Background
Three was founded as TV3 in 1989 after the Fourth Labour government allowed for a private television broadcaster. CanWest obtained TV3 between 1991 and 1997 after the National government loosened rules on foreign ownership. In March 1998, Under CanWest control, TV3 relaunched with a new brand and a 3 News bulletin hosted by John Campbell and Carol Hirschfeld.
MediaWorks was created in 2004 following the merger of TVWorks and RadioWorks, and owned TV3 and C4. In 2005, Hilary Barry & Mike McRoberts became the station's news anchors. TV3 staff also launched youth station TV4 in 1997, and replaced it with C4 on October 3, 2003.[8]
In 2009, the timeshift channel TV3 Plus 1 was launched. C4 2 was launched in 2010, then, when TV4 returned as FOUR, taking over C4's Channel 4 position in early 2011, C4 converted C4 2 into a music show as it was moved to Freeview Channel 9.
In 2014, timeshift channel Four Plus 1 was launched, and The Edge TV replaced C4. In May 2016, MediaWorks and NBCUniversal Television Distribution entered into a joint venture and revamped FOUR as the new reality television channel Bravo.[9][10] In August 2016, Michael Anderson was appointed as CEO of MediaWorks.[11]
In 2017, TV3 was rebranded as Three. On 15 April 2018, MediaWorks launched ThreeLife, a lifestyle channel.[12] On 1 July 2019, The Edge TV moved exclusively online, and was replaced on TV by ThreeLife + 1.[13]
On 18 October 2019, it was announced that MediaWorks was intending to sell off its television division, including Three, ThreeLife, and Bravo. MediaWorks also intends to sell its Flower Street head office and studios in Auckland's Eden Terrace. Several Three television programs and shows have also been canceled. Media commentator Bill Ralston has claimed that hundreds of jobs could be lost if a buyer is not found.[14][15]
ThreeLife and ThreeLife + 1 went off air on 26 March 2020. ThreeLife was replaced by The Edge TV. ThreeLife + 1 was replaced by a simulcast of The Breeze, then The Breeze TV on 16 April.[16]
On 25 May 2020, MediaWorks CEO Michael Anderson announced that the company would be eliminating 130 jobs in its sales, out-of-home, and radio divisions as a result of the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand.[17][18][19]
Discovery, Inc. (2020–2022)
On 7 September 2020, MediaWorks confirmed that it would be selling its entire television arm including Three, Bravo, The Edge TV, The Breeze TV, streaming service ThreeNow, and current affairs service Newshub to Discovery, Inc.[2][3][20][21] The acquisition of MediaWorks was finalised on 1 December 2020, with the subsidiary being rebranded as Discovery NZ Limited.[4]
On 27 April 2021, Discovery Inc. confirmed that it would be restructuring its business operations in Australia and New Zealand with the goal of incorporating Three, Bravo, and Newshub into a single trans-Tasman organisation.
Warner Bros. Discovery (2022–2025)
On 8 April 2022, Discovery, Inc. acquired WarnerMedia from AT&T, with the two companies being merged into a new entity called Warner Bros. Discovery.[30] As a result, Discovery New Zealand and its assets Newshub and channel Three became part of the new media company.[31]
As a result, Discovery New Zealand was rebranded as Warner Bros. Discovery New Zealand. On 20 April 2022, World Rugby and Spark Sport announced that Warner Bros. Discovery NZ's channel Three would be the free-to-air broadcaster for the delayed Rugby World Cup 2021, held in New Zealand from 8 October to 12 November 2022.[32][33]
Sky Network Television (2025–present)
On 22 July 2025, it was announced at the New Zealand's Exchange that company's free-to-air television and streaming operations will be bought by Sky Network Television Limited for NZ$1. The sale was completed on 1 August 2025 with Warner Bros. Discovery continuing pay TV, HBO Max and local production operations in New Zealand.[5][6]
On 28 July, Sky TV confirmed that Discovery New Zealand would be renamed Sky Free following the acquisition since they would no longer be able to use the old name due to legal reasons. Sky also filed trademark applications for the names and logos for Sky Free and SkyFree with the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand. The website address skyfree.co.nz was also registered with a domain company. Sky also confirmed that it would retain the Three and ThreeNow brands.[7]
