Prime



Prime is the second privately owned national free-to-air television broadcaster currently available in New Zealand. The broadcaster airs a varied mix of programming, largely imported from Australia, the UK and the United States, as well as free-to-air rugby union and cricket matches.

It was originally owned by Prime Television Limited in Australia. Prime later entered into a joint-venture agreement with Nine Entertainment Co. (Nine Network Australia), causing the network's graphics to look like Nine Network. On 8 February 2006, the Commerce Commission gave Sky Television clearance to purchase the station for NZ$31 million.

Prime's analogue terrestrial signals had covered 91% of the population via the state-owned Kordia transmission network. It is currently available in digitally free-to-air form via Sky Network Television on satellite and Kordia on terrestrial. Vodafone also carry the channel for their cable subscribers in Wellington and Christchurch.