So I've been following the streaming thing since I was involved in the beta testing for Lightbox last year. 

One of the reasons I didn't sign up was the restrictions placed on access that only five devices could connect in a specific month and that you could only replace one of the device entries per month.  I found quite quickly that even using the same PC it quickly got through the device list and then I would have to start calling the support desk to reset the devices - if they would give the okay to that!

The same appears to have happened to Neon and SkyGo, all of which say it's not their restriction but one which is placed on them by the content provider/distributor.

Why is it then (if I read it correctly), Netflix can arrive to distribute streamed content to NZ and offer what appears to be no device restrictions, but only a restriction on how many concurrent streams and whether HD or SD.

So is it really that Spark and Sky have been told they can't have more than 5 devices or that they have chosen this as a way to get cheaper access to content?  Will they be going back to the suppliers and asking for a level playing field for delivery too?

I have to say, paying for 2 concurrent HD streams at NZ$12.99 is quite appealing especially when we can move from device to device without having to worry about blowing the device limit - between phones, tablets, PCs, TVs and a blu-ray player a 5 device limit would be impossible.