The free advertising that Sky Television receives from the glowing light boxes attached to motel roadside signs advertising Sky channels and millions of dollars in monthly motel commercial subscriptions could soon be under threat.
At the moment, a selection of Sky television channels is an expected amenity at most Kiwi motels and moteliers pay dearly for overpriced and bloated commercial Sky packages.
The biggest consumer draw is the sports content and in recent weeks, sport broadcasting in New Zealand is starting to fragment with Sky losing English Premier League football and MotoGP shifting to a free-to-air and online streaming platforms.
We intuitively know what the future of television is likely to be and thankfully it will not include subscribing to a terrestrial or satellite signal.
The future is web-based delivery and compelling content will not be restricted to a domestic monopoly provider.
Moteliers are looking forward to cutting the cable from Sky and allowing guests to stream content to web enabled in-room screens via their wireless networks.
The future is frustratingly close and can't come soon enough...
