SKT Sky Network Television Limited.

[Stranger_Danger]

Sky	$25.50
Sky Sport	$31.99
Netflix	$16.99
Apple TV	$8.99
Disney	$9.99
LightBox / Neon	$13.95
Spark Sport	$19.99
Prime Video (Amazon)	$5.99
YouTube	$15.99
CNN	$6.95
NZ Freeview	$0.00

Total cost per year = $1,875 (approx 1.8% of average household income)

You left one out of your table -

A single torrent site that allows you to get all the content you want from one place, regardless of who the creator or distributor is : $0.00

[mistaTea]

You left one out of your table -

A single torrent site that allows you to get all the content you want from one place, regardless of who the creator or distributor is : $0.00

Yeah mate, you and others keep banging on about content theft. Yes, it is a real issue for the industry.

But Netflix and other platform subs continue to rise. Sky TV NZ subs are rising very fast now - about 1.1M subs now. The new NEON service is fantastic, and dirt cheap at $13.95/month ($9.99/month if you are a Spark Broadband customer).

Most people will do the right thing and prefer to pay for a content curator provided the platforms provided are excellent and the cost is 'reasonable'.

[Ogg]

Sky TV NZ subs are rising very fast now - about 1.1M subs now

I doubt it's 1.1m!

I would have thought it's gone negative, down to ~900k because Lightbox users are no longer getting it for free.

[mistaTea]

I doubt it's 1.1m!

I would have thought it's gone negative, down to ~900k because Lightbox users are no longer getting it for free.

I don't agree.

The new platform is compelling, with a huge amount of content from premium providers they did not have on Lightbox - HBO, FX, Showtime and more. SPark customers don't get it free after July 20...but $9.99/momth is chump change for what they get. I do not think there will be much attrition.

You will see a bit of a 'loss' of subs for customers (like me) who had NEON and Lightbox...those were counted as 2 subs before, where now it is going to be 1 sub. I am not sure how many old NEON subs also had Lightbox though.

Ultimately the overall trend will be an increase in subs for NEON as the platform will be more popular now. One of my younger siblings who is a real tight ass and never normally subscribes to things like NEON has signed up because the offer is compelling.

And then, in terms of overall subs...with RugbyPass offering Europe annual passes for US$54/year now ($4.50/month) I would think that would generate an explosion of subscriptions.

Not crazy to think Sky could hit 2M subs in the not-too-distant future.

[Dlownz]

I don't agree.

The new platform is compelling, with a huge amount of content from premium providers they did not have on Lightbox - HBO, FX, Showtime and more. SPark customers don't get it free after July 20...but $9.99/momth is chump change for what they get. I do not think there will be much attrition.

You will see a bit of a 'loss' of subs for customers (like me) who had NEON and Lightbox...those were counted as 2 subs before, where now it is going to be 1 sub. I am not sure how many old NEON subs also had Lightbox though.

Ultimately the overall trend will be an increase in subs for NEON as the platform will be more popular now. One of my younger siblings who is a real tight ass and never normally subscribes to things like NEON has signed up because the offer is compelling.

And then, in terms of overall subs...with RugbyPass offering Europe annual passes for US$54/year now ($4.50/month) I would think that would generate an explosion of subscriptions.

Not crazy to think Sky could hit 2M subs in the not-too-distant future.

Agree. Subs will have gone down but the fact that they will have paying subs is the biggy. I've gone full circle from downloading for free to paying for what I want. Quality over price.

[Ogg]

Not crazy to think Sky could hit 2M subs in the not-too-distant future.

As much as I want you to be right, I think you're dreaming.

Lots of Lightbox users will leave after the 20th July.

It will be a good achievement for Sky to just maintain 1m customers at the end of FY21.

This is why a Vodafone/Sky merger is important as Neon/Lightbox is a great add on to a 12 month broadband package. It's all about upselling and bundling, and having as much services on one account as possible.

[mistaTea]

As much as I want you to be right, I think you're dreaming.

Lots of Lightbox users will leave after the 20th July.

It will be a good achievement for Sky to just maintain 1m customers at the end of FY21.

This is why a Vodafone/Sky merger is important as Neon/Lightbox is a great add on to a 12 month broadband package. It's all about upselling and bundling, and having as much services on one account as possible.

Have you used the new platform yet?

It is very very good mate. I think you are underestimating how popular it could be now.

NEON may well have just gone from NZ’s most hated platform to one of the favourites over night.

[Ogg]

Have you used the new platform yet?

It is very very good mate. I think you are underestimating how popular it could be now.

NEON may well have just gone from NZ’s most hated platform to one of the favourites over night.

Nah haven't used it, but I don't think people will subscribe because of it's UI.

It's a hard sell as a stand only product it will remain popular as a bonus on a broadband plan.

[mistaTea]

Nah haven't used it, but I don't think people will subscribe because of it's UI.

It's a hard sell as a stand only product it will remain popular as a bonus on a broadband plan.

LOL.

That’s like saying Netflix would only succeed if it was given away for free as part of a broadband deal.

NEON will do well now because it is a great platform and has a wide range of content at an attractive price.

Spark customers can bundle it in with their broadband for a paltry $9.99/month. People who aren’t with Spark can still get it for $13.95/month. That is super cheap.

You will find that the uptake is good over time. There will be many brand new customers - but also existing satellite customers will review their plans and decide to drop movies + SOHO in favour of NEON. It won’t have all of the movies etc they get on their satellite sub, but it will have most of the content and the price is compelling plus the platform is much easier to use.

[Ogg]

You will find that the uptake is good over time.

What they need to do is jack the price up to $24.95 but then say you get it free with a 12 month Sky Broadband deal.

Peps will then think they're getting $25 off.