Quickflix coming to NZ

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66 posts

Master Geek
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Reply # 622212 9-May-2012 13:34

crackrdbycracku: What is Sky going to do about all this? Players with a dominant monopoly for as long as Sky has had one usually implode when a new challenge comes along, Music Industry vs MP3. Will Sky adapt and evolve? My money says 'no'. They will keep pushing the same product and rely on customer apathy and inertia. But I've been wrong before.

Will Fatso make a move to online provision? NetFlix started as DVDs by post so it isn't unthinkable but they would probably need a big player partner, anybody from TelstraClear or SlingShot reading this?

Sky currently have all the worthwhile content rights tied up and their lobbyist literally has his own key to the Beehive. Sky won't be moved and they will hold competitors out of the market for years to come. The CEO of Netflix said they would not enter the NZ market to two reasons - (1) Low data caps, which is becoming less a problem lately and (2) Sky has all the rights.

Regarding Fatso (Screen Enterprises Limited), their majority shareholder is Sky - so sorry, we are screwed there as well. Sky wont cannibalise it's own monopoly with putting Fatso online.

Honestly, there is no relief in sight and as much as I lean to the right politically, the nats have always had their industry bedfellows and Sky TV won't be kicked out of bed under this government. So expect more of the same.

ronw

765 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 19

Reply # 622213 9-May-2012 13:38

I joined as soon as it launched and don't regret it. There is new content every day or so and I can find plenty of stuff to watch especially movies that I have missed in past.

A small annoyance is that Orcon promised zero rating from may 1st but it appears now their software cannot show the zero rating so I have no idea how much I have used. I am nearing my cap and still 13 days to go before the data month ends. I don't really want to get a large bill so I hop Orcon sorts itself out before then.

A small note I see that Sky is increasing its charges next month so one more reason to support alternatives

crackrdbycracku: I think the next six months are going to be extremely interesting in the NZ online content provision space.

Will QuickFlix be able to get enough content and make good on enough of the 'coming soon' promises to keep the current user base and attract more? I was going to be in when they got an xbox app and more TV series, I don't care if they are old but I need some choice. Now, I'm waiting to see how Fyx goes.

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ronw

765 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 19

Reply # 622226 9-May-2012 13:50

Not too sure that matters. There is already a significant number of films on Quickflix and some TV shows. They have already announced that the have ITV and BBC signed up so I am sure there will be enough content. Sky will only have content with the period that they want to show it. Outside of that its a new ball game.
Also there is a lot of content that is worth watching that will never appear on Sky because they dopnt want it. Foreign content for instance. Ditto for a lot of Indie content
Finally everyone should start complaining to their MP's that we need anti syphoning legislation like Australia and also that trying to limit new entrants into television field is not in NZ interests

Regarding Fatso (Screen Enterprises Limited), their majority shareholder is Sky - so sorry, we are screwed there as well. Sky wont cannibalise it's own monopoly with putting Fatso online.

Honestly, there is no relief in sight and as much as I lean to the right politically, the nats have always had their industry bedfellows and Sky TV won't be kicked out of bed under this government. So expect more of the same.

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crackrdbycracku

1168 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 69

Reply # 622235 9-May-2012 13:58

SiliconAudio:

Sky currently have all the worthwhile content rights tied up

I disagree. QuickFlix seems to have a 'in' with the BBC. The thing I don't understand is that if they can offer one season of Dr Who, why not have them all? Yes, including all the old ones. The BBC makes awesome content and if there were more of it QuickFlix becomes very mainstream, very fast. Think of all the great BBC shows we could have access to.

Secondly, the major owner of QuickFlix is HBO. When that contract with Sky comes up for renewal expect some change.

Sky will keep the sport no question of that. But sport is the only thing you need to see live. QuickFlix doesn't need the latest movies and TV shows it just needs a lot of them.

SiliconAudio: Sky literally has his own key to the Beehive.

Plenty of people, like me, are really sick of the truth of your above statement. If helped change my vote last election, maybe next time I won't be the only one.

Didn't anybody tell you I was a hacker?

SiliconAudio

66 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 6

Reply # 622252 9-May-2012 14:28

crackrdbycracku:

SiliconAudio: Sky literally has his own key to the Beehive.

Plenty of people, like me, are really sick of the truth of your above statement. If helped change my vote last election, maybe next time I won't be the only one.

Things may be about to get a whole lot worse...
Read This!

crackrdbycracku

1168 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 69

Reply # 622263 9-May-2012 14:55

@SiliconAudio

There is a big difference. In the 1990's there was no illegal but relatively easy alternative Telecom.

That is the best thing that QuickFlix offers, a legal/ creators get paid alternative to piracy. This any things such as Fyx and VPNs which are not illegal, show that there are ways around the incumbent available now that simply didn't exist in the 1990s.

If the pressure from Sky to lock things down becomes too much these things become a reasonable business case.

We live in a world now where you can't exercise that level of control, you have to convince people.

Like a democracy

Didn't anybody tell you I was a hacker?

SiliconAudio

66 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 6

Reply # 622277 9-May-2012 15:14

crackrdbycracku: @SiliconAudio

There is a big difference. In the 1990's there was no illegal but relatively easy alternative Telecom.

That is the best thing that QuickFlix offers, a legal/ creators get paid alternative to piracy. This any things such as Fyx and VPNs which are not illegal, show that there are ways around the incumbent available now that simply didn't exist in the 1990s.

If the pressure from Sky to lock things down becomes too much these things become a reasonable business case.

We live in a world now where you can't exercise that level of control, you have to convince people.

Like a democracy

The problem is, it's only the geeks and boffins who can find the alternative route. Mainstream NZ is stuck with the monopoly. And the monopoly often spends its time plugging the loopholes that are the alternative options.

I work in IT for local government. So believe me when I say that "democracy" is largely an illusion :(

trig42

Banana?
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Reply # 622278 9-May-2012 15:18

crackrdbycracku: I think the next six months are going to be extremely interesting in the NZ online content provision space...

....
Will Fatso make a move to online provision? NetFlix started as DVDs by post so it isn't unthinkable but they would probably need a big player partner, anybody from TelstraClear or SlingShot reading this?

There are rumours of an iTunes subscription service. Give Apple usually goes global at launch or pretty soon after will this be yet another player in the market?

And finally, how many content providers/content provision models can a market the size of NZ actually maintain?

I'm finding the most comfortable position I can on the fence for the moment until the dust settles.

Check out https://now.jbhifi.com.au/#/music/Home/Choose/
I have had a play and seen it running - it is very smooth. Subscription based with smartphone Apps (WinPho coming very soon), can play streaming or cache locally on your device.

Wouldn't imagine it would be long before it is here (once AU is up and running). JB are a massive seller of music (10th in the world for physical music sales, biggest in the world per capita) in Australasia. They are also a pretty big seller of visual content.

crackrdbycracku

1168 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 69

Reply # 622279 9-May-2012 15:19

You call it "stuck with the monopoly", I call it a business opportunity.

I still don't understand why local computer shops aren't offering 'VPN in a box'. The hardware, installation and phone support for a flat price.

It isn't illegal and it seems easy enough to me. If you want in PM me.

Didn't anybody tell you I was a hacker?

SiliconAudio

66 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 6

Reply # 622289 9-May-2012 15:32

crackrdbycracku: You call it "stuck with the monopoly", I call it a business opportunity.

I still don't understand why local computer shops aren't offering 'VPN in a box'. The hardware, installation and phone support for a flat price.

It isn't illegal and it seems easy enough to me. If you want in PM me.

Like I said, geeks like you and I know how to find the loopholes. It's Ma' and Pa Kettle at home who are stuck. Can you imagine a retired couple installing a VPN to subscribe to a foreign content provider? - Dream on...

In NZ, we need industry regulation to level the playing field. I sway right in most of my political opinions, but when it comes to regulating Telecommunications (both broadcast and internet), I side with the bleeding-heart liberals.

crackrdbycracku

1168 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 69

Reply # 622292 9-May-2012 15:45

That's the whole point of QuickFlix and Fyx and all the rest. You charge for the convenience not for the content as such. Sure Ma and Pa aren't going to do it for themselves but they will pay someone to do it for them. Therein lies the opportunity.

There are many ways to get content. The thing about QuickFlix is that it is, or at least should be judging by this thread; easy.

Sure, you can torrent it, but that's illegal. Sure, you can set up a VPN and NetFlix, but that's complicated. Sure, you can subscribe to Sky but it is expensive, particularly considering how much you will actually watch. Sure, you can rent plastic discs, but hey dude this is 2012, ya know?

Or you can pay QuickFlix a monthly fee to take the pain away.

QuickFlix isn't selling access to content; it is selling convenience. When QuickFlix get this through their head, and judging by the launch they are not there yet, they will grow exponentially and Sky won't be able to stop them.

Didn't anybody tell you I was a hacker?

SiliconAudio

66 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 6

Reply # 622306 9-May-2012 16:07

crackrdbycracku: QuickFlix isn't selling access to content; it is selling convenience. When QuickFlix get this through their head, and judging by the launch they are not there yet, they will grow exponentially and Sky won't be able to stop them.

Actually, I think it's both. In my world, content is king. No matter how convenient, if the content is poor, the convenience doesn't matter. I don't go to the video store and pick a bad movie because it's right near the door - I will spend time searching for the content I want.

In my first post in this thread, I mentioned that for me personally, QuickFlix doesn't yet have the content I personally want (not just new, but a good back-catalogue). I love the idea of QuickFlix, but it has a long way to go before I drop my Fatso membership for QuickFlix. I also have a problem with the pay-per-view model for new releases that are not all that new. Again, Fatso don't charge extra for this.

So for me, to sound like a broken record, convenience is not the problem, content is the problem. If QuickFlix can even get to 25% the content of Fatso, I would be seriously tempted. I almost joined QuickFlix about two weeks ago, but when I searched for my favourite movies & TV shows that have come out in the last 3 or 4 years, none of them were there.

SiliconAudio

66 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 6

Reply # 622323 9-May-2012 16:24

Here's a little test for you all...

Go to IMDb's Top 250 and search for the top 10 movies on the list (from 1957 to 2008, so we're not talking new releases) - not one hit in QuickFlix!

Houston, we have a problem! Find me a video store anywhere that wouldn't have at least a couple of those movies. Like I say, content is king, and QuickFlix isn't even in the ballpark.

crackrdbycracku

1168 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 69

Reply # 622348 9-May-2012 16:53

I think we are pretty much in agreement. I'm not changing my Fatso subscription for a QuickFlix one, and it is four times the price, yet.

As I said in my first post in this conversation a lot depends on QuickFlix making good on the promises. More content being the obvious one, more apps and all that.

But [all apologies for another crackedbycracku analogy] ... in medieval times the height of technology was a siege engine used to batter down castle walls. For a long time catapults were the order of the day, then along came this newfangled thing; the cannon. It was unreliable, inaccurate and usually more dangerous to the operator than the enemy. It was certainly no where near as good as a catapult. However, the catapult was at the end of it's development. The cannon still had a long way to go.

QuickFlix is never going to better the local video store or Sky in terms of amount of content, it may equal them but it isn't going have materially more. Where QuickFlix can easily better the local store and Fatso is convenience, a scratched disc makes steam come out my ears. Where it can beat Sky is on price, particularly for what you will actually watch.

The thing is vid store/Fatso and Sky really have no answer, they are both about as good as they are ever going to be. Physical discs are going same as VHS, remember when DVD was just for movie geeks? As for Sky they would be looking at a complete revision and rebuild of their operation from the business model on up.

Content is indeed king, but the QuickFlix point of difference is convenience and price. And they have a long way to go.

Didn't anybody tell you I was a hacker?

jtbthatsme

915 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 65

Trusted

Reply # 622368 9-May-2012 17:16

"Content is indeed king, but the QuickFlix point of difference is convenience and price. And they have a long way to go."

Umm this is a little wrong in how you've worded it isn't it as Convenience and Price are both what Quickflix do well over Fatso so they only have the content side of thing to go and yes that is a long way off.

Another thing yeah people may want to compare this as a alternative to Sky but sure Sky may have rights and content at the moment but convenience and price again they fail miserably you can't watch whatever you like on Sky whenever you like oh there that added extra though where you can record something once it's screened then play back at your convenience.

You need to compare Quickflix to video stores really. Once the content issue is sorted then it could be classed as a wrthy alternative to Sky, Fatso etc for now low price and convenience is enough for me though.

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