Lightbox adds movies-on-demand and a kids channel

Spark chief executive Simon Moutter. Photo/Dean Purcell

Telco Spark is launching its own video media platform Lightbox Movies in a bid to keep up with the growing demand for video on demand.

As part of its half-year results this morning, Spark said the platform, which will launch in April, would also offer pay-per-view movies similar to Apple TV as well as Lightbox Kids for children's content.

• Read more: Spark profit falls 3.4 pct on cost of transformation programme.

Lightbox general manager Hema Patel said the platform had developed significantly since it first launched.

"We built the original Lightbox platform in the very early days of streaming services for New Zealand," Patel said.

"Since then, Streaming Video On Demand (SVOD) services have matured and Kiwis are looking for streaming platforms that can deliver a variety of content, through a range of commercial models."

"Most immediately, we will launch a tiered service for Lightbox TV, allowing customers to choose between a Standard or a Premium subscription – and extend Lightbox's offering into on-demand movies."

Patel said this would allow customers to rent movies without a subscription.

"With over 300,000 subscribers, we're in a great position to open up these new options to a significant number of New Zealand families."

Existing Lightbox TV subscribers will be able to log in to Lightbox and rent pay-per-view movies.

People who don't have a Lightbox TV subscription will be able to create a profile and rent pay-per-view movies with no contracts Spark said.

Lightbox would also be available across multiple devices and mobile.

Movie titles for launch were still being confirmed the company said, but it planned to have hundreds of titles immediately available with more added every week.

Lightbox would also continue to roll out TV content over the year.

Sky TV has also focused on extending its SVOD service which it has said is critical for the company.

Earlier in the year, research firm Morningstar said Sky needed to focus on this to retain its customers.

The research firm predicted the pay TV company would lose two per cent of its traditional customer base per year for the next five years; however, it forecast this would be offset by its growing SVOD customer base.