TV: Sky Box latest; Apple’s global football deal includes NZ

by James · November 17, 2022

Los Angeles FC’s Gareth Bale scores a last-gasp equalizer in his team’s MLS Cup final Nov. 5 against the Philadelphia Union. LA FC won the ensuing penalty shootout. Photo/Getty Images

Vodafone TV has suffered another delay in execution as the wait for Sky TV’s new hardware drags on.

Back in January, Vodafone NZ said it would be shutting down its Vodafone TV service – which

Customers would be offered Sky TV’s new box, which would then arrive “mid-year”. But when Sky pushed out the delivery date for its new hardware, blaming the pandemic and war, Vodafone got a stay of execution until September, then until “summer”.

Overnight, Vodafone said Vodafone TV’s lifetime has been extended again, this time to the last day of summer, February 28.

Sky says the new hardware is now in employee trials, but still has no dates for a wider rollout. This morning the line continued to be that customer trials will begin “soon”.

Sky Pod, which will be available to Vodafone TV subscribers for $100 upfront.

Vodafone TV customers will be offered the Sky Pod, which will cost $100 up front and allow you to access regular Sky channels or apps over a broadband connection. There won’t be a hard drive for recording, but it will let you stream programs from the last three days on demand.

The new Sky Box will support third-party apps like Netflix and 4K Ultra High Definition video, but comes with a $200 upfront fee, plus an extra $15 a month to unlock the ability to record up to five channels at once. It will include a 1 terabyte hard drive – or about four times as much storage as most of today’s decoders (although with the caveat that 4K video takes four times as much storage if you record in full quality).

The Sky Box and Pod both run on Google’s Android software, and Sky says you’ll be able to install any app available via Google’s Play Store – from YouTube to Disney+ to Amazon’s Prime Video to Spark Sport. It will seem like a wonderland… at least for those who haven’t bought a Smart TV, Apple TV, Amazon Firestick or Google Chromecast yet.

Customers who are not too keen on the newfangled changes will be able to stick with their current decoder.

Apple’s MLS deal is a template for global sports streaming

Meanwhile, Apple says the new MLS Season Pass, which launches on February 1, will be available in 100 countries, including New Zealand.

MLS stands for Major League Soccer – the top soccer competition in the United States.

Earlier this year, Apple tied 10-year rights to the league in a deal reportedly worth $2.5 billion.

I’m guessing not many Kiwi soccer fans follow MLS despite the thrilling finish to the MLS Cup on November 5, where ex-Tottenham star Gareth Bale headed in a last-minute equalizer before his team, LA FC, hit. Philadelphia Union in penalty shootout.

Nevertheless, Apple making its content available worldwide, via its Apple TV app, is something of a template for global sports streaming.

Big tech has sparked interest in sports after Covid restrictions. Apple has also struck a major baseball deal in the US, while Amazon has continued to collect parts of rights to tennis, American football (as in gridiron) and British football (as in football). And last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Netflix, as it seeks new growth opportunities after a stable, is now actively interested in acquiring live sports rights to build on the success of its sports documentaries, including Formula 1: Drive to Survive. The Journal says Netflix recently bid for ATP tennis rights, but lost out to Disney-owned ESPN.