Clients and services

Buddle Findlay has specialist staff and strong experience in the New Zealand film, television and media sectors.  This experience is the result of many years working with New Zealand's most high profile media companies such as Sky Television, Radio New Zealand and Woosh Wireless.  Other clients include Disney, ABC Studios, Eyeworks, Touchdown, Cream Media and Imagination Television. 

Work undertaken by the team covers a range of issues, including regulatory, contractual, commercial and dispute issues.  Our experience is spread across the full landscape of this sector. 

A number of the team have worked in government ministries and have an intricate understanding of the regulatory environment governing media and communications.  Others have provided legal advice on the production and filming of television series (including The Legend of the Seeker, Border Patrol, Coastwatch and Money Man) and have negotiated many of the largest pay television programming deals in New Zealand history.  We have also advised on copyright collection agency issues and worked for and opposite some of the largest publishers in New Zealand. 

Our experience working on post production legal issues is extensive. 

We regularly advise on licensing, format, distribution, and output deals for television programmes.  These deals have been negotiated with both New Zealand and overseas broadcasters and distributors including Virgin and Cineflix in the United Kingdom, Channel Nine and the Seven Network in Australia, Mediaworks and Television New Zealand in New Zealand and Kanal 5 in Sweden. 

Pre-screening legal clearance work is regularly provided on television programmes to be screened in New Zealand (which includes advising on defamation, privacy and intellectual property rights issues), so too is advice on complaints to and from the Broadcasting Standards Authority and Advertising Standards Authority. 

Recent work

• Advising Sky Television (New Zealand’s largest pay television operator) on major programming deals for pay television including significant deals with ESPN, Fox Studios, Disney, Sony MGM, Warner Brothers, Roadshow and for rights to English Premier League Soccer, Formula One, World Rally Championship, Trans‑Tasman Netball, Australian Rugby League, New Zealand Basketball, the Netball World Championship, the 2010 Winter and 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2010 Commonwealth Games
• Advising Disney’s ABC Studios on an array of legal issues relating to the production and filming of The Legend of the Seeker television series in Auckland including cast and crew contracts, and contracts for the use of product facilities
• Advising leading independent television production company Cream Media on licensing and production of TV programmes and formats (including output deals with major national and international television networks for Auction House, Border Patrol, Coastwatch, Money Man, Hitched and Hotel Nightmares) and advice on programming issues including copyright and intellectual property issues, defamation, invasion of privacy and compliance with television content standards
• Advising on the sale of Touchdown Productions (New Zealand’s largest independent television production company) to Dutch television production company Eyeworks
• Advising Sky Television on negotiations with the New Zealand, Australia and South Africa Rugby Unions for the New Zealand television rights to rugby union matches played in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand over 5 years commencing 1 January 2010
• Advising Radio New Zealand on the outcome of the Hutton Report (UK) on the corporate governance responsibilities of the Governors of the BBC, and the review of Radio New Zealand’s institutional form initiated by the Minister of Culture and Heritage
• Advising Sky Television on the host broadcaster and New Zealand pay television licence agreement for the Rugby World Cup 2011, to be held in New Zealand
• Advising Radio New Zealand on copyright compliance practices and procedures and copyright royalty agreements with copyright collection agencies
• Advising leading independent television production company Imagination Television on the production, licensing and distribution of TV programmes including advice on distribution agreements, licence agreements, consents and clearances, copyright and intellectual property issues, defamation, invasion of privacy and compliance with television content standards
• Advising independent television production companies and other parties on compliance of programming with broadcasting and advertising standards and on complaints to and from the Broadcasting Standards Authority and the Advertising Standards Authority