Spark New Zealand announced that it has entered into an agreement for Sky Network Television (Sky) to purchase its entertainment streaming business, Lightbox.
A conditional sale and purchase agreement has been signed and completion of the deal is anticipated in the next few months, subject to commercial, legal and regulatory approvals as required.
There will be a transitional period following completion where Spark will continue to provide support for the Lightbox service, as the parties complete technical work to fully transition the platform to Sky.
Spark customers who are currently using Lightbox will continue to receive Lightbox ‘on us’ as part of their eligible mobile and broadband plans both while the deal is concluded and through a transitionary period. Following the transition period, Spark will partner with Sky to make the combined entertainment streaming service available to Spark customers through its broader entertainment offers on mobile and broadband.
Lightbox customers who are paying for the service directly will continue to be able to enjoy the same great content they do today, and once Lightbox becomes part of Sky’s new combined entertainment platform, customers will have access to an enhanced range of entertainment content.
Over the past five years, Lightbox has become New Zealand’s leading local subscription-based entertainment streaming business. Lightbox has been a valuable part of Spark’s offer to mobile and broadband customers, while also attracting customers who purchased the streaming service directly.
Matt Bain, Marketing Director, Spark
Selling the Lightbox business to Sky ensures a sustainable future for Kiwi SVOD services, while giving us the ongoing ability to provide access to a high-quality TV and movie streaming service, which benefits from a significantly enhanced range of entertainment content from Sky.
Sophie Moloney, Chief Legal, People and Partnership Officer, Sky
This deal enables Sky to merge Lightbox with our own entertainment streaming service Neon to create a supercharged SVOD service for New Zealanders.
