Maori Television has told MPs of the tension between its commercial and cultural objectives.
Politicians on the Maori Affairs Select Committee have been examining the channel's operations.
National List MP Katrina Shanks asked if there was a way for the broadcaster to raise more commercial revenue, rather than relying on the Crown for the majority of its funding.
Maori Television chief financial officer Alan Withrington warned against chasing revenue through viewer numbers.
He said the biggest driver of revenue is audience, but the channel's obligations to language and culture put a constraint on the level of audience.
Mr Withrington said whether those objectives are changed is a matter for policy makers.
The service was set up nearly a decade ago and one of its aims is to significantly contribute to the revitalisation of the Maori language.
