One Direction's tour of Australia was promoted by the media company Nine Live.

MediaWorks is going into the live entertainment business.

The radio and television company is expanding to become a promoter, bringing big name music shows, sporting events, exhibitions and stage shows to New Zealand.

Initial promotions will include the Ice Age exhibition, an NFL ice hockey team and the Celtic Girls musical show.

MediaWorks has signed a deal with Australia's Channel Nine to run a New Zealand version of its successful Nine Live business. CEO Mark Weldon says the deal will mean entertainment events that would not normally come to New Zealand will now come here.

"We are not big enough as a country or a company to go to a major act in the UK and sign them up for New Zealand only," he said.

Weldon says the move in to live entertainment worked for MediaWorks as it would control promotion of the shows or exhibitions.

One Direction's recent tour to Australia highlighted the benefit for a media company also being the promoter

"If you get a big act like One D, part of that is you get exclusive rights to that act," he said.

That meant in New Zealand the exclusive interviews would go to shows like Paul Henry on television and, depending on the target demographic, to radio station like George FM, Mai FM and Radio Live.

"So if you have an act they appear on your news, they appear on your morning breakfast, they appear on radio stations and you probably stream the concert.

"So you get to create content and play that content on radio, tv and digital."

The company's expansion of its radio networks to give nationwide coverage meant MediaWorks was now in a perfect position to become a promoter.

It was already using the George FM nationwide network to promote DJ tours.

The move in to promotion also involved risk "and we are going to participate in that risk," he said.