SKT Sky Network Television Limited.

[Stumpynuts]

Kodi operating stand alone on Raspberry Pi 3B.
Our main add-ons are ITV, BBC iplayer, Exodus, and DevilSports.

Exodus is fantastic!
The sports addons are very hit and miss across all builds IMO, I'm yet to find a consistent addon to watch higher quality sports streams.

[Baa_Baa]

It's not about just content and delivery, albeit both are important and both of which Sky are on the back foot, though I accept it still has some relevance for a lot of existing Sky subscribers (their golden goose), and investors, who are yet to encounter the defining factors in digital disruption.

One could consider carefully when confronted with change as profound as the internet is presenting in digital media content and distribution, that more often that not, the change is to another provider, typically a number of providers as in TOTO they are still more cost effective than the previous single incumbent.

It is incredibly quick that this change in consumer viewing preference is taking place, leading to question where Sky is on that continuum of re-invention? A first mover, no. An early adopter, no. An early majority, no not really. Perhaps a late majority, seems more likely. Not a laggard though, but without pace of change, Sky are doomed in this regard. Here's why imho.

The first key factor is choice. Sky pre-suppose their viewers are interested in and will watch their content. This is a broken model, with the vast array of choice provided elsewhere, including to their annoyance pirated Sky content which they cannot eradicate, indicates the fundamental shift to consumer preference, dis-loyalty and choice in real-time viewing. Not some worn out TV guide approach, regardless of distribution channel.

The second key factor is legacy, being the sheer size of their customer base, relative to the NZ market. It is their golden goose but is also the shackles portending decline. Sky cannot disregard the loyal customer base who are wedded to the legacy model, which will perpetuate at great expense and no-growth, probably decline, until it is patently economically unviable. The loyal customer base defines the low glide to obsolescence.

Imho Sky is a terrible medium to long term investment, it has reached it's nadir and will devolve into obsolescence unless some miracle occurs and Sky find a way to grow the company. That will require confronting disruption head-on, redefining it's content model to enable vast choice with easy access, and at some point killing off it's expensive no-choice legacy delivery model with some quick and easy transfer to internet content consumption.

A fascinating study in the decline of a monopoly.

[mcdongle]

Exodus is fantastic!
The sports addons are very hit and miss across all builds IMO, I'm yet to find a consistent addon to watch higher quality sports streams.

Tried Castaway?

[Hectorplains]

Exodus is fantastic!
The sports addons are very hit and miss across all builds IMO, I'm yet to find a consistent addon to watch higher quality sports streams.

Exactly! If you want NRL (and I watch every game, all season) it's ridiculous to piddle around chasing streams - most are fuzzy, laggy and cut out... If $ isn't an issue (odd that you could be on a share forum and not be able to cough $80 a month) and live sports your buzz then it's still the best bet.

[Bjauck]

... If $ isn't an issue (odd that you could be on a share forum and not be able to cough $80 a month) and live sports your buzz then it's still the best bet.

Although share investing is a comparatively minor investment category for individuals in NZ compared with investor housing and fixed interest, there are some investors of modest means who have small holdings and who like to look at the boards. As real estate ownership these days, especially for Aucklanders, requires a substantial deposit, that traditional favourite Kiwi investment is increasingly out of reach - meaning shares are an achievable investment for those of modest to above-average means. So committing to $80/month may require a well considered decision.

[ratkin]

Exactly! If you want NRL (and I watch every game, all season) it's ridiculous to piddle around chasing streams - most are fuzzy, laggy and cut out... If $ isn't an issue (odd that you could be on a share forum and not be able to cough $80 a month) and live sports your buzz then it's still the best bet.

Exactly, it is the same with the premier league and other football content. Sky have won back the rights, and will be showing it pay per view. I am happy to pay rather than having to search for dodgy streams, often with commentary in spanish, while risking picking up malware or even viruses.
All these people chasing these illegal streams are ruining it for everyone, legitimate customers end up having to pay more. There is also less money available to actually make decent content.

It is all a bit grubby imo. Having said that, if the football has not come back to sky then i probably would have ended up going down the dodgy stream route

[minimoke]

If $ isn't an issue (odd that you could be on a share forum and not be able to cough $80 a month) and live sports your buzz then it's still the best bet.

I see it as a bit like tax. It's every investors responsibility to minimize their exposure to unnecessary costs that dont contribute to a $growth plan.

[minimoke]

All these people chasing these illegal streams are ruining it for everyone, legitimate customers end up having to pay more. There is also less money available to actually make decent content.

Im not sure there is any legitimacy to that argument.
Back in the day i used to have this machine which held a plastic box with black tape in it.

Id stay up late at night and record my favorite music of the wireless onto this black tape. My friends and i would swap our tapes. And we would listen to these copies until the tape stretched or got eaten by the machine.

Since then content and producers have expanded in numbers probably a million fold.

Recently we have seem the loss of tvnz7 and the start of c4 which is wall to real Housewives. We'd be hard put to blame that on piracy. It Is about a commercial agenda of the media corporates - and Therin lies the the true worriers about piracy.

[Stumpynuts]

Tried Castaway?

Yep, Castaway is my first choice go-to for sports, then I'll go through the others - UK Turks, Phoenix, Sportsdevil, etc. etc.
Very hit and miss with what you can expect to see quality wise, but I'm not fussed overall.

[Stumpynuts]

Exactly! If you want NRL (and I watch every game, all season) it's ridiculous to piddle around chasing streams - most are fuzzy, laggy and cut out... If $ isn't an issue (odd that you could be on a share forum and not be able to cough $80 a month) and live sports your buzz then it's still the best bet.

I'm not a die-hard sports junkie so I can sacrifice a little bit of quality for accessibility.
Most of the streams I see are in 640p which for me is watchable enough, majority of the times I'm dual screening anyways.