SPK- Spark NZ (TELCO)

[Bobdn]

Yeah, well, here's to Spark getting to 2.76 so you can make that sale. I think you got pretty close the other day. Now, you know that Mrs Brown is actually a bloke don't you?

[Hoop]

I agree. Hoop's post was a great read and a reminder of how quickly things can change. Go Chorus!

I see Big Pipe may be offering new fibre plans, based on Chorus' new offerings to ISPs, as early as next month. Big Pipe have indicated they may offer an entry level naked unlimited plan, 100 down/10, up for...$79.

Let's see how Orcon and everyone else responds to that. Big Pipe, of course, is owned by Spark and it's where I'm heading as soon as that plan goes live. $79, no cap, and speeds three times what Hoop is currently getting - at a cheaper price.

I think Spark is adapting very nicely.

Yeah ..Big pipe(BP) looks like a smart defensive marketing strategy designed to prevent the movement of internet customers to the smaller fry that offer cheaper rates. Quantas does this defensive strategy with Jet Star ...Its a no frills option...Note though Bobdn BP is still on VDL not fibre yet ..I would've thought Telecom (spark) would have had BP in fibre already as the biggest customer bleed is those going to Orcon and swapping to fibre... BP being no frills (totally naked) option when they do go to fibre..I would question if their fibre connection comes with a static IP address...With Orcon their connection comes with a free static IP address so I can change it (proxy server) and not have the hassell to reset it every day.. Also Orcon free landline phone facility which smart phones can piggyback off for free...translates to me being able to use the cheapest mobile plan available (I use Telecom) and save lots of dollars a month with free mobile to landline calls paired through my home landline (fibre)...I could be worse off going to BP and end up paying heaps more in mobile phone charges as was the case before I went to fibre (from Vodafone to Orcon)

Yeah....very interesting to see what will happen to the pricing structures when Chorus finally releases its new wholesale fibre product plans...There was casual talk last year that once Chorus releases its new wholesale plans.. the same price I'm paying now the speed would go from 30mbits to 50 mbits. Since then we have increased competition and BP is a very big player so perhaps Orcon may or may not decide to compete aggressively...all in all new wholesale rates will be good for us internet consumers.....Depending on how aggressive the compettion is it may not be so good for the IP's...

Telecom (Spark) has to be very careful with it's defensive strategy as BP may become too popular and turn itself into a two-edged sword by cannibalizing its parent..

[vorno]

"Hey, watch out that could set off a Spark"
"...too late"

[Hoop]

........................Only a matter of time now....Sparks internet TV ??? ...too late!!!!.... a huge competitor looming to fill this NZ online streaming void..Netflix due in NZ within the next few months and I still reckon the subscription will be about $nz15/month...Quote NZ Herald 5th June 2014 ....We can look even more positively to the future, too. A recent report from Australian publication Inside Film claims Netflix will indeed launch in Australasia in early 2015.....
.......................................

From NZH today 25th June 2014...
"....Telecom has shone a light on its new TV service but is not saying when it will start. The new internet-TV venture is called Lightbox ...........".".....It will compete with subscription video-on-demand services Quickflix, Ezyflix and an unnamed new Sky service........".".......Lightbox will stream TV content online for $15 a month. Sky has not revealed its prices. Neither Telecom nor Sky TV have given a start date for their services.....".

Lightbox price set at $15/month seems to be a Netflix limiting influence..which will the telling factor factor when that Elephant enters the small room sometime early 2015...
Be interesting to see what TV series content is not available to Lightbox as I would've thought SKY TV have got the regional rights to the TV series that really matter...Then what happens to regional rights (re SKY) when Netflix enters Australasia.?

[vorno]

From NZH today 25th June 2014...
Be interesting to see what TV series content is not available to Lightbox as I would've thought SKY TV have got the regional rights to the TV series that really matter...Then what happens to regional rights (re SKY) when Netflix enters Australasia.?

When competition enters, monopolies fall - particularly dreadful ones like Sky.

[Hoop]

Free to Air are crying "foul!!" they have just found out what some of us have known and have been doing for the last 2 or 3 years ...Slingshot (and Orcon) moved ages ago!!!.....a bit late..huh.
However.. Slingshot is now making it much easier to view Geolocked websites...their slingshot customers will no longer need to download and install the likes of proxyservers or geo unblockers.

Websites Slingshot is unblocking include:
Amazon Prime
Hulu
Netflix US
BBC iPlayer

Welcome to the Digital revolution folks..where the "fleet footed" move the world while the slow watch in despair..

The question I ask..Is Spark a sloth? The geo unblocked competition (whether by provider or individual internet user) is growing and is showing Spark's Lightbox product as rather "ordinary" to say the least and it's still not released yet..
TV networks scramble after Slingshot's Netflix move

Broadband Report May 2014

[Bobdn]

Fascinating. As a Spark shareholder, I don't know what to make of it. I'm just pleased that it is "only" committing $20M towards this venture. As a Chorus shareholder, I'm encouraged. HD content and lots of it will mean there's finally a reason for consumers to pick up UFB.

I wonder if there's much of an advantage for NZ consumers in having content on local servers? Does 1080p content from Lightbox get to consumers faster and with less buffering than 1080p content from the US? I see Spark customers will get a discount. I'm going to subscribe to Lightbox from day one I've decided. $15 (less for me as a Spark customer) is cheap and cheerful and as a shareholder I feel obliged

Edit: I said $20M but I think that was how much they were putting up for content. I don't know how much Lightbox in total is costing Spark.

[RGR367]

Another play by Spark.

http://www.voxy.co.nz/business/telec...carte/5/195520

[Major von Tempsky]

Why would you pay $2.60 for this stock on no news,record date gone and next divvy eons away,looks very toppy to me,how long before haircut arrives?

Couta1 on 10th April 2014. I replied because its better than paying $2.80 in a month or two.

Waal it reached $2.78 today.... :-)

[couta1]

Couta1 on 10th April 2014. I replied because its better than paying $2.80 in a month or two.

Waal it reached $2.78 today.... :-)

Fair enough I've been in and out of it a few times and collected divvys along the way but your obviously long on the stock so well done