The ShowmeTV thread

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#995053 26-Feb-2014 19:22

I'm unfortunately in the camp of more providers = more money = same content given the current view of the rights holders. This will only change when the rights holder allows more than one provider per content, which as we've seen with the EPL isn't likely to be the case... Certainly I've been tainted by Setanta Sport in the UK when they got some of the Premier League from Sky UK and you had to pay $10 more a month to get the same content you had before.

compost

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#995067 26-Feb-2014 20:09

Jas777: Benoire,

Part of the problem also is that people perceive competition as being able to get the same product from different sources but confuse the product with the brand.

Case in point is Rugby, the product is Rugby, the brand is Super 15. People think they should be able to get Super 15 from multiple sources even though only 1 of the sources is actually manufacturing the product so to speak and by that I mean recording the games. Why would that company let another sell it and undercut them unless made to?

Our electricity market is regulated. Power generators and retailers are not allowed to own the lines that distribute the power. Power retailers have equal access to the power provided by the lines companies. Similar story for phone lines. Something like this could in theory be done for pay TV.

However given recent events, regulation of supermarkets would seem to be a higher priority.

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Benoire

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#995073 26-Feb-2014 20:36

Compost, how would you regulate a market that doesn't control the content? It is the rights holders that control the keys to the distribution, not media works or Sky for example... Any NZ regulator would not be able to force the EPL to allow multiple providers if they didn't want to... The only way they could is if a single crown entity bought all the rights in NZ and then allowed companies to resell them. Only NZ produced content could be licensed in a similar way to NZ Power, other foreign media could not be.

silverlake

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#995115 26-Feb-2014 21:43

tdgeek: Nice post

I work for Telecom but I do not know anything about Showme, my opinions are mine.

I use Sky but I don't see them as a monopoly . They have been outbid on more than one time. EPL being the latest.

IMHO the issue is NZ. Under 5 million population is difficult. I've been to many countries and many cities double or more our population. That's difficult to provide a solution that satisfies everyone

The problem is not New Zealand or the size of it's population. The problem is geo-blocking. There should be no barriers to where we receive content from. National boundaries are completely artificial - especially in the context of the internet.

Benoire

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#995117 26-Feb-2014 21:45

The problem is the content rights holders :-) Geo-blocking is just another tool they use to restrict access, much like bidding wars and limited releases in different countries.

tdgeek

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#995228 27-Feb-2014 07:41

JimmyH: My concern is that if the market fragments, with different bits of content moving exclusively to a range of providers, then in order to get the content I want I will potentially need multiple subscriptions and set top boxes.

On the subscription side, this could be a PITA to manage and likely cost more than the current Sky sub to get all of the content I currently get.

Multiple Set top boxes will be potentially even more annoying. My propensity to tinker means that my current setup is complex enough - the inputs on my TV (2xAV, 2xComponent, 4xHDMI) are already maxed out, and my powerstrips are full. I don't want to have to install AV switches etc to juggle routing many STBs to my TV and recorder. I doubly don't want to have to do this for elderly relatives that I am the unpaid tech support guy for - and then get them comfortable with using it and taking all the support calls when the press the wrong button etc.

Issues of price and monopoly aside, there is some ease/cost upside with basically only one delivery platform to manage. While more content and providers would be nice, I can also see it potentially turning into a bit of a nuisance.

Agree 100%

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tdgeek

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#995231 27-Feb-2014 07:44

silverlake:
tdgeek: Nice post

I work for Telecom but I do not know anything about Showme, my opinions are mine.

I use Sky but I don't see them as a monopoly . They have been outbid on more than one time. EPL being the latest.

IMHO the issue is NZ. Under 5 million population is difficult. I've been to many countries and many cities double or more our population. That's difficult to provide a solution that satisfies everyone

The problem is not New Zealand or the size of it's population. The problem is geo-blocking. There should be no barriers to where we receive content from. National boundaries are completely artificial - especially in the context of the internet.

You would need to take that up with the rights holders, they control who gets in and on what terms. If any content is geo blocked, they have not sold it to a NZ provider, so we don't have access to the content.

Giggs

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#998758 4-Mar-2014 13:05

Interesting article on the NZ Herald website http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=11213607

Looks like Sky might be looking at a streaming service as well.

Now if they could all use the same device...

trig42

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#998767 4-Mar-2014 13:15

I wonder if Telecom couldn't just approach Netflix and partner with them?

sultanoswing

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#998768 4-Mar-2014 13:18

Giggs: Interesting article on the NZ Herald website http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=11213607

Looks like Sky might be looking at a streaming service as well.

Now if they could all use the same device...

it's not so much using the same device, which then lends itself to proprietary control, but as many devices and platforms as possible.

If they pulled their heads out of their a$$e$, they could make them platform neutral i.e. support win/mac/Linux as well as devices such as PS4, XBOX One, TVs, AppleTV, Bluray players, and add a channel to Roku etc.

I mean if Netflix (who they claim to want to emulate) can do this (although it requires a hack on Linux), then bring it on.

NonprayingMantis

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#998769 4-Mar-2014 13:21

trig42: I wonder if Telecom couldn't just approach Netflix and partner with them?

Netflix have never partnered with an ISP. The most they have done is peering (and only recently with Comcast)

Furthermore, they would still need to negotiate ALL the content rights for NZ. When they launched in the UK they had a pretty small lineup of content - waaaaay less than the US version, so don't imagine that even if they launched here you would suddenly get access to everything.

The only benefit of bringing netflix in would be that they have the various apps on different devices already, and a great UI. (which is a big benefit don't get me wrong, but content is more important)

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Jas777

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#998781 4-Mar-2014 13:29

sultanofswing,

And hopefully they will put a charge for this on those that use it and not the ones who use a set top box

mattwnz

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#998800 4-Mar-2014 13:36

I would have thought it would have been smart for telecom to just buy quickflix, as apparently it only has a market cap of 7 million. Quicklflix is already on so many devices, including Sony TVs and tivos. Telecom are apparently going to spend 20 million this year on this venture, with about 75 percent of that going to content. Sky apparently spend over 10 times that amount per year, so I think they are going to struggle to get enough quality content. It appears to me that they are just dipping their toe in it, rather than going full force. Maybe they will put more into it next year.

mattwnz

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#998806 4-Mar-2014 13:39

trig42: I wonder if Telecom couldn't just approach Netflix and partner with them?

Why Wold netflix want to do that though, they cold setup their own business here. But I think it is more about exclusive content rights, as other nz providers would already have exclusive rights to at least some of that content being played n NZ.

benokobi

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#999027 4-Mar-2014 18:57

mattwnz:
trig42: I wonder if Telecom couldn't just approach Netflix and partner with them?

Why Wold netflix want to do that though, they cold setup their own business here. But I think it is more about exclusive content rights, as other nz providers would already have exclusive rights to at least some of that content being played n NZ.

Doesn't telecom have a decent customer base and netflix could utilise their cdns.

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