No, I don't really see much of an angle there. They have their own global streaming capability...I don't see why they would benefit by owning a content aggregator in little ole NZ.
My views on takeovers/mergers for Sky aren't quite what I would classify as 'conspiracy theories'. At no point am I claiming that certain 'breadcrumbs' discovered on the way means that some kind of M&A event is imminent by Company X Ltd.
Rather, I point out my aspirations for Sky TV - with reasoning as to why they should become a telco, and why 2Degrees makes a lot of sense.
Events like the SL deal further cement (in my mind) the need to own the distribution network. We do not want to be in a situation every 5 years where the prospect of losing the rugby contract is deemed fatal (or near fatal) for the business.
Even if we become a telco by being acquired by someone like 2D...losing the rugby would still be bad news. But not nearly as bad as it is when we are primarily a content aggregator. In fact, if we were a telco and lost the rugby because someone like Spark Sport paid way over the odds to win the contract...it would free up a lot of money to spend on other content or possibly telco services while Spark shareholders would have to suffer a large transfer of wealth to NZR for the next five years. So long as we kept enough premium content and offered great value bundles, our customers should remain very sticky.
It would be a huge hassle to switch all your broadband, mobile and energy because Spark Sport will give you a $5/month discount on Spark Sport if tou go over to them for broadband and/or mobile.
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