were originally funded by advertising revenue - which has dried up in recent years. "What's happened in our local industry is because of years and years of the big tech-ers operating here without regulation - advertising revenue has massively reduced and the spend that the big networks have for local content has basically gone down." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.