Wine companies, hardware stores and travel agencies are facing the chop from the titles of television programmes on TV One.
Shows such as Mitre 10 Changing Rooms, United Travel Getaway and Corbans Taste New Zealand, starring Peta Mathias, are considered too commercial for the TVNZ channel andwill be reviewed as their contracts come to an end.
Companies will still be able to link their brand to programmes, such as "Assignment, in association with Qantas," says TV One general manager Shaun Brown.
"I felt [the level of commercialism] was in danger of being overdone and we could end up with a row of titles that were simply a row of products."
Mr Brown said new proposals to name shows would be "very closely scrutinised and would find it quite difficult to get through until the scale is reduced."
Sponsorship can support 20 to 50 per cent of the cost of making a show. He said TVNZ was prepared to carry the income loss between sponsorship and name association.
Unichem chief executive Tim Roper said his company's deal to sponsor the top-rating Medical Files programme had fully funded the first series and cost the taxpayer nothing.
The second series, due to screen in a few months, was partly subsidised by TVNZ and, under its present contract with the broadcaster, would keep the Unichem title.
Mr Roper said he would wait to see how TVNZ felt about allowing the chemist chain to keep its name on the show for a third series.
"If the show is going to be rating and it's not costing anything, you have to consider [the cost], I would have thought, from their point of view."
