It is great that 7 is on Sky (ch 97) because of the much higher potential audience, including Back Benches, but it has highlighted a set of issues which the Nact Maori government have chosen to dodge.
Sky has effectively got it for free rather than doing the expected Prime to Freeview deal.
It does hightlight the problem that is emerging. I’m not at all technical. I hate having more than one remote or even learning how to drive one of the complicated ones .
What I do know is that at some stage the screen on my wall will be driven by a convergence of internet and broadcast systems . Quality will be fantastic. It will have thousands of choices. Most will be free but some will be on a pay system.
We are getting more and more systems and at some stage there has to be a winner. The shut down of the analogue system will be an opportunity to implement policy decisions. But before that happens we need a solid policy development process. Thats what the digital review was all about. Nact scrapped it.
Sky will take advantage of the policy vacuum. Their direction might be where we want to go in the end. But lets make a deliberate decision rather than being led by the nose by people whose long term obligations are to their overseas owners rather than New Zealand’s future.
