Countdown on for trailblazing video news

Focus executive producer Belinda Henley and presenter Tristram Clayton review plans for the launch of the new show in the NZME newsroom. Photo / Dean Purcell

The countdown has started for a trailblazing new digital video news show to be beamed from the heart of the Herald newsroom.

NZ Herald Focus launches at noon on Monday and will broadcast twice daily on weekdays.

Powered by the NZME newsroom - the home of the New Zealand Herald, Newstalk ZB and Radio Sport - NZ Herald Focus will give audiences news, business, sport and entertainment in the format they need, on the devices they love.

The midday show will be co-presented by TV and radio journalist Laura McGoldrick and ex Campbell Live reporter Tristram Clayton. Leading sports broadcaster Tony Veitch and Newstalk ZB's Niva Retimanu will front a second daily bulletin at 4pm.

"Having instant access to the journalists at NZME to talk about the stories they are breaking will bring a new dimension to the way the stories are told," Clayton said. "It is a massive undertaking and a concept that has never been tried before in New Zealand.

"We won't just be delivering a wrap of whatever regular news is going on that day like you can see elsewhere. We aim to be bright and pacy and will endeavour to break exclusive stories on a very regular basis."

Executive producer Belinda Henley and her team have been working around the clock since January to get the mix on NZ Herald Focus just right. The news bulletins will be short and sharp, lasting eight to 10 minutes, and be broadcast across all digital platforms.

"We will not just be aiming to appeal to Aucklanders but will feature content from across New Zealand," Henley said. "We will also feature more opinion and analysis than people can get elsewhere.

"We will be fresh, innovative and different."

According to Nielsen, television viewership of the 6pm traditional format news audience in New Zealand has decreased in the past three years. Recent growth in video has helped drive nzherald.co.nz to record audiences.