Sky, TVNZ to launch new pay TV service

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384 posts

Ultimate Geek

#554957 7-Dec-2011 12:53

Shoes2468:
blur: I'm presuming that they'll want to tie you in with a specific internet provider for this?

I would say Telecom, parents just got a letter from them the other day saying they are releasing new plans with sky in the coming year as they are still on a legacy telecom plan which has sky base package included.

And therein lies the problem for me. I use a local provider (via wireless) for my internet who I am very happy with. I hope there is an option to use various providers.

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old3eyes

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#554964 7-Dec-2011 13:11

What a pity it wasn't an ? la carte selection rather than "This is what your going to get" Nothing there to make me want to sign up..

Regards,

Old3eyes

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Master Geek

#555041 7-Dec-2011 15:31

Maybe TVNZ7 will survive, according to http://tvnz.co.nz/technology-news/dunne-s-deal-save-tvnz-7-4596891

"United Future leader Peter Dunne says he intends to save TVNZ 7 after securing funding guarantees as part of a coalition agreement with the National party.

Dunne signed a confidence and supply agreement with National yesterday, and part of his deal was to maintain the current levels of funding for TVNZ and Radio New Zealand for their public broadcasting duties."

foamfollower

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Master Geek

#555053 7-Dec-2011 15:48

Details at http://tvnz.co.nz/technology-news/details-new-sky-tvnz-digital-tv-service-announced-4610845

"For $25 a month Kiwis will be able to access 11 television channels under a new partnership between TVNZ and Sky TV.

The two broadcasters announced last month that a joint TV service will be launched in the first half of 2012, with the name confirmed today as Igloo.

Hooking into the service involves buying a set-top box, the price of which is expected to be under $200. Viewers get free to air channels and have the option of paying $25 for 30-day access to the eleven channels.

The channels will include Comedy Central, UKTV, Food TV, BBC World News and BBC Knowledge, MTV Hits, Kidzone24, National Geographic Channel, TVNZ Heartland, Animal Planet and Vibe.

Live pay-per-view sports events and movies and TV episodes can also be purchased.

The set-top box will include WiFi and Ethernet connections to access OnDemand content."

blur

384 posts

Ultimate Geek

#555056 7-Dec-2011 15:50

Looks like the www.igloo.co.nz website is now live too

jonherries

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#555057 7-Dec-2011 15:51

Do we need to pay the $25 and have the STB (can we use a HTPC?) to get the pay-per-view?

Jon

openmedia

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#555059 7-Dec-2011 15:53

GeoffisPure: >Igloos' 11 pay-TV channels are:

UKTV,
Vibe,
Heartland,

BBC News,

BBC Knowledge,
National Geographic,
Animal Planet,
Food Television,

Kidzone24,

MTV Hits

Comedy Central.

>Pricing for the set-top boxes and the 30-day channel packs have not yet been disclosed. Igloo will hold a conference in Auckland today at which more details are expected to be released.

Hmmm... So a little bit of everything eh...
I dunno... I might be willing to pay about $15/month for this. No more.

Nah. $10, and add $10 if i could also get SOHO in HD.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

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crackrdbycracku

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#555078 7-Dec-2011 16:21

Yeah, I think the whole point of this service is to not compete with regular Sky.

If all New Zealand's Sky subscribers, the ones who actually care about the bill anyway, suddenly went:

"WOW, bugger paying what I currently do per month for all the stuff I don't even watch. When this hits I'm changing on day one and only paying for what I actually want. Awesome!"

Well, then Igloo would have failed.

Therefore, you are not going to see SoHo and you are probably going to have to buy the box and pay the $25 monthly sub to get the pay per view stuff.

Just think about the way Sky sells it's products now. Why would Sky make it easy for you to get pay per view sport paying almost half the Basic subscription per month?

The more it is bundled that more likely it is, the more a la carte the less likely.

Didn't anybody tell you I was a hacker?

blur

384 posts

Ultimate Geek

#555085 7-Dec-2011 16:31

It's hard to know what Sky are playing at. It seems to me that igloo will have more functionality that a mySky HDI decoder in that you can load and watch your own movies and photos (did I read that correctly?), without the channels.

I personally think they have done it knowing they will lose customers, they have done it to keep other competition out.

freitasm

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#555091 7-Dec-2011 16:44

Just received:

IGLOO – TV BY KIWIS FOR KIWIS

Kiwi TV is about to change forever. We have already caused quite a stir and today New Zealand’s worst kept secret is officially revealed – we’re launching an exciting new TV service called Igloo.

Igloo’s GM Chaz Savage says, “Igloo is literally telly made by Kiwis for Kiwis. We ran six months of research asking Kiwis what they wanted. They told us what channels they wanted and the fact that more choice and flexibility were key. We took all of that research and from it we created Igloo.”

SKY Television (51% shareholding) and TVNZ (49% shareholding) have formed a partnership to launch Igloo in the first half of 2012. Easy, great value and flexible, Igloo has no installation costs, no long term contracts or termination fees. It’s pre-pay TV!

The retail price of the set top box is yet to be confirmed but we are aiming to sell it for under $200. Once you’ve plugged it into your TV and UHF aerial you get all the free to air channels and you have the option to purchase a 30 day channel pack for around $25 giving you access to 11 Igloo channels.

Igloo’s 11 channels will include Comedy Central, UKTV, Food TV, BBC World News and BBC Knowledge, MTV Hits, Kidzone24, National Geographic Channel, TVNZ Heartland, Animal Planet and Vibe.

You can also purchase live pay-per-view sports events and rent titles from a catalogue of over a 1,000 movies and TV episodes. On Demand films and TV episodes are streamed over your broadband connection and once purchased will be available to view as many times as you like for 48 hours.

You can opt in and out of paid content whenever you want, paying through the Igloo box or via the website for content you want to watch.

The Igloo box includes WiFi and Ethernet connections to access the On Demand content and enables you to purchase content from your couch. You will also be able to purchase content from the Igloo website www.igloo.co.nz. The Igloo box also features two USB ports, one to play your own home media like family movies, holiday snaps and music on your TV, the other to enable the live pause functionality.

“We’re so excited about launching this alternative for Kiwis,” says Chaz. “And we believe that if you invite Igloo into your home the world will arrive with it – from David Attenborough to Rhys Darby, from the All Blacks to Usain Bolt, from Lennon to Gaga, from Downton Abbey to The Kennedys. It’s all there and it’s never been easier to access.”

SKY’s CEO John Fellet says, “The launch of Igloo is perfectly timed to take advantage of the digital switch over and it will give Kiwis more choice about what television they watch and how they want to watch it.”

“We want to get as much great content to New Zealanders as possible,” adds TVNZ’s CEO Rick Ellis. “Joining forces with SKY and launching Igloo allows us to do just that – it opens up more great shows and programmes to many more Kiwi households.”

Chaz says, “EasyPeazy is the Igloo philosophy. From installation onwards it’s all about simplicity. All you need is a UHF aerial and you’re away laughing. No technician required. We think every home needs an Igloo.”

freitasm

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#555092 7-Dec-2011 16:45

IGLOO FAQ

What is Igloo?

Igloo is an exciting new pre-pay telly service which offers Kiwis more choice and flexibility than ever before. It’s the first of its kind.

Igloo comes with an easy-to-install set top box with no long term contracts and no termination fees! You pay for what you want to watch when you want to watch it. This is pre-pay TV!

Igloo offers a great range of free to air channels and pay television channels, plus over a 1,000 pay-on-demand titles to choose from and live pay-per-view sporting events too.

Even if you don’t buy the 11 channel pack you can still use your Igloo set top box to watch all of the free to air channels, and you can still purchase any of the great live pay-per-view sporting events and/or rent any of the 1,000 plus video-on-demand films and TV episodes. That’s just great flexibility.

Why do we need another TV service?

Because Kiwis have asked for it. We’ve just completed 6 months of research where we asked Kiwis about every part of their TV experience, from what they wanted to pay, to what they wanted to watch, even down to the look and feel of the set top box and we took all of that research and created Igloo.

Kiwis want an option between SKY and free to air television – that’s exactly what Igloo is. New Zealanders told us that – as long as it’s flexible and on their terms – there is a market and there is an opportunity in the 50% of households that don’t currently subscribe to pay TV.

Kiwis want a lower price point, more flexibility, and they want choice in the form of additional ‘quality content' to the free to air channels that they currently receive. We think that Igloo meets all those needs head on.

Igloo is aimed at people for whom TV viewing is occasion-based; they don’t want a long term contract. Consumer research showed us that people want flexibility and choice without the big price tag. That’s a perfect description of Igloo.

Cost?

The retail price of the set top box is yet to be confirmed but we are aiming to sell it for under $200.

For around $25 Kiwis can receive 11 channels of great content for 30 days on top of all free to air channels (in Hi Definition when available).

There is also access to a video-on-demand library of more than 1,000 titles to rent from and great live pay-per-view sporting events.

The Igloo box also comes with live pause, a handy home media player and so much more.

This is really the simplest, most flexible, no termination fees, pre-pay model.

How many channels?

Igloo offers a 30 day pack of 11 linear channels. Plus all the free to air channels.

Our 11 channels are:

Vibe
UKTV
BBC World News
BBC Knowledge
Kidzone24
MTV Hits
National Geographic Channel
Animal Planet
Comedy Central
Food TV
TVNZ Heartland

The selection of these channels was very much informed by the research we conducted amongst our target market. We are offering a broad range of quality content which will please lots of people – from news junkies who love the BBC, to music lovers, from drama fans to wholesome shows for kids, plus all sports buffs can purchase live pay-per-view sporting events.

Will you release more channels in the future?

No additional channels will be launched in the foreseeable future.

Contracts?

No long term contracts, no termination fees. That is why this is such a flexible option. You can opt in and out of paid content whenever you want, paying through the set top box, via the website, or via our call centre.

Flexibility and simplicity came back time and time again in our consumer research. And we modelled Igloo on these consumer insights. We believe Igloo is exactly what Kiwis want.

Where can I buy it?

Igloo will be available at high street retail outlets nationwide and also online through our Igloo website www.igloo.co.nz

8. How complicated is installation?

Easypeazy, out-of-the box self-installation. All you need is a UHF aerial on the roof and a TV – no matter how old it is!

You should not need a technician but if you do we are happy to help.

We have put a lot of research into ensuring that Joe Public can pull it out of the box and hit play.

And for those that fail?

If people have any problems we’ll have an Auckland-based call centre team ready to talk them through it step-by-step.

And if they can’t nail down the issues then people have the flexibility to call in a third party to help them with the installation.

At launch we will have an Auckland-based customer support team ready to take calls.

Any video on demand?

Yes, we will launch with over 1,000 films and TV series.

How much to rent an On Demand title for a 48 hour period?

It’ll vary between $4 and $7 per movie and $1 and $3 per TV episode.

Can I purchase sports?

You can purchase live pay-per-view programmes such as big rugby games or a netball game. You don’t need to have bought a channel pack to access sport content. Prices will be announced later.

Will the film download to my hard drive like MYSKY?

No, it will stream over the internet.

After purchasing a film you will have 48 hours to watch it as many times as you wish.

Can I live pause?

Yes you can by simply plugging in a USB stick.

A USB stick allows you to live pause and also to buffer for up to four hours depending on the size of your USB stick.

Will the system have parental locks on it to prevent children seeing inappropriate films?

Yes, there will be a parental lock for all Igloo channels.

16. Will streaming eat into my datacap?

Streaming will use your data.

However, to put that in perspective, a full feature film is only 2GB and, according to our research, most Kiwis have a datacap of at least 20GB per month.

If my internet connection drops out will I lose the film?

No you won’t lose the film. The system will handle the fluctuations in internet speed.

You have 48 hours to watch the programme as many times as you want.

Launch?

Igloo will launch in the first half of 2012, to offer a great alternative in time for the beginning of the Digital Switch Over (DSO) in September 2012.

Will free to air channels be available?

Yes all free to air channels (in Hi Definition when available) come standard with Igloo plus so much more whenever you want it.

Will there be an alert function where you can book programmes and the EPG will tell you when they are about to start?

Yes, reminders are available for all channels.

How many free to air channels will you offer?

All of them, the Igloo box can tune to all free to air channels, including regional free to air ones.

Will you add more pay channels in the future?

We are happy with our launch line up and there are no plans to change the channels but as with every new product we’ll need to see how it is received by customers so future changes are possible.

crackrdbycracku

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#555095 7-Dec-2011 16:49

blur: It's hard to know what Sky are playing at. It seems to me that igloo will have more functionality that a mySky HDI decoder in that you can load and watch your own movies and photos (did I read that correctly?), without the channels.

I personally think they have done it knowing they will lose customers, they have done it to keep other competition out.

Yeah, people have said on this thread that Sky are doing it to keep the terrestrial frequencies.

Beats me what that stuff about watching your own movies and photos means. Yeah, I think it would be awesome if this decoder was some kind of media player as well as having recording capability but I also think unicorns are awesome and I don't think I'll be seeing one of those soon either.

I think there is a market out there for this or at least something like it. I don't have Sky currently and I'll consider it when we actually know what all the vague stuff actually mean.

This is also being pointed at people who don't have a Freeview compatible TV. So for them, if they don't want a new TV it might look like a good idea.

Most people on here probably already have Freeview compatible TVs.

Didn't anybody tell you I was a hacker?

bfginger

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#555111 7-Dec-2011 16:57

foamfollower: Maybe TVNZ7 will survive

It is very unlikely. TVNZ and National are both opposed to its continuation. If TVNZ are being allocated funding, they'll want to use it to subsidise for-profit programming wherever possible. They are desperate to turn a profit because as soon as they can't the government will want to privatise them.

http://tvnz.co.nz/breakfast-news/tuesday-december-6-4591433/video?vid=4596274
He's asked near the end.

blur: Looks like the www.igloo.co.nz website is now live too

Have they enlisted the same advertising agency as Freeview, you fun-lovin' cats.

I can't see anybody subscribing to this except those who are desperate for Kidzone24 or PPV Rugby who don't want to pay extra for full Sky.