Coliseum Sports - EPL Overlords

I wouldn't have thought PLP (or "Lightbox Sports" as Lightbox Help called them) would be able to generate a new Lightbox code but much to my surprise they have replied this evening with a replacement code. However, typically it doesn't work and just says "code not found" as the original one did. 

Got another reply with another code and yep, code not found. Beyond ridiculous how much of a drama something as simple as this is. They are obviously too incompetent to do it so just going to have to let it go.

seems like it'd be easier for lightbox to set up and generate the code. I suspect at the moment PLP are generating the code, then flicking an email off to lightbox who then aren't setting it up. Ridiculous indeed. 

Is it my imagination or have Coliseum taken a step back?... they seem to be less active in the media - both social and traditional.

I'm starting to wonder if they're confident of retaining the rights... perhaps the $$$$$ haven't added up? Someone needs to stump up for them to bid to get the rights again and if the numbers don't work, they won't.

I get the Spark partnership - but aside from some membership leveraging with Lightbox, I've not seen much else happening.

Are they getting their ducks in a row for a further push - or are things being wound down?

My money is on wound down

hope not. It's been cracking. Fab. Really enjoyed the choice and service and would get it again in a heart beat.

Why join up with lightbox then? 

It could be that they think they may lose the rights, so are in something of a holding year until they win (or lose) the rights. 

I Don't really know either way, and neither do they (or you) really. 

Had to watch the Arsenal CL game on a dodgy free stream this morning with Sky not showing it. Found one that was HD, connected the laptop to the TV and it was absolutely perfect. None of the stutter or judder I get with PLP. Further proof to me that there's nothing wrong with my equipment or connection and it's at their end.

Got another reply back about the Lightbox code:

Sounds like he is just giving me codes from the original list (which would all be expired like mine) rather than generating new ones.

 

Agree. And I would say they are lining up a sale to Lightbox.

VC FTW!

So the Olympiakos game was crystal clear?  Sounds like the football gods were have a laugh at your expense.

Yep, absolutely perfect on a dodgy free stream. Pissed me off even more that it was better than the service I pay for.

the sooner the rights go back to where they belong and not on a dodgy internet site the better!

Heard back again regarding the Lightbox code and this would seem to be the end of it:

Bit of a shame they can't honour it when they never gave an expiry date but didn't expect they would care and I guess if they are being wound down they have no reason to.

Being new to using the service with an iPad - is it normal to not have the option of beginning a game that is currently being played from the start or to join live? Watched the United game about an hour after it had started, used the app, and it opened up as the fans was stirring at 50minutes, so ruined the surprise. Well I was still surprised, but you know..

I see that Fox Sports in Australia also have their own version of "Premier League Pass" now where they offer every Premier League game for only $89 per season:

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/premier-league/eplondemand/learn-more

Four games live every round, six on demand.

be careful though, it's a recurring subscription that you have to ring up Australia to cancel. I found this out last night when trying out the A league subscription for $5/month. 

So that's going to be interesting ringing up to cancel that on Monday. 

Not sure it's the same for EPL, but the on demand of the games doesn't immediately go up, seems to be the next day it becomes available. 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/7299757...

Not adapting fast enough Sky. 

they, unfortunately, may get there as slow and steady, and using their already domination to slowly squash competition.

Look at the guys above who want PLP shut and it all back on SKY. 

I had a look at their NEON service and one of the offerings it had was Atlantic Rim as a movie. Pacific Rim, the Japanese monster influenced movie from Guillermo del Toro?

Errrr...no. Atlantic Rim. A movie you, I and no one else had ever heard of that had scored 1.6/10 on IMDb

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2740710/?ref_=nv_sr_1

yet, thanks to the innovative new offering from Sky we could spend our time watching. To manage to score that poorly on IMDB is fairly impressive. 

It shows me the commitment to Neon compared to Lightbox.

They'll want to keep trying to sign up everyone to Sky and to include online as a part of that through SkyGo, which hasn't been poor, but hasn't been as good as PLP.

So the Australian rights have been lost by fox. Got me thinking when is the nz rights auction? Will be interesting to see what happens.

mediabusinessasia.com/article.php?id=1577 Reporting that Bein have got the NZ rights for the next 3 years. Lower than what the rights went for last time too.

based on their limited champions league coverage, that is potentially awful news. 

Looks like we'll only be able to see the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Chelsea for the next 3 years. 

That's interesting - according to Wikipedia they are owned by Al Jazera and have just launched a channel in Australia, I wonder if they are looking to get onto freeview, sky or are streaming only?

They seem to have a relationship with sky. Would be interesting if they did launch their own service here. As long as they cover every game, on demand, and at a reasonable stand alone price - then I'm happy!

Partnering with sky and only showing the top 4 clubs would be awful. 

This would be okay - as long as they also had an equivalent of Premier League Pass with all the matches

So are sky back and these online predators gone?

Depends if they give us access to all their other channels as well

Using the AUS version as an example, I am guessing we'll be heading for something like this:

http://www.beinsports.com.au/how-to-subscribe/

So Foxtel is replaceable by Sky, though will be interesting to see what Sky would pay them for coverage...

And Streaming Service they are likely to just have their "Connect" become available within NZ as they grab more rights, they now have the Champions League & EPL rights for NZ (Not sure if they have others as well), looking at $169 AU for an annual fee it is likely to be around $200 ($189 on current exchange rates)

Given BeIn Sports is known for online streaming, I would guess NO, and would be thinking as they now have Champs League & EPL that they will be providing their own service from next year.

Wonder what this well mean for Lightbox sport?

Does bein produce content or just play existing content? Wonder if they could be in the market for the a league.

It's a loss for Lightbox, but I'd be assuming they will just take it as 3 years without those rights and target something else (I suspect their A-League push is going to be involved).

Not sure if BeIN produces content, the rights they have mostly seem to just be existing content

Good info Jono.

This is sounding more promising than I first thought.

Have lightBox announced any plans yet, I'm assuming they will start combining things into one cohesive offering? And I'm assuming they have more than golf and the French Domestic rugby comp planned.

if expect a deal with sky for some games, with an online offering for all games (live and on demand) available for a price. 

Hopefully any bundling is just for a cheaper package deal, with individual competitions still being offered seperately. 

Then lightbox sport save the money from losing the EPL rights and use it to expand into OSB (a guy can dream). 

Hopefully that's the case with Bein tegal. If it is then it wouldn't be that dissimilar to PLP's arrangement with TVNZ to be honest, so won't change so much except that Sky might get more than the one game that TVNZ got, meaning more people will just accept the Sky offering and not sign up to the online service.

which would be perfectly fine, and is quite typical.

Most people probably only watch a couple of games anyway, and aren't too fussed who they watch (although big clubs are preferred). While the rest can sign up to the online service and watch all and any game they choose. It's actually a natural progression for sky in my opinion. They basically already do it with most American sports through ESPN. 

From the Herald today..... https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c...

Sky Sport has launched a bid to snatch exclusive NZ rights to screen live English Premier League football from Coliseum Sports Media.

Football fans reckoned Sky scored an own goal two years ago when it lost the contract to show top-flight English matches, forcing them to turn to internet-based provider Coliseum.

Coliseum chief executive Tim Martin told the Weekend Herald bids to screen EPL matches from next season here have already been tabled, with his company vying to hold on to the rights for another three years.

But Sky confirmed it wants EPL games back in its sports stable.

"A number of viewers said they were disappointed when we lost out the last time," Sky NZ spokeswoman Kirsty Way said. "We are definitely interested now the rights are up for grabs again.

"We have a lot of history there and we will do our best to get them back."

As well as presently screening EPL matches - which cost $199 a year or $19.90 monthly for its Premier League Pass - Coliseum also holds the rights for the French Top 14 Rugby competition in New Zealand, as well as PGA, LPGA and the European Tour golf among others.

Sky still has rights for rugby, cricket and league in New Zealand.

Shares in the dominant pay TV operator took a huge hit in October, ending nearly 15 per cent down after a negative profit forecast.

The company warned its annual profit would fall by up to 11 per cent as the business deals with rising costs and the challenge of online competition from streaming services such as Netflix and Lightbox.

Sky TV is a big company, still worth more than $1.7 billion, and it still makes a lot of money.

Coliseum is in the final year of its three-year deal to screen the EPL and Mr Martin said it is determined to keep providing the service.

"There is heaps of interest in acquiring the rights - from Sky, companies in the United States and other countries," he said.

"This is not necessarily just a local stoush any more and there could be multiple international players involved.

"The English Premier League does weird things to people if they want it. It is top-shelf content and there will be some cavalier deal-making going on all over the world to secure it."

Mr Martin said Coliseum had tabled a direct bid for the rights but if someone else was successful there was also the possibility of leasing the NZ rights from the winner.

"In fact, there could be a possibility of getting more than two bites at it."

Mr Martin insisted if Coliseum lost out it would not be a disaster for the company.

"The EPL has been a great product for us and has really put us on the map in New Zealand," he said. "But it is not part of a bundled offering and we have diversified into other sports."

Mr Martin said the bidding process had now closed with the results expected before Christmas.

"We would love to hang on to the EPL but not at any price," he added. "We are pretty relaxed about it."

So bein  is a bidder but hasn't won the rights yet?

im confused