Controversial television and radio broadcaster Paul Henry is returning to TV screens.
The announcement came as TV3 and FOUR announced their 2012 season lineups.
Paul Henry was the event’s MC, telling various stories about his controversial career, including one about an uncomfortable meeting in a lift with board member who got him kicked out of TVNZ.
He was received well by the audience, as he introduced head of programming Kelly Martin, and News and Current Affairs boss Mark Jennings.
Cheerleaders, apparently referencing Glee, handed out pastries and fruit.
Among the shows announced were Steven Speilberg’s Terra Nova, a show combining time-travel, dinosaurs and environmentalism, and Homeland, a psychological thriller exploring the idea a US Marine could be convinced to become an Al Qaeda terrorist.
Teasers for new series Grimm and American Horror Story got some gasps from the early morning crowd, but the biggest buzz in the air was when Henry's new show was announced by Ms Martin.
Henry will begin a new role with TV3 with a half-hour Sunday show starting early 2012.
The show will air at 7pm on Sunday evenings.
"It's a brilliant timeslot. Audiences have proved they like local content at that time," Henry told Fairfax New Zealand.
He left his position as host of a morning TV show on a New Zealand television network last year due to the controversy he attracted.
Henry currently hosts a show RadioLIVE, airing between 3pm and 6pm Monday to Friday.
Also announced were the rights to screen movies Avatar and Date Night, and Tim Allen’s new show Last Man Standing which emulates the format of the show which made him a household name, Home Improvement.
3 News