Vodafone strikes bundling deal with Sky TV as Telecom tie-up withers
Vodafone will this week start bundling all of Sky TV’s channels with its fixed line and broadband services - and moves a couple of steps ahead of Telecom, which is sun-setting a similar deal.
Sky TV chief executive John Fellet tells NBR that Vodafone will offer a single bill for SkyTV and Vodafone services, and offer a full service. For example, a subscriber could call Vodafone and ask the telco to, say, add the Rialto Channel to their Sky TV account.
“Vodafone are completely integrated,” says Mr Fellet.
Telecom offers a similar single price deal, but sends separate phone and Sky TV bills.
Mr Fellet says “until they can find some time to develop their software”, Telecom offers a basic service only, unable to directly update a customer’s account. Telecom can take an order for a new channel then manually relay it to Sky TV, or the Telecom customer can approach Sky TV directly.
For now, an upgrade seems unlikely. Telecom stopped taking new customers for its Sky TV bundle in May last year, although it still services existing customers on the plan.
Vodafone has previously only bundled Sky TV channels with its mobile deals.
The telco will charge packages of Sky TV channels - including MySky HDi - at the same rate a customer would pay if buying them directly from the pay TV provider.
The advantage is the convenience of one bill, says Vodafone.
"Our focus recently has been on our Total Home products where we're finding customer appetite is for good value bundles combining broadband with home calling," a Telecom spokeswoman told NBR, although "thousands" of the telcos customer remain on bundled Sky TV plans.
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Comments and questions20
Where are the financial incentives for the consumer? That's a pretty disappointing offer - I was expecting more.
Why should there be a financial benefit -- we're talking about a PayTV monopoly. They don't need to give you any financial benefit.
You'll take what you're given and be happy with it -- or go without ;-)
What a complete waste of time - very poor effort from Vodafone & Sky!
Where is the discount for loyal customers who have Mobile/Internet & Landline Services with Vodafone??
This is a total waste of spce so far, lets have more bundled deal discounts please - who gives a toss about Sky & Vodafone on one bill really?
So if I took this up I'd now only get 23 bills instead of 24 per month. Great, my life will be radically altered.
Wow moaning cos they didnt give you anything for free....
Me personally, I like reducing compliance, and now i can reduce the number of AP's that come out of my account .
How many people in the marketing department do you think it took to come up with this brilliant idea?
But wait there will be more……..hundreds of thousands of dollars to launch and promote this amazing product, which we already have…less one bill.
Come on Vodafone you are better than that. This is something we would all expect from nana telecom.
You're all a bunch of braindead muppets. You should just read more, and talk to each other in person, just like in old days.
To be able to afford even basic Sky...
Who's the bigger muppet?
The people who comment.
Or the "braindead muppet" who opposes such comments, yet reads them all, and then posts their own critical comment.
.... Or the braindead muppet who get his knickers all in a twist about comments like that.
I'm with Telecom and have that deal and it is cheaper for the Sky Basic package than going direct to Sky. If I was in Wellinton, then apparenly Sky would be cheaper than where I live now.
If Vodafone offer the same or better deal with Sky than I get with Telecom then I might move.
I've not moved ISP or phone calling as factoring in the more expensive Sky connection negates the cheaper ISP and phone from another provider.
As long as Sky is cheaper through Telecom than it is through Vodafone or dealing direct then I'll stay with Telecom.
I guess the bundling deal that Telecom were offering has set an expecation for something similar in terms of price for any other company to do the same.
The above comment-maker is spot on, IMHO.
I say that cos I am in the same boat, and wont be moving to vodafone until they can match the telecom bundle price of sky basic.
That all said, I would be very happy not to have to pay for basic in the 1st place, seeing as I only buy it so that I can in turn buy sky sports. And the rugby channel. And still not be able to see any T20 world cup replays at a decent time (ie during waking, but not working, hours).
The above comment-maker is spot on, IMHO.
I say that cos I am in the same boat, and wont be moving to vodafone until they can match the telecom bundle price of sky basic.
That all said, I would be very happy not to have to pay for basic in the 1st place, seeing as I only buy it so that I can in turn buy sky sports. And the rugby channel. And still not be able to see any T20 world cup replays at a decent time (ie during waking, but not working, hours).
Or the braindead muppet who comments about the braindead muppet commenting about.... oh... I just got lost.
Must be something wrong with my thinking process... like a recently deceased Kermit is in there.
By the way, is 'braindead' really a necessary adjective in regards to 'muppet'?
A muppet, after all, is an inanimate object, sans brain. No brain or brain-death, then.
Who you calling braindead?
Good point but funny thing is they're not better than that. I left Jr Telecom (uh I mean Vodafone) last year cause they weren't much better than the "Old Boy on the block"!
How about a company that offers discounts and bundling. Maybe a company that encourages me to happily join and put all my services (phone, internet, mobile, tv) with them. A company that increases their discounts the more of their products you use.
Just a thought, but if a company did this, you could count me in.
Vodafone - do yourself a favor ...sack the marketing dept. About as watching paint dry ... what an offer!!!
Vodafone - do yourself a favor ...sack the marketing dept. About as exciting as watching paint dry ... what an offer!!!
Pay for everything with Visa or Mastercard - then pay the whole lot off at the end of the month... in fact pay as many of your other bills this way and consolidate everything .... I'm wasted in IT - i should work in marketing... its up there with the best at Vodafone!!!
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