Spark Sport gone, so Sky raises prices

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dougierydal

327 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3023181 18-Jan-2023 12:24

Caketiger:

For Sky Sport Now, I managed to get the $300 deal on Black Friday to cover 12 months. The new monthly price is quite a lot more than the nearest comparative product in Australia, Kayo. Reports from various sources suggest that Kayo is the better product.

As a sports fan in NZ, your legal choices are zero so there is nothing you can do. Pay the increased price or miss out on all your sport.

I use Kayo and it's a far superior offering to Sky Sport Now in all aspects EXCEPT for the key one - content.

Australia is such a fractured sports market now. To watch everything you need Foxtel(Kayo), Optus Sport, Paramount+ and Stan Sport, whereas with Sky it's now all in one place, but their SSN product is poor. Poor image quality, poor UI, slow at getting replays up, difficult to search etc.

Kayo also has 2 (standard) or 3 (premium) simultaneous streams. Infuriates me that Sky don't in this day and age offer at least 2 streams.

They've basically go the NZ sports fan by the balls, and the price will only continue to move upwards and probably at alarming speed.

nzkc

1572 posts

Uber Geek

#3023189 18-Jan-2023 12:44

dougierydal:

They've basically go the NZ sports fan by the balls, and the price will only continue to move upwards and probably at alarming speed.

This, unless the commerce commission steps in. And what incentive do they have to improve the product itself? I see none.

Stu1

1769 posts

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#3023205 18-Jan-2023 13:55

dougierydal:
Caketiger:

For Sky Sport Now, I managed to get the $300 deal on Black Friday to cover 12 months. The new monthly price is quite a lot more than the nearest comparative product in Australia, Kayo. Reports from various sources suggest that Kayo is the better product.

As a sports fan in NZ, your legal choices are zero so there is nothing you can do. Pay the increased price or miss out on all your sport.

I use Kayo and it's a far superior offering to Sky Sport Now in all aspects EXCEPT for the key one - content.

Australia is such a fractured sports market now. To watch everything you need Foxtel(Kayo), Optus Sport, Paramount+ and Stan Sport, whereas with Sky it's now all in one place, but their SSN product is poor. Poor image quality, poor UI, slow at getting replays up, difficult to search etc.

Kayo also has 2 (standard) or 3 (premium) simultaneous streams. Infuriates me that Sky don't in this day and age offer at least 2 streams.

They've basically go the NZ sports fan by the balls, and the price will only continue to move upwards and probably at alarming speed.

That’s the compromise have multiple subs or crap quality from sky. Limited range now for nz consumers

Caketiger

69 posts

Master Geek

#3023206 18-Jan-2023 14:01

dougierydal:

Caketiger:

For Sky Sport Now, I managed to get the $300 deal on Black Friday to cover 12 months. The new monthly price is quite a lot more than the nearest comparative product in Australia, Kayo. Reports from various sources suggest that Kayo is the better product.

As a sports fan in NZ, your legal choices are zero so there is nothing you can do. Pay the increased price or miss out on all your sport.

I use Kayo and it's a far superior offering to Sky Sport Now in all aspects EXCEPT for the key one - content.

Australia is such a fractured sports market now. To watch everything you need Foxtel(Kayo), Optus Sport, Paramount+ and Stan Sport, whereas with Sky it's now all in one place, but their SSN product is poor. Poor image quality, poor UI, slow at getting replays up, difficult to search etc.

Kayo also has 2 (standard) or 3 (premium) simultaneous streams. Infuriates me that Sky don't in this day and age offer at least 2 streams.

They've basically go the NZ sports fan by the balls, and the price will only continue to move upwards and probably at alarming speed.

And, ultimately, content is the main thing we are all interested in.

I get your point about the greater number of broadcasters in Aus. Viewers seem to lose out wither way. It annoys me when "experts" claim that competition leads to a better deal for the consumer. This is not true because what is in place is never real competition. If I like a particular sport, I have to subscribe to the company who has the deal for that sport. True competition would mean that there is more than one broadcaster so I could choose which one to go to. Then we might see some benefit for the viewer as we can make choices based on what suits us - some people want more than one stream, some want UHD - suppliers would have to truly compete to get customers.

But sports receive higher sums for exclusive broadcast rights so real competition is not going to happen any time soon.

tdgeek

29746 posts

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#3023226 18-Jan-2023 14:34

arnies:

Still seems like good value. $3 increase of Sky Sport Box subscribers. Since I won't need to pay for Spark Sport its fine.

Comparisons to Kayo are a little of due to how fragmented the sports market is over there. However agree with the technology comparisons. Sky needs a 4K stream yesterday (for content overseas where it's filmed in 4k).

Most service companies have an annual increase, Sky did last year when Spark Sport was running

JPNZ

1547 posts

Uber Geek

#3023282 18-Jan-2023 14:52

MikeB4: I also believe they have dropped some channels.

Considering this is a thread about Sky sport I don't know why you would be worried about a fashion channel?

I'm on a contract so don't get the price increase but $3 a month for EPL and F1 is great value. Considering F1TV pro is $8.30 a month I'll be saving regardless

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Senecio

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#3023285 18-Jan-2023 14:52

Competition only benefits the consumer when it’s competition on price for the same content/product. Where sport is fractured there is no competition. It is still a monopoly if you can only go to one provider to get your Premier League content etc….

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insane

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#3023304 18-Jan-2023 15:46

rlevis:
They do have to pay more for the content Spark was providing, like F1 and football, so makes sense.

It's not that simple. They pay for the rights once, and make more money by having more subscribers - if they picked up enough new subscribers they could potentially not need to raise prises at all, but that would just be leaving money on the table.

As they are not a charity and are trying to maximise profits for their shareholders, they would have done at least three things:

- Factored in picking up XX additional subs due to winning F1 and EPL.
- Run price sensitivity testing to make sure the proposition was viable and more profitable at the new price.
- Factor in the impact to brand reputation

Yes some subs would leave, but often upping your price is the easiest way to increase profits as the gains outweigh the losses of subs departing. With no competition it makes it so simple.

I'm a product manager, and that's what I'd be doing too.

MikeB4

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#3023313 18-Jan-2023 16:03

JPNZ:

MikeB4: I also believe they have dropped some channels.

Considering this is a thread about Sky sport I don't know why you would be worried about a fashion channel?

I'm on a contract so don't get the price increase but $3 a month for EPL and F1 is great value. Considering F1TV pro is $8.30 a month I'll be saving regardless

I am not the slightest bit worried about the channels going. I was simply pointing out in a thread titled "Spark sport gone, So Sky raises prices" this thread is not about Sky Sport it is about Sky raising prices. Dropping channels that are included in the channel package and raising prices is relevant to the discussion.

JPNZ

1547 posts

Uber Geek

#3023315 18-Jan-2023 16:10

MikeB4:

I am not the slightest bit worried about the channels going. I was simply pointing out in a thread titled "Spark sport gone, So Sky raises prices" this thread is not about Sky Sport it is about Sky raising prices. Dropping channels that are included in the channel package and raising prices is relevant to the discussion.

*le sigh*

If you bothered to READ the link in the OP you'd see that its an increase in Sky sport only. Nothing to do with other sky packages that had the E channel... Nor have they dropped any channels in the package that has increased in price.

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MikeB4

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#3023320 18-Jan-2023 16:28

JPNZ:

*le sigh*

If you bothered to READ the link in the OP you'd see that its an increase in Sky sport only. Nothing to do with other sky packages that had the E channel... Nor have they dropped any channels in the package that has increased in price.

You see it your way I see it my way. There seems to be a few new pseudo moderators about lately. Bye bye

old3eyes

9120 posts

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#3023322 18-Jan-2023 16:30

JPNZ:

MikeB4:

I am not the slightest bit worried about the channels going. I was simply pointing out in a thread titled "Spark sport gone, So Sky raises prices" this thread is not about Sky Sport it is about Sky raising prices. Dropping channels that are included in the channel package and raising prices is relevant to the discussion.

*le sigh*

If you bothered to READ the link in the OP you'd see that its an increase in Sky sport only. Nothing to do with other sky packages that had the E channel... Nor have they dropped any channels in the package that has increased in price.

Not relevant to Mike's comments in that Sky has increased their sports package and at the same time dropped some of their other channels so one should balance against the other. Surely there would be a drop to the basic Sky entertainment package to compensate.

Regards,

Old3eyes

JPNZ

1547 posts

Uber Geek

#3023324 18-Jan-2023 16:37

old3eyes:

Not relevant to Mike's comments in that Sky has increased their sports package and at the same time dropped s̶o̶m̶e̶ one of their other channels so one should balance against the other. Surely there would be a drop to the basic Sky entertainment package to compensate.

FTFY, not to forget all the E channel shows are available on Sky Go anyway. So the content is still there just not broadcast

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