New Zealand Media & Entertainment

What New Zealand Media & Entertainment does

NZME Holdings Limited (NZX/ASX: NZM) is New Zealand's largest integrated multi-platform media company, operating across publishing, radio broadcasting, digital, events and commercial printing. Its portfolio includes the New Zealand Herald and associated mastheads (BusinessDesk, Viva, Travel, Reset, Driven Car Guide, Canvas), eight radio station brands (ZM, Newstalk ZB, Radio Hauraki, Flava, The Hits, Coast, Hokonui, iHeartCountry NZ), the iHeartRadio streaming platform, the Herald NOW streaming service, the NZME Podcast Network, NZME Events, and commercial printing operations. The company's content reaches nine out of every ten New Zealanders monthly across print, digital, radio and podcasts.

NZME generates revenue primarily through digital and print advertising across its multi-platform network, supplemented by premium digital subscriptions launched in April 2019, fee-based digital marketing services via the NZME Advantage platform (SEO, SEM, social advertising, website design), sponsorship and ticketing from live events, and third-party commercial printing contracts. The company employs a hybrid go-to-market model combining direct enterprise field sales, inside sales for mid-market advertisers, and a self-serve platform (NZME Advantage) for SMB customers. Operational technology includes the iHeartRadio app, a market-first text-to-speech layer on its digital platform, and content automation tools that contributed to NZME winning IAB New Zealand Media Publisher of the Year in 2026 for the second consecutive year.

The company was formed through a demerger from APN and listed on the NZX and ASX on 27 June 2016; an attempted 2017 merger with Fairfax NZ was declined by the Commerce Commission and the High Court. As of FY2025, NZME delivered NZ$62.3 million in operating EBITDA (up 15% year-on-year) and NZ$17.7 million in operating NPAT (up 46%), with net debt reduced to NZ$15.5 million (0.3x EBITDA) and dividends of NZ$0.09 per share declared. Q1 2026 advertising revenues were tracking for growth of more than 3% year-on-year, signalling continued operational momentum into 2026.

Name

New Zealand Media & Entertainment

Legal name

NZME Holdings Limited

Website

https://nzme.co.nz

Company type

Public

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

NZME is New Zealand's largest integrated multi-platform media company, operating the NZ Herald, eight radio station brands, the iHeartRadio streaming platform, digital marketing services (NZME Advantage), events and commercial printing, reaching 9 of 10 Kiwis monthly.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Platform Media

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Media Buying Agencies (54183)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

National & General-Interest Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Syndication, Licensing & Content Partnerships (Columns, Features, Photos) (MPAJADAI), Podcast Distribution Directories & Listening Apps (MPACADAC)

Keywords

• Multi-platform media
• Newspaper publishing
• Radio broadcasting
• Digital advertising
• Audio streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Digital and Print Advertising: NZME generates the majority of revenue through digital and print advertising across its multi-platform media network. The company offers digital display, digital video, digital audio, and social advertising solutions through NZME Advantage, as well as traditional print advertising in its newspaper portfolio.
2. Premium Digital Subscriptions: NZME launched premium digital subscriptions in April 2019, generating recurring subscription revenue from digital content. The Herald NOW streaming platform and premium digital content drive direct reader revenue.
3. NZME Advantage Digital Marketing Services: The company provides fee-based digital marketing services to businesses, including SEO, SEM, social advertising, and website design. These services generate professional services and agency fee revenue from SMB and enterprise clients.
4. iHeartRadio Streaming and Audio: iHeartRadio provides free streaming of radio stations, curated playlists, and podcasts, generating advertising revenue from audio ads served to the 1 million+ monthly Kiwi listeners on the platform.
5. Commercial Printing: NZME operates commercial printing services, generating revenue from third-party printing contracts in addition to internal printing needs.
6. Events and Sponsorships: NZME Events division creates and manages branded events and experiences that generate sponsorship and ticket revenue while supporting broader media cross-promotion.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NZME is New Zealand's largest integrated multi-media company operating across newspaper publishing (NZ Herald, BusinessDesk, Viva, Travel, Reset, Driven Car Guide, Canvas), radio broadcasting (ZM, Radio Hauraki, Flava, The Hits, Coast, Newstalk ZB, Hokonui, iHeartCountry NZ), digital audio streaming (iHeartRadio app with 1M+ monthly listeners), podcasting, live events, and commercial printing. Revenue is generated primarily through multi-platform advertising, supplemented by premium digital subscriptions and NZME Advantage digital marketing services.

Product overview

NZME operates as an integrated media company with a platform-plus-divisions architecture. The core business is organized into five main sub-brands: NZME Publishing (newspapers including NZ Herald with 162-year history, BusinessDesk, Viva, and lifestyle magazines), NZME Audio (radio stations including ZM, Newstalk ZB, The Hits, Radio Hauraki, Flava, Coast, and iHeartCountry NZ), NZME Digital (digital platforms including iHeartRadio with 1M+ monthly listeners, Herald NOW streaming platform, and NZME Podcast Network), NZME Events (live events), and NZME Commercial Printing. Supporting the advertising business is NZME Advantage, a digital marketing services division offering SEO, SEM, website design, and social advertising solutions. The company reaches 9 out of 10 New Zealanders monthly across its multi-platform portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NZ Herald: New Zealand's flagship newspaper with 162-year history, now with digital subscription offerings
• iHeartRadio
• ZM
• Radio Hauraki
• Newstalk ZB
• The Hits
• Coast
• Flava
• NZME Advantage
• Herald NOW
• BusinessDesk
• Viva
• NZME Podcast Network

Products and services

• iHeartRadio New Zealand Free digital audio streaming platform offering live radio stations (ZM, Radio Hauraki, Flava, The Hits, Coast, Newstalk ZB, Hokonui, iHeartCountry NZ), curated playlists, and podcasts to over 1 million Kiwi listeners monthly. Advertising-supported freemium model with access to over 100 local and international stations via the global iHeart network.
• NZME Publishing Newspaper and magazine publishing portfolio available across print and digital subscriptions, including New Zealand's flagship daily newspaper NZ Herald (162-year history), business publication BusinessDesk, lifestyle magazine Viva, and verticals Travel, Reset, Driven Car Guide, and Canvas. Distributed via print home delivery and digital subscription with advertising.
• NZME Radio Broadcasting Live radio broadcasting across multiple stations spanning music (ZM, Radio Hauraki, Flava, The Hits, Coast, iHeartCountry NZ), news and talk (Newstalk ZB), and regional coverage (Hokonui). Sold through advertising spots to enterprise and mid-market clients.
• NZME Advantage Digital Marketing Services Full-service digital marketing offering including SEO (NZME Advantage SEO Services), SEM, website design, social advertising across Meta and LinkedIn, digital display, and digital video campaigns. Offered to SMBs via self-serve and to mid-market/enterprise clients via managed services, with free digital marketing audits as an entry point.
• NZME Events Live events and branded experiential marketing services including event creation, management, and sponsorship sales for enterprise clients. Cross-promotes NZME media brands and audiences while generating ticket and sponsorship revenue.
• NZME Commercial Printing Third-party commercial printing services offered to business clients, leveraging NZME's print production infrastructure that also supports its own publishing operations.
• Herald NOW Streaming Platform Digital news streaming platform delivering NZME journalism with market-first text-to-speech technology for accessibility and on-the-go consumption. Extends NZME publishing reach beyond traditional print and website formats as part of the company's digital-first strategy.
• NZME Podcast Network Podcast network distributing NZME's podcast portfolio covering entertainment, lifestyle, news, and business topics, available via iHeartRadio and major podcast platforms.
• NZME Premium Digital Subscriptions Recurring subscription offering providing access to NZME's premium digital journalism, including the NZ Herald and other NZME Publishing titles, delivered via digital channels. Launched April 2019 to convert audience reach into direct recurring reader revenue.
• NZ Herald Historical Photograph Archive (via Getty Images) Licensed global visual content offering distributing the NZ Herald's 162-year historical photograph archive (over 10,000 images) through Getty Images' worldwide visual content marketplace, updated daily with contemporary NZ Herald coverage alongside historical images.

Quantifiable outcome

• Operating EBITDA increased 15% to $62.3 million; Operating NPAT up 46% to $17.7 million in full-year 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Getty ImagescoreTechnology or Integration · 19 February 2026NZME announced a global partnership with Getty Images to license images from The New Zealand Herald, featuring a collection of more than 10,000 historical photographs spanning the publication's 162-year history. The archive is updated daily with contemporary coverage alongside historical images and distributed worldwide through Getty Images' visual content marketplace. NZME's Chief Publishing Officer Matt Wilson stated the partnership will help preserve and celebrate the publication's photographic record on a global stage.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Seven West Media: Australian integrated media operator with broadcast TV (Channel Seven), digital publishing, and audio assets. Comparable integrated multi-platform structure with similar revenue mix of advertising, subscriptions, and content licensing.
• Nine Entertainment Holdings: Australian multi-platform media company combining free-to-air TV (Channel Nine), digital publishing (nine.com.au, Sydney Morning Herald via partnership), radio, and streaming (Stan). Closest trans-Tasman analog to NZME's integrated media model.
• Stuff Limited: New Zealand's other major multi-platform media company operating newspapers (Stuff), digital news, and video. Direct domestic competitor to NZME across publishing and digital advertising, with overlapping audience and advertiser base.
• Reach plc: UK's largest national and regional newspaper publisher (Daily Mirror, Daily Express, Manchester Evening News) with growing digital and subscription revenue. Comparable multi-brand publishing model undergoing similar digital transformation.
• Newsquest Media Group: UK regional newspaper publisher with digital transition focus, owned by Gannett. Comparable to NZME's portfolio of regional and national mastheads operating across print and digital with advertising-led revenue.

Broad incumbents

• News Corp Australia (News Corp): Major Australian and global news media operator with newspapers (The Australian, Herald Sun), digital platforms (news.com.au), and subscription businesses (Foxtel). Operates the merged Fairfax NZ media assets that NZME attempted to acquire.
• iHeartMedia: US-based radio and audio entertainment giant and the licensor/operator of the iHeartRadio platform NZME uses. Comparable audio business with radio broadcasting, streaming, and podcast distribution at massive scale.

Regional players

• Radio New Zealand (RNZ): New Zealand's public broadcaster operating national radio networks and digital news. Competes directly with NZME's radio brands (Newstalk ZB, The Hits, Coast) for audience share and advertiser attention in the NZ market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nzmetweets
• Facebookfacebook.com/NZmediaentertainment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nzme

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New Zealand Media & Entertainment