So are you cancelling Sky?

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#1419204 2-Nov-2015 19:44

tripper1000:
MikeB4: No, Freeview has been destroyed. Sky still has the only true Sports coverage and in HD. I have Netflix as well so fully covered with Vodafone TV (Sky option) and Netflix

Agree, that Freeview has been destroyed, but don't go catching a case of Stockholm syndrome. Sky destroyed FTA by out-bidding FTA channels for the sports rights, knowing that the victims, I mean viewers, would make it worth while for Sky, by subscribing and rewarding Sky for taking away what was previously free.

Each to their own opinion, Full respect to that, In my own though, Freeview has not been destroyed, FreeviewPlus has been a draw card this year, but TVNZ Pop UP on Channel 13 being launched to deliver sports content not on available on SKY such as PGA, LPGA, AFL, NFL (If you don't subscribe to Sky Sport ESPN that is) Motorsport E. It's opened up a lot of opportunities in 2016, and the help of FreeviewPlus makes interactive channel streams a possibility if more sports are covered instead of relying on the Channel broadcast. FreeviewPlus is a great complimentary along with a Netflix Sub, Lightbox for Spark, UnoTelly and a Apple TV or Chromecast device.

Formerly worked at iStore NZ (Rest in Peace), Sky Network Television, Freeview, Apple, Spark New Zealand Trading Limited, DISH TV Technologies.

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tdgeek

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#1419207 2-Nov-2015 19:46

Handle9: Everyone hates sky. They are as well liked as the IRD.

I won't be cancelling them yet, I'll wait until after the cricket finishes for the season and wait for 3 months before going onto the next promotional deal (like I did this year 😀)

Yep, weird. Its just a company. It makes normal return on investment. Its not and has never been a monopoly, there has always been an option for competitors. As there is these days, they are everywhere. Tall Poppy Syndrome. Someone to pick on!

But there is a choice, don't use it, simple. No TV/Movie provider has everything, that was the case with Sky and it still is, as it is with others.

tdgeek

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#1419210 2-Nov-2015 19:48

tripper1000:
MikeB4: No, Freeview has been destroyed. Sky still has the only true Sports coverage and in HD. I have Netflix as well so fully covered with Vodafone TV (Sky option) and Netflix

Agree, that Freeview has been destroyed, but don't go catching a case of Stockholm syndrome. Sky destroyed FTA by out-bidding FTA channels for the sports rights, knowing that the victims, I mean viewers, would make it worth while for Sky, by subscribing and rewarding Sky for taking away what was previously free.

You may have omitted that Sky does outbid and win everything. Cricket, Golf, Foosball. Its a free market. And it is working as others have opted to take some sports, and competition is everywhere

tdgeek

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#1419216 2-Nov-2015 19:55

joshhill96:
tripper1000:
MikeB4: No, Freeview has been destroyed. Sky still has the only true Sports coverage and in HD. I have Netflix as well so fully covered with Vodafone TV (Sky option) and Netflix

Agree, that Freeview has been destroyed, but don't go catching a case of Stockholm syndrome. Sky destroyed FTA by out-bidding FTA channels for the sports rights, knowing that the victims, I mean viewers, would make it worth while for Sky, by subscribing and rewarding Sky for taking away what was previously free.

Each to their own opinion, Full respect to that, In my own though, Freeview has not been destroyed, FreeviewPlus has been a draw card this year, but TVNZ Pop UP on Channel 13 being launched to deliver sports content not on available on SKY such as PGA, LPGA, AFL, NFL (If you don't subscribe to Sky Sport ESPN that is) Motorsport E. It's opened up a lot of opportunities in 2016, and the help of FreeviewPlus makes interactive channel streams a possibility if more sports are covered instead of relying on the Channel broadcast. FreeviewPlus is a great complimentary along with a Netflix Sub, Lightbox for Spark, UnoTelly and a Apple TV or Chromecast device.

Sounds good.

Everyone here, and everywhere watches different stuff. So we will all have TV providers that suit our needs. I just dont get why there is bashing of the TV providers that don't suit our needs. In this thread, Sky and even Freeview. We can probably justify every provider being rubbish, if we prefer titles they don't have. Pick what suits, sorted.

Apsattv

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#1419217 2-Nov-2015 19:56

Got to love that Discovery Turbo onscreen bug...! could they make it any BIGGER

tdgeek

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#1419223 2-Nov-2015 20:03

Apsattv: Got to love that Discovery Turbo onscreen bug...! could they make it any BIGGER

Yep, and its lower and lefter then where they usually sit. The Mercedes proggie on right now is SD+, plus meaning more SD then most SD's!
Maybe its old

LookingUp

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#1419363 2-Nov-2015 23:17

Interesting thread. Pretty much the only reason we're still on Sky is sports, and the lack of any simple way of getting good quality access to them any other way. We once watched movies, and still do from time to time, but either we're getting old or the movies are getting young (dumber), or most probably a combination of both.

Recently I looked at both Netflix and Quickflix (NZ) and tried to figure out what it was they were actually offering. In both cases it was less than simple to find out without subscribing, which I'm loathe to do without knowing what I'm signing up for, so I took the cynical approach that "if you're not telling then you're trying something on". When I did manage to find what they had, it was also less than compelling, confirming my fears.

Advice? We live in an area where our broadband isn't very fast, and our prospect of fibre is still years away. The thought of live streaming HD is "optimistic", so we'd need some sort of service that would allow download and watch later, as watching in SD is not a starter. Quite happy to do it that way, which we do from time to time when we miss an episode of something, or hear about something not on NZ TV, but it would be kind of nice to be able to to do it in a less ad-hoc manner that is more "partner friendly".

Ideas welcome.... (thanks)

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mattwnz

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#1419367 2-Nov-2015 23:43

tdgeek: there has always been an option for competitors.

I don't believe that is the case when it comes to content. They have most sport sown up for example, so a new entrant can't just come in and offer a sports channel with rugby and cricket for example. It is all about the content, as content is king.
IMO for sport, sky represents reasonable value in terms of what you get. But if you are not into sports then I wouldn't see that much value in having sky these days. A lot of the elderly still have sky I have noticed.

wingbat45

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#1419384 3-Nov-2015 00:16

You all realize that sky own the production trucks that do the sports for them nation wide,?

Not sure if people know that

grant_k

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#1419386 3-Nov-2015 00:24

wingbat45: You all realize that sky own the production trucks that do the sports for them nation wide,?
Not sure if people know that

Yes, they bought up the OSB business from TVNZ some years ago now. Any new entrant wanting to start broadcasting live sports events in NZ would have an uphill battle and IMO it's pretty unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future.

I still remember the days when TV1 and TV3 both had sports O/B sections which competed for the rights to the major events. Nowadays there is only one game in town and those who can't afford Sky are disenfranchised from the vast majority of live sport broadcasts. Unless the ABs are playing, I hardly ever watch sports on TV, but for those that do, and don't have $100+ per month to spend, it must be a bitter pill to swallow. I guess it keeps the pubs in business though, so not entirely a lost cause.

Apsattv

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#1419410 3-Nov-2015 02:47

grant_k:
wingbat45: You all realize that sky own the production trucks that do the sports for them nation wide,?
Not sure if people know that

Yes, they bought up the OSB business from TVNZ some years ago now. Any new entrant wanting to start broadcasting live sports events in NZ would have an uphill battle and IMO it's pretty unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future.

I still remember the days when TV1 and TV3 both had sports O/B sections which competed for the rights to the major events. Nowadays there is only one game in town and those who can't afford Sky are disenfranchised from the vast majority of live sport broadcasts. Unless the ABs are playing, I hardly ever watch sports on TV, but for those that do, and don't have $100+ per month to spend, it must be a bitter pill to swallow. I guess it keeps the pubs in business though, so not entirely a lost cause.

The OSB excuse for setting up is a bit of a myth. Satellite uplinks are not so important in the age of ip and fibre delivery. The major sports ground probably have Fibre in most of them.

It can always be contracted out

MikeB4

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#1419428 3-Nov-2015 07:33

joshhill96:
tripper1000:
MikeB4: No, Freeview has been destroyed. Sky still has the only true Sports coverage and in HD. I have Netflix as well so fully covered with Vodafone TV (Sky option) and Netflix

Agree, that Freeview has been destroyed, but don't go catching a case of Stockholm syndrome. Sky destroyed FTA by out-bidding FTA channels for the sports rights, knowing that the victims, I mean viewers, would make it worth while for Sky, by subscribing and rewarding Sky for taking away what was previously free.

Each to their own opinion, Full respect to that, In my own though, Freeview has not been destroyed, FreeviewPlus has been a draw card this year, but TVNZ Pop UP on Channel 13 being launched to deliver sports content not on available on SKY such as PGA, LPGA, AFL, NFL (If you don't subscribe to Sky Sport ESPN that is) Motorsport E. It's opened up a lot of opportunities in 2016, and the help of FreeviewPlus makes interactive channel streams a possibility if more sports are covered instead of relying on the Channel broadcast. FreeviewPlus is a great complimentary along with a Netflix Sub, Lightbox for Spark, UnoTelly and a Apple TV or Chromecast device.

Free view started well but crashed fairly quickly. Basically 3 HD broadcast stations and a few SD stations with limited content with the exception of Prime and Choice. If Prime, Choice and Four were HD it would a lot better. The shopping channels are God awful abominations. The ethnic channels which is a good concept done badly needs major work.
Free view plus is a good idea but is just working with the current wrecked content.

Sky offers a huge range of content, granted they need to do a lot of work to respond to Netflix and Quickflix something I am sure they will do. One look at the Board Members reveals a lot of business talent and they will respond.

The best Sky offering is via VodafoneTV with free HD receiver recorder and free HD ticket and a device with a vastly better guide and GUI

ockel

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#1419434 3-Nov-2015 07:43

Apsattv:
grant_k:
wingbat45: You all realize that sky own the production trucks that do the sports for them nation wide,?
Not sure if people know that

Yes, they bought up the OSB business from TVNZ some years ago now. Any new entrant wanting to start broadcasting live sports events in NZ would have an uphill battle and IMO it's pretty unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future.

I still remember the days when TV1 and TV3 both had sports O/B sections which competed for the rights to the major events. Nowadays there is only one game in town and those who can't afford Sky are disenfranchised from the vast majority of live sport broadcasts. Unless the ABs are playing, I hardly ever watch sports on TV, but for those that do, and don't have $100+ per month to spend, it must be a bitter pill to swallow. I guess it keeps the pubs in business though, so not entirely a lost cause.

The OSB excuse for setting up is a bit of a myth. Satellite uplinks are not so important in the age of ip and fibre delivery. The major sports ground probably have Fibre in most of them.

It can always be contracted out

HD Production trucks and cameras are not cheap for a new entrant. I'm not sure that there are many around other than OSB.

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tdgeek

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#1419448 3-Nov-2015 08:07

MikeB4:
joshhill96:
tripper1000:
MikeB4: No, Freeview has been destroyed. Sky still has the only true Sports coverage and in HD. I have Netflix as well so fully covered with Vodafone TV (Sky option) and Netflix

Agree, that Freeview has been destroyed, but don't go catching a case of Stockholm syndrome. Sky destroyed FTA by out-bidding FTA channels for the sports rights, knowing that the victims, I mean viewers, would make it worth while for Sky, by subscribing and rewarding Sky for taking away what was previously free.

Each to their own opinion, Full respect to that, In my own though, Freeview has not been destroyed, FreeviewPlus has been a draw card this year, but TVNZ Pop UP on Channel 13 being launched to deliver sports content not on available on SKY such as PGA, LPGA, AFL, NFL (If you don't subscribe to Sky Sport ESPN that is) Motorsport E. It's opened up a lot of opportunities in 2016, and the help of FreeviewPlus makes interactive channel streams a possibility if more sports are covered instead of relying on the Channel broadcast. FreeviewPlus is a great complimentary along with a Netflix Sub, Lightbox for Spark, UnoTelly and a Apple TV or Chromecast device.

Free view started well but crashed fairly quickly. Basically 3 HD broadcast stations and a few SD stations with limited content with the exception of Prime and Choice. If Prime, Choice and Four were HD it would a lot better. The shopping channels are God awful abominations. The ethnic channels which is a good concept done badly needs major work.
Free view plus is a good idea but is just working with the current wrecked content.

Sky offers a huge range of content, granted they need to do a lot of work to respond to Netflix and Quickflix something I am sure they will do. One look at the Board Members reveals a lot of business talent and they will respond.

The best Sky offering is via VodafoneTV with free HD receiver recorder and free HD ticket and a device with a vastly better guide and GUI

Remember, Freeview is FTA. Its free, its not a subscription service that can afford to be a business. Its the same free servuce that wer have had since the 60's, with more free channels, and HD, and EPG, and with recorders. All that and its free to use, you can't expect it to be Sky, DirectTV, etc

ockel

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#1419455 3-Nov-2015 08:21

tdgeek:
MikeB4:
joshhill96:
tripper1000:
MikeB4: No, Freeview has been destroyed. Sky still has the only true Sports coverage and in HD. I have Netflix as well so fully covered with Vodafone TV (Sky option) and Netflix

Agree, that Freeview has been destroyed, but don't go catching a case of Stockholm syndrome. Sky destroyed FTA by out-bidding FTA channels for the sports rights, knowing that the victims, I mean viewers, would make it worth while for Sky, by subscribing and rewarding Sky for taking away what was previously free.

Each to their own opinion, Full respect to that, In my own though, Freeview has not been destroyed, FreeviewPlus has been a draw card this year, but TVNZ Pop UP on Channel 13 being launched to deliver sports content not on available on SKY such as PGA, LPGA, AFL, NFL (If you don't subscribe to Sky Sport ESPN that is) Motorsport E. It's opened up a lot of opportunities in 2016, and the help of FreeviewPlus makes interactive channel streams a possibility if more sports are covered instead of relying on the Channel broadcast. FreeviewPlus is a great complimentary along with a Netflix Sub, Lightbox for Spark, UnoTelly and a Apple TV or Chromecast device.

Free view started well but crashed fairly quickly. Basically 3 HD broadcast stations and a few SD stations with limited content with the exception of Prime and Choice. If Prime, Choice and Four were HD it would a lot better. The shopping channels are God awful abominations. The ethnic channels which is a good concept done badly needs major work.
Free view plus is a good idea but is just working with the current wrecked content.

Sky offers a huge range of content, granted they need to do a lot of work to respond to Netflix and Quickflix something I am sure they will do. One look at the Board Members reveals a lot of business talent and they will respond.

The best Sky offering is via VodafoneTV with free HD receiver recorder and free HD ticket and a device with a vastly better guide and GUI

Remember, Freeview is FTA. Its free, its not a subscription service that can afford to be a business. Its the same free servuce that wer have had since the 60's, with more free channels, and HD, and EPG, and with recorders. All that and its free to use, you can't expect it to be Sky, DirectTV, etc

Have to disagree wholeheartedly on this one. Free-to-Air does not mean free - it means that its indirectly funded via advertising revenue, sponsorship, NZOnAir funding (by programme not channel) rather than directly (subscription) funded. All Freeview channels are businesses. It costs to have a transponder or rent space on the terrestrial towers. Add content and production costs and the required profit margin (zero to acceptable rate of return dependent on the business). FTA has never been free - ever. Ever since the 60's. In the early era it was completely government funded (taxpayer) with goals of profitablity dependent on policy at the time. Television has always been and always will be a business.

Sixth Labour Government - "Vision without Execution is just Hallucination"

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