Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea — Media leaders from across the Pacific are calling for less talk and more action when it comes to regional cooperation, warning that competition for funding, content, and broadcast rights continues to hold the industry back.
At the Pacific Media Partnership Conference in Port Moresby, Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation (VBTC) CEO Francis Herman delivered a frank message, saying Pacific media organisations often make strong commitments at regional meetings but fail to follow through once they return home.
“Everyone is competing for the same space in the region,” he said, reflecting on nearly five decades in the industry. “We come to these meetings, we say all the right things, but then nothing really happens after that.”
“Our bigger brothers and sisters… are they actually helping the smaller ones?” he asked, highlighting the ongoing struggles faced by smaller national broadcasters trying to stay afloat.
He pointed out that many broadcasters, especially smaller island stations, struggle to afford costly international sports rights, leaving them dependent on limited regional arrangements for events such as rugby and rugby league.
But football rights, he noted, remain out of reach for most Pacific broadcasters due to high costs.
He also referenced examples such as Super Rugby, where regional coordination has successfully delivered access to major sporting content, arguing that similar models should be expanded.
The call by Mr. Herman was supported by the CEO of SIBC, Johnson Honimai, General Manager TV, FBC, Sitiveni Halofaki, Managing Director of NBC Papua New Guinea, Kora Nou and CEO of Fiji TV Sunjeewa Perera.
In response, the Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Cooperation of Broadcasters Limited, Natasha Malaisea acknowledged that while cooperation already exists in parts of the region, financial and commercial pressures remain a major challenge.
She said organisations must balance supporting regional access with protecting local market sustainability.
“If the region shows real demand, then we can step in and help make it happen,” she said.
In a positive development, she announced that Pacific partners are working together to deliver free-to-air coverage of the Commonwealth Games across the region, including a dedicated Pacific-focused feed.
The two days Pacific Media Partnership Conference 2026 is jointly organized by the Asia Broadcasting Union and the National Broadcasting Commission of Papua New Guinea as the host.
This years conference from the 2nd – 3rd of June carries the Theme: Resilient Voices: Empowering Blue Pacific Media.
