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Prime was a New Zealand free-to-air television network that has broadcast since 30 August 1998 and, since 23 August 2023, continues under the name Sky Open. Owned by Sky Network Television, the country's main pay-TV operator, it airs a varied generalist mix - largely imported programming from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States - together with New Zealand-made shows, and is available free-to-air on Freeview channel 8 and via Sky satellite.

From Australian Launch to Sky Ownership

The station was founded by Australia's Prime Television, which bought 34 unused UHF licences in 1998 to enter the New Zealand market, and spent its early years as a second-tier network built on classic British programming and documentaries. A five-year content alliance with Australia's Nine Network from 2002 repositioned it as a broader commercial channel, and in February 2006 Sky Network Television purchased it for NZ$31 million, turning it into its free-to-air showcase. High definition arrived in 2016, and after exactly twenty-five years on air under the Prime brand the channel relaunched as Sky Open on 23 August 2023.

Programs: Local Shows and Free-to-Air Sport

The locally produced slate is anchored by The Crowd Goes Wild, the long-running sports entertainment show presented by Andrew Mulligan and James McOnie, alongside the detective series The Brokenwood Mysteries, the New Zealand version of 60 Minutes and programmes such as Fishing NZ and Back Benches. As Sky's free-to-air outlet, the channel carries delayed coverage of Sky's sports rights - from rugby and cricket to the Olympics - historically including WWE programmes and Euro 2008. Its nightly news bulletin, launched in 2004 as Prime News - First at 5:30 and later rebranded News First, ended in April 2024 following the closure of the Newshub newsroom that produced it.

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