Netflix, Neon, something else? Get the best TV for the lowest cost

Wednesday, 7 March 2018

Netflix has original content such as Orange is the New Black.

Sky's latest effort to tweak is likely to be unsuccessful in an increasingly competitive entertainment market, commentators say.

The broadcaster last month revealed that it was cutting its cheapest package price by half, to $24.91 a month.

The new entry-level package would have half the channels of the previous cheapest option.

But the new option means customers can get a bundle including Sky Sports for $54.81 a month, instead of the current minimum of $79.81, by ditching some news and entertainment channels.

* After two years in the firing line, Sky TV suddenly bites the bullet

* Sky TV: Cutting the cord at last**

Commentator Peter Griffin, of the Science Media Centre, said things were changing too fast for traditional pay TV models to cope. 'It's a cynical ploy to maximise the revenue from its dwindling customer base as long as it can…That strategy may run out of steam pretty quickly.'

He said the competition that streaming companies had brought into the market over the last three years had forced a change.

Netflix was adding large amounts of content, he said, and had signalled it would spend US$8 billion ($11b) on buying more this year. More than 400,000 New Zealand households have access to Netflix. Lightbox had also signalled it would relaunch in the middle of the year with movies and potentially sport on demand, too. It has 300,000 customers.

How to choose your TV content providers

Faced with the options of Netflix, Neon, Lightbox, Sky - and then some, it can be hard to know where to start.

Consumer NZ technology writer Hadyn Green said consumers had much more choice than they had ever had before.

He suggested people try out a few options by using free trials.

Many of the on-demand services offer a couple of weeks free for new subscribers. Green said once someone had a trial subscription, they could spend time searching for their favourite shows and seeing what was on offer.

'Netflix has the option that if [a programme] is not there, it says 'these things are like that'. Have a proper search through before you decide.'

Green said it was worth making a note of when the free trials ended so they could be cancelled if necessary. Most providers roll straight on to a paid subscription at the end of the free period.

Game of Thrones was a key drawcard for Neon.

Griffin said, for many people, the choice would also be driven by their comfort with handling the streaming services and apps. 'The first barrier to entry when you take the Sky decoder out is how do you get it to the TV?'

If you want to use a set-top box set-up, you might be limited to Freeview.

If you have a smart TV, using online services is much more straightforward. Without one, services such as Netflix need a Chromecast or Apple TV device to get the stream to the set.

Griffin said the next question was: Do you want sports?

Sometimes, that was customers' sole reason for sticking with Sky.

'If you want Super rugby, All Blacks games, cricket or tennis – if you want them as they happen you're basically looking at Sky… If Netflix ever went into sport and you could buy everything through Netflix that would be scary for Sky,' Griffin said.

Commentator Paul Spain, of Gorilla Technology, said it was a problem for Sky that sport fans were forced into it rather than being excited about joining.

He said it was likely more sporting bodies would start to stream their own content for fans. People might pay for access only to the sports they wanted to watch.

Green said Netflix was the standout offering in the market at the moment. 'They're releasing movies and TV shows all the time. It used to be that American Netflix was the best but now New Zealand's is not so bad.'

What's on offer?

Neon

What does it cost? Free for 14 days then $20 a month.

What does it offer? TV shows, movies and 'Neon exclusives' – a big one was Game of Thrones.

Netflix

What does it cost? Between $9.99 and $15.99 depending on the quality of the picture and how many devices you want to have access. Or you can get it free for six or 12 months for Spark broadband customers

What does it offer? On-demand movies, TV shows, documentaries, original content, range of exclusives.

Lightbox

What does it cost? $12.99 a month or get it free if you're a Spark broadband customer

What does it offer? On-demand TV programmes – notably Paw Patrol, which is tough to find on-demand.

Fanpass

What does it cost? $99.99 a month or $320 for six months.

What does it offer? Access to linear Sky Sport channels one to four.

Vodafone TV

What does it cost? $139 a month, including fibre broadband and Sky Basic and high-definition delivery – Vodafone says it will update this to reflect the new Sky offering.

What does it offer? Entry-level Sky package, free-to-air channels, access to Netflix (you still need a separate subscription), TVNZ OnDemand, ThreeNow, YouTube and WatchMe. Customers can add on other Sky content.

Amazon Prime

What does it cost?US$5.99 a month ($8.23)

What does it offer? Good range of on-demand movies, some TV and original content.

Stuff Pix

What does it cost? $1 to $7 per movie

What does it offer? A catalogue of about 600 on-demand movies, at the point where they would normally be released on DVD.

SkyTV

What does it cost? From $24.91 a month. My Sky is $15 a month, Sky Sport $29.90 and Sky Movies $20.93. High-definition $10 a month.

What does it offer? The number and type of channels depends on the type of package you choose. My Sky gives the option of recording programmes, but most Sky content is delivered in a linear way.

Freeview

What does it cost? $129 to $449 for a satellite desktop box with recording capacity. Many modern TVs have Freeview and recording built-in.

What does it offer? Access to linear free-to-air television and on-demand services from TVNZ, Three and Maori TV.