Apsattv
05-03-2008, 11:43 PM
From http://www.stuff.co.nz/4425361a23399.html[/url]
TVNZ is expected to launch a form of pay-TV as an add-on to the
Freeview platform as early as next year.
The Independent Financial Review has been told TVNZ is looking at
Freeview Plus, which may be a pay-per-view premium movie channel or a
mix of channels with premium content.
Spokesman Peter Parussini confirmed TVNZ and other Freeview partners
"are looking at a whole lot of options" but he wouldn't confirm it's
planning a pay operation.
He said the Freeview technology offered many choices and TVNZ was
analysing options that could benefit TVNZ's owner, the New Zealand government.
The two TVNZ digital channels especially created for the Freeview
platform TVNZ6, already on air, and TVNZ7, which launches at the end
of this month are commercial-free and funded by the government with
$79 million allocated over six years.
It's believed TVNZ and other Freeview partners are looking for ways
to quicken the uptake of Freeview set-top boxes and developing
business models to provide a return on their investment.
The Ministry of Culture and Heritage is reviewing broadcasting
regulation and TVNZ and MediaWorks are expected to make submissions
calling for what they claim is Sky's monopoly on sport to be
addressed. It's understood a premium sports channel, paid for by
viewers, could be an option on Freeview "under a new regulatory regime".
At the end of this year Freeview is planning to introduce a personal
video recorder (PVR) similar to the MySky PVR on offer from Sky
Network Television.
These set-top boxes can be enabled with conditional access systems to
allow a user to access premium content by paying for the service,
just like Sky set-top boxes. It's well-known in the pay television
world that the only two genres that can command payment by viewers
are sports and premium movies. Other channels are considered add-ons.
In New Zealand, premium sports content is almost exclusively
controlled by Sky, the only pay-TV operation. But TVNZ and TV3 claim
Sky has a virtual monopoly because of its acquisition of free-to-air
channel Prime TV.
Owning Prime means it can carry out required free-to-air replays,
effectively cutting TVNZ and MediaWorks (TV3 and C4) out of the equation.
TVNZ is expected to launch a form of pay-TV as an add-on to the
Freeview platform as early as next year.
The Independent Financial Review has been told TVNZ is looking at
Freeview Plus, which may be a pay-per-view premium movie channel or a
mix of channels with premium content.
Spokesman Peter Parussini confirmed TVNZ and other Freeview partners
"are looking at a whole lot of options" but he wouldn't confirm it's
planning a pay operation.
He said the Freeview technology offered many choices and TVNZ was
analysing options that could benefit TVNZ's owner, the New Zealand government.
The two TVNZ digital channels especially created for the Freeview
platform TVNZ6, already on air, and TVNZ7, which launches at the end
of this month are commercial-free and funded by the government with
$79 million allocated over six years.
It's believed TVNZ and other Freeview partners are looking for ways
to quicken the uptake of Freeview set-top boxes and developing
business models to provide a return on their investment.
The Ministry of Culture and Heritage is reviewing broadcasting
regulation and TVNZ and MediaWorks are expected to make submissions
calling for what they claim is Sky's monopoly on sport to be
addressed. It's understood a premium sports channel, paid for by
viewers, could be an option on Freeview "under a new regulatory regime".
At the end of this year Freeview is planning to introduce a personal
video recorder (PVR) similar to the MySky PVR on offer from Sky
Network Television.
These set-top boxes can be enabled with conditional access systems to
allow a user to access premium content by paying for the service,
just like Sky set-top boxes. It's well-known in the pay television
world that the only two genres that can command payment by viewers
are sports and premium movies. Other channels are considered add-ons.
In New Zealand, premium sports content is almost exclusively
controlled by Sky, the only pay-TV operation. But TVNZ and TV3 claim
Sky has a virtual monopoly because of its acquisition of free-to-air
channel Prime TV.
Owning Prime means it can carry out required free-to-air replays,
effectively cutting TVNZ and MediaWorks (TV3 and C4) out of the equation.