Of all the communications mediums available to society, TV is the only one capable of uniting people in shared experience and creating social cohesion at large scale.

From live broadcast sporting events to national elections, critical global news developments – or even just widely watched drama programmes – TV is the media channel people can watch, learn and experience their world together.

Whether tragedies or triumphs, big events draw big viewerships, too. The death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 drew 1.7 million viewers to news and current affairs programmes that day.

The 2023 General Election drew a combined audience of over 2.4 million on election night – more than half the population.

International sporting events like the All Blacks, Black Ferns, Kiwis, Black Caps, America’s Cup, Commonwealth, and Olympic Games also draw huge numbers. The Paris Olympics drew 2.6 million viewers, while the America’s Cup in Barcelona pulled in over 1.5 million people.

And while some might pretend they don’t, in New Zealand more than 1.9 million people watched the 2024 season of Married at First Sight.

No other medium is capable of pulling these kinds of numbers together, whether around programmes or single events – or of turning them into national conversations at bars and barbecues the next day, or content for radio, newspapers and social media feeds. For some marketers, this kind of mass reach is irreplaceable in the media landscape.

Aaron Dawson, TVNZ’s Head of Sales, says: “Unmissable TV moments not only drive a connection to mass audiences for sponsors, but they also drive a connection to national conversation, shared experiences – we all love to be part of the water cooler chat the next day – and cultural influence, in a way no other platform can. It’s not all about positive brand connection, even though that’s a huge benefit. It’s also about being part of the story.”

Capturing the Zeitgeist

“If you’re a large brand, you need a large presence,”says Matthew Pickering, GM Marketing at ANZ, current sponsors of New Zealand Cricket, Netball NZand Auckland FC.

“We need to demonstrate the role we play in New Zealand and we need to connect with our communities at a local level. Achieving the highest degree of reach possible, being able to touch as many New Zealanders as possible, is something we can only achieve with our sponsorships and through the power of TV.”

Pickering says TV’s ability to capture cultural moments makes having broad presence a strategy and a benefit at once.

“Being right there for the moments that capture the nation’s attention and imagination, like the cricket, results in a huge uplift in sponsorship awareness and consideration for us. There’s a very linear relationship between viewers exposed to awareness of the sponsorship, and then consideration of the brand.”

As well as high visibility and reach, TV is also unique in being able to capture human emotion, and be there for moments that matter.

“You’re attaching your brand to the emotional connection that a property like the Black Caps or Auckland FC has, and that’s reflected back on our brand,” Pickering says.

“Obviously, that’s the fundamental reason you do sponsorship. But you want to do that in a way which achieves a degree of scale, which lends itself to emotional connection, and can make you a part of the culture, too – which TV does so much better than anything else.”

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