midfielder
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http://www.nbr.co.nz/opinion/end-tv-we-know-it-CK
Media's PremierLeaguePass.com launch is a watershed moment for NZ media - rattling Sky TV investors, and giving viewers and exciting glimpse of what's to come.
The company's short-notice press conference was packed; NBR ONLINE's launch-day story was easily this site's best-read article of the week. It also prompted several questions from readers, which I had the chance to put to Coliseum CEO Tim Martin. But before we get to his replies, a quick recap.
Wednesday, Mr Martin announced his company had outbid Sky TV for rights to the English Premier League (EPL).
PremierLeaguePass.com is taking registrations of interest now and will officially launch on August 1 ahead of the August 17 kick off of the EPL's 2013/2014 season.
The cost
PremierLeaguePass.com will offer a season pass for $150, offering access to 380 games - or every EPL game. A $240 season pass will add magazine-style shows (produced by the EPL). For those who don't want a season pass, there will also be a robustly-priced ($25) day pass option.
Gadget viewing options
Games can be watched on a PC, Mac, tablet or smartphone (via iPhone and Android apps), or via HDMI cable or wi-fi, on a regular television. None of this technology is new - in fact Mr Martin emphasises it's all developed NeuLion, the New York company whose online technology is used for similar services for te NFL and NBA in the US.
Regular TV too
Surprise free-to-air broadcast partner TVNZ will play a match of the week every Sunday 12pm to 2pm, plus a highlight show on Monday nights.
Getting a came from a gadget to your TV is pretty easy. For example, if you're watching video on an iPad, and have a $159 Apple TV wi-fi widget plugged into your TV, it only takes a tap of your finger for the video to stream to your television. That's still enough to intimidate or put off quite a few potential subscribers - but that's going to change over time as the tech gets easier, and average folks become more familiar with it.
Among soccer fans, reaction has been mixed between those who welcome the unprecedented deluge of coverage, and those who resent having to pay an extra $150 (assuming they keep on Sky TV for other sports).
TVNZ shows some moxie
TVNZ's involvemet came as news to Sky TV, the state broadcaser's partner in theslow-selling igloo. It's great to see new CEO Kevin Kenrick and the board finding their feet, and showing a bit of independent spirit.
Sky TV shares [NZX:SKT] fell 4.59% on Wednesday, 3% on Thursday and a further 3.2% Friday (as the broader NZX-50 fell 0.8%).
The three-straight drops were not because of the loss of UK soccer per se, but fears that the genie is now out of the bottle. PremierLeaguePass could push the concept of broadband delivered content into the mainstream. And a similar model of a paid online player partnering with a free to air broadcaster could be used to peel away other sports, or other content, from Sky.
The shifiting media scene was underlined by Slingshot's launch of a new global mode that allows the ISP's customers to access overseas US TV and movie streaming services that are usually geo-blocked to New Zealanders.
The silver lining for Sky TV
For just on a year now, the Commerce Commission has beeninvestigating whether Sky TV's content deals prevent new market entrants from gaining a critical mass of content, and thus constitute a potential breach of scections 27 and 36 of the Commerce Act. NBR understands the watch dog will report on its progress within a month. When the investigation began, QuickFlix was failing, and TVNZ still smarting from death of TiVo. Sky TV CEO John Fellet has always argued his company is not a near-monopoly because of the threat of so-called over-the-top internet content services (as have Amy Adams and Craig Foss). Now, the threat looks a lot more real.
The potential for PremierLeaguePass.com to get the regulatory monkey off Sky TV's back has even led to speculation CEO John Fellet is playing clever political game, sacrificing the pawn of UK soccer to give the illusion of competiton. If so, it's dangerous. PremierLeaguePass.com, even with modest subscribers, could prove a valuable proof-of-concept for alternative digital delivery.
Serious money
Of course, delivering content over the internet is not new, even in little old New Zealand. But while QuickFlix has stumbled from one financial crisis to the next, Coliseum's largest shareholder is Peter Cooper, the US based property developer with an NBR Rich List value of $650 million, who holds a 50% stake. (Among other projects, Mr Cooper is behind the Britomart development in Auckland, where Coliseum is based). The balance of shares are held by Coliseum's directors, including Mr Martin.
The CEO won't say how much Coliseum had to bid to win the EPL from Sky TV (Sky TV won't comment either, bar saying it put in its highest ever bid. As a point of reference, the pay TV broadcaster paid north of $14 million for NRL rights).
He's stoked at the potential of online viewiing based on his time as an ad man overseas, and on football in particular following a marketing stint with Adidas in the UK that saw him working on projects involving the likes of Zinedene Zidane and David Beckham.
Article keeps going but space ran out
Media's PremierLeaguePass.com launch is a watershed moment for NZ media - rattling Sky TV investors, and giving viewers and exciting glimpse of what's to come.
The company's short-notice press conference was packed; NBR ONLINE's launch-day story was easily this site's best-read article of the week. It also prompted several questions from readers, which I had the chance to put to Coliseum CEO Tim Martin. But before we get to his replies, a quick recap.
Wednesday, Mr Martin announced his company had outbid Sky TV for rights to the English Premier League (EPL).
PremierLeaguePass.com is taking registrations of interest now and will officially launch on August 1 ahead of the August 17 kick off of the EPL's 2013/2014 season.
The cost
PremierLeaguePass.com will offer a season pass for $150, offering access to 380 games - or every EPL game. A $240 season pass will add magazine-style shows (produced by the EPL). For those who don't want a season pass, there will also be a robustly-priced ($25) day pass option.
Gadget viewing options
Games can be watched on a PC, Mac, tablet or smartphone (via iPhone and Android apps), or via HDMI cable or wi-fi, on a regular television. None of this technology is new - in fact Mr Martin emphasises it's all developed NeuLion, the New York company whose online technology is used for similar services for te NFL and NBA in the US.
Regular TV too
Surprise free-to-air broadcast partner TVNZ will play a match of the week every Sunday 12pm to 2pm, plus a highlight show on Monday nights.
Getting a came from a gadget to your TV is pretty easy. For example, if you're watching video on an iPad, and have a $159 Apple TV wi-fi widget plugged into your TV, it only takes a tap of your finger for the video to stream to your television. That's still enough to intimidate or put off quite a few potential subscribers - but that's going to change over time as the tech gets easier, and average folks become more familiar with it.
Among soccer fans, reaction has been mixed between those who welcome the unprecedented deluge of coverage, and those who resent having to pay an extra $150 (assuming they keep on Sky TV for other sports).
TVNZ shows some moxie
TVNZ's involvemet came as news to Sky TV, the state broadcaser's partner in theslow-selling igloo. It's great to see new CEO Kevin Kenrick and the board finding their feet, and showing a bit of independent spirit.
Sky TV shares [NZX:SKT] fell 4.59% on Wednesday, 3% on Thursday and a further 3.2% Friday (as the broader NZX-50 fell 0.8%).
The three-straight drops were not because of the loss of UK soccer per se, but fears that the genie is now out of the bottle. PremierLeaguePass could push the concept of broadband delivered content into the mainstream. And a similar model of a paid online player partnering with a free to air broadcaster could be used to peel away other sports, or other content, from Sky.
The shifiting media scene was underlined by Slingshot's launch of a new global mode that allows the ISP's customers to access overseas US TV and movie streaming services that are usually geo-blocked to New Zealanders.
The silver lining for Sky TV
For just on a year now, the Commerce Commission has beeninvestigating whether Sky TV's content deals prevent new market entrants from gaining a critical mass of content, and thus constitute a potential breach of scections 27 and 36 of the Commerce Act. NBR understands the watch dog will report on its progress within a month. When the investigation began, QuickFlix was failing, and TVNZ still smarting from death of TiVo. Sky TV CEO John Fellet has always argued his company is not a near-monopoly because of the threat of so-called over-the-top internet content services (as have Amy Adams and Craig Foss). Now, the threat looks a lot more real.
The potential for PremierLeaguePass.com to get the regulatory monkey off Sky TV's back has even led to speculation CEO John Fellet is playing clever political game, sacrificing the pawn of UK soccer to give the illusion of competiton. If so, it's dangerous. PremierLeaguePass.com, even with modest subscribers, could prove a valuable proof-of-concept for alternative digital delivery.
Serious money
Of course, delivering content over the internet is not new, even in little old New Zealand. But while QuickFlix has stumbled from one financial crisis to the next, Coliseum's largest shareholder is Peter Cooper, the US based property developer with an NBR Rich List value of $650 million, who holds a 50% stake. (Among other projects, Mr Cooper is behind the Britomart development in Auckland, where Coliseum is based). The balance of shares are held by Coliseum's directors, including Mr Martin.
The CEO won't say how much Coliseum had to bid to win the EPL from Sky TV (Sky TV won't comment either, bar saying it put in its highest ever bid. As a point of reference, the pay TV broadcaster paid north of $14 million for NRL rights).
He's stoked at the potential of online viewiing based on his time as an ad man overseas, and on football in particular following a marketing stint with Adidas in the UK that saw him working on projects involving the likes of Zinedene Zidane and David Beckham.
Article keeps going but space ran out
