[Source: Supplied]

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Managing Director David Anderson and Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) President Kora Nou hosted a meeting with 27 leaders from media houses in 12 Pacific countries.

The attendees included representatives from First Nations media, commercial free-to-air, print media and independent and public broadcasters.

The media executives from the Pacific nations met to build connections and discuss key challenges for future collaboration.

The focus of the meeting was on working together in skills development, sharing content creation, production, management, leadership, finance models and technical broadcast expertise.

During the discussions, the group identified opportunities for collaboration, such as addressing the digital divide, creating sustainable business models, exploring new funding streams, fostering partnerships, optimizing transmission arrangements and improving media accessibility.

Some key agreements were reached, including advocating for government support for a strong, independent regional media sector.

The group also agreed to share insights on business models for sustainability and facilitate access to each other’s organizations to promote collaboration.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Pacific Islands News Association committed to extending their collaboration with the group for the next five years.

The goal is to establish mechanisms for sustained engagement and growth within the Pacific media landscape.