Public Address | Cafe | Hard News: Sky and 2020

Rich of Observationz

Fri, 03 Mar 2017 16:27:43 +1300

The concept, I guess, in the 90's was that an ISP would bundle a 'portal' which their users would prefer to third party sites and that this would drive revenues in their direction. The trouble with that concept was manifold:

– ISPs like Telecom typically addressed a small fragment of…

Hugh Wilson

Fri, 03 Mar 2017 15:37:08 +1300

Gareth Morgan posted some thoughts on outlook for Sky & the sporting codes – especially rugby – where it holds the broadcast rights

http://www.top.org.nz/is_the_sky_the_limit_for_sky_s_pricing_of_sport?utm_source=Gareth-Morgan&utm_medium=Twitter&utm_campaign=general-content

Moz

Sat, 25 Feb 2017 21:16:53 +1300

try and appreciate the fact that crappy internet speed is something that many of us have to put up

You may not have noticed, but crappy is what I have to put up with for the indefinite future. The difference is that I have to do it while people lie…

Kumara Republic

Sat, 25 Feb 2017 01:47:53 +1300

It's a shame Telecom didn't keep on with Xtra. Couple of missteps at the end in dealings with Microsoft etc. Innovation stopped and technology rolled over the top of the business model. And the business model didn't adapt.

I'm guessing that was the cut-everything-and-add-nothing business model of Rod Deane. NZ…

nzlemming

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 23:17:04 +1300

Mbits? We had tins with string. #looxury

I would have responded sooner, but I had to let the carrier pigeon rest up.

Mick Buckley

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 21:36:35 +1300

Haha, and thanks for your concern! Roll on RBI.

Sacha

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 20:40:40 +1300

Mbits? We had tins with string. #looxury

Mick Buckley

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 18:02:41 +1300

Agreed Gabor. The woes of dropping to 20Mbit/s read like first world problems on my rural ADSL, which manages 2Mbit/s on a good day.

Rich of Observationz

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 15:42:31 +1300

Maybe the NZRFU should merge with a larger global sporting organisation with expertise in monetizing their ball game. Man U springs to mind – they're quoted on NYSE and have their own TV channel.

Rich of Observationz

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 15:39:45 +1300

I remember in the UK getting Demon access for GBP10 a month (plus call charges) and then cancelling after (UK) Telecom introduced a system where they would share the revenues from a national toll call (0845 number) with the recipient, allowing "ISPs" to operate on a "free" basis (users just…

Gabor Toth

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 14:23:53 +1300

Not wanting to turn this into Monty Python's "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch but...

We live in a reasonably well-to-do part of Wellington in the western suburbs, 12 minutes drive from the CBD and about (as the crow flies, not as the cable runs) 600 metres from the nearest exchange. For $105…

Moz

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 09:32:51 +1300

I'm not the architect of the NBN policy, or involved in any service delivery

I didn't imagine you were. And we're not within 10km of the NBN, so that's irrelevant to my current complaints. As far as getting serviced by Helstra... we have been. They are the only provider of…

Tom Semmens

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 07:36:22 +1300

Personally (but I am sure i speak for many) I can’t wait to dance on Sky’s grave. Appalling customer service, rip-off packages, and a managment culture of a two finger salute to consumers mean their viewers are hostages to their sport monopoly, not customers to be looked after.

Fuck them,…

Russell Brown

Fri, 24 Feb 2017 07:34:07 +1300

I nominally have a gigabit connection at home, in practice I can get 600Mb/s to a test server here in Dunedin, about 300Mb/s to Wellington, under 100Mb/s offshore ….

I got some fairly spectacular speeds when I moved up to gigabit, but right now it's 400 down and 500 up…

Paul Campbell

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 19:27:18 +1300

I nominally have a gigabit connection at home, in practice I can get 600Mb/s to a test server here in Dunedin, about 300Mb/s to Wellington, under 100Mb/s offshore ....

Hugh Wilson

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 18:23:17 +1300

Easy Moz – I'm not the architect of the NBN policy, or involved in any service delivery let alone responsible for it – there is a long, long history here and I agree its not pretty and as evident from your posts very underwhelming from a consumer perspective. I'm simply…

Moz

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 18:11:16 +1300

option of purchasing a 100 mbps plan (and possibly higher)

This is very much building a better stagecoach territory.

And a 100Mbits "we paid extra for more speed" connection that drops from half the advertised bandwidth to one fifth during the time we most want to use it is "better…

Hugh Wilson

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 17:45:11 +1300

Moz you've got pretty good speeds relative to many! As it happens I work in Regulatory Affairs for Telstra, so what you speak of is familiar. Your HFC infrastructure will get upgraded as part of the NBN rollout, and you will have the option of purchasing a 100 mbps plan…

Moz

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 17:11:17 +1300

NZ seems much better positioned for than Oz given the current high uptake of 100 mbps plans

Stop making me cry!

We technically have a 100Mbits plan here in Sydney, with Hellstra cable, and it consistently delivers 50Mbits off peak and 20Mbits peak. Apparently when the National Broadband Network rolls…

James Ting-Edwards

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 16:58:22 +1300

Hi Russell! Firstly, thanks again for coming out and helping InternetNZ run our copyright event on Tuesday night. I'll let you know when we've got video from that online.

The pressures from faster speeds are interesting indeed, and are affecting a range of decisions. The [[https://www.mbie.govt.nz/telcoreview|latest telco review paper from…

James Littlewood*

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 16:44:15 +1300

the end of exclusivity.

Nice idea. Hope it happens. Not optimistic.

And I know the America's Cup isn't exactly a sympathy earner, but I'm staring down the barrel of my first ever Sky sub. Don't wanna. Ain't gonna. It's just not that important.

So stupid, because I'd gladly part with…

andin

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 16:43:28 +1300

Consumers want their sport fix on the go via mobile or on device at home.
Ah the drug analogy, its so right. I can just imagine sport junkies in an alley pumping up a vein with their device ;-)

Gabor Toth

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 16:41:48 +1300

This is where library databases come into their own; in this case Proquest ANZ Newsstream which most public libraries offer their members for free via their websites (as long as you don't have a stack of overdue book fines sitting on your account...). Being relegated to a small write-up on…

Russell Brown

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 16:36:13 +1300

I had a job interview at Xtra in what must have been mid-1995. I thought they were up and running at that time, but I guess I must be wrong if they launched in '96.

They were somewhat grudgingly providing a form of internet access in 1995, but all the…

Ben Campbell

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 16:14:06 +1300

I had a job interview at Xtra in what must have been mid-1995. I thought they were up and running at that time, but I guess I must be wrong if they launched in '96.

(Luckily, I flubbed the interview completely – I'd come down with some nasty bug and…

Russell Brown

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 16:11:26 +1300

I think it will actually be 21 years.

Duh. I'm a bit post-Splore this week.

Chopper

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 15:41:15 +1300

Hi Russell,

On May 1 this year, it will be 20 years since Telecom launched its first real consumer ISP – Xtra – kicking off the mainstreaming of of the internet in New Zealand.

I think it will actually be 21 years.

I worked in the telemarketing team selling Xtra…

Dave Patrick

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 14:34:33 +1300

Sky would have to be a lot leaner and smarter in their offerings to entice me, and I'm already with Vodafone and have a fibre connection. I'm just not really all that willing to pay over the odds for a vast quantity of channels I don't want to watch, in…

Josie McNaught

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 14:22:38 +1300

So...... this deal fell over because some blokes were fretting about being able to afford to pay for coverage of rugby and cricket???? what if the deal had provided enhanced access to arts, culture, design, film (independent film I should say) performance and other aesthetic pursuits? What about more access…

llew40

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 13:42:19 +1300

Sky’s person seemed to suggest that Spark et al walked away from ‘equivalent’ type offers made to them

No real interest from ISP's (or their customers) in ‘wholesale’ that is basically reselling Sky’s box and bundle model. Consumers want their sport fix on the go via mobile or on device…

Katharine Moody

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 13:35:45 +1300

When the TAB decided to move exclusively to the Sky platform, a nice offer came out from Sky/TAB giving free installation and free 3 months access to TAB on Sky plus a bonus of a Sky channel rotated on a weekly basis to give non-Sky subscribers a taste of the…

Hugh Wilson

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 13:13:44 +1300

Absolutely – just to clarify, currently here you have to sign up with Optus to get EPL, there is no resale (aside from one game per week on free to air) – thats quite a big ask, and there is a view that consequently EPL's profile locally has nosedived this…

Russell Brown

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 13:07:24 +1300

As for the rugby rights, I would think the holders would want to avoid a ransom model approach (which is what has happened with EPL rights in OZ, under the current ownership of Optus) – instead a multi-platform approach would seem the most sensible, as encapsulated in the ‘season pass’…

Hugh Wilson

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 13:03:21 +1300

In some ways the decision was not that surprising – the content part, as in Sky sport, was always going to be contentious and re-seller provisions were absent or light (Sky’s person seemed to suggest that Spark et al walked away from ‘equivalent’ type offers made to them, which is…

Richard Ram

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 13:00:53 +1300

Russell Brown

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 12:57:57 +1300

Gulp. Sky's share price slumps to an eight-year low.

Public Address

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 12:57:56 +1300

Discussion from blog post.