Saturday, June 22, 2013

Skyfall?

This week, lotsa sports talk has centred on the switch of UK footie, from TV to laptop.
Never take your eyes off the ball!
Sky TV put in its biggest-ever bid for the NZ rights to all English Premier League matches for the next three seasons, but was beaten by Coliseum Sports Media which will stream live to laptops, iPads etc...
Coliseum's unsure just how many English Premier League fans there are...especially those prepared to stump up with the dosh. Founder/director Timothy Martin says customers can watch all 380 games of the league on-line for $150 a season. Meanwhile TVNZ has the free-to-air rights and will show 38 premier league matches a season.
Sky's gotta be concerned at the possible subscriber drift. In fact, it must be seriously pissed that someone else waltzed in and took a piece of the proverbial pie. Its live sport monopoly was the main reason why Kiwis were attracted to Sky and why they're willing to pay $70-90 monthly for a package bundle of channels, the majority of which they don't even watch.
Coliseum has looked into what Sky doesn't provide or does poorly, and obviously one aspect is that the viewing is restricted to inside the home. Even though Sky still has all the other sports, people may decide that the luxury of mobility is a better alternative. The main obstacle for Coliseum is that consumers have got comfortable with Sky, warts an' all: being able to settle down in front o'telly-like with comfy slippers, pipe and wife, is perfectly acceptable for some. But if this new age of viewing takes off over the next few years, that scenario may become a distant memory.
The next move will be up to Sky...and its current consumers.
 [...with thanx to Anthony Murphy]

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