According to TVNZ, in a world of infinite feeds and fragmented media, attention is the most valuable commodity – not impressions.
At its Q4 market update, the broadcaster told advertisers that where content is viewed fundamentally changes how it is experienced, leading to better business outcomes.
“Infinite feeds have made impressions easy to generate,” says Valerie Walshe, chief revenue officer at TVNZ.
“But we need to have better conversations about advertising effectiveness. Attention is harder to earn – and attention is what really drives growth. If it’s a big moment for your brand, the message deserves a high-attention environment.”
Main screen energy
TVNZ’s Q4 market update also introduced to the market the concept of main screen energy – the idea that when moments genuinely matter, audiences still migrate to the biggest screen in the house.
From live sport, to breaking news and major cultural moments – when the stakes are high, viewing behaviour shifts. People lean in, they watch together and they turn the sound on, says TVNZ.
More than 1.4 million New Zealanders are now watching TVNZ+ on connected TV in the lounge, reinforcing the main screen’s role in streaming as well as broadcast television.
Its research shows that this full-screen, sound-on, brand-safe context delivers materially stronger active attention than lower-attention, scroll-based environments. Rather than framing the debate as linear versus digital, the broadcaster positioned it as high-attention versus low-attention media.
Attention build brands
“Reach on its own doesn’t build brands,” says Walshe. “Attention does. And when we win attention on the biggest screen in the room, everything else works harder around it.”
TVNZ’s presentation also leaned into co-viewing, noting that main-screen viewing often means multiple engaged viewers in the room – partners, families and households watching together. In a quarter where efficiency and ROI are under scrutiny, that multiplier effect becomes commercially significant.
TVNZ highlighted retail sales uplift, brand uplift, conversion tracking, footfall and attention metrics as part of its proof-of-effectiveness toolkit, alongside initiatives such as TVNZ+ and Activate Retail, designed to connect big-screen impact with smarter data and commerce outcomes.
Attention is earned
For Nadia Tolich, chief content officer at TVNZ, the focus on attention reflects a broader strategic shift.
“Our strategy puts audience at the centre. When we earn attention in trusted, local environments, we create value for viewers and stronger outcomes for our partners. That’s the role of a modern broadcaster.”
As competition intensifies, TVNZ’s message is clear: in a world where almost everything is skippable, attention is not guaranteed. It must be earned. And the biggest screen in the room still has the advantage.
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