Mass Media & Technology

Peacock ....

(September 2019)

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MO
Mouseboy33
noggin posted:
Mouseboy33 posted:
DVB Cornwall posted:
, it will be interesting to see whether in Roku's main market there's a demand for a stripped down Roku device, I think not unless the box marketing is such that it matches the early NOW ultra cheap offering with passes thrown in. The third parties signed up to distribute will be key.

What stripped down box are you referring to? Could you clarify?


I'm assuming that refers to a NowTV-type device, as sold in the UK.

Sky got Roku (who they partially own, and now I guess NBC Comcast partially own via the Sky merger) to engineer custom, cut-down, Roku boxes and sticks specifically branded for their Now-TV service, which are sold at a very low cost.


Not quite sure if thats completely accurate. Roku licenses its technology and proprietary operating system (Roku OS) to service operators including Sky and Telstra, and TV brands such as TCL and Philips. I dont think that Comcast/Sky has a ownership stake in Roku. Could you provide proof of the any Comcast ownership stake in Roku?
DV
DVB Cornwall
Roku's investment structure is complicated. One thing is certain Sky helped the company with at least some initial funding in it's early days and development phases. Since then there's been an IPO and there is general shareholder involvement. The company trades on NASDAQ. Whether those involved in the early days via Bond investments have been repaid or had that investment been converted into ordinary stock (shares) it's unclear. Usually the stock route is followed.
NG
noggin Founding member
Mouseboy33 posted:
noggin posted:
Mouseboy33 posted:
What stripped down box are you referring to? Could you clarify?


I'm assuming that refers to a NowTV-type device, as sold in the UK.

Sky got Roku (who they partially own, and now I guess NBC Comcast partially own via the Sky merger) to engineer custom, cut-down, Roku boxes and sticks specifically branded for their Now-TV service, which are sold at a very low cost.


Not quite sure if thats completely accurate. Roku licenses its technology and proprietary operating system (Roku OS) to service operators including Sky and Telstra, and TV brands such as TCL and Philips. I dont think that Comcast/Sky has a ownership stake in Roku. Could you provide proof of the any Comcast ownership stake in Roku?


Sky's NowTV boxes are (or were) custom/OEM Roku hardware devices - not just licensed Roku OS running on another platform.

https://newsroom.roku.com/es-mx/node/77

https://newsroom.roku.com/press-release/roku-receives-60-million-investment-leading-institutional-investor-bskyb-hearst

However that may not mean Comcast inherited that investment I guess.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/roku-ipo-5-things-to-know-about-the-streaming-device-company-2017-09-05 suggests that Sky sold Roku stuck at the time of the IPO - though it's not clear what percentage of Sky-owned stock that was.
Last edited by noggin on 2 October 2019 7:28pm
PL
Plektrum
DVB Cornwall posted:
Roku's investment structure is complicated. One thing is certain Sky helped the company with at least some initial funding in it's early days and development phases. Since then there's been an IPO and there is general shareholder involvement. The company trades on NASDAQ. Whether those involved in the early days via Bond investments have been repaid or had that investment been converted into ordinary stock (shares) it's unclear. Usually the stock route is followed.


They disposed of their Roku investment as noted on their Q4 17/18 report -

https://static.skyassets.com/contentstack/assets/bltdc2476c7b6b194dd/bltb5ae6aa43f0f02bb/5b59667384622d3c1d7a010a/Q418%20Press%20release_FINAL.pdf

4
On 27 March 2018, the Group completed its disposal of its investment in Roku Inc. consisting of 2,571,740 shares for an aggregate consideration of £58 million. A profit of £49 million was realised on disposal, being the excess of the consideration above the initial cost of the shares (£9 million).
NG
noggin Founding member
Plektrum posted:
DVB Cornwall posted:
Roku's investment structure is complicated. One thing is certain Sky helped the company with at least some initial funding in it's early days and development phases. Since then there's been an IPO and there is general shareholder involvement. The company trades on NASDAQ. Whether those involved in the early days via Bond investments have been repaid or had that investment been converted into ordinary stock (shares) it's unclear. Usually the stock route is followed.


They disposed of their Roku investment as noted on their Q4 17/18 report -

https://static.skyassets.com/contentstack/assets/bltdc2476c7b6b194dd/bltb5ae6aa43f0f02bb/5b59667384622d3c1d7a010a/Q418%20Press%20release_FINAL.pdf

4
On 27 March 2018, the Group completed its disposal of its investment in Roku Inc. consisting of 2,571,740 shares for an aggregate consideration of £58 million. A profit of £49 million was realised on disposal, being the excess of the consideration above the initial cost of the shares (£9 million).


Aha - looks to have been a good investment on Sky's behalf.
MD
mdtauk
I wonder if this means NowTV will drop using re-branded Roku OS and hardware?
DV
DVB Cornwall
Unlikely, their main distribution system is Roku. When SkyX (their cutdown no 4K IPTV SkyQ system) comes to the UK maybe, but there's ZERO indication of that imminently, despite it's launch in Austria and recently Italy.
NG
noggin Founding member
DVB Cornwall posted:
Unlikely, their main distribution system is Roku. When SkyX (their cutdown no 4K IPTV SkyQ system) comes to the UK maybe, but there's ZERO indication of that imminently, despite it's launch in Austria and recently Italy.


Though to be fair the 'distribution' system isn't tied to one platform is it? It will be standard DASH, HLS, HDS etc. streams distributed by a Sky or third party CDN, with a standard API or similar to navigate and discover content. Sky have a Roku App/Channel - but there is nothing to stop the same content being available to an alternative platform - which is presumably how NowTV apps are also available on Windows, MacOS etc. and on tvOS on Apple TV.
DV
DVB Cornwall
The vast majority of users though, are on Roku based devices, adding confusion with a switch of 'home platform' will take years to settle, consider the move from BTTV branded boxes to BT YouView and the multiple years of dual running. Moving NowTV doesn't really have a technical reason, as BT did, as well. Now TV Roku boxes and sticks are user property too, albeit cheap, people will object if the service was discontinued on the devices they've bought. As I said SkyX is the, in my view, only move to initiate such a change.
Last edited by DVB Cornwall on 5 October 2019 8:06pm
NG
noggin Founding member
DVB Cornwall posted:
The vast majority of users though, are on Roku based devices, adding confusion with a switch of 'home platform' will take years to settle, consider the move from BTTV branded boxes to BT YouView and the multiple years of dual running. Moving NowTV doesn't really have a technical reason, as BT did, as well. Now TV Roku boxes and sticks are user property too, albeit cheap, people will object if the service was discontinued on the devices they've bought. As I said SkyX is the, in my view, only move to initiate such a change.


I think you're missing my point. There is no reason why you can't support multiple platforms relatively easily if you have a well implemented API or similar platform. My point is that you don't have to assume that Sky will continue to be fully Roku based, but that doesn't mean they'd have to deprecate their existing Roku users.

104 days later

DV
DVB Cornwall
Interesting USP. Pay for Peacock or get it free with adverts, revealed tonight ....

more ....



OM
Omnipresent
Full investor presentation slide deck and press release from Comcast:

http://cmcsa.com/events/event-details/peacock-investor-meeting

Interesting to see how Comcast are trying to differentiate themselves.

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