Sky holds firm on Prime TV stance

Sky Television is showing no sign of buckling to pressure from the Government to make Prime available on the Freeview free-to-air digital platform.

A spokeswoman for Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman said the minister had asked officials to invite Sky, Freeview and state-owned transmission company Kordia to meet him in the next few weeks to discuss the matter.

This followed a decision by Television New Zealand last week to allow Sky subscribers to view TVNZ6 and TVNZ7.

Sky TV spokesman Tony O'Brien said Sky was happy to talk to Dr Coleman about broadcasting matters but reiterated the company's position that Prime would be put on Freeview when the economics work. "It is not economic for Prime to be on Freeview at this time."

At present, the costs exceeded the gains Sky would receive from extra advertising revenues, he said. More than 200,000 homes – one in eight households - can receive Freeview, but Mr O'Brien said that was not the same as viewership.

Sky would have to pay Freeview $350,000 over three years to cover its share of Freeview's marketing costs, plus a confidential fee to state-owned company Kordia to cover transmission costs.

It will have to make Prime available on Freeview by 2015 at the latest in order for the channel to remain "free-to-air" and bid for non-pay-TV sports broadcasting rights.

Most analysts have assumed Sky would be reluctant to put Prime on Freeview long before then, since that might encourage analogue television viewers to buy Freeview set-top boxes as an alternative to signing up with Sky.

Freeview general manager Steve Browning said the absence of Prime was one of the main considerations hindering the uptake of Freeview.

Forsyth Barr analyst Rob Mercer doubted political pressure alone would persuade Sky to relent, but reduced transmission charges could change the equation.

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Alan Potter   #2   10:03 am Jul 25 2009

Sky is only interested in feathering it's own nest and won't move in a hurry. The National government has business interests at heart so won't be much help either. I hope Sky are not receiving any benefits or grants for having Prime as a so called free to air channel as only being available free to air on the out dated analogue system is a JOKE!!.

Bill Ruys   #1   08:48 am May 26 2009

There is an online petition asking Sky to put Prime on Freeview. So if anyone reading this wants to put some pressure on Sky, make your voice heard.

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/prime-tv-on-freeview.html

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