SKT Sky Network Television Limited.

[Zaphod]

Any ideas how they might do that?

I think the UFB rollout offers Sky an exceptional opportunity; imagine Sky becoming the cornerstone on-demand video delivery streaming service for the UFB network. With Sky's content rights library, a distribution network providing higher reliability (no rain-fade or end-of-life satellites to worry about), greater bandwidth for HD/4K channels and lower overall distribution costs, this could provide a killer app for the UFB network.

This would also be a significant draw-card for the UFB network, which has seen total connections of around 3%.

[brevos]

Apparently Sky is being included in the ASX200 index from Sept 20. Does anyone know if many funds track that index and therefore whether this is likely to have an impact on the share price?
In terms of funds buying/selling to track an index, do funds typically trade in/out of the relevant shares only on the day of the index change, or do they prepare for this by trading in advance?

[Zaphod]

For those interested, the VodafoneTV product will be available on the UFB network via Vodafone: http://www.vodafone.co.nz/ultra-fast-broadband/

Sky TV feeds its channels to Vodafone through a directly connected fibre feed.

While availability is at least initially poor, this is the start of what we have been discussing on this thread.

[macduffy]

This SKT thread seems to have gone quiet recently but meanwhile the SP hits a new 12 month high!

It may be just the general market effect? Or?

:confused:

[noodles]

Half year results look good to me:
1. Revenue unspectacular at 3% growth
2. Profit up 22%

Can anybody see any issues with the results?

I'm not an expert on this stock, but it looks like it could beat analyst expectations?

When does the associated presentation come out. Will there be an updated FY14 forecast in it?

[noodles]

Half year results look good to me:
1. Revenue unspectacular at 3% growth
2. Profit up 22%

Can anybody see any issues with the results?

I'm not an expert on this stock, but it looks like it could beat analyst expectations?

When does the associated presentation come out. Will there be an updated FY14 forecast in it?

And there you have it.
https://www.nzx.com/files/attachments/189849.pdf

An upgrade forecast contained at the end.

[macduffy]

Yes, a good result.

I spent several years maintaining that Sky would never outrun their capex requirements fast enough to make a decent profit. Happy to eat my words these days and accept the dividends - courtesy of the News Ltd/INL/Sky "restructure".

:)

[gv1]

Correct me if Iam not analysing it correct. Looking at SKT results to FRE, doesn't SKT have made more profit etc to FRE. But the SP doesn't reflect that. In comparison to SKT ,doesn't the FRE look bit overpriced.

[noodles]

Correct me if Iam not analysing it correct. Looking at SKT results to FRE, doesn't SKT have made more profit etc to FRE. But the SP doesn't reflect that. In comparison to SKT ,doesn't the FRE look bit overpriced.

I don't think you can really compare the companies. FRE is probably a bit more of a growth company.

DISC Hold SKT. Do not hold FRE

[macduffy]

I don't think you can really compare the companies. FRE is probably a bit more of a growth company.

DISC Hold SKT. Do not hold FRE

I'd agree that the two can't be compared on raw numbers alone. But even on that basis, I don't see a great deal of over or under-pricing. SKT's interim profit is around 21cps, or about 28x the shareprice. FRE's is 14.1c or 32.6x - if I have the numbers right!

[Jay]

Wonder if there pricing/packages will change, with the likes of ShowmeTV or whatever, coming on stream, which could affect revenues

I currently have the basic package thru Telecom/Spark which was at a discount once upon a time, not now, same price now as if with Sky directly, so maybe I will be courted by one or both (yeah right), either way I suspect Spark will ditch the Sky payment from the monthly bill at some stage in the near future??

[gv1]

I'd agree that the two can't be compared on raw numbers alone. But even on that basis, I don't see a great deal of over or under-pricing. SKT's interim profit is around 21cps, or about 28x the shareprice. FRE's is 14.1c or 32.6x - if I have the numbers right!

Thanks mate. My calulator must have played up. Somehow I was getting different number.

[gv1]

Cheers mate noodles.

[noodles]

New High Estimates (from yesterday)
FY14 High EPS from 40.6 to 47.7.
FY15 High EPS from 45.7 to 49.5

FY15 pe at last nights close (6.12) using high estimate = 12.36

I don't know who the broker is as I've sourced my info from http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/analyst?symbol=SKT.NZ

You may ask why I don't use mean estimates? I think these are out of date since it was only 2 days since their half year result and brokers are have yet to revisit the results and release new broker reports.

DISC: Long SKT

This is not advice to buy.

[noodles]

New High Estimates (from yesterday)
FY14 High EPS from 40.6 to 47.7.


Morningstar have released new estimate
FY14 40.5 FY15 44.7

Big difference there.

Company Fy14 estimate range given at half year (monday) was .398c -.411c

So we need to ask ourselves what the High Estimate broker is smoking? Maybe fat fingers?

[Hoop]

Not having SKY anymore I was unware that SKY wasn't showing the NZ Golf Open live....
It an interesting development NZ golf is doing.. a first for them...streaming it live via their website..
They seemed happy as 1500 tuned in yesterday to watch (part of) it...

I'm watching it at 720P high definition**... no buffering...slight motion judder but overall its looking good (crystal clear) ....and...technology will continue to improve

http://www.nzopen.co.nz/live-stream.html

NZ golf is giving the Url feed to anyone with a website...I see the NZ Herald has NZ golf url live feed in their sports section.

A new era dawning is it....

** Disc: I have $99/m no data caps .. 30/10 fibre plan (28 mb/sec download)

[artemis]

On NBR but behind the paywall - Analyst raises prospect of Sky TV special dividend.

SKT have done this before, 2012 I think. Can anyone tell us which analyst?

[noodles]

On NBR but behind the paywall - Analyst raises prospect of Sky TV special dividend.

SKT have done this before, 2012 I think. Can anyone tell us which analyst?
Morningstar

[Bjauck]

Will SKT need to be scared of TEL's new Lightbox service? Will SKT have its work cut out defending its domination of pay tv in NZ?

[Zaphod]

Will SKT need to be scared of TEL's new Lightbox service? Will SKT have its work cut out defending its domination of pay tv in NZ?

That really depends upon content rights, pricing and the quality of both SKT and TEL's SVOD service. IMO we don't have enough information at this point to make an immediate call, however in the long run I think SKT have their work cut out defending content rights as other big players bid healthy sums to secure such rights and potential customers progressively usurp geo-locking to obtain access to cheaper overseas provisioned content.

[bull....]

netflix launching in march 2015

[Zaphod]

Whats happens to NZ content rights when Netflix arrives?

It depends what rights Netflix have managed to negotiate and until Netflix release pricing and programming, we just won't know....

Sky will have known that Netflix (and other services) were negotiating content rights with rights holders along side them, so this won't come as a surprise.

Will Sky improve their service offering as well as reviewing their price? The answer to that will be very interesting.

[brend]

I'm interested to know if the content will be exactly the same as US? I'm currently using the backdoor methods to netflix and will continue to do so if the content availability is significantly differently. I'm also about to cancel my sky subscription...nothing appeals to me other than sport (rugby and league)

[robbo24]

I'm interested to know if the content will be exactly the same as US? I'm currently using the backdoor methods to netflix and will continue to do so if the content availability is significantly differently. I'm also about to cancel my sky subscription...nothing appeals to me other than sport (rugby and league)

Yeah man, Sky Sport is the only good thing about it.

[xafalcon]

It is also likely that as contracts roll over, the rights will be broken down into various modes of transmission and sold on that basis - linear programming, streaming, back-catalogue etc. Each transmission mode will appeal to different companies/subscribers. As streaming becomes more prevalent, the shortcomings will also be highlighted, esp bandwidth. Customers will not tolerate buffering, and will vote with their wallets. On this basis I see SKT as being insulated as their current moves on transmission consolidation will free up transponder capacity, allowing more HD content. 4K will expose this further, when it comes to NZ

[Zaphod]

What media rights are currently sold by transmission medium? My peers who work in the media industry have said that the major NZ networks and streaming providers are all purchasing rights to content on an exclusive or shared basis irrespective of the medium used.

[KiwiGekko]

I predict Netflix will be wildly successful because it's already been successful. Having it available here legitimately will only boost its profile & ISP's will begin to offer 1 click region switching which bypass the "pesky" content restrictions -- Not much of a prediction as this is what they're already doing.



It is also likely that as contracts roll over, the rights will be broken down into various modes of transmission and sold on that basis - linear programming, streaming, back-catalogue etc. Each transmission mode will appeal to different companies/subscribers. As streaming becomes more prevalent, the shortcomings will also be highlighted, esp bandwidth. Customers will not tolerate buffering, and will vote with their wallets. On this basis I see SKT as being insulated as their current moves on transmission consolidation will free up transponder capacity, allowing more HD content. 4K will expose this further, when it comes to NZ


I haven't heard anything about the licencing based on transmission in any conversations I have had with people in the industry - is this happening overseas anywhere? In a recent conversation I had with a friend, the current state of the rights was an advantage to SKT - if Netflix were able to purchase rights for online streaming (this would be news to me) - I can only see that as being positive for Netflix and negative for SKT.


Regarding your comments about the quality of Netflix (streaming TV) - speaking as someone who uses Netflix, knows a lot of people using Netflix and my knowledge of the Internet in general (over 10 years working in this industry) - I can assure you that your concerns here are unfounded.


Firstly, Netflix is very reliable without any form of CDN (Content Delivery Network). Of the 10+ people I know who use Netflix, I can't recall anyone ever saying to me "that bloody Netflix is buffering all the time". I cannot find the quote, but there was an article quoting the Netflix CEO as being surprised how well it worked down here. This is without any (to my knowledge at least) ny CDN / Caching nodes in NZ.


Don't take my word for it though, lets have a look at a similar provider and how NZ ISP's solved streaming video (and buffering). Youtube is a good example, they contributed ~ 13% of download traffic in 2014. Many years ago buffering on Youtube was a massive problem - you couldn't watch music video's during peak (after 6pm) without putting on the kettle and making a cup of Tea. Today, this problem is largely solved by a number of improvements, but the main way? Google Global Cache: https://peering.google.com/about/ggc.html - This project provides a server (or farm of servers) which cache the content within the NZ ISP's network and means the content is delivered locally. Once you understand that this is happening in every major ISP it is fair to assume NZ ISP's know a thing or two about caching video content near their customers, so the question becomes: How does Netflix stack up? Have a look at Netflix Open Connect: https://openconnect.itp.netflix.com/ - same idea, slightly different name - if your internet is faster than 25mbps 4K video will work sweet as.


The way I see it SKT has one thing: Sports (Rugby) - they did have the EPL, until they lost these rights & I expect they'll be keen to get it back next year when the rights are up again. This is their strength and what they are good at. Competing against a juggernaut like Netflix? With their current strategy and track record I cannot see them winning that one and consider it a losing battle. How do you compete against a provider who has a very good track record (Netflix are producing their own content now - competing against the major studios in the US) and are much better resourced - have a quick look at their vast application support: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Netflix_compatible_devices - By comparison Neon currently supports your laptop or iPad / iPhone - content rights might be a short term roadblock, but how is SKT going to compete with the fact I can install Netflix on pretty much any device I have in my house. I don't think they can and once Netflix start gobbling up the rights over here - SKT will be left with its sports channels.


If I were valuing SKT right now (I haven't so please DYOR) - it would be for sports only, the rest is a very big bet.

[ozzie]

Very interesting KiwiGekko :) For further confirmation of SKT's bleak outlook I'd note that it's share price has managed to drift inexorably down during the
best rally in the history of the ASX - how is it likely to perform during a market reversal? Apart from the competition from Netflix and others and the falling
NZ dollar, there's also the problem of growth in a country with such a tiny population. Re Netflix I see today they've announced they'll be having their official
launch on March 24 in NZ, which I can't see having a positive impact on the share price :P

[KiwiGekko]

Very interesting KiwiGekko :) For further confirmation of SKT's bleak outlook I'd note that it's share price has managed to drift inexorably down during the
best rally in the history of the ASX - how is it likely to perform during a market reversal? Apart from the competition from Netflix and others and the falling
NZ dollar, there's also the problem of growth in a country with such a tiny population. Re Netflix I see today they've announced they'll be having their official
launch on March 24 in NZ, which I can't see having a positive impact on the share price :P

Yup, Netflix announced today a partnership with Vodafone - further evidence the ISP's are gearing up for this and I expect the marketing teams will be keen to make sure they get it right too, even if Marketing and Engineering don't always talk ;).

The other company which experience a negative impact from Netflix launching is going to be Spark and its Lightbox. This is Ferrit all over again, and it will eventually be mothballed, just wait and see.

[Hoop]

Yup, Netflix announced today a partnership with Vodafone - further evidence the ISP's are gearing up for this and I expect the marketing teams will be keen to make sure they get it right too, even if Marketing and Engineering don't always talk ;).

The other company which experience a negative impact from Netflix launching is going to be Spark and its Lightbox. This is Ferrit all over again, and it will eventually be mothballed, just wait and see.

post deleted chart removed...Paper tiger will be happy now...I'm NOT!!!

[ozzie]

How many of you guys are short SKT as a matter of interest? I shorted them myself some weeks ago with IG Markets - quite happy to hold for over a year for the tax benefits if it should turn out to be a slow downtrend, though there's a good chance it could fall sharply during a market downtrend or any piece of bad news since it's been showing such clear weakness.

[Zaphod]

I predict Netflix will be wildly successful because it's already been successful. Having it available here legitimately will only boost its profile & ISP's will begin to offer 1 click region switching which bypass the "pesky" content restrictions -- Not much of a prediction as this is what they're already doing.

I think the NZ version of Netflix will add new customers who can't be bothered with the current complexities of regional switching, while those techno-savvy early adopters will chose to remain on the US/UK versions of Netflix due to their larger back-catalogue of content.




Firstly, Netflix is very reliable without any form of CDN (Content Delivery Network). Of the 10+ people I know who use Netflix, I can't recall anyone ever saying to me "that bloody Netflix is buffering all the time". I cannot find the quote, but there was an article quoting the Netflix CEO as being surprised how well it worked down here. This is without any (to my knowledge at least) ny CDN / Caching nodes in NZ.

Netflix use two methods for content distribution: direct peering with selected ISPs, and using a traditional CDN of which there are no (as you've noted) nodes currently in NZ. Peering discussion are apparently underway.



The way I see it SKT has one thing: Sports (Rugby) - they did have the EPL, until they lost these rights & I expect they'll be keen to get it back next year when the rights are up again. This is their strength and what they are good at. Competing against a juggernaut like Netflix? With their current strategy and track record I cannot see them winning that one and consider it a losing battle.

Agreed. SKT have their work cut out for them competing against the streaming providers. Netflix are also lobbying for a change to the content licencing system whereby they can purchase world-wide rights to content. That would make things exceptionally difficult for regional players, who would be forced to either merge or join together to purchase rights as a group.

[winner69]

Big big fail

game of thrones live simulcast with hbo not working

as one punter says even the pirates can do better

many pissed of fans / big event for the year a disaster

big big fail

[noodles]

Big big fail

game of thrones live simulcast with hbo not working

as one punter says even the pirates can do better

many pissed of fans / big event for the year a disaster

big big fail
what's up? What have I missed? It is on neon and soho tonight. Should it have been earlier?

[dingoNZ]

what's up? What have I missed? It is on neon and soho tonight. Should it have been earlier?


First 4 episodes of GoT leaked, granted it's not in HD. So I'll be holding out to watch it on SOHO!

[winner69]

what's up? What have I missed? It is on neon and soho tonight. Should it have been earlier?

It was meant to be on at 1 PM .....the same time it went live in the States

SoHo BIG BIG fail

[Beagle]

Online is all the rage now. Online content is HUGE then there's so much on you tube, forums such as this one and as many others as you care to get involved with e.t.c. e.t.c. e.t.c. SKY will go into slow decline as more and more people cut the cord on their over-rated and grossly over-priced satellite service.

We had sky multiroom, sport, movies and My sky+...its simply not worth the $120 a month we were paying for more years than I care to remember so a couple of weeks ago I made a good common sense decision (after consulting my wife of course) :) Got the light box service free for 12 months because we're spark customers so I'll have a look at that when / if I get bored enough and maybe sign up for Netflix too in due course.

[dingoNZ]

It was meant to be on at 1 PM .....the same time it went live in the States

SoHo BIG BIG fail


source

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/67717844/sky-tv-game-of-thrones-premiere-fails

[ratkin]

Very annoying, been looking forward to this for ages, still have the message asking people to stay on the channel Why? They clearly not going to show it now before 8.30

[RGR367]

source

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/67717844/sky-tv-game-of-thrones-premiere-fails

Winter ain't coming yet then :mad ;: But I'm sure someone out there will share me an HD copy of it once it's broadcasted tonight. :)

[Mista_Trix]

This is so funny. I don't even understand how this consumption model still exists.
I guess only due to the likely average age of its consumers.

... the beginning of the end??

I myself, like all of my peers will download the torrent, and continue to wait for legitimate options that have deep and wide access to content that's as easy to get as doing it illegally is.

If you haven't seen it already;
www.nitflux.co.nz (http://www.nitflux.co.nz) - its pretty clever

[ratkin]

Just watched it, its available over at http://couchtuner.eu.com, quality was fine

[Fisherking]

Online is all the rage now. Online content is HUGE then there's so much on you tube, forums such as this one and as many others as you care to get involved with e.t.c. e.t.c. e.t.c. SKY will go into slow decline as more and more people cut the cord on their over-rated and grossly over-priced satellite service.

We had sky multiroom, sport, movies and My sky+...its simply not worth the $120 a month we were paying for more years than I care to remember so a couple of weeks ago I made a good common sense decision (after consulting my wife of course) :) Got the light box service free for 12 months because we're spark customers so I'll have a look at that when / if I get bored enough and maybe sign up for Netflix too in due course.

Couldn't agree more. I set up Netflix around 1 year ago now and we almost never watch sky anymore because the content on Netflix is so much better. I kept the sky subscription because I wanted to watch the cricket, but I note that is also available online via ESPN. I'd imagine they'll have the rugby world cup too.

[Nasi Goreng]

Wish there was a way I could short SKT. The current cash cow of monthly subscriptions will prevent them from coming up with innovative ways to beat new competition. Its obvious that they know this but are unwilling to turn off the cash cow tap which will lead to a continuous decline in market share.

They either need to take some short term pain and completely change their business model or die by a 1000 cuts. Either way, short to medium term, it looks like their share price will decline.

[noodles]

Wish there was a way I could short SKT.
You can short the ASX Listed SKT.AX CFD on Ig.com

[winner69]

Wish there was a way I could short SKT. The current cash cow of monthly subscriptions will prevent them from coming up with innovative ways to beat new competition. Its obvious that they know this but are unwilling to turn off the cash cow tap which will lead to a continuous decline in market share.

They either need to take some short term pain and completely change their business model or die by a 1000 cuts. Either way, short to medium term, it looks like their share price will decline.

Have a read
http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/67717844/sky-tv-downplays-game-of-thrones-glitch

They not changing because John says so .......Asked whether the problem will have caused problems for Sky TV in the fierce competition for viewers, Fellet said: "no one else is doing what we're doing".

[Nasi Goreng]

Me thinks he is well aware of competition and he has no idea how to combat it. SKT is well through its business life cycle and they will continue to milk that cow with annual 5% price increase to boost shareholder returns in the short term until the whole house of cards implodes.

[Baa_Baa]

Customer apathy is a powerful strategy, especially while building new capability to compete in the online market. SKT won't just fall off a cliff, though it may decline unless it figures out where the non-apathetic demand for content is coming from.

If it wasn't for Super15 and a stranglehold on rugby, it'd be gone in this household, and countless others I suspect.


Me thinks he is well aware of competition and he has no idea how to combat it. SKT is well through its business life cycle and they will continue to milk that cow with annual 5% price increase to boost shareholder returns in the short term until the whole house of cards implodes.

[Sideshow Bob]

interesting to note the farming channel was an extra pay to view channel on sky but is now free as part of the basic package. Competition is good for consumers.

We are on more than basic, but can't get the Country Channel (81)

[Beagle]

Anecdotal evidence of complete market saturation / decline.

Sky to their credit the other day when I cancelled the service offered to come around and pick up the decoder box for free as the customer services lady noted the drop off point was on the other side of Auckland which wasn't my fault.
The Sky technician arrived on time and seemed pleased I'd already disconnected the box and cords for him and in general pleasant chit chat I asked him how busy he was these days.
Nothing like the old days mate but there's people moving house on a regular basis so there's a steady supply of that sort of work.

Sky as you all know now offer a $100 friend get friend programme where both parties benefit so they're paying top dollar for new customers if and when they can get them. I'd imagine most Gen X and Y just hit the torrents and can't be bothered with paying $100 or thereabouts a month.

[RGR367]

Anecdotal evidence of complete market saturation / decline.

Sky to their credit the other day when I cancelled the service offered to come around and pick up the decoder box for free as the customer services lady noted the drop off point was on the other side of Auckland which wasn't my fault.
The Sky technician arrived on time and seemed pleased I'd already disconnected the box and cords for him and in general pleasant chit chat I asked him how busy he was these days.
Nothing like the old days mate but there's people moving house on a regular basis so there's a steady supply of that sort of work.

Sky as you all know now offer a $100 friend get friend programme where both parties benefit so they're paying top dollar for new customers if and when they can get them. I'd imagine most Gen X and Y just hit the torrents and can't be bothered with paying $100 or thereabouts a month.

I'm also contemplating of just retaining the sport channel due to Rugby to save a bit from paying for those movie channels whose shows are well and truly available somewhere for free. Besides, I got Lightbox for free for the next 12 months. And my sons very very seldom touch the telly these days too but they're on the internet on every free time they have.

[Beagle]

I'm also contemplating of just retaining the sport channel due to Rugby to save a bit from paying for those movie channels whose shows are well and truly available somewhere for free. Besides, I got Lightbox for free for the next 12 months. And my sons very very seldom touch the telly these days too but they're on the internet on every free time they have.

Seems the trend with the young-un's..its all about social media now and the internet.

Like you I got the free Lightbox for 12 months, haven't used it yet. I had a quick look through what's available and was a little underwhelmed to be honest...pretty doubtful I'd pay for this in 12 months time unless content is dramatically expanded. What do you think of it mate ?

[RGR367]

Seems the trend with the young-un's..its all about social media now and the internet.

Like you I got the free Lightbox for 12 months, haven't used it yet. I had a quick look through what's available and was a little underwhelmed to be honest...pretty doubtful I'd pay for this in 12 months time unless content is dramatically expanded. What do you think of it mate ?

To be honest Roger, there is nothing on Lightbox that I would be seeing soon after seeing what's on offer. I just registered to use the voucher that was given to us earlier. But then again, I only like sci-fi and GOT :cool:

[Zaphod]

Sky as you all know now offer a $100 friend get friend programme where both parties benefit so they're paying top dollar for new customers if and when they can get them. I'd imagine most Gen X and Y just hit the torrents and can't be bothered with paying $100 or thereabouts a month.

Along with a number of technical and pricing related changes, Sky need to boost their attempts to RETAIN customers. When you called them did they offer a deal to retain your business? I'm guessing not, because you'd be the first I've ever heard that happening to.

I have a raft of other ideas, which I've just added to the survey they sent me. If they choose to ignore most of these we'll be cancelling within the next few months.

[Zaphod]

To be honest Roger, there is nothing on Lightbox that I would be seeing soon after seeing what's on offer. I just registered to use the voucher that was given to us earlier. But then again, I only like sci-fi and GOT :cool:

I've spent a bit of time looking through the titles and found quite a few series to watch, but of course everyone's tastes differs. There's not a lot for Sci-Fi fans at the moment.

We subscribed to Neflix US/UK early last year and although there was a huge range of titles, most was old and many disappeared when contracts expired with the studios.

So my new solution to this issue is to simply watch less TV! A radical solution, I know!

[Beagle]

To be honest Roger, there is nothing on Lightbox that I would be seeing soon after seeing what's on offer. I just registered to use the voucher that was given to us earlier. But then again, I only like sci-fi and GOT :cool: Thanks, I thought I must be going crazy there for a minute. If it wasn't free for 12 months no way I'd pay for Lightbox.

Along with a number of technical and pricing related changes, Sky need to boost their attempts to RETAIN customers. When you called them did they offer a deal to retain your business? I'm guessing not, because you'd be the first I've ever heard that happening to.

I have a raft of other ideas, which I've just added to the survey they sent me. If they choose to ignore most of these we'll be cancelling within the next few months.

No mate, no attempt to retain. One size fits all seems to be their approach. Pricing is silly for what you get and honestly I don't miss it...I'd rather get content online and to be honest participating in good forums like this with intelligent investors is something that appeals more than watching some mindless show where actors with ego's the size of planets pretend they can act.

[ratkin]

What i cant understand is why Sky now has so many adverts which all advertise other programs. They might keep more viewers if they did away with them.
Often i will start watching something and first advert i drift off to do something else.

People are quite capable of finding the programs they want to watch without having to see ads every ten minutes. If i want to watch Peaky blinders i will watch it , must have seen an ad for it 50 times this week already

[percy]

In total agreement.
I have either given up,or forgotten what I was watching because of the ads,particulary for programs I will never watch.If I go to watch "worlds greatest motorcycling rides" that's what I want to watch.

[Baa_Baa]

Good article in NBR today, as PayTV providers SP's getting smashed, new internet on-demand services growing, and some interesting viewer demographics info. Sorry, but the article is paywalled!!

As a recent convert to unlimited data, UFB internet, Netflix and Lightbox, along with all the familiar stuff like YouTube etc, my Sky TV subscription has been cancelled. SkyGO is a diseased mutt, an unworthy contender. No wonder Sky are pouring $100+m in to getting back to the future, but is it too late. I think so.

My transition experience was relatively painless, I'm saving roughly 66% in costs from my combined previous Internet, Telephone and Sky costs, and the whole family is enjoying tailored on-demand entertainment.

Disc: don't hold SKT.

[artemis]

Good article in NBR today, as PayTV providers SP's getting smashed, new internet on-demand services growing, and some interesting viewer demographics info. Sorry, but the article is paywalled!! .....

A lot of NBR articles behind the paywall have a parallel audio stream via NBR Radio, covering much the same content. Including this article.

NBR Radio has a free version - simply streamed - and a bundled pay version which allows specific audio items to be selected and played.

[Nasi Goreng]

I can't believe SKT share price is holding up so well. At 13.5 PE, they are valued higher than banks.

[stevevai1983]

I can't believe SKT share price is holding up so well. At 13.5 PE, they are valued higher than banks.
SKT is well below the NZX average PE. I think it's fair valued atm. The low future expectation is already reflected in SP.

[Nasi Goreng]

The whole tv world is at the beginning of a giant shake up. I'm picking Sky will go the way of Nokia which is not reflected in the SP.

In the future, I would be looking at companies like facebook, netflix, apple to be the companies who will be providing us with tv content and we will be able to pick and choose what it is that we want to watch. To some extent we are there already, the only thing holding Sky up is the Sports channel.

[Regi]

In the future, I would be looking at companies like facebook, netflix, apple to be the companies who will be providing us with tv content

Agree but Amazon might be a rising contender as well - especially if they are willing to pay $380 million NZD for the Top Gear Trio in an effort to broaden and increase the calibre of their 'talent'.

[Nasi Goreng]

Agree but Amazon might be a rising contender as well - especially if they are willing to pay $380 million NZD for the Top Gear Trio in an effort to broaden and increase the calibre of their 'talent'.

It will be interesting to see if those companies get into the sports world. ESPN could go direct to consumer, it certainly looks like they will eventually go that way.

The problem with existing networks (ESPN / Sky) is that they are slow moving and also want to protect what they have for as long as they can... Doing that allows a new player to enter the market and eat their lunch one bite at a time.

[Regi]

The problem with existing networks (ESPN / Sky) is that they are slow moving and also want to protect what they have for as long as they can... Doing that allows a new player to enter the market and eat their lunch one bite at a time. Absolutely. Only thing that comes to my mind is Kodak.

[RTM]

Recently re-signed up again for 6 months. MySky / Basic/Soho/Sport for less than $50. Seemed a good deal and Rugby world cup is around the corner. I'm finding that the only thing I am really watching is the live sport and a bit of CNBC. Nothing else, although the HD and Mysky box is nice to have as well. We are enjoying watching some older series that have not previously seen on Lightbox (Deadwood is excellent TV ) thanks to the 12 months free from Telecom. The standard SKY charges certainly need to come down quite a bit to make it attractive.


The whole tv world is at the beginning of a giant shake up. I'm picking Sky will go the way of Nokia which is not reflected in the SP.

In the future, I would be looking at companies like facebook, netflix, apple to be the companies who will be providing us with tv content and we will be able to pick and choose what it is that we want to watch. To some extent we are there already, the only thing holding Sky up is the Sports channel.

[GTM 3442]

How long do you think it will be before Sky allow you to build your own package of the channels which you actually want, rather than trying to shoe-horn you into one of their range of "all-the-cr*p-you-can-eat" packages?

And to move to "pay-per-event" pricing?

Both would be nice, bring 'em on!

[Nasi Goreng]

How long do you think it will be before Sky allow you to build your own package of the channels which you actually want, rather than trying to shoe-horn you into one of their range of "all-the-cr*p-you-can-eat" packages?

And to move to "pay-per-event" pricing?

Both would be nice, bring 'em on!

I don't think it will happen. If they said for example sports channel is $40 per month and thats all you get, they would lose so much of their revenue with immediate effect. Shareholders would have fits.

The power is currently in the bundle and the shareholder friendly option is to die by a 1000 cuts.

[GTM 3442]

The power is currently in the bundle and the shareholder friendly option is to die by a 1000 cuts.

Oh, I shouldn't imagine that they'd do it willingly, or even soon, but I rather fancy that the power of "on-demand" will force them to change.

Eventually.

[Sideshow Bob]

Recently re-signed up again for 6 months. MySky / Basic/Soho/Sport for less than $50. Seemed a good deal and Rugby world cup is around the corner. I'm finding that the only thing I am really watching is the live sport and a bit of CNBC. Nothing else, although the HD and Mysky box is nice to have as well. We are enjoying watching some older series that have not previously seen on Lightbox (Deadwood is excellent TV ) thanks to the 12 months free from Telecom. The standard SKY charges certainly need to come down quite a bit to make it attractive.

Is that $50/month RTM? Or just a sign up fee. Just wondering if per month how did you get so cheap?

[RTM]

Is that $50/month RTM? Or just a sign up fee. Just wondering if per month how did you get so cheap?

Yep...slightly less than 50/month....49 something. Hard to believe, so I went with it. Maybe they do this to keep their numbers up so that they can keep/justify their advertising revenue.
I can get rid of it after 6 months. There was no sign up fee. We already had dish / wiring etc.

[Zaphod]

Sky's new subscriber deals are excellent as of late, but they certainly don't address the underlying issues related to competition from well capitalised streaming services offing cheaper services.

Sky also need to look after their long term customers. We recently terminated our Sky connection and were offered three months free of any premium channel we chose. Given the deal above, that's hardly any consolation. Even telco’s will offer special deals for term commitments.

[LAC]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11500619

[benjitara]

The results make for interesting reading although I wouldn't be getting too excited about them other to say they look like a decent yield stock if the Share price were to float any lower.. I have a problem with the overall value of the business being linked to the "intangible monopoly" they seem to have. I'd suggest this monopoly is well under fire now with so much digital competition for content. Production costs up, overall subscribers down, they'll almost have to do away with sign-up revenue soon as it isn't viable to charge for installation anymore...

[Sideshow Bob]

Market didn't like it, and down to $5.40. EPS of almost 45c and the divvy only 15c - thought they might have consider a 'special dividend' as in the past.....

[xafalcon]

Insto's seem to be heavily reducing exposure to SKT

[bull....]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11573406

totally agree, don't like the upgrade at all and the on demand thing is a joke - fast becoming a dinosaur

[Rep]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11573406

totally agree, don't like the upgrade at all and the on demand thing is a joke - fast becoming a dinosaur

You'd think that when you are trying to stem the potential for subscribers to drop off from competition and after the RWC that you'd be ensuring that your least technologically adept older male customers could read the programme guide or record seamlessly after an upgrade.

Why wouldn't you phase the rollout in tranches to see if it works, get feedback and to deal with any issues that arise so that they can be contained - it's not like the subscribers are pulling the update through?

[Big Blind]

totally agree, don't like the upgrade at all and the on demand thing is a joke - fast becoming a dinosaur

I got the upgrade this week and whilst it's not perfect it's better than it was before IMHO

Sky could cure cancer and they would still get bagged for it. I think they take their PR advice from Cadburys

[macduffy]

I think they take their PR advice from Cadburys

Could be!

:p

A more likely reason though is that, until recently, they've had a stranglehold on a lot of popular content. Now that it's not so, critics are taking delight in putting the boot in!

[WingingIt]

Kill Television....and sky.

https://foragerfunds.com/bristlemouth/why-netflix-will-kill-television/

[RGR367]

Kill Television....and sky.

https://foragerfunds.com/bristlemouth/why-netflix-will-kill-television/

I already killed (sic) my SKY subscription last month and rediscovered once more our free Lightbox subscription because of it. As for my watching rugby, I don't care anymore as our All Blacks got their back to back win :t_up: I got 4 years to go hungry about rugby so I can see our team to try for a triple play in Japan :D

[BlackCross]

Whatever the shareholders or customers think the directors themselves seem to be doing ok!

OCTOBER 21, 2015
Sky shareholders voted to approve a 27% increase of the company's director's fee pool to $900,000 from the current $750,000.
Recent additions to the board (http://www.skytv.co.nz/Default.aspx?tabid=157&art_id=2198) include tech entrepreneurs Geraldine McBride and Derek Handley.
Shareholders Association chairman John Hawkins says the notice of meeting on the resolution gave comparisons to other companies' directors' pools, but without knowing the number of directors involved it was worthless. He said there was also no reference to recent increases in base director fees, which when added to the latest pool increase, would mean a total increase of 53.8% in just five years.
“I struggle to see why the Sky TV directors’ fee should be higher than that of Air New Zealand, given the relative complexities of running the two companies and it would be 50% more than the Port of Tauranga, which has a similar market capitalisation,” Mr Hawkins says.

http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/sky-tv-forecasts-profit-fall-2016-ck-180441#comments

Some interesting comments further down.

[LAC]

Interesting Netfix looking to crackdown on something that's not really in their customers interest. Guess it will make it a "fair" playing field in future:)

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11574314

[Zaphod]

We've recently canned Netflix (we had multiregion availability) as we found we weren't watching much. The bulk of the content is older, and the only things that really interested us were the new exclusive series which we've now watched.

We've decided to pick up Neon, despite the general misgivings about the service. TBH I've been fairly critical of the service, but having subscribed I actually think it's pretty good with much newer content and a lot better shows on the whole. My wife has comment particularly favourably on the availability of movies on Neon v Netflix. The downside is of course it's only in SD and it's a bit more expensive, but it's affordable.

[Zaphod]

Interesting Netfix looking to crackdown on something that's not really in their customers interest. Guess it will make it a "fair" playing field in future:)

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11574314

No doubt their hand was forced. They're probably wanting to be seen to be cracking down rather than actually cracking down, so perhaps they'll implement some half-hearted technological measures.

[clip]

Interesting Netfix looking to crackdown on something that's not really in their customers interest. Guess it will make it a "fair" playing field in future:)

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11574314

I'd say it's probably due to hollywood/content holders lobbying/putting pressure on them. As I read it/understand it they will be cracking down on proxies/vpn's but possibly not DNS changing workarounds so there will still be ways around it :)

[tim23]

Nice bounce Friday -reminds me a bit of TME when it was being bashed as soon as it rebounded no one seemed to care or comment much?

[WingingIt]

Don't these kind of comments just make things a hell of a lot worse for Sky and make customers even more angry.

How about an acknowledgement instead of denials there is anything wrong.

Flat out lying that there was any problem with web log in. I tried unsuccessfully logging in all day on Sky Go on Chrome and evidenced by their Facebook page there were a lot of others with problems.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/76441285/sky-tv-boss-john-fellet-says-broadcaster-may-be-trying-to-do-too-much

[Cricketfan]

Don't these kind of comments just make things a hell of a lot worse for Sky and make customers even more angry.

How about an acknowledgement instead of denials there is anything wrong.

Flat out lying that there was any problem with web log in. I tried unsuccessfully logging in all day on Sky Go on Chrome and evidenced by their Facebook page there were a lot of others with problems.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/76441285/sky-tv-boss-john-fellet-says-broadcaster-may-be-trying-to-do-too-much

They are so arrogant. Lying or uninformed about the extent of the problem (web access was definitely down) and not even apologetic for what happened. I hate Sky with a passion and the sooner a competitor comes along that can outbid them in rugby/cricket, the better.

[macduffy]

They are so arrogant. Lying or uninformed about the extent of the problem (web access was definitely down) and not even apologetic for what happened. I hate Sky with a passion and the sooner a competitor comes along that can outbid them in rugby/cricket, the better.

Yes, but, any competitor that can outbid them will need to charge, one way or another, to justify their higher bid!

;)

[Cricketfan]

Yes, but, any competitor that can outbid them will need to charge, one way or another, to justify their higher bid!

;)

True, but once Sky has gone that may change. And they could offer a different subscription model so you could just pay for the channels you wanted rather than the whole package.

And as long as the new company has better infrastructure then at least you might actually get what you pay for!

[Zaphod]

We're kidding ourselves if we believe there is a benevolent successor who will charge less. Once any of these alternative services feel secure they'll be jacking up the prices or monetising our personal data, or both!
Personally I just find myself watching much less TV now.

[WingingIt]

Wow, so according to John Fellet Weekdays during the work day are peak viewing time and surprise surprise Sky Go is down again. If it cant handle off peak ie Sunday how the hell do they usually get through peak time. Would hate to think what their infrastructure is like.

[LAC]

Live streaming aye.......is there anyone in NZ doing that well?

[Baa_Baa]

Odd thing is that if you are a SkyTV subscriber (set top box etc), and want to watch online, then you tend to want to use SkyGo which has no additional cost, but sadly as I have said before it is a terribly unreliable service.

On the other hand if you are not a SkyTV subscriber you can pick and choose from their pay TV and watch it online using FanPass which in my experience is performing exceptionally well, as good as Netflix, Lightbox and so on.

So there you go, for sports fans, cancel your Sky subscription, save a bundle, and watch online using FanPass as and when you want to.

[Rep]

Odd thing is that if you are a SkyTV subscriber (set top box etc), and want to watch online, then you tend to want to use SkyGo which has no additional cost, but sadly as I have said before it is a terribly unreliable service.

On the other hand if you are not a SkyTV subscriber you can pick and choose from their pay TV and watch it online using FanPass which in my experience is performing exceptionally well, as good as Netflix, Lightbox and so on.

So there you go, for sports fans, cancel your Sky subscription, save a bundle, and watch online using FanPass as and when you want to.

If you don't cancel then Sky won't care about complaints because you keep sending them money. If you do go to Fan Pass, they have to maintain service to keep revenue. Inertia means subscribers don't churn enough so no motivation to invest in Neon or SkyGo to provide anything more than a spoiler service.

[Baa_Baa]

If you don't cancel then Sky won't care about complaints because you keep sending them money. If you do go to Fan Pass, they have to maintain service to keep revenue. Inertia means subscribers don't churn enough so no motivation to invest in Neon or SkyGo to provide anything more than a spoiler service.

True, and you would think that the answer is pretty simple, to standardise on one online service that actually works very well (FanPass) and make it available for all content be it to subscribers or casual viewers.

Is this really as hard and such a big deal as SkyTV seems to be making it into? I don't think so, I think they've lost the plot, the executive have no clues about IT and are probably being pulled hither and thither by various factions and vested interests.

Fancy that, having SkyGo, Neon and FanPass .. three different platforms for online content. They have a very confused delivery model, variable quality ranging from excellent to awful, and compromised content merchandising to consumers that will kill them more quickly than I think they realise, as the market is already disrupted.

Sky really (imo) do need to get this sorted very quickly. Their only remaining leverage is their still humungous subscriber base and they need to realise that delivering online content consistently, reliably and securely is paramount to retaining the income that drives shareholder value.

disc. not a shareholder, can't see any reason to invest in a twilight company in a disrupted sector that will haemorrhage shareholder value for as long as the executive fail to get the point .. that is, viewing is/has rapidly shifted online, there is massive choice, choice removes incumbents quickly, the future viewers are already all online, and a 'single' quality online delivery platform is a absolute imperative pre-requisite to future sustainable profitability.

[Rep]

SkyGo and Neon were and probably still on the same platform. I think Fan Pass uses the NeuLion platform as does Lightbox Sports which is why it works (or it's the fact that no one uses it).
SKT have so many customers still throwing money at them so no real motivation to change gears

[xafalcon]

10% down in 3 trading days. Very ugly

[Beagle]

Lightbox service can be a little bit patchy sometimes. That said I've been really enjoying my free 12 month trial and haven't missed SKY...especially all the repeat movies. I'll continue when the free period comes to an end in April, $12.99 a month for what's on offer is great value IMO. Homeland and Outlander are two especially good series on Lightbox...REALLY enjoyed them both although I would caution that you need a very strong stomach to watch the last two episodes of Outlander....talk about INTENSE...redefines the term IMO. Sky will continue to gradually lose customers IMO.

[Sideshow Bob]

The drop in response to no special divvy? I haven't looked from the latest results, but historically FCF was always very good. OK if they use cash to increase shareholder wealth, but if they keep throwing money down the pit......

Hypothetical question - if Sky ever lost the rugby (which is one of their major drawcards) who would be able to produce and screen?

[macduffy]

SKT ex 15cps div today. Shareprice up 27c!

[sb9]

SKT ex 15cps div today. Shareprice up 27c!

It went ex-div last week on the 10th.

[Big Blind]

Someone knows something methinks. Fellett hinted at a special divi announcement in August last week, but up 7% today alone??

[sb9]

Someone knows something methinks. Fellett hinted at a special divi announcement in August last week, but up 7% today alone??

Yeah, I think the big boys know something. Be careful getting sucked into though...

[macduffy]

It went ex-div last week on the 10th.

Correct. Confused by those d....d ex and record dates again!


:blush:

[Big Blind]

Good news for my prospects in the stock pick compo :)

[Sideshow Bob]

I was wondering what had lit a rocket under the share price.....I've been looking to exit for a little while

[Sideshow Bob]

Only thing I can find - really??

http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/market-close-nz-shares-rise-led-sky-tv-skycity-drops-b-186225

biggest volume day since late November

[Bjauck]

To explain the price jump, are there any companies that could be wanting to stage a take-over?

[macduffy]

To explain the price jump, are there any companies that could be wanting to stage a take-over?

It could be just a case of a lower cash rate putting the spotlight on higher-yielding equities again.

[stoploss]

It could be just a case of a lower cash rate putting the spotlight on higher-yielding equities again.

Lower cash rate could lead to lower currency , doesn't that mean SKY will be paying more for all its offshore content ?

[macduffy]

Lower cash rate could lead to lower currency , doesn't that mean SKY will be paying more for all its offshore content ?

Yes, but meantime the dividend yield from SKY and the other high yielding shares makes them attractive to cash/term deposit/bond investors who are seeing their incomes being squeezed. Just a possible factor.

[Big Blind]

Apparently there's been a rush of Warriors fans subscribing following their amazing start to the NRL season ;)

[Bjauck]

Maybe it is the start of end of year adjustments and rebalancing as well.

[tim23]

2 big volume days - its got to be more than that?
Maybe it is the start of end of year adjustments and rebalancing as well.

[macduffy]

2 big volume days - its got to be more than that?

Not necessarily. SKT had three bigger volume days in December when the SP was on the way down. Perhaps they just got oversold and somebody's attracted to the yield and sees life in the company still!

;)

[tim23]

I departed yesterday, love the content but not fond of the new Mysky, yield is useful, now need to find new home for $!
Not necessarily. SKT had three bigger volume days in December when the SP was on the way down. Perhaps they just got oversold and somebody's attracted to the yield and sees life in the company still!

;)

[macduffy]

SKT having a good day. Perhaps this is the reason?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sky-tv/news/article.cfm?o_id=195&objectid=11620918

Or, more likely, the news of the pending "tweaking" of the MySky software!

[Sideshow Bob]

Good run of late. Golden Cross coming up??

[airedale]

SKT having a good day. Perhaps this is the reason?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sky-tv/news/article.cfm?o_id=195&objectid=11620918

Or, more likely, the news of the pending "tweaking" of the MySky software!
The tweaking of the software to improve legibility was supposed to happen in April. I have not seen it yet, the font and colours are still the muddy same.

[sb9]

My suspicion is the big boys have inside running on this one, there was talk of capital return/special divvy as per an article in NBR last month from memory. Based on fundamentals and industry outlook they operate in, the sp should be no where near where it is.

[Big Blind]

The tweaking of the software to improve legibility was supposed to happen in April. I have not seen it yet, the font and colours are still the muddy same.

I was upgraded last week or the week before. Now it's bold and blurry

[winner69]

Oh dear
https://www.nzx.com/files/attachments/234933.pdf

Wouldn't surprise many on here

[Raz]

Oh dear
https://www.nzx.com/files/attachments/234933.pdf

Wouldn't surprise many on here

Not as much as i had expected....customers more sticky than the chatter would suggest.

[Baa_Baa]

Not as much as i had expected....customers more sticky than the chatter would suggest.

It is the trend that is important, the trending net loss of subscribers. As pay tv subs leave, are they winning them back on internet tv? No. Are they winning their share of the market for internet tv subs? No. The trend is not Sky's friend, on a low trajectory glide path to obsolescence. A case study in disruption.

[bull....]

declining subscriber numbers will be a fact of life for a company that over-charges for a product past its use by date

[couta1]

It is the trend that is important, the trending net loss of subscribers. As pay tv subs leave, are they winning them back on internet tv? No. Are they winning their share of the market for internet tv subs? No. The trend is not Sky's friend, on a low trajectory glide path to obsolescence. A case study in disruption. That's why I used the SKT example over on the Air thread, the price dropped to $4.11 on a profit downgrade and yet has risen to $5.50 odd since, yet nothing positive has happened to drive the share price to that level,Air is in a better position than Sky long term methinks. Price getting a reality check this morning though.

[Big Blind]

That's why I used the SKT example over on the Air thread, the price dropped to $4.11 on a profit downgrade and yet has risen to $5.50 odd since, yet nothing positive has happened to drive the share price to that level,Air is in a better position than Sky long term methinks. Price getting a reality check this morning though.

What about the possibility of a special dividend coming? There's been a couple of hints. Would need to be about 1$ per share though :)

[Beagle]

Sorry Couta1 I agree with Baa Baa and bull on this one. The trend is towards online content now whether that's watched on smart T.V's, computers, laptop's, tablets or phones that's the way things are trending and I also think SKY's content is vastly over-rated and outdated for what they charge. SKY is a dinosaur dying a very long, slow and painful death IMO.

[LAC]

I think if they keep getting content they will be "ok" but they need some sort of growth and broadcast isnt the way to get it. I am not sure media is the answer at all, I think rather than special divies or share buyback which is a possibility as noted in their AGM, they should be looking at spending a chunk on a broadband company/business. They have to start clipping the ticket as are Spark/Voda are doing at the moment.

[BlackCross]

As FTalphaville commented when talking about Sky UK's results, anyone with the slightest technical ability can watch anything Sky show for nothing (apart from the cost of a broadband connection).

[couta1]

Sorry Couta1 I agree with Baa Baa and bull on this one. The trend is towards online content now whether that's watched on smart T.V's, computers, laptop's, tablets or phones that's the way things are trending and I also think SKY's content is vastly over-rated and outdated for what they charge. SKY is a dinosaur dying a very long, slow and painful death IMO. You might have misinterpreted what I was trying to say, I was using SKT as an example of a share that had a SP appreciation on a profit downgrade and I see Air currently in a similar situation yet with better long term prospects. So basically I see the Air share price has more reason than Sky has to head north given time if that makes sense?

[Raz]

I think if they keep getting content they will be "ok" but they need some sort of growth and broadcast isnt the way to get it. I am not sure media is the answer at all, I think rather than special divies or share buyback which is a possibility as noted in their AGM, they should be looking at spending a chunk on a broadband company/business. They have to start clipping the ticket as are Spark/Voda are doing at the moment.

Agree totally..strategic realignment... don't see the talent to do this on the Board/management to lead it astutely ...

[percy]

I have had Sky since they first came to Christchurch,and have two decoders..
I have it for Formula 1 and Rugby,while the wife watches UK TV and old films.
I have tried to watch The History and Discovery channels only to give up because of the ads.
Formula 1 and Rugby are both boring at present,so I have not watched any TV for some time.
The wife complains there is nothing worth watching.
It would appear Sky have a problem.
I sold my shares a long time ago.No use trying to swim against the current.
ps.I finally cancelled my subscription to Sunday Star Times,so Sky is next on the chopping block.

[bull....]

I think if they keep getting content they will be "ok" but they need some sort of growth and broadcast isnt the way to get it. I am not sure media is the answer at all, I think rather than special divies or share buyback which is a possibility as noted in their AGM, they should be looking at spending a chunk on a broadband company/business. They have to start clipping the ticket as are Spark/Voda are doing at the moment.

the content they got is rubbish, except soho but to get that means the cost of the product goes up to nearly $70 per mth.

compare if you have a broadband package with spark light box is free so you save $70 per mth if you get Netflix as well $15 per mth you still save $55 per mth + free channels on freeview

why would a broadband provider want sky? pay for a declining product be a waste of money in the long run against Netflix

people want all you can eat tv on demand - full stop

[stoploss]

I have had Sky since they first came to Christchurch,and have two decoders..
I have it for Formula 1 and Rugby,while the wife watches UK TV and old films.
I have tried to watch The History and Discovery channels only to give up because of the ads.
Formula 1 and Rugby are both boring at present,so I have not watched any TV for some time.
The wife complains there is nothing worth watching.
It would appear Sky have a problem.
I sold my shares a long time ago.No use trying to swim against the current.
ps.I finally cancelled my subscription to Sunday Star Times,so Sky is next on the chopping block.

Percy get your wife Netflix , just make sure you are Unlimited on your broadband . @ $ 12.99 a month well worth it to stop the complaining !!!!!!

[percy]

Percy get your wife Netflix , just make sure you are Unlimited on your broadband . @ $ 12.99 a month well worth it to stop the complaining !!!!!!

Thank you.
I will have to get myself organised.I have Spark broadband and phone, so Lightbox and Netflix would appear the way to go for her.
Not being tech savvy does mean I have been putting it off.

[Beagle]

You might have misinterpreted what I was trying to say, I was using SKT as an example of a share that had a SP appreciation on a profit downgrade and I see Air currently in a similar situation yet with better long term prospects. So basically I see the Air share price has more reason than Sky has to head north given time if that makes sense?

Quite probably did misinterpret mate, need another coffee to get my brain into gear...with you on AIR for sure but they need to get that Australian gorilla off their back first :)

[Zaphod]

the content they got is rubbish, except soho but to get that means the cost of the product goes up to nearly $70 per mth.

compare if you have a broadband package with spark light box is free so you save $70 per mth if you get Netflix as well $15 per mth you still save $55 per mth + free channels on freeview

why would a broadband provider want sky? pay for a declining product be a waste of money in the long run against Netflix

people want all you can eat tv on demand - full stop

We recently dropped Netflix as the bulk of the content was very old, and we only liked watching a few of the new original series offered.

We have actually re-signed up to Sky - shock horror - for the princely sum of $49/month including decoder rental and SOHO (no HD ticket), compared to the $80/month we were previously paying. At this new price level I'm a happy customer.

[bull....]

We recently dropped Netflix as the bulk of the content was very old, and we only liked watching a few of the new original series offered.

We have actually re-signed up to Sky - shock horror - for the princely sum of $49/month including decoder rental and SOHO (no HD ticket), compared to the $80/month we were previously paying. At this new price level I'm a happy customer.

you must have got soho on a deal?

agree about Netflix nz content at the moment is limited to old movies and a few good tv shows but as time goes on and sky tv revenue declines they wont be able to afford to keep buying the rights to everything so the likes of spark and Netflix will continue to eat there lunch

[LAC]

the content they got is rubbish, except soho but to get that means the cost of the product goes up to nearly $70 per mth.

compare if you have a broadband package with spark light box is free so you save $70 per mth if you get Netflix as well $15 per mth you still save $55 per mth + free channels on freeview

why would a broadband provider want sky? pay for a declining product be a waste of money in the long run against Netflix

people want all you can eat tv on demand - full stop

Sorry what I meant to say is, if Sky keeps buying the content (be it for Soho or Neon) and their contracts limit the other players in NZ to buy them, that would mean ppl will have to some how or the other keep/get Sky if they legally want the content.
And it's not a broadband company wanting Sky, but vice versa..... Sky needs to package their OWN BB+Sky deals like Spark is doing with Lightbox. A new revenue stream and a way to get their existing business out there.
Growth is a major problem for Sky at the moment and they HAVE to diversify!

[Stumpynuts]

Sky TV going the way of VHS and physical rental video stores.


Get yourself an IPTV box with Kodi - Free Sky Sports channels, international language channels (upwards of 300-400 channels all up), latest up to date tv shows and latest release movies - All in HD quality.

Only the one off cost to purchase the box itself, then bob's your uncle.

[Beagle]

Sky TV going the way of VHS and physical rental video stores.


Get yourself an IPTV box with Kodi - Free Sky Sports channels, international language channels (upwards of 300-400 channels all up), latest up to date tv shows and latest release movies - All in HD quality.

Only the one off cost to purchase the box itself, then bob's your uncle.

Sounds good. For us non teckkies - Got a link to it mate ?

[Zaphod]

you must have got soho on a deal?

agree about Netflix nz content at the moment is limited to old movies and a few good tv shows but as time goes on and sky tv revenue declines they wont be able to afford to keep buying the rights to everything so the likes of spark and Netflix will continue to eat there lunch

Yes - it was one of the best package deals I've seen offered for Sky and it came at an opportune time for us. We had been watching some of the content available internationally on Netflix, but subsequent to the VPN/DNS loopholes been semi-closed, I decided that I didn't really want to spend my evenings slaving over a hot computer staying one step ahead of them.

We still use Kodi (and have been since it was XBMC) a bit on our media PC, but having had plug-in compatibility issues, patching issues with the pc, and then a driver issue with the TV tuner I've personally lost some enthusiasm.

I’m currently trying to simplify my IT related life!

[bull....]

Sky TV going the way of VHS and physical rental video stores.


Get yourself an IPTV box with Kodi - Free Sky Sports channels, international language channels (upwards of 300-400 channels all up), latest up to date tv shows and latest release movies - All in HD quality.

Only the one off cost to purchase the box itself, then bob's your uncle.

kodi tutorial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr5Mz2Yci4c

[TideMan]

And if you use a Raspberry Pi Model 3B (~$60 delivered from Element 14) as the computer, it works out pretty cheap.

[mcdongle]

Ive got Kodi set up on the pc and Android tablet. I would do this if you want to have a play before buying a box.

[tim23]

This is one product that's got dearer over the long term (unlike internet & mobile cost for example) while the product has hardly improved, they've had it too good for too long, the party is over!

[Baa_Baa]

Market wasn't fooled by the puffed up announcement and downplayed risks. What a thumping, more than half way back to it's $4.11 Jan low. Wait till the punters read this in their newspaper over the weekend, Monday and next week could be really ugly too. SKT needs to pull a rabbit out of the hat, its only strength is it's subscriber base but it doesn't have the business model yet to disrupt it's own business and ensure those subscribers stay connected and keep paying the big bucks for content that can mostly be sourced elsewhere, often for free. Do the maths and extrapolate the subscriber defection trend, to see how long it lasts and what's left. Not to mention the next generation who don't even watch a TV, why would they when they can gorge on unlimited free content from anywhere at anytime. I'd like to see breakdown of the subscribers by age group. Death by a thousand cuts.

[Sideshow Bob]

Down another 27c today to $4.36, good chance to get down to recent lows of $4.12 in January. Currently $1.19 off recent high on the 4th of May.

You'd be p!$$ed if you bought early last week!

[bull....]

new lows coming I guess? spark - lightbox must be really eating there lunch

as an aside nz herald has been sold? has sky tv brought it? lol

[kiora]

Down another 27c today to $4.36, good chance to get down to recent lows of $4.12 in January. Currently $1.19 off recent high on the 4th of May.

You'd be p!$$ed if you bought early last week!

Watch out for OS dividend funds selling

[Zaphod]

new lows coming I guess? spark - lightbox must be really eating there lunch

as an aside nz herald has been sold? has sky tv brought it? lol

The competition is immense now, with most of the competitors leveraging a lower cost base for distribution. Spotify are now entering the marketplace with their own unique content.

One thing I'll research when I have some spare time is how many hours the average New Zealander spends watching TV, broken down by age and platform. Although we have access to a myriad of content, we personally are watching less that we ever have in the past.

[bull....]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/79817913/sky-tv-should-bite-the-bullet-and-cut-the-49-price-of-sky-basic-says-analyst

pay for your own channel mix would be my preference, neon is so gabbage as a low cost option

[Stumpynuts]

Sounds good. For us non teckkies - Got a link to it mate ?

To start you off you can try searching 'Kodi android 5' in Ebay, from there you'll have to do DYOR as to which is the best option for you. Most boxes are software pre-installed and just require setup to your internet as your only step.

[sb9]

Down another 27c today to $4.36, good chance to get down to recent lows of $4.12 in January. Currently $1.19 off recent high on the 4th of May.

You'd be p!$$ed if you bought early last week!

Hits new low of 408, should be sub $4 soon...

[bull....]

yea all time lows at 3.35 odd during gfc but will be revisited - people loath sky tv from what I read in the newspapers most common complaints rip off , crap channels , cant pick my own channels , repeats , lack of empathy towards customers etc etc

[Zaphod]

Unfortunately, Sky has become the company NZers love to hate, whether justifiably or not. Sky has become the new Telecom.

While I have my issues with the company, I do not think they deserve a lot of the derision pointed at them.

[bull....]

Unfortunately, Sky has become the company NZers love to hate, whether justifiably or not. Sky has become the new Telecom.

While I have my issues with the company, I do not think they deserve a lot of the derision pointed at them.

I do , I loath there pricing and will be cancelling too soon hardly watch sky at all anymore so not worth my $65 which by the way is just basic package $50 and they have the nerve to keep charging me $15 / mth for my sky as well

[sb9]

Unfortunately, Sky has become the company NZers love to hate, whether justifiably or not. Sky has become the new Telecom.

While I have my issues with the company, I do not think they deserve a lot of the derision pointed at them.

I think they get what they deserve, arrogance and bad customer service are out of monopoly situation that they had for years and never bothered to look after customer needs. Now the tide has turned with advent of online media streaming. Pay back time I guess!!!

[Balance]

Unfortunately, Sky has become the company NZers love to hate, whether justifiably or not. Sky has become the new Telecom.

While I have my issues with the company, I do not think they deserve a lot of the derision pointed at them.

They have not adjusted to new competition and is preoccupied with milking existing customers, instead of looking at ways to retain them long term. Realistically by adjusting pricing.

Their current strategy involves giving 'free' 3 months' viewing of movies, or sports or 12 months of my Sky to lock subscribers in for another year. Not really working.

If they lose Rugby - GAME OVER!

Losing 45,000 customers = $43m less revenue, and given the nature of their operation (mostly fixed costs) = direct impact on bottom line.

[Bobdn]

I never cease to surprise myself. Today I bought 10,000 skt which might be cosidered a small parcel for some but represents quite a lot for me.

I'm fully aware that there are challenging times ahead and Netflix and Lightbox will offer stiff competition. Sky does have some great content and people do like live sport. We live in interesting times.

[RTM]

I never cease to surprise myself. Today I bought 10,000 skt which might be cosidered a small parcel for some but represents quite a lot for me.

I'm fully aware that there are challenging times ahead and Netflix and Lightbox will offer stiff competition. Sky does have some great content and people do like live sport. We live in interesting times.

You are a brave man Bob. Good luck, hope it goes well. They are not for me as I see them continuing to take a hammering to the multiple streaming services.

[Bobdn]

Definitely a fair comment about the streaming services RTM. Netflix have said they're not going near sports, however, things can change I guess. It was hard call between SKT and putting more into WHS.

[Joshuatree]

How sustainable do you think the div is Bobdn ; have you done any projections? 30c a year is currently pretty juicy.

[Bobdn]

I really don't know. I bought anticipating some sort of cut in the future. Gross dividend is over 10% so that surely can't last. Share price has dropped 25% over the last few weeks so I assume people aren't expecting a 30 cent dividend next year.

[BlackCross]

MorningStar..."...We believe the time has come for management to bite the strategic bullet and consider lowering its prices. While we appreciate the reluctance to sacrifice the current average revenue per user, or ARPU, of almost NZD 80 per month, Sky's value proposition is losing lustre against the NZD 10 per month products offered by streaming providers such as Netflix. By lowering the basic tier price of NZD 49 per month, Sky may be able to stem the subscriber losses and have a better chance to showcase its superior content library (for example, exclusive rugby) and product offering (for example, Neon, FanPass).

This brings us to the board's current deliberation on capital management options. Some investors appear to prefer some form of capital return. However, for Sky's long-term strategic sake, we would prefer the company maintains current dividends (equating to 7% yield) and uses its financial flexibility to execute the aforementioned repricing strategy and reignite subscriber growth...."

Well, I know I couldn't talk her indoors into dumping Sky...

[Cricketfan]

Cutting prices? Don't think so!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/80092907/sky-tv-to-raise-prices-as-annual-content-costs-rise-by-30-million

[bull....]

Cutting prices? Don't think so!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/80092907/sky-tv-to-raise-prices-as-annual-content-costs-rise-by-30-million

wont do anything to stop the revenue decline, probably cause more people to leave, vicious cycle when you have to raise prices on a falling subscriber base.

[sb9]

wont do anything to stop the revenue decline, probably cause more people to leave, vicious cycle when you have to raise prices on a falling subscriber base.

http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/sky-raise-prices-despite-falling-subscriber-numbers-b-189118

What do we call this, just pure arrogance stemmed out of the monopolistic position. One of my colleague just cancelled their subscription and ordered a Kodi IPTV box as mentioned here before.

[Balance]

http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/sky-raise-prices-despite-falling-subscriber-numbers-b-189118

What do we call this, just pure arrogance stemmed out of the monopolistic position. One of my colleague just cancelled their subscription and ordered a Kodi IPTV box as mentioned here before.

One cancellation = 10 subscribers to offset the cancellation!

Looking like the print media is Sky TV - refusing to face the inevitable.

[Stumpynuts]

Kodi IPTV has really picked up in the past 18months or so since the boxes themselves have become better equipped hardware wise. It's still relatively under the radar.

Good time buy into it and enjoy it while the user base is relatively low and uncrowded.

[Balance]

Kodi IPTV has really picked up in the past 18months or so since the boxes themselves have become better equipped hardware wise. It's still relatively under the radar.

Good time buy into it and enjoy it while the user base is relatively low and uncrowded.

Best place to get it?

[Nasi Goreng]

The fat cats know what they need to do but will be unwilling to do so until its too late. Unfortunately for them, the sports channel which has been the golden goose for so long may eventually be their demise.

[Zaphod]

Kodi IPTV has really picked up in the past 18months or so since the boxes themselves have become better equipped hardware wise. It's still relatively under the radar.

Good time buy into it and enjoy it while the user base is relatively low and uncrowded.

And while the streaming sources used by some of the Kodi plug-in's haven't been shutdown by the rights holders.

[tga_trader]

At current pricing there is 100% no chance of me subscribing, but at say $30 for basic and another $30-40 for ALL of the add-ons I 100% would.
Really what I would prefer is cheaper streaming of their sport channels (or just all content) because set top boxes are obsolete now. Neon for $20/month is OK but fan pass for $56/month is insane.

And charging extra (especially $10) just for HD in this decade is the most backwards thing ever, there's no excuse for it to not be HD by default. I haven't watched a single thing in SD since '06

But that's all just a dream and will never happen, so not something I personally choose to invest in.

[Rep]

The fat cats know what they need to do but will be unwilling to do so until its too late. Unfortunately for them, the sports channel which has been the golden goose for so long may eventually be their demise.

Sky TV have relied on the inertia of their subscriber base not to do anything else, they have deployed the MySky box which effectively records all the subscribers favourite content that they have to hand back when they quit the subscription (and made it a black box so the content can't be copied), made the very smallest possible investment in SkyGo and Neon as well as trying to corner the content that some demographics is more important than putting the food on the table.

There will always be those who have the means and know how to go elsewhere for their content or move away from linear delivery of the content. Sky are betting that their exclusive content and that the vast majority of their subscriber base is too lazy, too ignorant, too blindly loyal to care shelling out more for what they serve up.

And mostly they have been exceptionally good at milking the subscribers for a long period of time. It might be the milking of the cash cow but they're betting that despite losing subscribers they will continue producing lots of cash to keep enough of the content under wraps and keep doing enough to make it easy enough to keep that Sky decoder in the cabinet under the TV.

[Nasi Goreng]

Well the article in NBR today states that they plan to lose 45,000 subscribers this year. At $80 per month that is a reduction of $45M

They also state that they plan to gain 25,000 Neon customers. Cool. I think Neon is $20 a month so that's $6M.

It's understandable right now that costs are rising, more players equal higher costs as bidding goes up. This with a backdrop of a smaller number of customers is not good. Is this just the start? What if they lose 100,000 customers next year? There are not many businesses that can afford to drop that amount of revenue which really must be all profit as I can't imagine they have that many variable costs in the business.

[Zaphod]

Another important factor to take into account is that a proportion of those customers who have re-joined the service may have done so through the razor sharp deals that have been running of late and are therefore paying significantly less (up to 50%) than existing customers.

[Sideshow Bob]

I just think these guys are just so far out of touch. I'm sure John Fellet is a good guy, but he's been either COO or CEO since 1991.

When a company is the most unpopular/hated in NZ - you have to wonder, especially when are in the business of entertainment. Not like bloody insurance or oil companies, polluting the world.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11614783

The small price rise is symptomatic of this. Brings in relatively small extra revenue, but another nail to many subscribers.

[Longhaul]

Well much like refrigerators killed the ice industry, internet TV is going to kill Sky. The weird part is that they appear to have been blind-sided by a slow moving freight train.

[minimoke]

Well much like refrigerators killed the ice industry, internet TV is going to kill Sky.
Actually the ice industry today is huge. There is a demand for ice nearly everywhere.

[Zaphod]

Technically InternetTV is agnostic to the underlying transmission medium. Connections could be provided via satellite, copper, fibre, microwave links, or by carrier pigeon and despite the latency & packet loss introduced by the latter, the end result is that the content is still delivered to the customer which at the end of the day, is all they care about in terms of delivery.

I think the real battle here is being fought on a number of different fronts, such as linear v on-demand, original v purchased content, the battle against regionalised rights, price point etc. As others have highlighted, Sky has made moves into this arena via Neon and the IP-based on-demand service rolled out to the new decoders and while this is a good start, they have completed this too late and are perceived by the majority as still far too expensive. Their corporate malaise has tarnished their brand and reputation amongst consumers.

Sky's content providers also need a wakeup call with regards to pricing. HBO charge handsomely for regional rights to shows such as GoT, Homeland etc. and this needs to change very quickly. So even if Sky want to be nimble, they are facing significant hurdles from upstream suppliers. Sky could consider original content, but IMO they are too small a player to make this feasible.

Despite increasing content costs, IMO they should have taken this opportunity to stay prices or minimise the increase, instead it appears to be business as usual which is most disappointing.

On the InternetTV front some consolidation will undoubtedly happen. To watch the various shows you are interested in often entails subscribing to multiple services. This is still more cost effective than a standard Sky subscription, but invariably ends much higher than that enticing $12/month entry point for Netflix, Lightbox or other players in the market offer.

[Baa_Baa]

There is also the disintermediation and disruptive factor of major sporting franchises, including NZ and World Rugby (the Sky cash cows) realising that they don't need a content distributor in the internet on-demand age.

Anyone, including sporting franchises, can be their own content distributor leveraging multiple internet 'TV / video' channels, reaching out to the whole world, offering a pay-per view service at a minuscule fraction of the cost to viewers of current monopoly content distributors like Sky.

The rate at which Sky's content distribution model unravels will accelerate, it is most certainly not going away.

[macduffy]

So whats with SKT today, SP up 10c in a soggy market. Did it just get oversold or is there a new factor here?

[xafalcon]

There is also the disintermediation and disruptive factor of major sporting franchises, including NZ and World Rugby (the Sky cash cows) realising that they don't need a content distributor in the internet on-demand age.

Anyone, including sporting franchises, can be their own content distributor leveraging multiple internet 'TV / video' channels, reaching out to the whole world, offering a pay-per view service at a minuscule fraction of the cost to viewers of current monopoly content distributors like Sky.

The rate at which Sky's content distribution model unravels will accelerate, it is most certainly not going away.

Sky is not just a content distributor. Sky also provides the camera crew, all the equipment, commentary staff, backroom editing functions, primary transmission consolidation, advertising and promotion, support programming etc

AFAIK there is no other company in NZ that can currently step into this role, and Sky won't be offering an easy path of entry for any rivals

NZ is such a small market globally, there is little likelihood of an international company trying their luck in godzone

So content may be king, but without production capabilities it is of little value

[Big Blind]

So whats with SKT today, SP up 10c in a soggy market. Did it just get oversold or is there a new factor here?

I'm praying it's because they've bought the EPL rights from BeIN, given that I'm one of those stupid, lazy subscribers

[Bobdn]

I'm praying it's because they've bought the EPL rights from BeIN, given that I'm one of those stupid, lazy subscribers

Hey, you work hard and deserve premium, high quality entertainment :). (Recent Sky shareholder)

[Rep]

I'm praying it's because they've bought the EPL rights from BeIN, given that I'm one of those stupid, lazy subscribers

...or blinding loyal (there was a third alternative when I described the subscribers).

[Big Blind]

...or blinding loyal (there was a third alternative when I described the subscribers).
I'd ruled that one out from a personal perspective. I'm too stupid or lazy to choose between the other two though 😜

[Ogg]

The streaming controversy from Saturday night's boxing match between Parker and Takam is a watershed moment for New Zealand television sporting history. I expect to see this problem exacerbate over the long term.

Has the sky sports monopoly finally been broken?

[Stumpynuts]

The streaming controversy from Saturday night's boxing match between Parker and Takam is a watershed moment for New Zealand television sporting history. I expect to see this problem exacerbate over the long term.

Has the sky sports monopoly finally been broken?


SKT fighting a losing battle and will become irrelevant, as evidenced in their falling SP.
Simple as that.

[macduffy]

The streaming controversy from Saturday night's boxing match between Parker and Takam is a watershed moment for New Zealand television sporting history. I expect to see this problem exacerbate over the long term.

Has the sky sports monopoly finally been broken?

Good question. But the issue here is between the fight promoters who sold the rights to SKY and whoever streamed it. Perhaps the real question should be who has the rights to sporting events and what is a fair price to charge for those rights.

[Ogg]

Good question. But the issue here is between the fight promoters who sold the rights to SKY and whoever streamed it. Perhaps the real question should be who has the rights to sporting events and what is a fair price to charge for those rights.

It's going to effect all major sporting events from now on. The next All Black game will all be lived streamed for free.

Both Facebook and Youtube have only just recently introduced this new live streaming technology. This is a game changer! The technology is so easy even a 12 year old could set it up within mins!

Before, it was actually quite different to pirate content, you needed a little bit of experince. You had to record it, then recode the video, then upload it. The content would effectively be delayed a few hours, which is basically like viewing a reply. Now it's LIVE, with the added bonus of social interaction, like the ability to make live comments. It's way better!

The Parker and Takam fight wasn't just recorded from Sky. There was a UK version streaming on youtube with about 2000 viewers.

There's absolutely no way SKY or any other content provider can stop this!

[minimoke]

I used to have sky but found i had 100 channels of crap to wade through rather than half a dozen. I dont watch much tv so im proably not part of the target market.

But today Spark has given me lightbox for free. No idea what this is but looks like tv with no ads. Also looks like it is High Definition content

Spark also gave me a Tivo for free so I'm ad free as well

Spark are also giving me free fibre to go with my unlimited broadband plan - which they also upgraded year on year at no extra cost.

In essence seems im getting a truck load of HD tv viewing for free. And sky are putting there prices up. Go figure!

[blackcap]

It's going to effect all major sporting events from now on. The next All Black game will all be lived streamed for free.

Both Facebook and Youtube have only just recently introduced this new live streaming technology. This is a game changer! The technology is so easy even a 12 year old could set it up within mins!

Before, it was actually quite different to pirate content, you needed a little bit of experince. You had to record it, then recode the video, then upload it. The content would effectively be delayed a few hours, which is basically like viewing a reply. Now it's LIVE, with the added bonus of social interaction, like the ability to make live comments. It's way better!

The Parker and Takam fight wasn't just recorded from Sky. There was a UK version streaming on youtube with about 2000 viewers.

There's absolutely no way SKY or any other content provider can stop this!

A mate of mine was watching Super Rugby and All Blacks games when based in Holland in 2008 via streams... (live) or maybe delayed by about 5 seconds. And good enough streams to be able to see the ball well and invite ppl round to watch the games. The streams were reliable as well. I guess you just need to know where to find them. If sky or the All Blacks had offered a pay per view web based content he may have been tempted but sometimes you just do what you need to do. (Not many places in Holland show the rugby)
Sky need to change their game, more and more ppl I speak to are streaming rugby games and watching it via streams on their own tv's.
The Parker Takam fight was shown free on SKY sports 3 in the UK... plenty of streams from this source too and by all accounts very clear viewing and better commentators too by all accounts.

[Ogg]

I used to have sky but found i had 100 channels of crap to wade through rather than half a dozen. I dont watch much tv so im proably not part of the target market.

But today Spark has given me lightbox for free. No idea what this is but looks like tv with no ads. Also looks like it is High Definition content

Spark also gave me a Tivo for free so I'm ad free as well

Spark are also giving me free fibre to go with my unlimited broadband plan - which they also upgraded year on year at no extra cost.

In essence seems im getting a truck load of HD tv viewing for free. And sky are putting there prices up. Go figure!

Lightbox, Neon, and the NZ version of Netflix are all crap. That's why they're effectively giving them away for free.

These models work by having one or two "flagship programs", that are bundled together with lots of low quality/cheap content. This model was first created by HBO back in the late 1990's with their flagship program "The Sopranos".

Sky's version is Soho, in which "Game of Thrones" is their flagship program, which basically carriers the entire channel. It should be called "Game Of Thrones Channel", not Soho. This series is due to finish soon, so Sky is on the lookout for a replacement. If it can't find one, the chancel will die.

The entire Sky revenue model is built around 3 things, the All Blacks, the Black Caps, and Game of Thrones. Everything else is just a "clip on".

Sky raised their prices recently, which is really just a tax on the baby boomer "TV generation", who don't know how to use a computer. They'll be able to suck the blood out of them for a while yet... until they all end up in a rest home.

The Sky "ship" has been leaking for some time now, but on Saturday night she got torpedoed and she's going down like the Lusitania.

[TideMan]

But today Spark has given me lightbox for free. No idea what this is but looks like tv with no ads. Also looks like it is High Definition content

If you've got a smart TV, you can access Lightbox without connecting to a computer. On a Samsung, you hit Smart Hub and you will see Lightbox in the display, along with Netflix, You Tube, etc.
They have some great programs on Lightbox. We've just finished watching 3 seasons each of 10 episodes of The Bridge - a Swedish/Danish crime program we became addicted to.

[Rep]

If you've got a smart TV, you can access Lightbox without connecting to a computer. On a Samsung, you hit Smart Hub and you will see Lightbox in the display, along with Netflix, You Tube, etc.
They have some great programs on Lightbox. We've just finished watching 3 seasons each of 10 episodes of The Bridge - a Swedish/Danish crime program we became addicted to.

Additionally, if you have WIFI, a tablet (Android, Windows Surface or a iPad - actually it will work on an iPhone or an Android phone), a spare HDMI port on your TV and a $70 device called a Google Chromecast you don't even have to have a Samsung SmartTV to watch Lightbox either. With this kit (and the services of your tech enabled average teenager) you can watch watch SkyGo (subscription and password dependent - noting that I would never suggest you breach the terms of service), YouTube on your TV (but not watching any of the streams of live Sports coverage that would breach the terms of service) and lots of content on Vimeo and other services.

Also if you happened to be a subscriber to Amazon Prime, you could potentially watch something called 'The Grand Tour' with three aging british motoring presenters when it is available sometime later this year. If you were interested. Which of course, you might not be. But then again you might be vaguely interested. Possibly.

[minimoke]

If you've got a smart TV, you can access Lightbox without connecting to a computer..
I have a smart tv but im not bright enough to know how to use it. Might try hitting some buttons tonight and see what happens.

Hopefully not another channel with nothing to watch on it.

Edit. So I have a Smart TV. but not a Young TV. Its too old for the Lightbox App. But it does have Quikflic and Net Flix so ïll ask spark for one of those. Also found it has about 50 other channels of TV in the Apps section so no shortage of stuff to graze on if I ever had the time or inclination.

[macduffy]

SKT shareprice up 13c today. This is probably why.

http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/fellet-unmoved-media-company-sale-signs-sky-tv-mulls-capital-options-b-189445

[Bobdn]

Wow, that's really interesting. I bought Sky "it's a dinosaur and you shouldn't touch it with a barge poll" TV at the same time as I bought Air "the special dividend will bigger than the mass of the universe and Dreamliners burn 20% less fuel" New Zealand. One worked out better than the other (but it's early days). Markets are funny!

[airedale]

I have a smart tv but im not bright enough to know how to use it. Might try hitting some buttons tonight and see what happens.

Hopefully not another channel with nothing to watch on it.

Edit. So I have a Smart TV. but not a Young TV. Its too old for the Lightbox App. But it does have Quikflic and Net Flix so ïll ask spark for one of those. Also found it has about 50 other channels of TV in the Apps section so no shortage of stuff to graze on if I ever had the time or inclination.

I have a Sony Bravia smart TV but it won't connect to Lightbox despite lengthy emails fron the Lightbox support team. I am just about to give up on Lightbox, but as a last shot I might dial-a-geek to try and sort it.

[Raz]

Wow, that's really interesting. I bought Sky "it's a dinosaur and you shouldn't touch it with a barge poll" TV at the same time as I bought Air "the special dividend will bigger than the mass of the universe and Dreamliners burn 20% less fuel" New Zealand. One worked out better than the other (but it's early days). Markets are funny!

Yes which one is it growing and the other contracting again? Crazy stuff.

[TideMan]

I have a Sony Bravia smart TV but it won't connect to Lightbox despite lengthy emails fron the Lightbox support team. I am just about to give up on Lightbox, but as a last shot I might dial-a-geek to try and sort it.

Yes, we have an old Sony Bravia at our bach and we've had trouble too, though our Samsung at home works perfectly. Our solution was to get Lightbox on our iPad and use ChromeCast (~$60) to send the signal from iPad to TV. Works perfectly.

[sb9]

Another fiasco....

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11648096

[macduffy]

Another fiasco....

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11648096

........ but SKT shareprice up today!

;)

[minimoke]

........ but SKT shareprice up today!

;)
This damn share keeps looking like its going to nudge my stop loss. But then rallies. Might have to adjust the SL so i can quit it. But thats letting my emotion get in the way so it looks like it is with me a while yet.

[Bobdn]

I've just made the move to 2 degrees for my UFB. Cheaper than Spark and comes with Neon for six months, which has more stuff that I want to watch than Spark's Lightbox.

Hmm, for an "old dinosaur" as Sky has been referred to time and time again in this thread, it seems to have a few tricks.

[Baa_Baa]

Another fiasco....

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11648096

Hot on the heels of their $5 Friday Fanpass crapping out last week, paid the money but no service available. Got the mea culpa email couple of days later. 👎🏻😩🔫

[Bobdn]

Just rejoined Fatso (owned by Sky) and ordered the first season of True Detective on Blu ray. I love using the products of companies I'm invested in. Just as well I don't own Sky City.

[Bobdn]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/80709810/sky-tv-vodafone-merger-would-offer-false-promise

A possible Vodafone and Sky merger? The plot thickens.

Cable companies in the US are still making money hand over fist (despite absolute, categorical, no brainer predictions that they wouldn't exist by now because, you know, every one knows precisely the way industry and markets will go) because in part they also deliver internet.

On the one hand I want capital back because I need to build a retaining wall up the back. On the other hand I hope they'll be able to pull off something good so I can build my retaining wall and also paint my house and schedule another big trip to Thailand in the future. Hard call.

[Halebop]

Hmm, for an "old dinosaur" as Sky has been referred to time and time again in this thread, it seems to have a few tricks.

The problem is not Sky being old, it is the investment required just to maintain market share when so much competition arrives. Doesn't make for particularly compelling fundamentals when Sky has to invest more on technology, programming and customer experience and still be losing revenue share to competition.

There is also one "old" behaviour that isn't particularly appealing; their monopoly position permitted sub-standard attitudes towards customer experience. This is again rich ground for interlopers to gain share at Sky's expense. Culture makes for a tough turnaround proposition.

[Marilyn Munroe]

Check out Youtube's new pay channel Youtube Red.

Be a real shame for Sky if Google invested its cash in content and told its geeks to build a viewing client that actually works.

Boop boop de do
Marilyn

[Bobdn]

Oh yeah lots of uncertainty that's for sure. Google already wants to take on the cable companies. Sky is 3.63% of my portfolio. Everything in moderation :)

[Zaphod]

Oh yeah lots of uncertainty that's for sure. Google already wants to take on the cable companies. Sky is 3.63% of my portfolio. Everything in moderation :)

I think one aspect of Google's future will involve fighting antitrust suits on multiple fronts.

[winner69]

Whats up? Trading halt

[iceman]

Whats up? Trading halt

Merger with Vodafone ???

[sb9]

Merger with Vodafone ???

Or capital return thro' special divvy perhaps...

[iceman]

Or capital return thro' special divvy perhaps...

Probably more likely :-)

[BC_Doc]

I did think Fellet was a being a bit dismissive when talking to NBR about the vodafone merger.....

https://www.nzx.com/companies/SKT/announcements/283667

[Hoop]

Chart is not looking the best..
Not drawn in on the chart is the primary downtrend line..The 5.49 high point on 5 May before the gap down happened to nearly touch that primary downtrend line adding confirmation of a continuing downtrend (bear cycle) for SKT

http://i458.photobucket.com/albums/qq306/Hoop_1/SKT%2007062016.png (http://s458.photobucket.com/user/Hoop_1/media/SKT%2007062016.png.html)

[Hoop]

Below is a live 15 minute chart show the last 5 days of trading

Something happened yesterday lunchtime (see large candlestick bar)..I personally call this activity a P wave as reference to a first tremor before an earthquake..it was under low volume however so its suspect...but it did happened... so.. did some small investor have insider knowledge?...also... it broke the EMA 50 period (750 minutes)..a bearish technical action..

Between 1 and 2pm the shareprice pullback to meet the price break occurred but could not break back up ...resulting in larger volume selling breaking the EMA 100 period (1500 minutes) at 3.00pm..A candlestick hammer after 4pm suggests someone thought SKT had fallen too far and bought in...

From the chart, it seems a rumour was out in the marketplace after 2pm yesterday.
http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/kaavio.Webhost/charts/big.chart?nosettings=1&symb=NZ%3askt&uf=0&type=4&size=4&sid=2035389&style=320&freq=7&entitlementtoken=0c33378313484ba9b46b8e24ded87dd6&time=3&rand=1940768883&compidx=aaaaa%3a0&ma=5&maval=50%20100&lf=1&lf2=2&lf3=1024&height=981&width=1045&mocktick=1

[sb9]

SKY Network Television Limited – Vodafone Discussions..

https://nzx.com/companies/SKT/announcements/283667

[JayRiggs]

Sudden price 5.5% drop by SPK this morning.
Maybe Spark involved here?

[macduffy]

Sudden price 5.5% drop by SPK this morning.
Maybe Spark involved here?

Involved, insofar as any merger between SKT and Vodafone is likely to impact SPK, one way or another. A bit of precautionary selling, perhaps?

[mondograss]

More likely that SPK shareholders are worried that a Vodafone\Sky merger would present meaningful competition on the entertainment\streaming front.

[winner69]

So we are in discussions which may or may not lead to anything .....and the trading halt continues

Hmmm

[minimoke]

As a shareholder but non user of SKY looks like i am in for some entertainment.

[drcjp]

More likely that SPK shareholders are worried that a Vodafone\Sky merger would present meaningful competition on the entertainment\streaming front.

Possibly, but that will only work if they provide TV remotes that actually function and content that is worth watching

[Bobdn]

I wonder if Spark tooling around with SVOD (via Light box) "awoke a sleeping giant", to use that Pearl Harbour quote. We'll never know of course.

[Bjauck]

Possibly, but that will only work if they provide TV remotes that actually function and content that is worth watching Mysky is very sluggish to respond. I can usually find something decent to record - even if my subscription plan does not cover it :(

Other complaints include: inability to record a high definition channel in standard def and (related) small hard drive capacity.
Disc: Former shareholder

[Zaphod]

Possibly, but that will only work if they provide TV remotes that actually function and content that is worth watching

Hopefully a combined entity would ditch the existing VFTV box in favour of a higher-end third party box. The VF branded box provides a truly awful customer experience, however it is early days yet and nothing may eventuate from this discussion.

SKT owning the core BB network would provide it with some interesting opportunities at a much better price point. Whether they would use this just to increase their margins further remains to be seen.

[airedale]

Possibly, but that will only work if they provide TV remotes that actually function and content that is worth watching
The remote control function is slower now than it was before the "upgrade". And they are still using a grey font on a grey background. Hopeless!
I won't even mention the lousy programmes and the intrusive ads.

[winner69]

Deal done

Only need minimoke and his mates to agree

I'd say Vodafone done well out of this deal

[bull....]

be interesting to see spark response as vodaphone / sky merger would create a bigger player although sky are doing this play to enable them to renew sport content with vodaphones cashflow I reckon

[Grunter]

Anyone got a view on this yet?

Vodafone issued shares at $5.40.

Dividend payout 85%-100%, expected to be 37.5 cents. Spark and Sky's divi yield very similar at 9.3% currently, giving a price of $4.16 using a 9% yield.

[Bobdn]

This is a first for me, haven't owned a company that is being taken over. Have only been a shareholder for 3 weeks!

[LAC]

51% of the merger with Voda Global....that would be interesting when voting

[Harvey Specter]

51% of the merger with Voda Global....that would be interesting when votingNo it wont as whatever Voda says, goes. Though I assume that is what you meant.

[LAC]

Yes thats what I meant, Sky is purchasing Vodafone but the biggest shareholder is Vodafone so Sky actually has no say when voting. Is it just me that finds that strange?

[kiwidollabill]

So Sky are doing the buying but the Vodafone guy will be getting the top job? Interesting

https://www.nzx.com/companies/SKT/announcements/283722

[mikeybycrikey]

I'm just wondering what the $5.40 share price actually means.

Sky/Vodafone could have just as easily have announced that the new shares were valued at $100 each and that Sky was paying $400 billion for Vodafone.

The $5.40 seems like a made-up number intended to inflate the value of the offer. It's not like Sky or Vodafone (who's taking over who) is actually paying $5.40. It's just a paper transaction.

At yesterday's price of $4.47 it's really a takeover/merger valued at $3,060 million. Or at $5.40 it's $3,437 million. I guess the market will decide in due course.

[Bobdn]

Imagine being one of those institutional investors that were dumping sky in 10m lot parcels just a few weeks back. Was that the right call? I still don't understand what all this means

[Nevl]

I don't think Sky got a good deal here. Vodafone has $2.2bill in assets and $1.9bill in liabilities and made a loss last year of $120mill. Also in Telecoms, capital investment is large and in blocks. 5G is on its way and 2degrees and Spark will be able to ramp up the pressure especially as both Sky and Vodafone are consistently rated as the worst when it comes to customer service. Looking forward to Spark really trying to do a deal with Netflix and even competing for the Rugby rights next round.

On the plus side I think Vodafone management is better than Sky and probably has a better handle going forward and there might be a chance in the future where vodafone might want to go to 100% ownership again.

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out but I if I was a sky shareholder I would be a little pissed.

[bull....]

I think it forces spark hand to go after sports content now

[BlackCross]

[QUOTE=Nevl;624010

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out but I if I was a sky shareholder I would be a little pissed.[/QUOTE]

This one's happy as...bought on the drop the other day and just sold for 5.25