SKT Sky Network Television Limited.

[blackcap]

I have been informed the NZ Shareholders Association have approached SKY and spoken in depth about these issues regarding the recent capital raise and rights issue and queried some of the decisions undertaken by the SKY board.

Good to see the NZSA is on the ball and looking after retail holders interests. It is well worth signing up.

https://www.nzshareholders.co.nz/

[Raz]

I have been informed the NZ Shareholders Association have approached SKY and spoken in depth about these issues regarding the recent capital raise and rights issue and queried some of the decisions undertaken by the SKY board.

Good to see the NZSA is on the ball and looking after retail holders interests. It is well worth signing up.

https://www.nzshareholders.co.nz/

Still waiting..wonder how many of us have made a play :)

[mistaTea]

IFT SPP offer document released...

http://nzx-prod-s7fsd7f98s.s3-website-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/IFT/354543/324313.pdf

[Balance]

Don't you think it's odd that there is a password on the Infratil share offer the website?

https://www.infratilshareoffer.com/Country-validation/ (https://www.infratilshareoffer.com/Country-validation/)

It's as if they're hiding something behind there and they don't want people to look yet :eek2:

Site open for viewing.

[mistaTea]

http://nzx-prod-s7fsd7f98s.s3-website-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/SKT/354558/324331.pdf

Perpetual have made a quick buck I see.

[Entrep]

Any thoughts on why Instos didn't support the 12c raise?

[Quantitative Easing]

Any thoughts on why Instos didn't support the 12c raise?

Because they have little faith in management.

[Balance]

http://nzx-prod-s7fsd7f98s.s3-website-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/SKT/354558/324331.pdf

Perpetual have made a quick buck I see.

Cannot blame them - quick 50% gain due to way institutions & new investors are favored over retail & small investors.

They are in the business of making money for their clients.

[Quantitative Easing]

http://nzx-prod-s7fsd7f98s.s3-website-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/SKT/354593/324375.pdf

[mistaTea]

Cannot blame them - quick 50% gain due to way institutions & new investors are favored over retail & small investors.

They are in the business of making money for their clients.

Yeah it is just heart breaking stuff really.

We have absolutely been screwed with the way this CR has been executed. Unfortunately the only way to get screwed as little as possible was to hand over more cash and hope you can get 120%.

[Quantitative Easing]

Yeah it is just heart breaking stuff really.

We have absolutely been screwed with the way this CR has been executed. Unfortunately the only way to get screwed as little as possible was to hand over more cash and hope you can get 120%.

Sounds like you will get your 120% sir.

[Entrep]

Jeepers, shocking take up by retail holders too.

[mistaTea]

Sounds like you will get your 120% sir.

Yeah looks that way.

Not sure about Martin expressing his delight at the "strong levels of support" shown from the retail holders. We did not participate willingly - if you had the money, there was no real other option.

[Quantitative Easing]

Yeah looks that way.

Not sure about Martin expressing his delight at the "strong levels of support" shown from the retail holders. We did not participate willingly - if you had the money, there was no real other option.

Shareholders lining the pockets of Blair Woodbury and board of directors. It's what the board wanted...for THEMSELVES.

[mistaTea]

Jeepers, shocking take up by retail holders too.

Yeah, even after those of us who applied for 120% took up their shares...there was still damn near a 25% shortfall.

[Dlownz]

Sometimes the forum cracks me up. The mood swings are up and down from positive to negative. No wonder some students are studying it. Lol

[mistaTea]

Anyway it's all academic now.

IFT are writing out my cheque today and popping it in the post remember...

[mistaTea]

Sometimes the forum cracks me up. The mood swings are up and down from positive to negative. No wonder some students are studying it. Lol

LOL.

It's not that we are maniacal Dlownz. It's just that our robust analysis of the organisation means that we give kudos with one hand when it is deserved and a slapping with the other when they do something that displeases us...

[mistaTea]

Anyway it's all academic now.

IFT are writing out my cheque today and popping it in the post remember...

When my big Infratil cheque arrives later today - this will be me:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B5NF3s4ZP8

[winner69]

Martin pleased with you all


Sky’s Chief Executive, Martin Stewart said: “We are delighted with the strong support our retail shareholders have demonstrated through participating in the Offer.

[mistaTea]

Martin pleased with you all


Sky’s Chief Executive, Martin Stewart said: “We are delighted with the strong support our retail shareholders have demonstrated through participating in the Offer.

Well, he was going to get his money regardless.

He should have said that Goldman and Forsyth Barr are pleased with us all. They get to snap up the large shortfall at a tidy 12c/share.

[winner69]

Well, he was going to get his money regardless.

He should have said that Goldman and Forsyth Barr are pleased with us all. They get to snap up the large shortfall at a tidy 12c/share.

Hope the share price is still more than that when they get to quit them

[Balance]

Yeah, even after those of us who applied for 120% took up their shares...there was still damn near a 25% shortfall.

"Approximately NZ$12.0 million of new Shares not taken up under the Retail Entitlement Offer have been allocated to the underwriters or to sub-underwriters procured by the underwriters."

100m shares at 12c to be given to the underwriters and sub-underwriters. :eek2:

Will they hold or will they bail when they get their shares?

[Cadalac123]

"Approximately NZ$12.0 million of new Shares not taken up under the Retail Entitlement Offer have been allocated to the underwriters or to sub-underwriters procured by the underwriters."

100m shares at 12c to be given to the underwriters and sub-underwriters. :eek2:

Will they hold or will they bail when they get their shares?

Basically free money for the underwriters lol

[mistaTea]

"Approximately NZ$12.0 million of new Shares not taken up under the Retail Entitlement Offer have been allocated to the underwriters or to sub-underwriters procured by the underwriters."

100m shares at 12c to be given to the underwriters and sub-underwriters. :eek2:

Will they hold or will they bail when they get their shares?

I am picking they will bail as soon as they can to take the quick 'sure thing' profit.

[Balance]

Basically free money for the underwriters lol

If they sell out at, say 15c - that's a cool 25% gain or $3m underwrite payday, plus fees already collected.

Which is fair enough as they are underwriting the risk.

[blackcap]

When my big Infratil cheque arrives later today - this will be me:



Looks like IFT have saved themselves about $100m thanks to the Dow.

[Quantitative Easing]

Yup with the 2nd great sell off underway this will head south in the near term.

[winner69]

Where's Ogg

[mistaTea]

Where's Ogg

Just nipped down to his local New World to get a couple more bottles of Dom Perignon...

Cheques get written before COB today.

[Cadalac123]

I think we should give some time before writing off some of Ogg's predictions. Maybe the takeover one should get put to the side for now though lol

[silu]

I've put in some gambling money at 15.8c which got filled. There's value left in the company just needs something or someone to unlock it.

[uravgtrader]

Just nipped down to his local New World to get a couple more bottles of Dom Perignon...

Cheques get written before COB today.

Another five or so hours left! 😄

[mistaTea]

I think we should give some time before writing off some of Ogg's predictions. Maybe the takeover one should get put to the side for now though lol

Yeah mate, this is just a bit of banter. I hope Ogg comes back soon as he has made some valuable contributions - if nothing else it has been great entertainment value.

I still think he makes strong case for why IFT should takeover Sky. I have long thought that Sky was in 'takeover' territory - and a lot the case for an IFT purchase makes sense.

It may well turn out that IFT have completely different ideas and purchasing Sky is the furtherest thing on their mind. But so what? Doesn't mean that the case presented by Ogg is necessarily 'wrong'.

[RGR367]

Yeah mate, this is just a bit of banter. I hope Ogg comes back soon as he has made some valuable contributions - if nothing else it has been great entertainment value.

I still think he makes strong case for why IFT should takeover Sky. I have long thought that Sky was in 'takeover' territory - and a lot the case for an IFT purchase makes sense.

It may well turn out that IFT have completely different ideas and purchasing Sky is the furtherest thing on their mind. But so what? Doesn't mean that the case presented by Ogg is necessarily 'wrong'.

Case presented was salivating but prediction was wrong or not going to happen. Anyway, everybody enjoyed reading all your analysis/paralysis so let's all live another day. "Ogg" in my dialect (sic) is "egg" so nothing has changed really :p

[airedale]

Just nipped down to his local New World to get a couple more bottles of Dom Perignon...

Cheques get written before COB today.

I suppose that they could defer the issue of the new shares until Monday. Trading starts on Tuesday.

[Quantitative Easing]

Sky will either be taken over or die a slow painful death. I probably think the former will happen. Is 12 cents the floor for the share price? If so the takeover will not be that far away. There has been so many attempts at taking over sky in the past. Even now there are so many companies lurking in the background waiting to pounce. Remember this tweet my Simon Moutter:

https://twitter.com/simonmoutter/status/1182217567718395904

It showed even spark was keen on taking over sky. Game has changed a little but there are still many potential buyers out there. The buyers are waiting on the sidelines. They don't want to pounce too early and pay too much...

[mistaTea]

What’s our next theory to keep us entertained for another week?

Maybe Foxtel will come in early next week and takeover? Compelling case to merge the two businesses and have a bigger trans-Tasman business.

Privately held - no pesky NZX and ASX rules to be bothered with...

[tga_trader]

What’s our next theory to keep us entertained for another week?

Well after checking my payslip it appears the govt is continuing it's never ending "capital raising" so maybe they're looking to buy SKT. Afterall, it's much easier to run a country with complete control over the media.

It certainly has been an entertaining thread this week.

[Quantitative Easing]

We just have to be patient Mr T. It wont happen like that. We just need to see if 12c is the actual floor. That's what these potential buyers will look at before they put in their bids. I would say give it till end of the year.

[Quantitative Easing]

Its like this. You want to buy an Iphone xyz and you know that the price of it is decreasing every day. So why pay $1000 now when you can buy it for $800 in a year...after a certain point the price will stop going down. If we believe that this is the real bottom for sky then a takeover is a no brainier. In a corporate world you either die or get taken over. Sky is too valuable to let die.

[mistaTea]

We just have to be patient Mr T. It wont happen like that. We just need to see if 12c is the actual floor. That's what these potential buyers will look at before they put in their bids. I would say give it till end of the year.

Oh yes don’t get me wrong - I think it is still much more likely that someone is going to buy Sky. And you are right, it may be a case of watching the price action for a bit to see where things settle. Impossible to predict an exact timing on these things.

I believe that a sky tv that effectively executed the broadband strategy could be worth north of 50c a share easily. That’s without even going into Mobile.

So I am not actually too keen on a takeover right now due to the SP if someone is going to be able to come in and grab the company for 25c. That would be a terrible outcome for me.

Be that as it may - it is entirely possible that an opportunist may strike at any point.

[RTM]

MistaTea, I hear you talk about bundles from time to time. Maybe I’m in a minority, but I avoid them like the COVID.
I don’t want to be locked into say Broadband with someone...while I’m wanting to change to NefFlix. It’s bad enough with insurance where you can easily get a group discount....they come due at different times...and it’s hard to escape.

Of course that might be just me and my view of the world.

Thank you all for an entertaining week. My order has not been filled yet, was hopeful today. Maybe later on next week.

[mistaTea]

Of course that might be just me and my view of the world.


Yes I think it is just you.

[Cadalac123]

Will go past 20c sometime next week and gap above that indef after wednesday
- Friday Prediction

[Quantitative Easing]

Will go past 20c sometime next week and gap above that indef after wednesday
- Friday Prediction

It will take something special to break the 20c barrier. You guys didn't push hard enough to break the resistance. Why would the share price go up in a stock that forecasts EBIDTA halving to 115m in FY21 from 267M in FY19? I mean based on intrinsic value the current share price is still cheap for a business with 115M EBIDTA. But that rate of decrease is alarming.

[Cadalac123]

It will take something special to break the 20c barrier. You guys didn't push hard enough to break the resistance. Why would the share price go up in a stock that forecasts EBIDTA halving to 115m in FY21 from 267M in FY19? I mean based on intrinsic value the current share price is still cheap for a business with 115M EBIDTA. But that rate of decrease is alarming.

Intrinsic value wise it’s at a steep discount given its history of FCF generation even taking into consideration the worsening EBITDA. Recent acquisition means you are getting the whole package even cheaper

Stock price wasn’t going to move till after today anyway given today was the announcement of the retail offer outcome

I could be wrong obviously just a little fun prediction . This is under the assumption market direction is also upwards and no major bounce down like today next week

[RTM]

Yes I think it is just you.

Oh... good to know thank you. Definitely 25c next week then.

[Yoda]

I was expecting to get some information from sky today regarding how many shares I received. I haven’t heard anything yet ,So is that not correct?

[Entrep]

I was expecting to get some information from sky today regarding how many shares I received. I haven’t heard anything yet ,So is that not correct?

However many you applied for given there was a surplus of leftover shares

[Entrep]

Will go past 20c sometime next week and gap above that indef after wednesday
- Friday Prediction

Will test 12c next week as punters get their shares and lock in 20% or less gains, plus global markets cool-off.
-Friday Prediction

[Yoda]

Thanks. I was expecting some email confirmation though.

[Yoda]

I have just checked with computershare, and nothing extra added there yet.......

[mistaTea]

I have just checked with computershare, and nothing extra added there yet.......

Peace, Mercutio!

I think you need to go and smoke a joint. Relax.

It’s all happening. By early next week it will all show on your Computershare register correctly.

All will be well. I promise.

[Cadalac123]

Will test 12c next week as punters get their shares and lock in 20% or less gains, plus global markets cool-off.
-Friday Prediction

damn, hope it goes to 12c

[Yoda]

Thanks MistaTea

No joints at hand , but a good cider. Better now. Just like to get some communication when i send 30k into space, with no acknowledgement,.........

[clip]

Yes I think it is just you.

Not just RTM, my feeling is generally bundling is not great for the consumer. Why would I get my internet from a power company, when i could get it from an internet company? Why get my gas from a power company? Why get my internet from a satellite TV company? Fact is, internet is spark's bread and butter, no power company can compare. Vodafone cant compare because they are a mobile company. And yes, Vodafone internet on the whole is cheap and sub par. Trustpower's internet isn't great, it's literally in the name.

Even if I paid for sky I would pay for sky only, and would not touch their resold internet with a barge pole. And after all this, disclosure - I am holding, but RTM is right.

[Entrep]

clip with fibre it’s literally doesn’t matter who you isp is

[mistaTea]

Not just RTM,

Ok, I stand corrected. There are two people in New Zealand that would not enjoy the discounts that come with bundling.

[mistaTea]

clip with fibre it’s literally doesn’t matter who you isp is

Yep, the fibre rollout has commoditised Broadband. So far as the 'quality' of the connection goes it makes no difference who your retailer is.

The only way retailers can try to differentiate themselves now is with superior customer service and...competitive sweeteners (or bundles, the term I prefer).

So provided Sky are able to deliver their product with a positive customer experience, then the bundles they are able to offer should be compelling for many New Zealanders. As has been discussed at length previously, Sky won't make very much extra profit from the Broadband component...but that is not the point of entering the market. The point is to grow the part of the business that is making money (satellite and streaming) and reduce churn.

And because Sky currently have 'something for everyone' with their range of offerings, the bundles they could potentially offer are impressive.

1. Bundles for existing satellite subs. The average Satellite sub could pay as little as $150/month for internet + Sky subs.
2. Broadband + SkyGO standalone packages. You could have Broadband + Sky Starter for $95/month
3. Broadband + NEON (similar to Spark + Netflix)
4. Broadband + Sky Sport NOW

And no doubt the Marketing Department will be considering options that have not even occurred to me.

[mistaTea]

Thanks MistaTea

No joints at hand , but a good cider. Better now. Just like to get some communication when i send 30k into space, with no acknowledgement,.........

Yeah I hear you - I sent ~$140K 'into space' as you put it, but there is nothing to worry about. The funds are fully traceable, I put the correct reference details etc - so nothing to be anxious about.

Settlement is on 16 June (next Tuesday). I would only expect to receive something from Computershare then (as well as see my new shares). They can't add my new shares to my portfolio before the 16th as the new shares are only allowed to be traded from the 16th...

I am sure we will all receive notifications soon. Have no fear!

[RTM]

Not feeling so lonely now. Whew.

So... I signed up for SkySportNow.....and started to get ready for the Warriors.
First plan: iPad -> Apple TV -> Panasonic Tv.
Would not work even tho it had a day or so ago. Very very annoying. This is very much Plan A
I believe this should have worked.
2nd Plan: iPad -> Panasonic TV. No go
So off to computer screen...
iPad -> Smart TV (freeview) -> Screen.
Ran well for 10 minutes or so....the stopped. 3 x’s.
So I fired up my ‘Puter and ran it straight from that, great, no problems, great result as well.

But I really want it going on the TV !
I am not inclined to buy a new model Apple TV at this time.
Does anyone know if the Google Chrome Cast will do the job for me ?
Apple iPad -> google ChromeCast -> Panasonic TV

[blackcap]

Not feeling so lonely now. Whew.

So... I signed up for SkySportNow.....and started to get ready for the Warriors.
First plan: iPad -> Apple TV -> Panasonic Tv.
Would not work even tho it had a day or so ago. Very very annoying. This is very much Plan A
I believe this should have worked.
2nd Plan: iPad -> Panasonic TV. No go
So off to computer screen...
iPad -> Smart TV (freeview) -> Screen.
Ran well for 10 minutes or so....the stopped. 3 x’s.
So I fired up my ‘Puter and ran it straight from that, great, no problems, great result as well.

But I really want it going on the TV !
I am not inclined to buy a new model Apple TV at this time.
Does anyone know if the Google Chrome Cast will do the job for me ?
Apple iPad -> google ChromeCast -> Panasonic TV

Why does it seem to me that with all this technology that we have it is becoming increasingly difficult to just watch stuff on a TV screen.

For some reason things in the 90's and early 2000's were far less complicated and things ran far more smoothly.

Are things being made intentionally difficult? I can really see why the SKY box model is still so popular amoung many people, myself included.

[Zaphod]

Yep, the fibre rollout has commoditised Broadband. So far as the 'quality' of the connection goes it makes no difference who your retailer is.

There are still some differences in the handover equipment to the ISP, with some of the smaller players using lower spec'd equipment and lower bandwidth backhaul links. For people browsing the web, email, single streaming <4k video etc. they're unlikely to notice any difference from any of the ISP's.

[Zaphod]

Why does it seem to me that with all this technology that we have it is becoming increasingly difficult to just watch stuff on a TV screen.

For some reason things in the 90's and early 2000's were far less complicated and things ran far more smoothly.

Are things being made intentionally difficult? I can really see why the SKY box model is still so popular amoung many people, myself included.

Part of the reason is that most of the tech being used isn't mature, and consequently there are some glaring issues with the user interface, patching, security and support that can cause frustration. There is also a race on between advertisers to own your viewing data which further complicates setup and use.

The Sky decoder is relatively simple to use and represent a much more mature technology stack.

[mistaTea]

I am not inclined to buy a new model Apple TV at this time.


Go on, spoil yourself. The new AppleTV 4K is fantastic and you will have no worries running the Sky Sport NOW app on there. The latest Sky Sport NOW update has well and truly optimised the user experience for the Apple TV 4K.



Does anyone know if the Google Chrome Cast will do the job for me ?
Apple iPad -> google ChromeCast -> Panasonic TV


Yes it will work. Chromecast is also awesome - just not quite as awesome as AppleTV 4K.

Alternatively you could always buy a VodafoneTV and get the traditional Sky bundle. No issues streaming there plus you can record/series link your favourite shows.

Lots and lots of options. But get rid of the old tech.

[mistaTea]

Why does it seem to me that with all this technology that we have it is becoming increasingly difficult to just watch stuff on a TV screen.

For some reason things in the 90's and early 2000's were far less complicated and things ran far more smoothly.

Are things being made intentionally difficult? I can really see why the SKY box model is still so popular amoung many people, myself included.

A lot to be said for the traditional STB model. If the distribution model didn't make the packages appear so 'expensive' relative to other streaming offers people wouldn't be handing their MySky boxes back in droves. The Market would be happier with Sky and I would get my elusive...ONE MILLION DOLLARS!

But the reality is, for the vast majority of people who have access to fibre and are using reasonably new tech - streaming content is incredibly easy. And cheap.

Mind you, what is cheap these days? I spend $97.34 in total per month with Sky for my VTV bundles of Starter + Entertainment + Sport and then I have my NEON sub. That works out to $3.20/day - less than a cup of coffee and I have access to an incredibly large range of content. Something for everyone in my household.

Others would look at that and think it was expensive (though they would happily go down the pub and piss $100 up against a wall!).

[RTM]

Go on, spoil yourself. The new AppleTV 4K is fantastic and you will have no worries running the Sky Sport NOW app on there. The latest Sky Sport NOW update has well and truly optimised the user experience for the Apple TV 4K.



Yes it will work. Chromecast is also awesome - just not quite as awesome as AppleTV 4K.

Alternatively you could always buy a VodafoneTV and get the traditional Sky bundle. No issues streaming there plus you can record/series link your favourite shows.

Lots and lots of options. But get rid of the old tech.

Sadly I think you are right. It’s time. Off to Noel Leemings we go.
I tried it again this morning....iPad -> Apple TV - > Panasonic TV. Worked perfectly. Changed the Sky channel on my iPad....and completely stuffed and can’t seem to recover even with resetting, turning on off everything. Hard to believe.
Will report back on the next experience.

The cost of the Sky Sport Now, which I thought was very good, is escalating !

Thanks for the help and comments.

[Zaphod]

Sadly I think you are right. It’s time. Off to Noel Leemings we go.
I tried it again this morning....iPad -> Apple TV - > Panasonic TV. Worked perfectly. Changed the Sky channel on my iPad....and completely stuffed and can’t seem to recover even with resetting, turning on off everything. Hard to believe.
Will report back on the next experience.

The cost of the Sky Sport Now, which I thought was very good, is escalating !

Thanks for the help and comments.

Of all the options above, the Apple TV experience is the most seamless and well supported. The downside is of course you're locked into Apple's ecosystem.

[mistaTea]

Of all the options above, the Apple TV experience is the most seamless and well supported. The downside is of course you're locked into Apple's ecosystem.

Yeah for sure.

I have ended up with both an AppleTV 4K and a Vodafone TV. I like to try out all of the options ok!

AppleTV 4k is absolutely fantastic. I have never had a single issue using the platform and the user experience is incredible. The remote is so simple yet effective. And because I have an iPhone I can use the remote app on my phone if I want which enables me to easily search content using a keyboard. I am a big fan.
The only downside for me is that there is no NEON app currently (that will change on July 7 when they release the 'new NEON').

Vodafone TV also has a good user experience (far better than MySky anyway!) but the experience is not as 'seamless' as Apple TV I find. Apple has set the bar very high, no question there.

Where Vodafone TV has AppleTV beat is that it is much more designed for the Kiwi market (and it is about half the price). Being able to watch all of the various traditional channels + an On Demand menu + all your other apps is very convenient. The latest VTV boxes have sorted out most of the issues that plagued the Beta version, and Netflix can now stream in 4K on VTV.

So overall...as much as I love AppleTV...at the moment I think Vodafone TV is the better product overall.

If you have no interest any any of the traditional Sky bundles, and just have a few OTT apps you subscribe to - then it's AppleTV all the way.

[RupertBear]

I think you guys made a very compelling case for an IFT takeover bid for SKT. It made very good sense to me and I admit I was quite disappointed it didnt come to fruition for you on Friday. That doesnt mean it won't happen though. Maybe IFT are waiting for the completion of their capital raise? Anyway time will tell but fingers crossed for you guys :)

[mistaTea]

Just watching the build up for chiefs vs highlanders.

Fantastic to see big crowds. Huge interest in the tournament.

I think sky sport and sky sport NOW subs are going to increase massively.

[Quantitative Easing]

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/2020/06/sky-s-martin-stewart-on-negotiating-with-sporting-bodies-during-pandemic.html

Time to load up on Sky if it goes down to 15 cents.

[Quantitative Easing]

Anyone that invests in Sky now will probably end up with a multibagger.

[Dlownz]

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/2020/06/sky-s-martin-stewart-on-negotiating-with-sporting-bodies-during-pandemic.html

Time to load up on Sky if it goes down to 15 cents.
Full take up wasn't taken by retail so there was a little left over. So you might get a chance as those shares get off loaded for a tidy profit.

[mistaTea]

Full take up wasn't taken by retail so there was a little left over. So you might get a chance as those shares get off loaded for a tidy profit.

I still think IFT and Brookfield could be making a play for Sky as early as next week.

Those shares start trading on the 16th. So if you are bullish on sky at these prices you better get in quick.

My opinion. DYOR.

[Quantitative Easing]

I still think IFT and Brookfield could be making a play for Sky as early as next week.

Those shares start trading on the 16th. So if you are bullish on sky at these prices you better get in quick.

My opinion. DYOR.

Sports right are decreasing in value and by the sounds of it Spark is going to divest from Spark Sport. Sky will have far more leverage in negotiations if Spark leaves the picture. I saw another side of Martin in that interview. A more of a tough man/tough negotiator look. Maybe we might be cracking open a dom perignon after all.

[mistaTea]

Sports right are decreasing in value and by the sounds of it Spark is going to divest from Spark Sport. Sky will have far more leverage in negotiations if Spark leaves the picture. I saw another side of Martin in that interview. A more of a tough man/tough negotiator look. Maybe we might be cracking open a dom perignon after all.

Crap, I already cried myself to sleep on Friday watching Titanic and guzzling down that bottle of Krug I bought.

Celine gets to me. Every time.

Will have to buy another bottle perhaps!

[Entrep]

Martin presided over a 12c cap raise. Short of running Sky into the ground or a 5c raise, anything he says or does will be an improvement. Suspect this whole thing was also a very stressful experience for the untested and new CFO. Welcome to running a public company, they’ve both come up well short.

[RTM]

Of all the options above, the Apple TV experience is the most seamless and well supported. The downside is of course you're locked into Apple's ecosystem.


Yeah for sure.

I have ended up with both an AppleTV 4K and a Vodafone TV. I like to try out all of the options ok!

AppleTV 4k is absolutely fantastic. I have never had a single issue using the platform and the user experience is incredible. The remote is so simple yet effective. And because I have an iPhone I can use the remote app on my phone if I want which enables me to easily search content using a keyboard. I am a big fan.
The only downside for me is that there is no NEON app currently (that will change on July 7 when they release the 'new NEON').

Vodafone TV also has a good user experience (far better than MySky anyway!) but the experience is not as 'seamless' as Apple TV I find. Apple has set the bar very high, no question there.

Where Vodafone TV has AppleTV beat is that it is much more designed for the Kiwi market (and it is about half the price). Being able to watch all of the various traditional channels + an On Demand menu + all your other apps is very convenient. The latest VTV boxes have sorted out most of the issues that plagued the Beta version, and Netflix can now stream in 4K on VTV.

So overall...as much as I love AppleTV...at the moment I think Vodafone TV is the better product overall.

If you have no interest any any of the traditional Sky bundles, and just have a few OTT apps you subscribe to - then it's AppleTV all the way.

OK....so I upgraded to an Apple TV 4K. All seems good. Very good in fact. Sky Sport Now APP runs well. Great to be able to easily scroll back 24 hours. The picture quality looks excellent. I guess we might switch to watching NETFLIX via the Apple TV. I hope this level of technology lasts for a couple of years at least. Thanks to both of you for your comments.

[mistaTea]

OK....so I upgraded to an Apple TV 4K. All seems good. Very good in fact. Sky Sport Now APP runs well. Great to be able to easily scroll back 24 hours. The picture quality looks excellent. I guess we might switch to watching NETFLIX via the Apple TV. I hope this level of technology lasts for a couple of years at least. Thanks to both of you for your comments.

Glad you are enjoying it! I would def use the platform for all your apps you subscribe to. It is just so damn user friendly - Apple have done an amazing job. But I expect no less from them.

If Sky offer a compelling Broadband-SkyGO offer soon...and provided they launch a SkyGo app on appletv...I may even gift my Vodafone TV box to a friend or family member and go back to my AppleTV.

Anyway, glad you can now enjoy Sky Sport NOW the way it is meant to be enjoyed. I am really looking forward to the match tonight. Will be awesome to see a packed out Eden Park. We really are the envy of the sporting world right now.

[mistaTea]

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12339766

Yeah, the 'buzz' for rugby is well and truly back.

And that will mean only one thing - a big spike in Sky Sport subs :t_up:

[winner69]

Missing you guys today

[mistaTea]

Missing you guys today


Calm before the storm.

Infratil and Brookfield are in final 'crunch' talks with Bowman and Stewart. They have come in with a 25c offer. The Board pushing back hard - telling them they can't possibly recommend an offer below 30c...

Martin looked exhausted in that newshub article. You can't tell me he is that shagged from sport payment reduction negotiations. He would be delegating a lot of that to Tex and Blair.

No, that was the look of a man who has been working round the clock to squeeze out the highest possible offer from Infratil...

Ogg would be so proud of me right now :D

[Entrep]

Martin right now


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yhyp-_hX2s

[Quantitative Easing]

2:06-2:16 in that Newshub video shows Martin as a man under pressure. But kudos to him he came out strong in that interview. I think he realises that he is fighting multiple fronts. I still see spark and commerce commission as our biggest enemies, followed by main stream media, Winston Peters and the institutional investors.

[mistaTea]

Martin right now


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yhyp-_hX2s
Too right.

They will be pushing hard for $600M minimum.

I don’t think they could look shareholders in the eye for anything less than $600M, given $150M of that is money shareholders have just invested into the business.

They should be pushing for much more. And if IFT-Brookfield aren’t prepared to pay then all good, see you later alligator.

[jonu]

The market is awash with 12c shares. This too shall pass.

[Balance]

The market is awash with 12c shares. This too shall pass.

Only a lazy 100m shares has been issued to the underwriters and sub-underwriters who can begin to sell them from tomorrow (16 June) on NZX and 17 June on ASX.

At the 16c they are trading at, that's a nice 33% windfall gain for them - so should be interesting to see if they take the gains or keep the shares for the long haul!

[jonu]

Only a lazy 100m shares has been issued to the underwriters and sub-underwriters who can begin to sell them from tomorrow (16 June) on NZX and 17 June on ASX.

At the 16c they are trading at, that's a nice 33% windfall gain for them - so should be interesting to see if they take the gains or keep the shares for the long haul!

They can formally begin to sell them from tomorrow! Of course the reality is many have been sold from existing portfolios in anticipation of cheaper replacement shares arriving.

The same behaviour as most SPPs.

[mistaTea]

Only a lazy 100m shares has been issued to the underwriters and sub-underwriters who can begin to sell them from tomorrow (16 June) on NZX and 17 June on ASX.

At the 16c they are trading at, that's a nice 33% windfall gain for them - so should be interesting to see if they take the gains or keep the shares for the long haul!

They should hold them for the 35-40c takeover offer that is just around the corner...

[RTM]

They should hold them for the 35-40c takeover offer that is just around the corner...

They need to fill my order first.

[Yoda]

Still not on my Computershare register ....... time for another cider mistaTea

[mistaTea]

Still not on my Computershare register ....... time for another cider mistaTea

It will be there tomorrow, have no fear.

Make it a Rekorderlig.

[Yoda]

It will be there tomorrow, have no fear.

Make it a Rekorderlig.
Make that 2 ciders. One for you :p

[Dlownz]

It will be there tomorrow, have no fear.

Make it a Rekorderlig.

For the record Rekordelig is not a cider.
Its just lolly water. No apples used to make it.
Try something like Zeffer cider or Three wise birds. Amazing ciders and Zeffer does a amazing apple crumble cider. Don't buy fakes 🙂😜

[Ogg]

When the take over doesn't happen, but you know it's happening soon...

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikynTH9oJg8

Hold fast here men. The take over is coming. We just need to give it more time. Let's try again tomorrow, once more.

The selling is likely coming from cashed strapped sophs, perhaps Perpetual again, who need to free up funds and take advantage of other market opportunities in the recent turmoil. Or, oblivious retail holders thinking the stock is in a down trend and have no idea a take over is imminent. Or, the UBS trading desk who have nothing better to do.

Remember sophs like to buy and sell while accumulating and vice versa. A drop down from 18 to 16 doesn't mean much. Similarly, if it trades back up to 18-20 again that's mealiness too. It's just churning the TERP range and like I've always said on this thread you need 2-3 weeks post retail entitlement for a move up to 22-25, as loose stock is absorbed.

The volume today suggests that it's in a 'wait and see' mode with the typical Sharesies 'fill and sell' in the morning, and then the usual dump at close. Nothing interesting happening really.

I thought Sky had a great weekend with the resumption of sport. Things look like they are back to normal. A major de-risking in my opinion.

The Augusta take over today is a prime example of false 'bottom fishing'. The fallacy that if it was worth X before Covid it must be X -1. This is just lazy economics. Metlifecare is another prime example. Sure, some heavily exposed companies have been effected, but only 1-2 years of earnings worth, that's all. The housing market is solid and most prime stocks overseas are hitting new highs. With the economy fully supported by the government, there is always going to be discretionary spending available to consumers, especially for Pay TV, as that will be one of the last things a family household will cut. Factor in reduced sporting right expenses for Sky, and you could make a case that Covid is a positive.

Weather a take over comes tomorrow, next week, or next month, it doesn't matter. Provided the following does not happen:

A) IFT make an announcement regarding another take over.
B) Prime institutional holders start selling significant parcels, example; Black Crane, ACC, Vandguard.

Other things to look forward to in the short term = Forsyth Barr buy recommendation. You know it's coming, as we pretty much paid for it and about time these muppets did something useful.

One thing I do know is that Martin won't want to front up to a shareholder meeting. Just lol if Handley shows his face. The only meeting shareholders want to attend is a take over one. With end of financial year coming, and both Vodafone and Sky restructuring, it's time for Sky to finally 'rest in peace' and be removed from the NZX and away from all the hecklers. Everyone has an opinion on this stock, as everyone just about has or had Sky. For good or bad this company isn't going away from the NZ media landscape. Shareholders win or lose but the consumer will always benefit.

Cry 'God for Vodafone! IFT! And Brooksfield!'

[Joshuatree]

Hi Ogg, i havnt read many threads and there are alot of posts. How do you value SKY.? Any breakdown there? Current mkt cap of re $231 mill plus spp, that sounds like quite alot for what exactly? Assets, earnings ever shrinking, competition encroaching from everywhere.Demographics changing fast, just a few older slow adjusting blokes like me subscribing to it still. Im just about embarrassed to admit it, not so good at tech.

[Ogg]

Hi Ogg, i havnt read many threads and there are alot of posts. How do you value SKY.? Any breakdown there? Current mkt cap of re $231 mill plus spp, that sounds like quite alot for what exactly? Assets, earnings ever shrinking, competition encroaching from everywhere.Demographics changing fast, just a few older slow adjusting blokes like me subscribing to it still. Im just about embarrassed to admit it, not so good at tech.

Assets/earnings are shrinking but from a high base. The business today remains moderately profitable with sustainable margin. There is growth opportunities in broadband/mobile (bundling), streaming (Neon+Rugby pass), and also the increase in NZ population over time.

Competitors have breached the moat, but the castle walls still remain. Sky still has a dominate market position in NZ which is unlikely to change in the short to medium term.

Demographics are changing but changing slowly. The baby boomer generation maybe slowly declining but the millennial generation embraces multi entertainment options, ie they watch TV and mobile at the same time.

Television as a central media outlet for the typical household will not change. Coaxial cable with satellite will remain the most preferred connection method.

With a market capitaliszation of $180m USD, and with rumors of a take over, Sky offers a great investment opportunity for active investors or those value investors looking for a long term investment with the possibility of a high yield dividend in the medium term.

Strong buy.

DYOR.

[Dlownz]

Has everyone shares shown up yet

[Ogg]

Has everyone shares shown up yet

Mine are showing.

[airedale]

Shakespeare and Mammon nicely spliced together.
When the take over doesn't happen, but you know it's happening soon...

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikynTH9oJg8

Hold fast here men. The take over is coming. We just need to give it more time. Let's try again tomorrow, once more.

The selling is likely coming from cashed strapped sophs, perhaps Perpetual again, who need to free up funds and take advantage of other market opportunities in the recent turmoil. Or, oblivious retail holders thinking the stock is in a down trend and have no idea a take over is imminent. Or, the UBS trading desk who have nothing better to do.

Remember sophs like to buy and sell while accumulating and vice versa. A drop down from 18 to 16 doesn't mean much. Similarly, if it trades back up to 18-20 again that's mealiness too. It's just churning the TERP range and like I've always said on this thread you need 2-3 weeks post retail entitlement for a move up to 22-25, as loose stock is absorbed.

The volume today suggests that it's in a 'wait and see' mode with the typical Sharesies 'fill and sell' in the morning, and then the usual dump at close. Nothing interesting happening really.

I thought Sky had a great weekend with the resumption of sport. Things look like they are back to normal. A major de-risking in my opinion.

The Augusta take over today is a prime example of false 'bottom fishing'. The fallacy that if it was worth X before Covid it must be X -1. This is just lazy economics. Metlifecare is another prime example. Sure, some heavily exposed companies have been effected, but only 1-2 years of earnings worth, that's all. The housing market is solid and most prime stocks overseas are hitting new highs. With the economy fully supported by the government, there is always going to be discretionary spending available to consumers, especially for Pay TV, as that will be one of the last things a family household will cut. Factor in reduced sporting right expenses for Sky, and you could make a case that Covid is a positive.

Weather a take over comes tomorrow, next week, or next month, it doesn't matter. Provided the following does not happen:

A) IFT make an announcement regarding another take over.
B) Prime institutional holders start selling significant parcels, example; Black Crane, ACC, Vandguard.

Other things to look forward to in the short term = Forsyth Barr buy recommendation. You know it's coming, as we pretty much paid for it and about time these muppets did something useful.

One thing I do know is that Martin won't want to front up to a shareholder meeting. Just lol if Handley shows his face. The only meeting shareholders want to attend is a take over one. With end of financial year coming, and both Vodafone and Sky restructuring, it's time for Sky to finally 'rest in peace' and be removed from the NZX and away from all the hecklers. Everyone has an opinion on this stock, as everyone just about has or had Sky. For good or bad this company isn't going away from the NZ media landscape. Shareholders win or lose but the consumer will always benefit.

Cry 'God for Vodafone! IFT! And Brooksfield!'

[mistaTea]

My shares are there.

All 1,525,666 of them. Hopefully the last 3 digits aren't a bad omen!

[Joshuatree]

Hahaha love it. airedale :D

And OGGS last line (thanks)
DYOR

[uravgtrader]

My Sharesies ones are yet to be filled.

[mistaTea]

This is how I imagine Ogg would react if he ended up taking a quick profit @20c, only for IFT to end up doing a takeover soon after @35c...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9EVR7j9_fw

[Yoda]

Has everyone shares shown up yet

Yep 🙃 dont need any more cider...

[Not The Chosen One]

Has everyone shares shown up yet

Showing on Computershare for me but someone did tell me i'll have to manually add them to my ASB portfolio.

I think I'm going to have to buy a few more shares and lower my 37c average!

[Ogg]

This is how I imagine Ogg would react if he ended up taking a quick profit @20c, only for IFT to end up doing a takeover soon after @35c...

Proclaim it, mistaTea, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this stock,
Let him depart; his shares will be sold
And crowns for convoy put into his purse:
We would not invest in that man's company
That fears his investment to die with us.

[mistaTea]

Proclaim it, mistaTea, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this stock,
Let him depart; his shares will be sold
And crowns for convoy put into his purse:
We would not invest in that man's company
That fears his investment to die with us.

I still think Denzel summed it up better with his various N-bombs and references to King Kong.

But this works too!

[mistaTea]

I reckon if I turned up to Sky HQ right now I would find Mark Bogoievski and Jason Paris there.

Thumping the table at Martin and Philip. They, in turn, thumping the table right back.

It’s not enough to take another kiwi company off the NZX just based on current SP, they will insist. To get our endorsement the price needs to be tied to intrinsic value...

[Ogg]

Martin Stewart before and after the take over negotiations

11701

[Not The Chosen One]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/121848680/sky-reveals-750000-kiwis-watched-super-rugby-and-warriors-games

That's what I like to see. The app worked well for all the games I watched. Good numbers considering it was based off 3 games

[Stranger_Danger]

I reckon if I turned up to Sky HQ right now I would find Mark Bogoievski and Jason Paris there.

Thumping the table at Martin and Philip. They, in turn, thumping the table right back.

It’s not enough to take another kiwi company off the NZX just based on current SP, they will insist. To get our endorsement the price needs to be tied to intrinsic value...

Given Sky TV somehow managed to not go up today, a day when a listed corner dairy would probably have gone up by 5%, if a takeover is imminent, there definitely isn't any insider trading happening! *cough*

[mistaTea]

Given Sky TV somehow managed to not go up today, a day when a listed corner dairy would probably have gone up by 5%, if a takeover is imminent, there definitely isn't any insider trading happening! *cough*

I am actually surprised the SP held its ground today and didn’t drop sub 15c now that more 12c shares have been released. I just assumed Goldman and Forsyth would start dumping right away.

There was an article in the Herald a while back with Martin lamenting the low SP. At the time the SP was ~70c which gave the company a MC of about $300M. He thought the company was significantly undervalued (it was).

Anyway if you just add the CR funds to the MC that he thought was low you get $450M which is about 26c/share now.

But wait a second! If Martin thought the pre-CR market cap was was undervalued by all rights he should expect more than $450M post-CR.

It would not be unreasonable for him to expect another $150M which would be 35c per share. IFT will be offering less of course, but if Martin and The Board endorse anything below 35c I think it would make an absolute mockery of their previous commentary on the low SP.

[Baa_Baa]

Are IFT, or anyone else for that matter actually interested in a buy out, does anyone know for a fact, or is this some illusion conjured up in the minds of the desperate and dateless? The banter fills a void on a discussion group but if it it’s only banter it means nothing.

Just asking

[mistaTea]

Are IFT, or anyone else for that matter actually interested in a buy out, does anyone know for a fact, or is this some illusion conjured up in the minds of the desperate and dateless? The banter fills a void on a discussion group but if it it’s only banter it means nothing.

Just asking

How the Hell would you expect any of us to know that IFT are about to buy Sky ‘for a fact’?

Christ mate - think about what you are asking!

I do not believe any of us are insider trading. There is a chance that Ogg is Martin Stewart I suppose...

Of course this is all speculation!

[Baa_Baa]

How the Hell would you expect any of us to know that IFT are about to buy Sky ‘for a fact’?

Christ mate - think about what you are asking!

I do not believe any of us are insider trading. There is a chance that Ogg is Martin Stewart I suppose...

Of course this is all speculation!

Christ mate (unnecessary), as the banter drags on and the thread history folds into distant memory, more and more it looked like the banter had some basis in fact. So thanks for confirming that it is all speculation unfounded in any factually substantiated information.

Back to hoping this finds a floor at the raising price and a company turnaround eventuates. That’s the only facts readers need to know. The rest is just hot air.

[Quantitative Easing]

From what I have heard, nothing is signed but is getting close. Don’t know the parties involved but apparently big... sorry that’s all iv got

This was the most credible source of a takeover. The others have been theories.

[mistaTea]

Christ mate (unnecessary), as the banter drags on and the thread history folds into distant memory, more and more it looked like the banter had some basis in fact. So thanks for confirming that it is all speculation unfounded in any factually substantiated information.

Back to hoping this finds a floor at the raising price and a company turnaround eventuates. That’s the only facts readers need to know. The rest is just hot air.

Damn Skippy Baa_Baa. If anybody is buying or selling Sky shares based on the speculative claims by a few nameless online posters that IFT-Brookfield are about to buy Sky Network Television then that is just silly. You should only be buying Sky right now because the facts from your own research support the notion that the company is selling below intrinsic value.

There are some very strong theories as to why IFT may be getting ready to make a play for Sky - but until such a takeover occurs it really is just a theory.

I would personally be shocked if IFT did not take this opportunity to get Sky now and merge it with Vodafone. But then again, I have been claiming that a takeover by someone is sure to happen 'any minute now' for a year!

[Baa_Baa]

If the only hope, or major hope of shareholders it’s that the company is subject to a takeover then that speaks to the confidence that they have or do not have in the management to turn around this mess of a company.

Thanks for your honesty, this imo is uninvestable, but it does speak to optimism and hope for a brighter future albeit that seems unlikely, given all the entrenched issues and sector head winds.

An onlooker might congratulate winners at a market premium to the the raising price should that eventuate, but be happy to hold off buying until the momentum built into something sustainable should that ever happen.

[Ogg]

there definitely isn't any insider trading happening! *cough*

Just lol.

What's happening here is way more complex than insider trading.

Insider trading is when some rouge employee goes out and tells a mate to buy a few shares on market. Maybe that's happening now, maybe not, but unless there's hundreds of people doing this then any additional demand would just get absorbed by the algorithmic traders.

What you have on Sky (and most stocks) is a syndicated network of global sophisticated investors working together to undermined the market for profit.

Who do you think underwrote the IFT placement? It's the same group of investors who underwrote the placement of Sky. These investors don't need to trade on market to get exposure when they can effectively acquire control of a company in a capital restructure.

In fact, why did Sky even do a capital restructure? It's because the liquidity from the draw down facility likely came from the same group of investors. In other words, the investors pulled the plug, then underwrote the placement. i.e. they swapped the debt for equity, on their terms, at their price, and at their will. Thus undermining the current share holders and effectively diluting them out of existence.

Don't you see the pattern here? Sky Bank Debt > Sky Placement > IFT Placement > Sky Take Over > IFT Debt. It's the same group of investors at every stage doing the profiteering.

If you're lucky enough, you can jump in between the stages and piggy back on the activity and make a profit but it's not easy to do.

To answer your question, why did the stock drop to 15.8 if a take over is coming? Simple, if you already own something, and you plan to buy it off yourself through another entity, why do you care what the price is? The people controlling the stock aren't the retail holders. Just look at the recent results of the retail entitlement, us plebs could only muster up $2.9m worth of shares at 12c, just lol.

I wish they would just hurry up and do the take over already. I fear the plan is to shake the tree bare of fruit over the coming days to scrape the last few retail holders out while the take over plans are being finalized. Either that, or there's a small number of professional but honest investors who are locking in profits now who were lucky enough to get some scraps from the underwriter, whilst unknowing to all of the above.

[Ogg]

This was the most credible source of a takeover. The others have been theories.

Read the thread again, this has been debunked.

[Quantitative Easing]

Read the thread again, this has been debunked.

Haha yeah i was being sarcastic.

[Paradox]

I am actually surprised the SP held its ground today and didn’t drop sub 15c now that more 12c shares have been released. I just assumed Goldman and Forsyth would start dumping right away.

Surely, the 12c shares will be drip-fed and a 12-13c end of this week won't be surprising at all?

Disc: Hold some.

[allfromacell]

Didn't some directors very recently purchase shares on market? To me that's the biggest signal that there is no take over discussion currently taking place.

I like the direction of the new CEO, Sky Go is great and being well received by everyone I know who uses it (people under 30 especially). The move into broadband is also a smart one, there is some value here with or without a takeover imo.

[blackcap]

Didn't some directors very recently purchase shares on market? To me that's the biggest signal that there is no take over discussion currently taking place.

I like the direction of the new CEO, Sky Go is great and being well received by everyone I know who uses it (people under 30 especially). The move into broadband is also a smart one, there is some value here with or without a takeover imo.

They did quite recently. So obviously no takeover in the making. Unless its one of those stealth ones where the directors are not in the know. Which takeovers often are...

[Quantitative Easing]

Didn't some directors very recently purchase shares on market? To me that's the biggest signal that there is no take over discussion currently taking place.

I like the direction of the new CEO, Sky Go is great and being well received by everyone I know who uses it (people under 30 especially). The move into broadband is also a smart one, there is some value here with or without a takeover imo.

Be careful. Sky is the definition of a value trap.

[Ogg]

They did quite recently. So obviously no takeover in the making. Unless its one of those stealth ones where the directors are not in the know. Which takeovers often are...

The CFO and CEO purchases were done on the same day, two weeks ago, on the 3rd of June.

The latest disclosure was related to an independent director. The purchase was made on the 8th of June. Written approval was required and granted as it was inside a "closed period", likely as end of financial year is approaching.

The IFT placement announcement was made on the 9th of June.

The timing does allow for a take over.

Negotiations could have started as early as the 4th of June, assuming the related person to the independent director is unaware, and also because they obtained written approval. Or, negotiations have started as early as the 9th of June, assuming another disclosure isn't made in the next few days, which is unlikely given we're in a "closed period" now.

I doubt there is much to negotiate. They know the price of the stock. Do they want it or not!

[Ogg]

Good synopsis. CEO laments share price is undervalued at $0.70. Shortly after his company issues a shed load of new shares at $0.12 cents. Not enticing me to hitch my wagon to this horse.

The CEO has bugger all shares.

Even I have more shares then him.

He's a pawn who's being controlled by the underwriters.

The entire board over the last couple of years have been replaced.

It's a zombie company controlled by UBS.

[Leftfield]

The CEO has bugger all shares.

Even I have more shares then him......

And I have even less shares than them all.....

FWIW I'm now out of SKT.... quick (unusual for me) small gain and out. Happy to watch from the sidelines. GLH.

[mistaTea]

This is how I imagine Marko reacted when Martin told him he wanted 40c...

https://gph.is/1a7D36f

[airedale]

"Zombie company" and UBS is the Zombie Master........My mind boggles, but I am well placed to take advantage of any dark deeds.


The CEO has bugger all shares.

Even I have more shares then him.

He's a pawn who's being controlled by the underwriters.

The entire board over the last couple of years have been replaced.

It's a zombie company controlled by UBS.

[Ogg]

This is how I imagine Marko reacted when Martin told him he wanted 40c...

https://gph.is/1a7D36f

This is how it actually happened...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHAAH8PCnMo

Marko: IFT therefore sends you, meeter for your spirit,
This tun of treasure, and, in lieu of this,
Desires you let Sky that you claim
Hear no more of you

Martin: What treasure?

mistaTea: Tennis balls, my liege.

[steveb]

this thread has got seriously weird

[Cadalac123]

Holding up well for the spike

[Yoda]

Bit of a sell down begins, cashing in on a quick buck.

[Ogg]

More SPH notices today reflecting the new update of shares on issue.

As I suspected, no selling from Black Crane or Vanguard. All the activity is coming from the UBS trading desk. They are likely responsible for about 90% of the volume on the stock. Do these muppets not have anything better to do? They've shed a 2% position percentage wise. Likely by over buying in the placement then trading the excess stock 1000 times over. Lord knows how much profit they've made churning this thing over the last couple of weeks. They still own a decent position so if a take over does come it's still win/win for them.

If you take out all the 'noise', what's really happened is that a small amount of retail would have likely sold down over the last couple of weeks to raise liquidity in the placement. Replacing that volume would have been other retail speculators entering the stock. The large genuine institutional holders have held. The trading range from 14.7-23 has all been manipulated by the trading desks.

Soon the brokers will start releasing coverage on the stock. By then traders would have recovered or built up a buy position. The share registry will tighten, and the stock will rise. I suspect the company will then release an update in tandem - ordered by UBS of course.

More SPH notices will likely be released today but I'm not expecting much. It's already obvious what's happening. I doubt ACC have sold any. Morgan Stanley would have just been doing what UBS have been doing.

Pretty basic stuff here.

[Paradox]

Bit of a sell down begins, cashing in on a quick buck.
I expected 12-13c today. It may take another week to reach that level.

Disc: hold some

[Balance]

http://nzx-prod-s7fsd7f98s.s3-website-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/SKT/354923/324768.pdf

Looks like UBS received 62m shares at 12c as underwriter.

[Quantitative Easing]

More SPH notices today reflecting the new update of shares on issue.

As I suspected, no selling from Black Crane or Vanguard. All the activity is coming from the UBS trading desk. They are likely responsible for about 90% of the volume on the stock. Do these muppets not have anything better to do? They've shed a 2% position percentage wise. Likely by over buying in the placement then trading the excess stock 1000 times over. Lord knows how much profit they've made churning this thing over the last couple of weeks. They still own a decent position so if a take over does come it's still win/win for them.

If you take out all the 'noise', what's really happened is that a small amount of retail would have likely sold down over the last couple of weeks to raise liquidity in the placement. Replacing that volume would have been other retail speculators entering the stock. The large genuine institutional holders have held. The trading range from 14.7-23 has all been manipulated by the trading desks.

Soon the brokers will start releasing coverage on the stock. By then traders would have recovered or built up a buy position. The share registry will tighten, and the stock will rise. I suspect the company will then release an update in tandem - ordered by UBS of course.

More SPH notices will likely be released today but I'm not expecting much. It's already obvious what's happening. I doubt ACC have sold any. Morgan Stanley would have just been doing what UBS have been doing.

Pretty basic stuff here.

You reckon there is support at 14.7 cents? Seems like there is a bit of support at 15 cents at the moment.

[Ogg]

You reckon there is support at 14.7 cents? Seems like there is a bit of support at 15 cents at the moment.

Support at 15?... You mean the 52 fake UBS buyers and 1 genuine retail order sitting at 15?

The "levels" are just made up. The placement at 12 was basically picked from thin air. If you wanna talk levels, then maybe the TERP at 17 could be used as a base line. The drop down to here is from the back of the global sell off recently.

The lack of volume today and over the last couple of days suggest to me that there is little incentive for traders. Most of the excess stock would have been sold by now.

We're 1 week post retail entitlement. By the end of next week things will start to get back to normal.

[Paradox]

Support at 15?... You mean the 52 fake UBS buyers and 1 genuine retail order sitting at 15?

By the end of next week things will start to get back to normal.

what is your view on normal?

A sniff test suggests that something is definitely in the offing. Whether M&A activity, takeover, or something else...remains to be seen.

Disc: hold some

[Ogg]

what is your view on normal?



20c, two to three weeks post retail entitlement

25c, by late August after end of year results.

30c take over price any time now.

[Quantitative Easing]

I suppose the real question is buy more sky shares at 14.7 cents or put it elsewhere? I think humans are more prone to loss aversion so would end up buying more sky (at least i would) to lower the average price. But if you sit back and think about it deeply aren't we better off putting our money into new investments with better market sentiment?

[Akane]

Support at 15?... You mean the 52 fake UBS buyers and 1 genuine retail order sitting at 15?



So what happens when the price does dip to 15? UBS will have to take up whatever the market is offloading onto them, and then they'll have bags of 15c shares.

[Ogg]

So what happens when the price does dip to 15? UBS will have to take up whatever the market is offloading onto them, and then they'll have bags of 15c shares.

If a retail holder were to sell 1m stock at 15, that excess stock would be distributed to one of UBS's affiliates. They'll take unlimited bags at 15c and they'll sell unlimited bags at 16 too. Doesn't matter, the idea is to ***** it as much as possible. At the end of the week they'll be a profit. Why? Because nervous nellies get stopped out and Sharesies users throw stupid buy orders on market like willy nilly. While this is all happening UBS parent company collects interest on any borrowed stock.

The game is simple. Buy bucket loads of stock at 12c. Keep some, sell some, and trade the rest like crazy. Profit profit profit. Once it's been shaken dry, they'll release an updated research report. Then they'll bug the company for an update. The stock jumps, and it starts all over again.

The trading team will do their thing and the merger and acquisition team will work on the take over. In theory there's supposed to be a "wall" between them but they both know what's going on.

[blackcap]

.

Hey Ogg, just be a bit careful what you say using the word "churning". Churning is illegal and as such you are opening yourself up for a defamation suit.

[Ogg]

Hey Ogg, just be a bit careful what you say using the word "churning". Churning is illegal and as such you are opening yourself up for a defamation suit.

My advice to them would be to let it go unless they want to end up like the Grange Golf Club.

[Quantitative Easing]

Strong finish at the end of the day. What do we put it down to? Some leaked info...

[Cadalac123]

Still waiting on 12c like someone on here posted .

[Paradox]

i am still anticipating 12-13c....sp has been trending down 25% in the last month.

Disc: hold some and hoping to buy more at 13c

[Ogg]

Just lol at you amateurs. Why would UBS sell you stock at 12. It's not gonna happen.

The traders are trying to flush out existing retail holders at this level, not to bring in more.

The strong close was pre programmed to set up a bullish trading pattern for next week.

Remember the SPH notices are 3 days old. The stock overhang has likely all been sold at a higher price. The algorithms have likely already switch to accumulation mode.

I suspect a return to TERP level on Monday, with more accumulation. Thus confirming the bullish trading pattern. You'll then likely get the updated broker reports, check for Forsyth Barr and Goldman. Should hit 20 by next Friday. That's when the offloading to retail will start up again.

[Ogg]

I've been doing more extensive "Michael Burry" type research on the relationship between Sky TV and Infratil. I've compiled a narrative what I believe is an undeniable case for an imminent take over of Sky TV and a long term commercial plan that could potentially net Infratil a billion dollar profit or more within 5 years.

BE HOLD MY STRONGEST CASE YET FOR AN INFRATIL TAKE OVER OF SKY TV:

Firstly, a bit of background information. One of Infratil's best investments was in Royal Dutch Shell. For background information on this investment read NBR's article:

https://www.nbr.co.nz/article/infratil-nz-super-fund-stand-triple-their-money-z-energy-investment-bd-143411

Basically, Infratil bought the assets off Royal Dutch Shell and re-branded the new company into Z Energy. Infratil then subsequently floated the company on the NZX a few years later for a significant profit. The question is, why would Infratil re-brand "Shell", a well known brand in New Zealand, and change it to something different?

The answer is two fold. Firstly, and most importantly was because of financial reasons. It cost Infratil over $10m per year in intellectual property rights. This was one of the main reasons why they re-branded. See this source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/4988846/Shell-petrol-stations-to-be-renamed-Z

Secondly, it hindered the company's growth ability as it was restrained from the parent company who controlled the "rights" and direction of the brand. The use of the brand came with terms and conditions and therefore if Infratil wanted to float Shell on the NZX it needed to re-brand the company.

This brings me to Infratil's investment in Vodafone, a company that Infratil bought last year for EUR $2 billion, in a joint venture with global investment company Brooksfield Asset Management. The deal was finance with significant debt on both Infratil's and Vodafone's balance sheet. Stock analysts suspect that Infratil will float Vodafone in the near future, in a similar arrangement as Z Energy.

HOWEVER, Vodafone will have to be re-branded for an IPO to happen. So, the question is why haven't they re-branded yet? The answer, is that there are certain benefits for maintaining the brand, including support and shared commercial arrangements from the parent company. This is especially important in the first few years after it is sold, but eventually a re-branding will have to happen.

So the next question is, when they do decide to re-brand, what do they call the new company?... Z Phone, Red Mobile Company, Not The Spark Company? Yes folks, you read it here first, SKY TV WILL TAKE OVER VODAFONE!!! As nutty as that sounds, that's what will happen. The Vodafone brand will be gone in New Zealand and be another past relic, just like Bell South!

I suspect the two newly formed companies will be refloated on the NZX, sometime in the year 2024-2026. With the combined revenue, it will have a market capitalization near that of Spark. The profits for Infratil will be gigantic. And the best part is that it's all funded with debt.

I suspect Infratil will retain a holding after the IPO, and they will fully exit a few years later, just like they did with Z Energy.

I put a value of Sky today of 75c a share based on the above scenario playing out. But retail investors won't see any part of that as the company will be flogged off for a poultry 30c a share.

Just lol.

[RGR367]

Again, hope you're right. But maybe in a parallel world existing somewhere, your detective novel is just being written too :cool:

[Zaphod]

HOWEVER, Vodafone will have to be re-branded for an IPO to happen. So, the question is why haven't they re-branded yet? The answer, is that there are certain benefits for maintaining the brand, including support and shared commercial arrangements from the parent company. This is especially important in the first few years after it is sold, but eventually a re-branding will have to happen.
.

Any newly separated entity would ideally keep the existing relationship with VF intact in order to preserve interconnection agreements to maintain existing price rates for WAN, roaming etc. Presumably if a NZ domiciled company such as Spark can negotiate such rates, then they'd be able to as well, although perhaps not as favourable as is currently enjoyed which might undermine competitiveness slightly.

Rebranding could be a double-edged sword for them, depending upon how it's executed.

You're on to an interesting idea!

[airedale]

If that scenario becomes reality my paltry 100% profit on Sky should be re invested in Infratil.

[winner69]

More serious issues .....Martin getting all excited with his new stadium

Suppose it's fair enough he gets a buzz out of wasting our money on naming rights

@MartinStewartNZ
At last, we get to show off @SkyStadium with the ‘Canes at home to the Crusaders, kick off at 3.35pm, Sky Sport 1! A HUGE thanks to @ShaneHarmon & team for getting all in place for what promises to be a real battle on the pitch. @SuperRugbyNZ. https://t.co/4VxeQxkPaq

[percy]

Well at half time one team has deserved to get 19 points while the other team on 12 points only deserves 3 points.

Had the poor team led at half time I would have turned it off.

[Ogg]

Any newly separated entity would ideally keep the existing relationship with VF intact in order to preserve interconnection agreements to maintain existing price rates for WAN, roaming etc. Presumably if a NZ domiciled company such as Spark can negotiate such rates, then they'd be able to as well, although perhaps not as favourable as is currently enjoyed which might undermine competitiveness slightly.

Rebranding could be a double-edged sword for them, depending upon how it's executed.

You're on to an interesting idea!

Like you said, roaming rates with other international partners can be negotiated. Roaming is a high margin business. There's room for negotiation, so they could easily partner with other companies.

It's likely they're only getting a small discount anyway and with less international travel expected in the medium term, why bother staying with the parent company.

Also, check out this NZHearld article: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12334743


Paris said that, until its sale to the Infratil/Brookfield Asset Management consortium last May for $3.4 billion, Vodafone NZ had been effectively "held back" for the previous five years during which investment was constrained and it was executing to a Vodafone Group strategic template, 50 per cent of which was irrelevant to New Zealand.


"Under the consortium, we are focused 100 per cent on our New Zealand strategy, so we now have a massive opportunity to be more cloud-based and more agile."




It's obvious that there are more negatives than positives in maintaining the Vodafone brand in New Zealand. The brand will eventually be phased out.

Telecom was able to successfully re-brand as Spark.

Look at the naming rights to the Wellington Stadium. You don't see Vodafone on there!

In fact it's likely that Vodafone NZ are already pulling back on marketing expenses in New Zealand, getting ready for the re-brand in the next year or two.

[winner69]

Vodafone got a reason to get out of their sponsorship of the Warriors ....

.....martin could waste more of our money SKY WARRIORS sounds pretty good.

[winner69]

Well at half time one team has deserved to get 19 points while the other team on 12 points only deserves 3 points.

Had the poor team led at half time I would have turned it off.

Probably score another 19 in 2nd half and win 38-21

[percy]

Probably score another 19 in 2nd half and win 38-21

That's it.
Back to The order of things by Graham Hurley.

[Ogg]

For those wondering if the ComCom might block the take over, have a read of this report from 2016:

https://comcom.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/76852/Plum-report-for-2degrees-and-TVNZ-on-Vodafone-Sky-merger-August-2016.pdf (https://comcom.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/76852/Plum-report-for-2degrees-and-TVNZ-on-Vodafone-Sky-merger-August-2016.pdf)

What you'll find is that the Pay TV market has changed significantly in the last 4 years. The predictions made in the report did not eventuate. If anything, it shows how incompetent the consultancy firm was in preparing this paid report. The argument to block a merger between Sky and Vodafone is no longer valid. However, the benefit of a merger between Sky and Vodafone has not changed.

A quote from the report above about the benefits of a merger:



"With access to Sky’s premium content on preferred terms, Vodafone would be able to increase its share of the retail mobile market, currently 50% by revenues, as the take up of its 4G data services increases"



"Vodafone would also be able to cross sell into the Sky customer base in a way not available to its two mobile rivals"


Notice the phrase "4G" is used. Hmm, what comes after the number 4 I wonder? Yes, it's obvious Vodafone has made a huge investment into 5G and is looking at ways to leverage this over the long term. A take over of Sky would be a great way to increase their customer base and move them to higher margin products, such as the upcoming 5G roll out. An example of this would be giving customers a free rugby subscription in exchange for subscribing to 5G.

It's also obvious that Vodafone could cross sell and bundle Sky's existing products and services into Vodafone TV. For example, existing Vodafone TV customers could enjoy free television channels and access to RugbyPass in exchange for having their broadband with Vodafone.

What's stopping other competitors from doing the same? Nothing. Spark has the cricket rights, and many other sporting rights in New Zealand. It's a level playing field.

Consumer will benefit from more local horizontal integrations of New Zealand companies. The real threat is from overseas, from the likes of Netfix and Disney. These companies are the ones more likely to abuse their market position and raise prices over the long term. Worst yet, all the profits go overseas and they employ no local workers!

[steveb]

For those wondering if the ComCom might block the take over, have a read of this report from 2016:

https://comcom.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/76852/Plum-report-for-2degrees-and-TVNZ-on-Vodafone-Sky-merger-August-2016.pdf (https://comcom.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/76852/Plum-report-for-2degrees-and-TVNZ-on-Vodafone-Sky-merger-August-2016.pdf)

What you'll find is that the Pay TV market has changed significantly in the last 4 years. The predictions made in the report did not eventuate. If anything, it shows how incompetent the consultancy firm was in preparing this paid report. The argument to block a merger between Sky and Vodafone is no longer valid. However, the benefit of a merger between Sky and Vodafone has not changed.

A quote from the report above about the benefits of a merger:



"With access to Sky’s premium content on preferred terms, Vodafone would be able to increase its share of the retail mobile market, currently 50% by revenues, as the take up of its 4G data services increases"



"Vodafone would also be able to cross sell into the Sky customer base in a way not available to its two mobile rivals"


Notice the phrase "4G" is used. Hmm, what comes after the number 4 I wonder? Yes, it's obvious Vodafone has made a huge investment into 5G and is looking at ways to leverage this over the long term. A take over of Sky would be a great way to increase their customer base and move them to higher margin products, such as the upcoming 5G roll out. An example of this would be giving customers a free rugby subscription in exchange for subscribing to 5G.

It's also obvious that Vodafone could cross sell and bundle Sky's existing products and services into Vodafone TV. For example, existing Vodafone TV customers could enjoy free television channels and access to RugbyPass in exchange for having their broadband with Vodafone.

What's stopping other competitors from doing the same? Nothing. Spark has the cricket rights, and many other sporting rights in New Zealand. It's a level playing field.

Consumer will benefit from more local horizontal integrations of New Zealand companies. The real threat is from overseas, from the likes of Netfix and Disney. These companies are the ones more likely to abuse their market position and raise prices over the long term. Worst yet, all the profits go overseas and they employ no local workers!

Instead of Spark getting into a bidding war with Sky,it would probably be cheaper just to buy them!

[mistaTea]

I see old Derek had a whopping 4,000 shares before the CR. Now he owns a staggering 17,584 shares!

http://nzx-prod-s7fsd7f98s.s3-website-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/SKT/355055/324956.pdf

[k14]

I see old Derek had a whopping 4,000 shares before the CR. Now he owns a staggering 17,584 shares!

http://nzx-prod-s7fsd7f98s.s3-website-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/SKT/355055/324956.pdf
Must have had to max his credit card out.

Interesting to see Martin Stewart also buying ~$85k worth.

[Getty]

Derek should resign as a matter of principle if he has that little faith in the company!
Why should we pay someone directors fees, when the have so little skin in the game?

[winner69]

Derek should resign as a matter of principle if he has that little faith in the company!
Why should we pay someone directors fees, when the have so little skin in the game?

On the other hand he is not truely independent ...he has a vested interest (skin in the game)

Poor Derek or rather poor SKY having Derek as a Director in the first place ....wasted space in the Board room I reckon.

[blackcap]

Must have had to max his credit card out.

Interesting to see Martin Stewart also buying ~$85k worth.

I too would buy my full allotment if I could buy shares at 12 cents that are currently trading at 16 cents. No brainer as far as I am concerned. Its like paying $80 to get a $100 bill. But yes, granted he did fill his boots and it shows he thinks there might be some promise there.

[airedale]

Surprising {but perhaps not too Ogg} the few number of shares that the directors hold. Only Martin Stewart has just over 1 million and the others have piddling amounts compared to the number of shares on issue.

[Getty]

What are they trying to tell us?

[airedale]

Perhaps it is indicative of that label "zombie company" that was suggested by an earlier post. ;)

[Ogg]

Perhaps it is indicative of that label "zombie company" that was suggested by an earlier post. ;)


This.

It's a 30 year old company, that has changed hands many times from the likes of Murdoch and other big owners etc

Past CEO Fallet had virtually no shares in the company for all of his tenure.

Good to see them making a small effort now though but I do agree it's all tokenism at this level, expect maybe CFO.

As with the Vodafone take over, management will likely get a 2% share of equity. So a possible 34m shares for Martin if he doesn't drop the ball here - a nice little bonus when the company relists.

[winner69]

One of the original founders on a roll at the moment ....Terry’s horse Word for Word won well in Sydney the other day

[youngatheart]

Just lol at you amateurs. Why would UBS sell you stock at 12. It's not gonna happen.

The traders are trying to flush out existing retail holders at this level, not to bring in more.

The strong close was pre programmed to set up a bullish trading pattern for next week.

Remember the SPH notices are 3 days old. The stock overhang has likely all been sold at a higher price. The algorithms have likely already switch to accumulation mode.

I suspect a return to TERP level on Monday, with more accumulation. Thus confirming the bullish trading pattern. You'll then likely get the updated broker reports, check for Forsyth Barr and Goldman. Should hit 20 by next Friday. That's when the offloading to retail will start up again.

Hmmm. So "hit 20c by Friday..." It's not really happening is it?

[Entrep]

Hmmm. So "hit 20c by Friday..." It's not really happening is it?

Friday in the last week of December... after a 10:1 consolidation

[Akane]

Hmmm. So "hit 20c by Friday..." It's not really happening is it?


It will happen, he didn't say which Friday it'll be

[ba9]

Since the CEO and some others have just increased their shareholding. Can an assumption be made that a takeover is not likely in the immediate future?

[freebee]

Great weekend for motorsport with the supercars back on track in Sydney this weekend and the kiwi boys going well.

Supercars announce that they have signed new 5 year deal with Skysport for next 5 years

https://www.supercars.com/news/championship/supercars-inks-five-year-nz-tv-deal/

[Southern Lad]

Since the CEO and some others have just increased their shareholding. Can an assumption be made that a takeover is not likely in the immediate future?

Not necessarily - a takeover could be hostile and therefore sprung on SKT in a surprise raid like approach. However, Vodafone unlikely to launch a hostile bid, so would likely be another party.

[mistaTea]

Some interesting developments with Sky...

Was just chatting to a rep from RugbyPass. They have held their Asian pricing at US$169.99 per annum (~$14/month).


But the 'rest of the world' has dropped to US$54 per annum ($4.50/month). The fact that they only had 20,000 or so subs told me that the price was too high. I am not sure what the 'sweet spot' is for pricing, but they reckon that the markets that RP hold broadcast rights to have 100M potential fans...and 3M of those could conceivably be converted to monthly subscribers.

These are the countries they have rights to...

Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam; Europe: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine. Middle-East: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait.

Also, we know Sky Sport NOW subs have been slashed to NZ$299.99 per annum (~$25/month). That will generate a lot more subs as there is a keen interest in the rugby at the moment, plus NRL, super cars etc.

But beyond that, they are also being aggressive with satellite. My father in law just got a deal with Sky for Starter + Sport for $28/month! - locked in for a 12 month contract.

Clearly Sky are pulling out all of the stops to report an impressive subscription number in the next Annual Report. And they can pass on some savings now that they are clawing back a bunch of the sporting broadcast $$$.

In my mind, these moves make me think the Board are not close to endorsing a takeover. Why bother to do all this if you are about to be bought out?

It is entirely possible that the likes of IFT are kicking the tyres etc...but if they are giving indicative offers of around the 30c mark the board may well be pushing back hard. If they can boost subs (especially RP) significantly by getting their pricing right, and then provide compelling broadband bundles in NZ...the company will be worth significantly more within 2 years. So I have my fingers and toes crossed that The Board stick to their guns and don't entertain any low ball opportunistic offers.

Hard to know, and we can speculate all day long. But I do find the aggressive moves on pricing quite interesting.

[airedale]

Hi Mista T, I can't imagine that there is "keen interest" from any of those countries mentioned.

[mistaTea]

Hi Mista T, I can't imagine that there is "keen interest" from any of those countries mentioned.

Rugby has been growing in popularity in parts of Asia and Eastern Europe. And these are the places that international rugby need to focus for growth.

NZ, Aussie, South Africa, UK etc are all mature and saturated markets. But there are millions of potential fans in these other growing markets.

The pricing has to be right though, especially when trying to gain a presence. Better to go in with wafer thin margins at first and then lift subscription costs over time as you hit a critical mass of subs and the sport really takes off in the target market.

[macduffy]

Just a market rumour, IMO. People see IFT raising funds; SKY looking "cheap" and jump to a conclusion. More likely, IFT are positioning themselves for opportunities that might arise as the recession/depression deepens.

[Stranger_Danger]

Never fear Sky TV holders, Bangladeshi rugby fans to the rescue!

[Stranger_Danger]

I can't fathom why Infratil would be a likely acquirer of Sky. Sky's core business is aggregating and selling content. Their set top box and dish infrastructure seems redundant with streaming over broadband and 5G. Does not seem a great fit with an infrastructure investment company like Infratil.

The only rationale I can see is Vodafone being able to bundle content. But they can do this as a reseller without buying Sky.

Perhaps if cheap enough, it could be an opportunistic buy like Z Energy was. As an Infratil shareholder, I can't say that am excited about the prospect of acquiring Sky. I would much rather they grew investment in data centres.

They won't buy Sky TV. They did the placement to be ready to take the rest of Wgtn Airport off the Council, a prospect that is far, far more likely than them buying Sky TV.

[mistaTea]

I can't fathom why Infratil would be a likely acquirer of Sky. Sky's core business is aggregating and selling content. Their set top box and dish infrastructure seems redundant with streaming over broadband and 5G. Does not seem a great fit with an infrastructure investment company like Infratil.

The only rationale I can see is Vodafone being able to bundle content. But they can do this as a reseller without buying Sky.

Perhaps if cheap enough, it could be an opportunistic buy like Z Energy was. As an Infratil shareholder, I can't say that am excited about the prospect of acquiring Sky. I would much rather they grew investment in data centres.

Yeah those are fair comments. And it may well be that SKY is the last thing IFT are looking at right now. As Macduff says, it could just be a case of people looking at recent events, putting 2+2 together and getting 5. Time will tell.

The only reason they might look at Sky while it is cheap is because of the Vodafone angle. Right now Vodafone have a friendly wholesale arrangement with Sky - but sky entering broadband will put pressure on this relationship. And if Sky can offer attractive broadband-SkyGO bundles they will be able to build up a strong customer base (at the expense of the other telcos).

Sky entering broadband will make Vodafone worth less (not worthless, but worth less...). So it is not totally crazy to think that IFT could look at this opportunity to buy sky while it is ‘cheap’ as a way of turning a potential significant threat to Vodafone into an asset.

I am sure IFT will announce what they are buying with the money soon, so one way or another we won’t be left wondering long.

I don’t want IFT to buy Sky either - only because I think Sky is worth much more to me long term than the low ball offer I would likely receive at the minute.

[mistaTea]

Never fear Sky TV holders, Bangladeshi rugby fans to the rescue!

Don’t forget the Nepalese tuning in from Mt Everest...

[Ogg]

. They did the placement to be ready to take the rest of Wgtn Airport off the Council.

Just lol, that's not going to happen under a Labour government.

Besides, having some public ownership is an advantage. Cheap guaranteed loans, better legal protection etc. If the company fails so does the public - it's a fail safe mechanism. Just look at the difference between Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia!

Besides...

INFRATIL CURRENTLY HAS A MAJOR PROBLEM!

It owns a multi billion dollar company without a domain name!

Vodafone.co.nz is owned by "Vodafone Group Plc", which is a third party.

https://www.dnc.org.nz/whois/search?domain_name=vodafone.co.nz

Imagine forking out $3,000,000,000 for a business but not getting the $24 domain name that comes with it... Just lol.

Let's take a look at a domain name that Infrtil does own: VodafoneTV.co.nz

https://www.dnc.org.nz/whois/search?domain_name=vodafonetv.co.nz

Mmm, that's strange, the domain name is "pending release". They are 84 days past due. When the clock hits 90 days it' over. Next Saturday the domain name will become publicly available.

Imagine investing millions of dollars in a business and then leaving the domain name to expire...Just lol.

Don't you muppets get it! Vodafone NZ is history. The brand is going bye bye. Infratil is buying Sky and merging it with Vodafone NZ!

[Ogg]

Once Vodafone NZ and Sky merge, it will be full telecommunications company, similar to that of Sky UK, which Comcast bought for $38b.

Brookfield's also owns TV3. So that will be bolted onto the newly formed JV company.

You'll have a new major media telecommunications company in NZ, similar in size, if not bigger than Spark.

This will then be sold off to Comcast.

$$$$$$

[Balance]

15c taken out - there was a solid 1.3m+ on the bid and one seller just took the whole lot out.

The big boys have decided to take their 25% gain from the underwritten stock?

[Paradox]

As expected, the SP will edge close to 12-13c

[airedale]

15c taken out - there was a solid 1.3m+ on the bid and one seller just took the whole lot out.

The big boys have decided to take their 25% gain from the underwritten stock?
1.3 million times 3 cents= a tidy $39,000.

[Balance]

As expected, the SP will edge close to 12-13c

In the absence of takeover activity or expectation of takeover activity, the underwriters with no skin in the game will be happy to take their 25% gain.

Ironically, sp towards 12c could be what will trigger M&A activity.

[airedale]

In the absence of takeover activity or expectation of takeover activity, the underwriters with no skin in the game will be happy to take their 25% gain.

Ironically, sp towards 12c could be what will trigger M&A activity.
I will keep some funds available in case it gets back to 12c.

[Ogg]

Je**s Chr**t.

Just shut it all down and pull the plug.

No rugby for anyone!

[mistaTea]

Often 'Mr Market' is good at sniffing out potential deals in the making.

The current price action does not indicate any credible buyers are expected anytime soon.

We won't be left wondering long, but I would put this as another check in the 'No way in Hell are Infratil going to buy Sky TV!' column.

https://tenor.com/rscH.gif

[mistaTea]

Amazing - according to the Market, sky is actually now worth significantly LESS than is was before the CR when you subtract the cash infusion from the market cap.

Who would have thought $150M of new capital would be so detrimental to the business!

[blackcap]

Amazing - according to the Market, sky is actually now worth significantly LESS than is was before the CR when you subtract the cash infusion from the market cap.

Who would have thought $150M of new capital would be so detrimental to the business!

Deleted Post

[RTM]

Amazing - according to the Market, sky is actually now worth significantly LESS than is was before the CR when you subtract the cash infusion from the market cap.

Who would have thought $150M of new capital would be so detrimental to the business!

Lots of companies are worth quite a bit less than they were a few weeks ago.
Have a look at Air New Zealand.

[mistaTea]

Lots of companies are worth quite a bit less than they were a few weeks ago.
Have a look at Air New Zealand.

Sure, but AIR is ACTUALLY worth substantially less post-Covid. The trans Tasman bubble was going to be a lifeline - but that might not happen until next year now. Very grim for the company, and it is astounding that the market cap is still as high as it is quite frankly.

Sky TV is in a completely different situation. In fact, Covid may actually end up increasing Sky’s net earnings.

[Cadalac123]

Sure, but AIR is ACTUALLY worth substantially less post-Covid. The trans Tasman bubble was going to be a lifeline - but that might not happen until next year now. Very grim for the company, and it is astounding that the market cap is still as high as it is quite frankly.

Sky TV is in a completely different situation. In fact, Covid may actually end up increasing Sky’s net earnings.

Is it really necessary to read into todays sp the entire market did poorly from a general perspective.

Still waiting my for 12c buy in like everyone here suggests is going to happen. Exciting.

[Balance]

Is it really necessary to read into todays sp the entire market did poorly from a general perspective.



Excellent observation, Cadalac123.

[mistaTea]

Is it really necessary to read into todays sp the entire market did poorly from a general perspective.


Of course it isn’t necessary...readers of my posts will be well aware that I am a long term investor who doesn’t care what the SP does over the short or even medium term.

My observation is just me having another crack at EMT. Sorry, I just can’t help myself.

[Entrep]

Sought after placements don't visit the placement price, desperate placements nearly always do, or they go under. I would put this one in the latter.appears On track

[Waltzing]

Arts channel? - great place to start for learning for investing in Art. Also you would be surprised the number of bikers who host art programs and the number of ordinary folks doing art in new zealand and making it to programs like "Put some color in your life".

Not going to replace sport ? no? oh well one can hope...did my ten hill repeats this week ...no talent with a paint brush.

[winner69]

Arts channel? - great place to start for learning for investing in Art. Also you would be surprised the number of bikers who host art programs and the number of ordinary folks doing art in new zealand and making it to programs like "Put some color in your life".

Not going to replace sport ? no? oh well one can hope...did my ten hill repeats this week ...no talent with a paint brush.

The Repair Shop is a cool program on one of the SKY channels

[Ogg]

The Vodafone transition has began...

https://careers.vodafone.com/job/Auckland-CARE-Transition-Manager/607233301/ (https://careers.vodafone.com/job/Auckland-CARE-Transition-Manager/607233301/)

Play a key role in defining and planning the roadmap of change

[airedale]

What does CARE stand for?

[Blue Horseshoe]

What does CARE stand for?

Communication Accountability Responsiveness

[Entrep]

The Vodafone transition has began...

https://careers.vodafone.com/job/Auckland-CARE-Transition-Manager/607233301/ (https://careers.vodafone.com/job/Auckland-CARE-Transition-Manager/607233301/)

Play a key role in defining and planning the roadmap of change

This thread needs a sarcasm or trolling checkbox. Please tell me your kidding.

[mistaTea]

This thread needs a sarcasm or trolling checkbox. Please tell me your kidding.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Ol88kR6Ko

[Stranger_Danger]

What does CARE stand for?

Couldn't Acquire Rotten Egg.

[mistaTea]

What does CARE stand for?

I think it comes from Aramaic and roughly means "He who owns the SKY(.NZ) owns the world..."

My translation skills may be a little rusty.

[airedale]

That sounds like corporate doublespeak. But there is a lot of that these days :(
Communication Accountability Responsiveness

[mistaTea]

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12344107

Surprisingly restrained article from Mr Keall.

I am surprised that Showtime have pulled their content from Stan across the ditch. It will be interesting to see how they get on.

Personally, I don't see Showtime, HBO, FX etc doing as well by all going it alone. There are just too many services for people to subscribe to, and the costs to the consumer quickly mount.

Netflix is dominant and seen as a 'must have' by many households. Disney+ has done exceedingly well - but they have a very unique proposition. Anyone with kids will definitely fork out the $9.99 per month for the content.

If Showtime were to ditch Sky, can they really expect to get many subscribers in this market? I don't think so.

Consumers are well served right now with NEON for $13.95 per month - aggregating HBO, Showtime, FX and more.

It does also highlight how important it is for Sky to further diversify revenue streams ASAP. At least one of their 'key entertainment partners' is bound to try go it alone at some point. It may be an expensive lesson, and the partner may come back (note Disney have done a deal with Sky UK...) but in the meantime it would leave Sky exposed unless they have other viable revenue streams to help weather the streaming wars.

[mistaTea]

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12344107

Surprisingly restrained article from Mr Keall.

I am surprised that Showtime have pulled their content from Stan across the ditch. It will be interesting to see how they get on.

Personally, I don't see Showtime, HBO, FX etc doing as well by all going it alone. There are just too many services for people to subscribe to, and the costs to the consumer quickly mount.

Netflix is dominant and seen as a 'must have' by many households. Disney+ has done exceedingly well - but they have a very unique proposition. Anyone with kids will definitely fork out the $9.99 per month for the content.

If Showtime were to ditch Sky, can they really expect to get many subscribers in this market? I don't think so.

Consumers are well served right now with NEON for $13.95 per month - aggregating HBO, Showtime, FX and more.

It does also highlight how important it is for Sky to further diversify revenue streams ASAP. At least one of their 'key entertainment partners' is bound to try go it alone at some point. It may be an expensive lesson, and the partner may come back (note Disney have done a deal with Sky UK...) but in the meantime it would leave Sky exposed unless they have other viable revenue streams to help weather the streaming wars.

Although it did get me thinking... the move to take Showtime away from Nine...and given they own Ten Network in Aussie...

If you look at things in juuuuust the right way... it could be a signal that...

VIACOM ARE ABOUT TO OUTBID INFRATIL FOR SKY TV NZ!!!!

[RTM]

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12344107

Surprisingly restrained article from Mr Keall.

I am surprised that Showtime have pulled their content from Stan across the ditch. It will be interesting to see how they get on.

Personally, I don't see Showtime, HBO, FX etc doing as well by all going it alone. There are just too many services for people to subscribe to, and the costs to the consumer quickly mount.

Netflix is dominant and seen as a 'must have' by many households. Disney+ has done exceedingly well - but they have a very unique proposition. Anyone with kids will definitely fork out the $9.99 per month for the content.

If Showtime were to ditch Sky, can they really expect to get many subscribers in this market? I don't think so.

Consumers are well served right now with NEON for $13.95 per month - aggregating HBO, Showtime, FX and more.

It does also highlight how important it is for Sky to further diversify revenue streams ASAP. At least one of their 'key entertainment partners' is bound to try go it alone at some point. It may be an expensive lesson, and the partner may come back (note Disney have done a deal with Sky UK...) but in the meantime it would leave Sky exposed unless they have other viable revenue streams to help weather the streaming wars.

We generally only have one subscription, very very occasionally two as now (Sky Sport and Netflix) So my better half has things she wants to watch....and we will discontinue one and start the other and watch the menu selected. Doesn't seem to be enough time in a day to watch/justify multiple services.

[Waltzing]

"The Repair Shop is a cool program on one of the SKY channels"

can you see this being a winner and driving ratings?

sorry really bad pun winner69...should we go in big at .12?

[airedale]

Given the amount invested by Institutions at 12 cents.....it would be madness not to pile in at 12 cents....if it gets there.

"The Repair Shop is a cool program on one of the SKY channels"

can you see this being a winner and driving ratings?

sorry really bad pun winner69...should we go in big at .12?

[mistaTea]

Doesn't seem to be enough time in a day to watch/justify multiple services.

Yeah if all of sky’s partners decided to ‘go it alone’ I don’t see people signing up to 5-7 separate services.

People might dip in and out of a few, but this is why I just don’t think the economics stack up.

Which is why I am not worried about sky getting to the point that they do not have a good range of premium content. Some partners may have a crack at OTT SVOD in NZ - but I don’t think it will be the majority of the partners and I also think they will trend back to aggregation.

[mistaTea]

...and of course, news about ViacomCBS (who own ten network in Oz...) does highlight that it is not absurd for infratil to take this opportunity to buy Sky...before someone else does.

Sky TV going into broadband will be bad enough for Vodafone.

A Sky TV owned by a massive outfit like ViacomCBS would be a terrible outcome for Vodafone. No way would they want a deep pocketed player like that waltzing in with a ready made customer base north of 1M to market to.

A local player buying Sky TV could be a defensive move.

It may not happen, and it’s fun to joke about it - but let’s not write the idea off just yet.

There is a huge amount of merit for an Infratil takeover.

[RTM]

Although it did get me thinking... the move to take Showtime away from Nine...and given they own Ten Network in Aussie...

If you look at things in juuuuust the right way... it could be a signal that...

VIACOM ARE ABOUT TO OUTBID INFRATIL FOR SKY TV NZ!!!!

Good...should push up Infratil’s share price.

[Baa_Baa]

"The Repair Shop is a cool program on one of the SKY channels"

can you see this being a winner and driving ratings?

sorry really bad pun winner69...should we go in big at .12?

Why pay a Sky subscription for a show that is broadcast free on TVOne?

[Waltzing]

airedale (https://www.sharetrader.co.nz/member.php?5293-airedale) , now thats a lovely looking dog.. DISC: dont own... the dog i mean... nor the stock... is the stock a Dog? sorry really terrible pun...

[mistaTea]

Good...should push up Infratil’s share price.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVFd46qABi0

[airedale]

airedale (https://www.sharetrader.co.nz/member.php?5293-airedale) , now thats a lovely looking dog.. DISC: dont own... the dog i mean... nor the stock... is the stock a Dog? sorry really terrible pun...
Puns are always welcome, they keep me good humoured while I wait for the story to play out.😊

[Ogg]

This thread needs a sarcasm or trolling checkbox. Please tell me your kidding.

How's this for trolling...

Vodafone NZ has yet to trade mark the phrase "Vodafone TV", which is odd given that it's an active product in the market place. Look at how many trade marks they have, just type "Vodafone" here: https://www.iponz.govt.nz/about-ip/trade-marks/search/

Meanwhile, the "Sky Mobile" trade mark has just been updated in the registry by Sky TV. Looks like the IP work has already started on this.

Is Infratil just going to let Sky cuckold them?

[winner69]

There was a cool program about Banksy on the Arts Channel the other night

I was outbid at last nights auction for some of his works

Maybe a Banksy is a far better investment than having a punt on SKT shares appreciating.

[Marilyn Munroe]

...and of course, news about ViacomCBS (who own ten network in Oz...) does highlight that it is not absurd for infratil to take this opportunity to buy Sky...before someone else does.


Some guy on the internet wrote that ViacomCBS is trying to flog off it's real estate. This suggests a balance sheet under stress.

Of course they may have friends in the Federal Reserve who shower them with freshly printed money.

In normal times one would assume handing out free money to take over a business on the far side of the world be against US public policy objectives. But these are not normal tines.

Boop boop de do
Marilyn

[Ogg]

More trolling for today....

Let's not forget that the CEO of Infatil, Marko Bogoievski was previously on the Sky TV board.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=173974

And that he was involved in the take over of Sky TV back in 2003, as CFO of Spark.

https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/service/services/documents/79AB1B271A3521B21EAE5A66CC0D2864

It's a Total Recall folks!

I heard Infratil is looking at taking over Johnny cabs as well.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWgrvNHjKkY

[winner69]

Martin will be pissed off big time when Theresa takes over as CEO of the big new company

Total Recall

[RupertBear]

There was a cool program about Banksy on the Arts Channel the other night

I was outbid at last nights auction for some of his works

Maybe a Banksy is a far better investment than having a punt on SKT shares appreciating.

I watched the auction on their live Facebook stream. Was great to watch but probably quite stressful as a bidder. Shame you missed out Winner. Love his works :)

[winner69]

I watched the auction on their live Facebook stream. Was great to watch but probably quite stressful as a bidder. Shame you missed out Winner. Love his works :)

Thirty grand for Golf Sale was my limit

Art auctions bit like shares ....if you really want them you need to pay heaps more for something than you think is a fair price.

[mistaTea]

New IFT shares start trading today.

I can see it all unfolding now. Dirty Money Goldman have facilitated a bidding punch up between IFT, Viacom and NBCUniversal.

The biggest issue the Sky Board have right now is that there are just too many serious offers coming through the door and there just aren’t enough hours in the day to fully analyse them all!

[RTM]

New IFT shares start trading today.

I can see it all unfolding now. Dirty Money Goldman have facilitated a bidding punch up between IFT, Viacom and NBCUniversal.

The biggest issue the Sky Board have right now is that there are just too many serious offers coming through the door and there just aren’t enough hours in the day to fully analyse them all!

Classic. Its kind of ironic that Sky is an entertainment company...the thread as well.
My order still not filled.

[Mr Woods]

Hi folks, could someone explain what the implications of this announcement is likely to be?

http://nzx-prod-s7fsd7f98s.s3-website-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/SKT/355637/325680.pdf

[mistaTea]

Hi folks, could someone explain what the implications of this announcement is likely to be?

http://nzx-prod-s7fsd7f98s.s3-website-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/SKT/355637/325680.pdf

Isn’t it obvious?

It means ViacomCBS, NBCUniversal and Infratil are all jockeying for position to take over the company.

Martin and the board are being taken out to very expensive dinners as we speak.

What other possible conclusion could one draw?

[Baa_Baa]

What other possible conclusion could one draw?

This large shareholder has been diluted into insignificance and forced to massively increase their holdings just to maintain their relative share of the company. The positive seems to be they wish to maintain their share, not increase it, not be diluted to oblivion. To extrapolate that to a buyout is fanciful, perpetuating the fancy of a buyout that has pervaded this thread for weeks now.

[mistaTea]

This large shareholder has been diluted into insignificance and forced to massively increase their holdings just to maintain their relative share of the company. The positive seems to be they wish to maintain their share, not increase it, not be diluted to oblivion. To extrapolate that to a buyout is fanciful, perpetuating the fancy of a buyout that has pervaded this thread for weeks now.

Relax mate. I was taking the piss.

[Cadalac123]

Relax mate. I was taking the piss.

New satellite technology. I can see why Infratil are so keen to takeover SKT

[Zaphod]

As a general statement o everyone, I wouldn't get too hung up on delivery methodology. Streaming services are routinely delivered to locations via satellite. Some companies, such as SpaceX, plan to delivery even more.

[mistaTea]

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12345145

Fantastic news. We are already taking ~$6M of interest costs out by paying the bonds back. This will generate further savings and flexibility.

[Ogg]

Today's troll post...

When you hire the guy who worked on the Virgin Media / O2 merger to lead your new strategy as a digitally focused business.

https://www.nbr.co.nz/story/vodafone-fills-new-chief-strategic-officer-role (https://www.nbr.co.nz/story/vodafone-fills-new-chief-strategic-officer-role)

Take ov...** cough **, o excuse me, I think I have a tickle in my throat.

[mistaTea]

Today's troll post...

When you hire the guy who worked on the Virgin Media / O2 merger to lead your new strategy as a digitally focused business.

https://www.nbr.co.nz/story/vodafone-fills-new-chief-strategic-officer-role (https://www.nbr.co.nz/story/vodafone-fills-new-chief-strategic-officer-role)

Take ov...** cough **, o excuse me, I think I have a tickle in my throat.

Yes indeed!

And I see he likes to participate in triathalons! Ergo her likes to merge multiple sports under a single race.

Ergo he is into mergers! Ergo Sky will be purchased imminently!

[Ogg]

BACK TO THE FUTURE!

If my calculations are correct. When Infratil gets ComCom clearance, you're gonna see some serious ****


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Byz7eU8jF0

BACK in 2015, the regulators declined O2 when it tried to merge with a rival carrier, but 5 years later, the regulatory environment has changed significantly and approval now looks all but a done deal.

https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/07/libertys-virgin-media-and-telefonicas-o2-to-merge-in-the-uk-in-39b-deal/

Virgin Media owns a large part of the pay television market in the UK and it plans to merge with O2 to create a media power house to rival competitors.

"The deal underscores the bigger consolidation trend that has been playing out for years, where smaller and more narrowly focused businesses are coming together with those that offer either complementary services to offer better bundles, or overlapping ones for more economies of scale."

"We are seeing a different tack at the moment from regulators, who have pointedly said that not only are they aiming to approve and clear faster a backlog of deals, but to give them a more open-minded treatment given the current state of the market, to keep the economy turning."

Cliff notes:
-media market has changed
-less regulation from watchdogs because of covid-19
-customers get better deals
-economies of scale improve profitability

What happened almost 5 years ago?... That's right, the Vodafone and Sky merger

Conclusion: ComCom clearance a done deal for Vodafone parent company Infratil to acquire 100% of the shares in Sky Network Television!

The hiring of Richard Mooney as Chief Strategy Officer is just another sign that a merger is in the works: https://news.vodafone.co.nz/richardmooney

[mistaTea]

BACK TO THE FUTURE!

If my calculations are correct. When Infratil gets ComCom clearance, you're gonna see some serious ****


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Byz7eU8jF0

BACK in 2015, the regulators declined O2 when it tried to merge with a rival carrier, but 5 years later, the regulatory environment has changed significantly and approval now looks all but a done deal.

https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/07/libertys-virgin-media-and-telefonicas-o2-to-merge-in-the-uk-in-39b-deal/

Virgin Media owns a large part of the pay television market in the UK and it plans to merge with O2 to create a media power house to rival competitors.

"The deal underscores the bigger consolidation trend that has been playing out for years, where smaller and more narrowly focused businesses are coming together with those that offer either complementary services to offer better bundles, or overlapping ones for more economies of scale."

"We are seeing a different tack at the moment from regulators, who have pointedly said that not only are they aiming to approve and clear faster a backlog of deals, but to give them a more open-minded treatment given the current state of the market, to keep the economy turning."

Cliff notes:
-media market has changed
-less regulation from watchdogs because of covid-19
-customers get better deals
-economies of scale improve profitability

What happened almost 5 years ago?... That's right, the Vodafone and Sky merger

Conclusion: ComCom clearance a done deal for Vodafone parent company Infratil to acquire 100% of the shares in Sky Network Television!

The hiring of Richard Mooney as Chief Strategy Officer is just another sign that a merger is in the works: https://news.vodafone.co.nz/richardmooney

You think IFT are currently getting some kind of pre-approval from the Comcom before they launch a takeover bid?

[winner69]

Relax mate. I was taking the piss.

You might have been taking the piss but deep down aren’t you really hoping all these takeover dreams really happen ...soon

Only way you ever going to get most of your ‘investment’ back

[mistaTea]

You might have been taking the piss but deep down aren’t you really hoping all these takeover dreams really happen ...soon

Only way you ever going to get most of your ‘investment’ back

Nope. Far from it.

My hope is that no takeover eventuates because any offer will be far below my estimate of long term intrinsic value.

I do, however, recognise that given the current low SP the chance of a takeover is high. I also think there is a lot of merit in IFT doing the takeover. I have outlined my reasoning extensively in previous posts as to why I think that.

Ultimately, I make no firm predictions on whether a takeover will happen or not - and who all of the interested parties might be.

But if it turns out IFT use their raised capital for some other acquisition - I will be surprised. Pleasantly surprised in this case - but still surprised.