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FY2018 Annual Report · Tanger Factory Outlet Centers
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REachINg  
EVERY KIWI

SKY NETWORK TELEVISION LIMITED  

Annual Report 2018

A

NEaR 

FaR

FaR 

WIDE

© www.photosport.nz

04

SKY Network Television Limited

Annual Report 2018

05

Our goal at SKY is to deliver world  
class sport and entertainment to all  
New Zealanders in ways that work  
for them. 

We are focused on understanding our customers’ needs  
and preferences, and matching our products to them.

And we mean all New Zealanders. From Cape Reinga to  
Bluff. And the Chathams, and Stewart Island…

From watching the sport they love with mates on their 
trusty MY SKY, to catching the latest episode of their  
favourite show on the go. They all have specific tastes  
and ways they like to watch content.

Our strategy is about delivering personalised viewing  
experiences that enrich our customers’ lives – making  
sure they always have something great to watch.

Internet or no internet, we have New Zealand covered.

OUR STRATEGY
Enrich our customers’ lives with
Exclusive world class sport  

Exclusive world class entertainment 

Through
Understanding our customers 

Broadening our technology platform 

People and community 

CONTENTS

Year in review

Chairman’s Letter 

Chief Executive’s Letter 

Board of Directors 

Our Channels 

2018 Financials

Financial Overview  

Financial Trends 

Directors’ Responsibility Statement 

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income 

Consolidated Balance Sheet 

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity 

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows 

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 

Independent Auditor’s Report 

Other Information 

Corporate Governance 

Interests Register 

Company and Bondholder Information 

Waivers and Information 

Share Market and Other Information 

Directory 

12

18

24

26

28

06

08 

32 

34 

38

42

44

45

46

47

48

49

76

80

83

85

90

91

92

06

SKY Network Television Limited

07

Chairman’s Letter

2018 has been a significant 
year for SKY, with the board  
and management team 
setting and implementing a 
transformational strategy  
for the business.

OuR SpORT paRTNERS 
KNOW ThEY caN RELY 
ON SKY TO DELIVER 
ThEIR cONTENT  
TO aLL OF ThEIR  
NEW ZEaLaND FaNS, 
IN WaYS ThaT WORK  
FOR Each INDIVIDuaL.

SKY is building up a strong suite of online 
products to meet the needs of all  
New Zealanders, both now and in the  
future, while continuing to deliver to our 
core customer base, particularly those  
who don’t yet have access to fast internet. 

It’s a careful balance, but strategically 
important. Our sport partners know they 
can rely on SKY to deliver their content to all 
of their New Zealand fans, in ways that work 
for each individual. They know SKY won’t 
leave any fan behind.

That is why we have made such a significant 
investment in the satellite for over 20 years, 
to ensure we have a robust and reliable 
platform. Delivering live sport to our nation 
of rugby, netball, cricket, league, golf, tennis, 
football and motorsport fans is a responsibility 
we do not take lightly.

There is no question that our industry is 
evolving into a world where internet delivery 
of content will dominate, and we are well 
placed to transition with it. SKY’s investment 
in the Infinite Video Platform will allow us to 
offer a viewing experience that is dramatically 
different to today, for those customers who 
want it – and we are on track to deliver new 
products in the first half of 2019. They will 
join our existing online products like NEON 
and FAN PASS, providing SKY’s great 
content to New Zealanders in ways and  
at price points that work for different 
customer segments.

These developments are timely, as the 
market continues to be highly competitive. 
Viewing habits have changed and continue 
to evolve, and we need to keep responding 
to those changes.

I am pleased to report that SKY has 
continued to deliver a solid profit while 
implementing the strategy. In the financial 
year to 30 June 2018, SKY’s underlying net 
profit after tax is $119.3 million, an increase 
of 2.6% on the previous year.

You will note in the accounts that the SKY 
Board has agreed to reduce the carrying 
value of SKY’s Goodwill asset from $1.43 
billion to $1.07 billion. When that impairment 
charge is applied to the 2018 results, there is 
a net loss of $240.7 million for the year. 
Please note that this is a non-cash charge 
that has no impact on SKY’s 2018 cash flows 
or any of our bank covenants.

Those of you who have been shareholders 
for some years may recall the background 
to SKY’s Goodwill asset. It arose on the 
merger of Independent Newspapers Ltd 
(INL) and SKY back in June 2005, and 
reflected the difference between the fair 
value of SKY’s assets at the time and the 
price that INL shareholders agreed to 
exchange their shares in INL for SKY shares. 
The SKY Board is required to assess the  
fair value of intangible assets at each 
reporting period, and this year decided  
to impair the asset. 

The Board and I are grateful for John’s work 
and immense contribution to SKY. 

I am pleased that John will continue to serve 
on the SKY Board once his successor is 
appointed. One of John’s key strengths is  
his deep knowledge of content and his 
relationships with content providers, and  
we are fortunate to be able to continue to 
access this expertise at the board level.

Thank you for your support as a SKY 
shareholder, and I look forward to talking 
with you at the AGM.

The AGM will be held on 18 October 2018 
at the Sofitel Hotel, 21 Viaduct Harbour 
Avenue, Auckland, commencing at 10am.

Peter Macourt 
Chairman

The impairment charge reduces the net 
book value of SKY equity at 30 June 2018  
to $1.03 billion ($2.64/share) compared to 
$1.33 billion ($3.41/share) at 30 June 2017. 
SKY shares closed at $2.60/share on  
29 June 2018.

I note a few other key aspects of the 
financial results:

• 

• 

• 

• 

 The Board was pleased to see 
management’s focus on cost control,  
with $47 million of costs taken out of the 
business, offsetting the decline in revenue.

 SKY has 768,000 customers across 
satellite and OTT services. In our highly 
competitive market, it is worth reflecting 
that SKY’s great content is in over 40%  
of New Zealand homes. That is significant 
penetration by Pay TV company standards 
around the world. 

 While it will take time for the full effect  
of the March pricing and packaging 
changes to be seen, there was an 
improvement in churn in the second  
half of the year compared to the first half. 
SKY reported a 46,006 drop in subscribers 
to 31 December 2017, and 11,049 in the six 
months to 30 June 2018. 

 Cash flow from operations is down from 
$245 million in FY17 to $214 million, mainly 
due to the timing of tax payments of $49 
million in FY18 compared with $19 million 
in the previous year. 

As I advised at the Interim Results in March, 
the dividend for the period is 7.5 cents  
per share. 

During the year debt was reduced from 
$299 million to $235 million, and the Board 
believes that the company should continue 
to reduce debt to have the balance sheet 
strength to meet competitive challenges 
and to successfully negotiate renewal of  
key content deals. 

One area of ‘competition’ which is difficult  
to address is the ongoing prevalence of 
online piracy. Piracy is a threat to everyone 
in the content industry, from the actors  
and producers of entertainment content,  
to sport teams, to distributors of content. 
There is no single fix for piracy, but we 
continue to seek stronger protection for  
our business and rights holders. We have 
had some success this year, with the District 
Court finding against the promoters of 
boxes pre-loaded with Kodi software that 
offer access to piracy websites. 

In my annual letter I always thank John Fellet 
and SKY’s staff and contractors for their 
work. This year is particularly poignant,  
with John announcing his intention to  
retire after 27 years with SKY, including  
17 as Chief Executive.

In that time, John has led SKY from a 
business with three channels and 125 
employees to the multi-platform, highly 
profitable company it is today. Innovations 
like MY SKY, which revolutionised the way 
New Zealanders viewed television, through 
to the suite of online products available now 
and in development, will be part of his 
significant legacy. 

Annual Report 201808

SKY Network Television Limited

09

Chief Executive’s Letter

It is my pleasure  
to present to you  
my 17th annual  
shareholders’ letter. 

IT IS OuR INTENTION 
TO LEVERagE OuR 
cONTENT DEaLS TO 
OFFER NEW pRODucTS 
aND SERVIcES TO 
appEaL TO DIFFERENT 
cuSTOMER SEgMENTS.

The financial statements will present a 
financial snapshot of the business. My goal, 
as always, is to give you a deeper insight 
into your company and the evolving 
industry it operates in. I will attempt to do 
this in a form that I hope suits the needs  
of the individual investor as well as the 
institutional one.

Financial year’s results
I am pleased with the results of our latest 
financial year. Later in this letter I will dive 
deeper into challenging trends in the media 
field, but you should know that one of the 
key goals of your management team has 
been to take costs out of our traditional  
pay TV business while continuing to invest, 
build and absorb the start-up costs of  
our new internet and over-the-top (OTT) 
services. And doing it as we battle the 
content wars to ensure we have the content 
that is most important to New Zealanders. 

I believe we are on the right path. Our 
underlying profit for the year is $119.3 million 
(excluding goodwill impairment), up from 
last year’s $116.3 million. While we have seen 
declining subscriber numbers and revenues, 
we have cut $47 million of operating expenses 
out of the business and also lowered our 
capital spend by over $20 million.

Subscriber counts
In a seasonal business like SKY it is important 
to compare subscriber counts on a 
year-on-year basis. For the year ending  
30 June 2018 the churn for the satellite 

business was 15.4% compared to 15.9%  
for the prior period. Churn was better  
in part because of the splitting of the  
Basic Package into a Starter Pack and an 
Entertainment Pack. It will take some time 
for the full impact of the changes to be 
clear, but we are pleased with a couple  
of early indicators. The spin down to the 
cheaper Starter tier by existing Basic 
Subscribers has been within budget and is 
currently at around 10%. The positive benefit 
of the move we think will come in years two 
and three when new subscribers wanting a 
cheaper Basic Package or a cheaper entry 
to Sport gradually come aboard.

An unexpected benefit of splitting the Basic 
into two packages has been the fact that 
the ARPU of new subscribers is only $9.84 
lower than the ARPU from customers in the 
prior March to June period, meaning that 
new subscribers are spending their ‘savings’ 
on other SKY products such as SoHo and 
the SKY Movie Tier. 

A year-on-year comparison shows the 
subscriber count down 57,055. To give you 
more detail, keep in mind that while we are 
down 8,583 on NEON subscribers, a year 
ago NEON was just starting season 7 of 
Game of Thrones which attracted significant 
interest. The much-anticipated next season 
of Game of Thrones will be back on NEON in 
the coming financial year. We also lost 8,269 
subscribers as we shut down Fatso, our 
online DVD rental service. Another key piece 
of context is that last year’s number for FAN 
PASS included 4,697 subscribers who could 

buy the Sport Tier for one night or  
one week, an option we discontinued.  
And finally, the net loss figure recognises 
our change in strategy of discontinuing 
aggressive discount offers which had had 
the combined effect of bringing in marginal 
customers and at the same time irritating 
loyal subscribers. 

New strategy to deal with the  
new reality 
In the last few editions of this letter I have 
stressed the fact that media is one of the 
most unsettled industries. Let’s go over the 
key reasons at play which have caused this. 

Historically, the challenge was always to 
build a platform big enough in order to 
obtain the necessary scale. With the roll  
out and acceptance of fast broadband, 
getting into the content game has never 
been easier. This has allowed any company 
from a global tech giant to a niche content 
App-based provider to launch a service in 
New Zealand.

Competition has also come from non-media 
third parties who are starting to give away  
or subsidise content in packages with  
their normal product in an effort to 
“de-commoditize” their traditional offerings.

A few years ago these additional pipelines 
into the home would not have mattered 
because of a lack of content. We are now 
living in the age of ‘peak content’. In 2012 
there were 266 English scripted television 
series. I predicted that in 2018 that figure 

would jump to 534, and we are currently  
on track to do so. 

And the content itself is evolving. For much 
of my life, in the animal kingdom of content, 
most programmes fit into four species: 
Sport, Movies, TV Series and News/
Documentaries. Over the last 20 years  
there have been two important additions.

First there is a subsection of TV Series  
of what we call Prestige Drama. Prestige  
Drama was created by premium movie 
channels like HBO and Showtime in the 
United States. Think Sopranos and Sex  
and the City. The economic driver for this 
evolutionary change was that these  
movie channels were finding it harder  
to differentiate their channels. Movies had 
become more commoditized and formulaic 
as Hollywood made fewer of them, and they 
tended to focus more on super heroes  
or extensions of proven movie franchises  
(i.e. Mission Impossible 6).

Prestige Dramas are television series on 
steroids. They started about the year 2000. 
They have huge budgets, they have the  
pick of the best actors, writers and directors. 
Today when people are talking about a new 
television series they are probably talking 
about a Prestige Drama.

The other important new segment is Reality 
TV. Be it cooking, dating, dancing or home 
remodelling, no matter how mundane the 
endeavour is you can make a reality format 
out of it. The economic driver for reality TV 
has been the Free to Air Television industry. 

With their broad reach they can drive 
lucrative deals centred on product 
placements inside their programmes,  
from owners of hardware stores to cooking 
ingredients. As an added bonus, instead  
of paying actors, most contestants actually 
volunteer to participate. 

There has also been an evolution in how 
content is being consumed. It used to  
be that a person’s viewing history could 
indicate their age, sex and income levels. 
Now you can obtain even more insight on 
them based on how they consume their 
content. What device do they watch their 
programmes on? Do they binge-watch four 
episodes in one sitting or do they watch the 
latest episode each week on their MY SKY? 

Over the years, SKY has attempted to serve 
as many customer interests as possible  
by adding additional linear channels. In a 
perfect world we would have a grab bag  
of channels that subscribers could pick  
and choose from. The reality is that rights 
have not worked that way. Historically,  
the suppliers of core channels would not 
allow their channel to be added unless SKY 
(and every other traditional pay TV platform) 
put them on the lowest entry level of Basic. 
It was impossible to customise our offering 
other than offering a Sport Tier or a Movie 
Tier. Each linear channel cost more and 
forced up our retail prices, but each channel 
we added attracted a higher number of 
subscribers… until it didn’t. 

Annual Report 201810

11

Ironically it was our goal to serve all of  
New Zealand that morphed our traditional 
business model into the object that has 
drawn the biggest complaint… “You are too 
expensive and have too many channels  
I do not watch”. 

With all the points made above it is easy  
to see why there has been more disruption 
in the media industry in the last five years 
than the previous 30 years. SKY has been 
disrupted more than any other media firm  
in New Zealand because we are the largest 
media firm in New Zealand. But our size  
also gives us an advantage in this transition.

We were delivering content to mobile 
phones a year before the first iPhone went 
to market. We sent content over the internet 
a year before Netflix had its first streaming 
customer. Our strategy remains the same. 
We are embracing the Internet and the 
benefits that it derives while continuing  
to super-serve our traditional subscribers, 
who for the most part are happy with  
the product they are getting from SKY.  
There are some ‘technical gurus’ who  
when interviewed are critical of SKY and 
believe we should abandon our ‘antiquated’ 
business model and cut the umbilical cord 
to the satellite. Nothing would please me 
more. We spend circa $50 million dollars a 
year for the satellite to ensure we can deliver 
SKY to every home across New Zealand. 
Over 30% of our subscribers are not even 
connected to Ultra-Fast Broadband. 

Our biggest challenge in using the internet 
is with Sport delivery. We are not the only 
ones. Around the world there are repeated 
stories of failures with the internet delivery 
of big live sporting events. Viewership 
figures of sporting events on the internet are 
also often overstated. My favourite viewing 
statistic came out of the recent FIFA World 
Cup out of England. Reports suggested that 
24.3 million people watched the England vs. 
Croatia semi-final match on traditional TV. 
Other reports said that 4.3 million watched  
it via streaming. That is not bad, it would 
lead you to believe that streaming was up  
to a very respectable 15% share. But when 
you dig deeper you realize the total figures 
are terribly misleading. 

In England, the measurement for TV 
viewership is based on an average viewers 
per minute. The cumulative audience could 
have been much bigger as viewers dipped 
in and out of the coverage. The rigors of this 
formula have been fought out for years 
between Broadcasters and Advertising 
Agencies. On the other hand the viewership 
numbers for streaming defines a viewer as 
anyone who saw a stream for 3 seconds or 
more, and is cumulative. If we applied the 
same rigours of TV viewing to streaming, 
viewership would be 1.7 million or 6.5%.  
This figure is high enough for us to offer 
internet options, but not nearly high enough 
for us to jettison use of the satellite. We 
stream millions of hours of viewing through 
the internet with NEON, SKY GO and FAN 
PASS. But we are conscious that it is still the 
satellite that does most of the heavy lifting.

As mentioned, historically we attracted new 
market segments by launching new linear 
channels. Now it is our intention to leverage 
our content deals to offer new products and 
services to appeal to different customer 
segments. During much of 2015 and 2016 
we slowed down our innovation track in 
order to keep our promise to Vodafone to 
launch their new TV platform, which has 
launched and is doing well. Since then  
we have had a flurry of new products  
and services to offer our customers.  
They include:

• 

• 

• 

 Our subscription VOD service NEON 
offers a strong TV and Movies service.  
In order to attract those who are just 
interested in TV we recently created a 
TV-only option for $11.99 a month. 

 FAN PASS offers access to the SKY Sport 
channels 1-4 on a monthly and six monthly 
basis via the internet. We have recently 
launched a special mobile-only deal for 
$15.99 a month for those customers who 
want to access our great sport channels 
just on their mobile phones.

 Our set top box’s TV guide now goes up  
to 28 days when connected to the internet 
instead of just a week, greatly expanding 
your ability to review and record content  
in the future. The feature is also available 
on the SKY TV Guide App, allowing you  
to remotely record while on the go. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 A handy Restart function on a selection  
of our SKY Movies channels allows  
you to restart a movie if you’ve missed  
the beginning.

 We have installed an option of another 300 
Movies for customers to order as part of an 
expansion of our Pay per View platform.

 For some time with our decoders at 
home, customers have had the ability  
to access 1,000s of hours of previously 
played content as part of our Video on 
Demand option. Now we have extended 
this right to iPads and Mobile Phones as 
an extension to our SKY GO platform.

 The SKY Sport Highlights App is one of 
the most popular extra services we have 
offered. We have now made it better, with 
users able to personalise their own news 
feed to display only content from their 
favourite sport(s).

 Subscribers with children can now launch 
the Cartoon Network Watch and Play and 
Nickelodeon Play Apps for their children 
to use when they are not close to a TV set.

Looking ahead, you can expect to see some 
exciting product and service launches 
within the next 6-12 months.

Continuing SKY’s innovation journey, we’re 
investing further in internet-delivered TV 
through a new platform based on the Cisco 
Infinite Video Platform. Through new and 
existing devices, we’ll enable a whole new 
experience, getting customers to the 
content they love more quickly, with 
personalised recommendations and a 
content-led, image-rich user experience. 

We’ve always aggregated our own content 
with the world’s leading entertainment 
brands. And we’ll continue to do so through 
a combination of loved linear channels, on 
demand content and the best of global and 
local Apps. 

We’re also building on our voice capability, 
and will be able to allow seamless voice 
search across all content delivered via our 
enhanced TV service. And our new fluid 
viewing capability will mean your chosen 
content will follow you from the big screen to 
your mobile and tablet.

The Technology and Product teams are hard 
at work on these projects and we look 
forward to revealing them to you soon. 

As I mentioned at the start of this letter,  
the media industry is in transition more  
than ever before. This is reflected in the 
outcome of the impairment assessment and 
the write down of Goodwill of $360 million. 

The write down is noncash, not tax 
deductible and does not affect the 
underlying profit nor does it affect any 
banking covenants.

And finally, if all goes according to plan  
this will be my last CEO letter. I have been 
with SKY 27 years. While the days have  
been long the decades have flown by.  
I have been blessed by having some of the 
best and most dedicated employees that 
any CEO in New Zealand could have. I also 
want to thank all Directors and particularly 
the Chairmen I have been able to serve 
under. I also believe the challenges from 
reporters, Investment Analysts and Investors 
throughout the years made me a better 
CEO. Likewise I have become good friends 
over the years with Sport Administrators  
and Content providers. We never allowed 
conflicting agendas to get in the way of the 
true goal, getting great content to mutual 
customers. And finally, to my long suffering 
family who over the years put up with 
missed family gatherings and two hour 
breaks on our vacations in order for me to 
sit in on phone conference calls, I would 
have not made it without your support.

John Fellet 
Chief Executive Officer

The content wars 
Every now and then you will read a story 
about a piece of content we have lost by 
being out-bid by a competitor. Such stories 
usually include an interview with a media  
or technology expert (who, by the way, has 
never bought a piece of content in their life) 
predicting that this marks the start of SKY’s 
decline or maybe we have badly misjudged 
the public interest in this particular piece  
of content.

The fact is, we get out-bid for content every 
year. In fact, if there is a year that goes by 
without an article regarding SKY losing a 
content deal you should attend the AGM  
to voice your concern.

In thinking about content it is important that 
one understands the difference between 
Price and Value. Price is the amount you pay 
for something but Value is what you get with 
that piece of content. The easiest thing to 
do is win content auctions. All you need to 
do is keep bidding until everyone else drops 
out. But you don’t actually “win” the bid until 
you extract enough value to cover your 
costs. There are several contracts we have 
lost over the years, but seldom has the same 
company come back the next time and bid 
the same amount.

We could double every one of our bids and 
never lose anything, but before long we 
would have half the content with the same 
content costs. 

The biggest advantage we have in bidding  
is our 28 year history of viewing statistics. 
When we lose bids they tend to be high 
profile events which for whatever reason 
have lost their way. The Oscars are a perfect 
example. As I write this, SKY has been 
informed that we were not the highest 
bidder for the Oscars in 2019. The Oscars 
are one of my favourite shows of the year,  
in part because I am in the industry. But for 
reasons I am not sure about, and in spite of 
our best efforts, we have seen the ratings 
decline four years in a row. I am not sure 
who won the bid. I am not sure their bid 
would have been as high if they had the 
benefit of our data and content insights. 

The other advantage we have is the breadth 
of our content offerings. At any one time 
SKY has 4,500 programmes on the go 
contained in 3,000 different contracts.  

The biggest one is a sport contract,  
but it still only represents 23% of total  
sport viewing (which is represented by  
791 different contracts), and less than 6%  
of overall viewing on SKY. And that is after 
taking out all the free-to-air viewing on  
the platform.

When our competitors pay above the value 
on some content it means that they have  
to bid under the value on other content.  
In every country the debate always rages  
on which platforms have the best content. 
In New Zealand there is seldom any debate 
around Movies, Sport and Basic Channels 
which SKY dominates. Lately I have heard 
the claims by competitors that they have 
the best TV series, but I disagree. Don’t take 
my word for it. The Emmy nominations are 
in for 2018. SKY has the majority of the 
nominated shows, with over 200 
nominations across 59 titles. 

Write down of a goodwill asset
SKY recorded a write down of Goodwill  
of $360 million for the year ending  
30 June 2018. Even with an accounting 
degree the concept of Goodwill is not 
always an easy one to follow.

In the last few years companies in the  
media sector in Australia have recorded 
accounting write downs. In one such 
example one company determined that 
content it had purchased on a long term 
deal no longer retained its value to viewers 
so it wrote down its accounting value.  
In another case a media company acquired 
another media company and determined 
after a few years that the company acquired 
had lost its value and wrote the purchase 
price down. You should be aware that  
the write down of SKY’s Goodwill did not 
originate from your management devaluing 
any content or companies purchased.

SKY’s accounting Goodwill originated when 
INL, the former newspaper concern, started 
buying shares in SKY eventually getting to a 
78% shareholding. INL sold its newspapers 
and in 2005 entered into a merger with SKY. 
It is INL’s purchase of SKY shares which 
created the Goodwill. After the merger 
transaction was complete, your company 
inherited the old balance sheet of INL  
which included the Goodwill figure.

SKY Network Television LimitedAnnual Report 201812

13

caTchINgIT LIVE

14

SKY Network Television Limited

15

Exclusive world class sport

SpORT  
KIWIS LOVE

IN ThE paST 
financial year, 
SKY SpORT haS 
pRODucED 
400 ONSITE 
bROaDcaSTS  
up aND DOWN 
NEW ZEaLaND  
aND aIRED 5,623 
LIVE EVENTS.

We love sport at SKY and 
we have the sport that 
Kiwis love to watch, week in 
week out, 365 days a year. 

SKY invests millions of dollars in local and 
international sport content each year.  
We produce and broadcast some of  
New Zealand’s favourite sport including 
rugby, netball, cricket and rugby league. 
We’re equally as pleased to offer all of the 
other sport in our stable, with 791 different 
contracts making up the SKY Sport 
package. From football to motorsport, 
basketball to surfing, darts to snooker, 
SKY Sport prides itself on having 
something that appeals to every sport 
fan, anywhere in New Zealand.

The best of LIVE sport

Over the past year, SKY Sport and  
the Rugby Channel have broadcast  
an enormous 17,178 hours of LIVE sport.  
There has been on average 330 hours  
of LIVE sport per week with an average  
of 47 hours of LIVE sport per day. 

Saturday 24th of March 2018 might well 
have been SKY Sport’s single biggest  
LIVE sport day ever. Featuring an 
action-packed 77 hours and 15 minutes  
of LIVE content scheduled across  
SKY Sport channels, there truly was 
something for every sport fan. 

Highlights included LIVE coverage of  
the Black Caps, Warriors, Silver Ferns, 
Super Rugby, Formula 1, Supercars,  
LPGA, cycling, snooker and A-League.

2018 saw the PyeongChang Winter 
Olympics hit New Zealand’s summer like  
a blizzard and thanks to our outstanding  
team, no sport was left in the cold with  
636 LIVE hours and 2,162 total hours across 
seven SKY Sport channels, including six 
designated Pop-up channels.

Committed to local

We bring the best sporting experiences 
from around the world, but our special 
passion is local New Zealand sport.  
We’re on the ground, on the sidelines,  
in the water, in the air, filming, interviewing, 
producing and broadcasting LIVE  
local sport. 

Every day, our talented team of SKY  
crew and contractors are on the move,  
up and down the country, working to 
ensure our world class reputation for 
sport production continues to deliver  
an unrivalled local sport experience  
to our customers. Over the past year  
our team has certainly covered some 
distance, and with that comes a huge 
logistics job; 5,000 flights, 2,000 rental 
cars and 8,200 nights of accommodation 
bookings, to be exact. 

Annual Report 201816

Annual Report 2018

17

400

onsite broadcasts

5,623

LIVE events

330

average amount of hours  
of LIVE sport per week

Over the past year, the SKY 
Sport team has been 
responsible for some  
of New Zealand’s biggest 
sporting events, including:

  DHL Lions Series
   Olympic Winter Games  
PyeongChang 2018 
  Investec Super Rugby
  ASB Classic
  All Blacks domestic tests
  Black Caps domestic tests
  ANZ Premiership
  Beko Premiership
  International Netball
  NBL Basketball
  Super Smash Cricket
  NRL Premiership 
  Farah Palmer Cup
  Mitre 10 Cup
  Rugby League World Cup
  FIH Hockey World League Final
  All Whites FIFA Qualifier
  U19 Cricket World Cup
  1st XV Rugby
   Asia-Pacific Amateur  
Championship Golf
  McKayson NZ Women’s Open
  The Halberg Awards
  NZ Rugby Awards
  NZ Cricket Awards

The team are usually the first there and 
the last to leave, and when the television 
is switched off, they are busy unpacking, 
loading up and finally getting a good 
night’s rest before moving onto the  
next job. 

Behind the microphone and in front of 
the camera, the SKY Sport team has  
70 regular presenters, commentators  
and experts who bring educated and 
insightful analysis for our sport fans,  
no matter the code.

Celebrating our sport heroes

SKY Sport plays an integral role in 
celebrating New Zealand sporting 
excellence by filming and producing 
awards shows such as the Halberg 
Awards, NZ Cricket Awards and NZ Rugby 
Awards. We also provide our customers 
with 13 locally produced sport shows, 
including four new shows in the last  
12 months.

SKY Sport produced a number of local 
sporting documentaries throughout  
the year, including; Joseph Parker 
Metamorphosis, which saw the SKY team 
become part of the Parker camp before 
his world title fight, Wayne Smith – For the 
Love of the Game, which celebrated one 
of New Zealand’s greatest ever coaches 
and Pre-Season with the Warriors, a gritty 
and revealing two-part series that 
followed the Vodafone Warriors as they 
prepared for the 2018 NRL season. 

Our customers love getting to know their 
favourite players and sport teams, so we 
have plenty more documentaries planned 
and in production. 

Adding to the line up 

SKY’s commitment to delivering exclusive 
LIVE sport, 52 weeks of the year means 
our acquisitions team are constantly 
working to bring the world’s best sport 
content to SKY Sport customers. Some of 
the recent deals and renewals that SKY 
Sport has exclusively secured include the 
All Blacks, Black Ferns and Maori All 
Blacks end of year tours, the best of 
European football in the UEFA Champions 
League, The FA Cup, the Australian Open, 
the French Open, the Youth Olympic 
Games, Super League and Moto GP.

SKY Network Television Limited18

19

DELIVERINgThE bEST

WESTWORLD ©2018 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved. HBO and all related programs are the property of Home Box Office, Inc.

20

SKY Network Television Limited

21

Exclusive world class entertainment

accESS TO ThE 
VERY bEST

Getting Kiwis the content they want, 
when and how they want to watch it,  
is what SKY is all about. 

Our dedicated specialist programming  
team delivers our customers the very 
best content from across the globe, 
whether it’s the hottest drama, the latest 
movie or the best affiliate channels 
available. Our programmers, acquisitions 
and channel portfolio specialists have 
strong relationships with the world’s best 
studios and content providers, ensuring 
SKY is the only broadcaster that satisfies 
every Kiwi’s viewing needs.

SKY’s owned channels are purpose-built 
from the ground up with a dedicated 
team working with hundreds of 
international suppliers to acquire content 
that appeals to all of our customers. 
Whether it’s the greatest hits of classic TV 
on JONES!, premium drama on SoHo, or 
in-depth local documentaries on Prime, 
our team hand pick and schedule our 
content specifically for a local audience 
to give SKY customers the best possible 
viewing experience.

SKY’s movie offerings are second to  
none in New Zealand. We have exclusive 
partnerships with every international film 
studio, making SKY the only place in  
New Zealand where you can see all the 
latest movies from Warner Bros, Universal, 
Disney, Sony, MGM, Roadshow, Fox and 
Paramount for one flat fee. With a mix of 
blockbuster, independent and festival 
films that entertain, excite and inform, 
there are also specialist Pop-up channels 
for school holidays and events. SKY 
Movies customers now have instant 
access to hundreds of movies through 
SKY On Demand and SKY GO meaning 
there’s no waiting on scheduled times, 
they’re ready to watch at any time.

From our longest-standing channel 
partner Discovery to our newest, 
VICELAND, our slate of affiliate channels 
covers every customer segment and 
offers the deepest catalogue of factual, 
documentary and news content available 
in New Zealand.

gETTINg KIWIS  
ThE cONTENT 
ThEY WaNT, WhEN 
aND hOW ThEY 
WaNT TO WaTch  
IT, IS WhaT SKY  
IS aLL abOuT.

BILLIONS ©2018 “Billions” Showtime Networks Inc. All rights reserved.

Annual Report 201822

23

bEcauSE ThERE’S  
NO Such ThINg  
as one size fits 
aLL, SKY IS pacKED 
WITh TREaTS FOR 
aLL agES. 

The home of great  
entertainment and drama

There’s drama, and then there’s award-
winning drama. SKY is the place to get the 
best drama series like Game of Thrones, 
Westworld, Ray Donovan, Big Little Lies, 
Mayans MC and Fargo from the world’s 
best studios – HBO, FX, Warner Bros., 
Showtime, MGM, BBC and more.

Our relationships with the world’s hottest 
studios mean Kiwis have unparalleled 
access to the very best content available. 
But while we might have more Emmy® 
winners than everyone else, we also cater 
to the broadest of tastes, with a huge 
range of entertainment content across 
our linear and online offerings ensuring 
that those Kiwis whose idea of a great 
night in is more Howards End than 
American Horror Story, have the choice  
at their fingertips.

Because there’s no such thing as one  
size fits all, SKY’s packed with treats for  
all ages, from fan favourites such as  
The Flash and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, 
through to gripping British dramas like 
Vera and The Bletchley Circle, as well as 
familiar faces including Criminal Minds 
and NCIS. 

Compelling local stories

Unique New Zealand stories that may not 
otherwise be heard are a strong part of 
SKY’s entertainment line-up. Our selection 
of award-winning local documentaries 
and factual series offers unique insight 
into our nation of innovators. Such 
beautifully shot series as Uncharted with 
Sam Neill, Big Pacific, Ocean Predators 
and Beneath NZ open up our country  
and our region, adding enormous value  
to both our free-to-air channel Prime as 
well as SKY’s linear and online offerings.  
And as New Zealand’s favourite crime 
fighting duo are about to return to the 
small screen for a fifth series of  
The Brokenwood Mysteries, earlier 
seasons continue to delight audiences 
across the globe. 

With an eye on developments offshore,  
SKY has also become a foundation 
member of global commissioning club 
Atrium TV. Atrium is a consortium of some 
of the world’s key broadcasters and OTT 
platforms, formed to work with leading 
writers and producers to create premium, 
high-profile drama content. The ability to 
be involved at the grass-roots level of the 
commissioning of cutting-edge global 
drama offers SKY the opportunity to not 
only inject a Kiwi perspective into the 
development of these projects, but also  
to ultimately be able to share the results 
of this collaboration exclusively with  
local audiences. 

SKY Network Television LimitedAnnual Report 201824

SKY Network Television Limited

Annual Report 2018

25

Understanding our customers

cONNEcTINg
WITh KIWIS

SKY has undertaken extensive research into our 
customers over the last few years and developed  
an intricate understanding of the different customer 
segments we can serve.

Delivering for our different customer segments  
is at the core of SKY’s strategy;

   By understanding our customers we can always  

help them find something great to watch.

   Our content and experiences are available to all  
New Zealanders through our range of products  
and pricing.

We’re proud to service 

768K

cuSTOMERS 
acROSS  
NEW ZEaLaND

Our large customer  
base represents more than 

40%

OF  
NEW ZEaLaND 
hOuSEhOLDS

We are committed to 
building up a strong suite of 
online products to meet the 
needs of, and grow those 
segments who are fully 
embracing the digital world, 
while continuing to deliver 
to, and retain our core 
customer base, particularly 
those who don’t yet have  
access to fast internet and 
rely on the satellite to watch 
their favourite content.

Our industry is evolving into 
a world where internet 
delivery of content will 
eventually dominate, and we 
are well placed to transition 
with it. Over the next few 
years we anticipate that more 
customers will transition 
from our satellite service to 
our online products, and our 
goal is to continue to serve 
them in ways that best meet 
their needs and budgets.

DaRREN

apRIL

bRaD

JacKIE

pREM

ROSS

WaYNE

“I view to develop  
new skills and follow  
my curiosity.”

“I’m online a lot. I like to 
be the first to see 
trending TV shows and 
binge on my favourites.”

“I don’t have much  
time for view video,  
I prefer to spend 
time with others.”

“I enjoy a little bit  
of everything  
nothing too  
‘out there’ though.”

“I enjoy viewing as a  
family and some  
‘me-time’ when I  
can squeeze it in.”

“I enjoy my sport,  
my recorded shows  
and catch up a  
little online too.”

“I enjoy traditional  
TV, my regular  
shows most days,  
sport and the news.”

aVID  
LEaRNERS

ONLINE  
aDDIcTS

SOcIaL 
OWL

NEuTRaL  
cOupLES

MODERN  
hOMEMaKERS

FaNaTIcaL 
hEaRTLaNDERS

habITuaL 
hEaRTLaNDERS

SKY

NO  
SKY

SKY

NO  
SKY

SKY

NO  
SKY

SKY

NO  
SKY

SKY

NO  
SKY

SKY

NO  
SKY

SKY

NO  
SKY

26

SKY Network Television Limited

Annual Report 2018

27

Broadening our technology platform

WaTch IT  
YOuR  WaY

We’ve continued our  
focus on giving our 
customers more control 
and flexibility over the  
way they watch. 

Whether it’s watching the Black Caps  
live in the backyard, catching up on  
The Kardashians on the bus, binge-
watching Game of Thrones on a rainy day 
at the bach, or really indulging in 
premium viewing experiences from the 
comfort of the sofa, we’ve been adding 
extra value for our customers and 
providing more options to suit our 
different customer segments.

Giving our customers’ freedom 

Getting Kiwis the content they want, when 
and how they want, has seen us develop 
new ways to offer them the flexibility and 
freedom to watch it their way.

All customers now have SKY boxes with  
MY SKY recording functionality available, 
something a large majority of them have 
chosen to enable. By connecting their 
SKY box to the internet, customers can 
open up a whole new world of 
possibilities and make it easy to get the 
most from a SKY subscription. We’ve 
continued to improve our SKY On 
Demand service with the introduction of 
more on demand content – thousands of 
movies, Box Sets and Catch Up content is 
available to watch when customers want, 
at no extra cost to their SKY subscription. 

As well as adding more on demand 
content, we’ve extended our movie rental 
library with hundreds of additional titles, 
be they blockbusters or classics, available 
to rent instantly at the touch of a button. 
To further improve the viewing 
experience for our customers we’ve 
extended the TV Guide to show up to  
28 days of content, and added a restart 
feature to five of our SKY Movies 
channels, which enables our customers 
to start over if they miss the beginning  
of a movie.

Our range of Apps gives our customers 
even more value and further enhances 
the TV experience. 

We’ve made it easier for those who like to 
have their TV favourites at their fingertips 
24/7 with a major refresh of the SKY GO 
App. It features a new easy-to-navigate 
interface, 24 channels streaming live and  
a selection of subscription based Pop-up 
channels, and we have now included a 
large choice of Catch Up TV, Box Sets 
and SKY On Demand content on mobile 
& tablet. Plus with daily top suggestions, 
hand-picked by our local programing 
teams, there’s no chance of missing out 
on a brand new show or the return of  
a favourite.

Our SKY TV Guide App has also been 
enhanced – giving customers the ability  
to access up to 28 days of our guide and 
record a full series to their SKY box at the 
touch of an icon. 

Sport Fans can enjoy SKY Sport channels 
1 to 4 and highlights on demand via FAN 
PASS from $15.99 per month on mobile 
only or monthly passes across a range of 
screens from $55.99 per month.

When they’re away from the TV, customers 
with children can now unlock games, 
clips and extra kids content via the 
Cartoon Network Watch and Play App 
and the Nickelodeon Play App.

Sport fans have been enjoying our SKY 
Sport Highlights App for more than a 
year, and can now personalise their news 
feed to display the latest content just 
from their favourite sport.

We’re delivering on our commitment to 
ensure our content and experiences are 
available to all New Zealanders through 
our range of products and pricing. No 
matter what their budget, customers can 
access great TV through SKY. This year 
we revised our pricing and packaging, 
offering SKY Starter at less than $25 and 
making SKY Sport more accessible from 
$55 a month. Our internet-delivered 
content services NEON and FAN PASS 
continue to offer flexible pricing. For 
those who like great TV, NEON TV is now 
$11.99 a month, and upgradable to NEON 
TV & Movies for only $20 a month adding 
access to the latest blockbusters and a 
range of library titles. 

Looking to the future 

Continuing SKY’s innovation journey,  
we’re investing further in internet 
delivered TV through a new system  
based on the Cisco Infinite Video 
Platform. Through new and existing 
devices, we’ll enable a whole new 
experience, getting customers to the 
content they love more quickly, with 
personalised recommendations and a 
content-led, image-rich user experience. 

We’ve always aggregated our own 
content with the world’s leading 
entertainment brands. And we’ll continue 
to do so through a combination of linear 
channels, on demand content and the 
best of global and local Apps. 

We’re building on our voice capability, 
and will soon allow seamless voice  
search across all content delivered  
via our enhanced TV service. Our new 
fluid viewing capability means our 
customers won’t follow entertainment, 
entertainment will follow them from the 
big screen to their mobile and tablet.

With our world-class TV content and  
new cutting-edge TV platforms beginning 
to roll out over the next year, we’ll enable 
our customers to enjoy entertainment 
and sport like never before. 

28

SKY Network Television Limited

29

People and community

MaKINg a  
DIFFERENcE

At SKY, beyond our focus 
on delivering world class 
content and products to 
our customers, we are 
committed to making  
a positive impact on our 
industry, economy  
and community. 

SKY is proud to make a significant  
social and economic contribution to  
New Zealand, by supporting more than 
1,400 jobs, paying almost $50 million in 
tax and investing millions into our creative 
and sporting industries over the past year.

SKY is committed to being a responsible 
business and maintaining high standards 
of corporate governance. Our corporate 
governance practices, policies and 
procedures can be read in more depth  
from page 80.

OuR pEOpLE 

Central to our organisation is a talented  
and diverse workforce who share a 
common set of values and a clear sense 
of purpose. Our people are crucial to our 
success as a business. We work hard to 
ensure that we continue to attract the 
best, develop skills and make SKY a great 
place to work. 

We support training and development  
of all of our people with a learning and 
development framework that has been 
cultivated to meet the diverse needs of  
our crew and help them contribute to  
our company vision. Each learning and 
development initiative adds value by 
increasing the capabilities of staff to meet 
our dynamic business requirements. 

As well as planning for, consulting on and 
executing business-as-usual and project 
training initiatives, we also have an award 
winning leadership development 
programme to equip our leaders with the 
tools they need to engage their teams, 
set the direction and deliver results. 

In addition to developing our current 
workforce, we continue to provide work 
experience opportunities for young New 
Zealanders – from day visits for students 
still at school, to internship experiences for 
university students and graduates. SKY is a 
Youth Employment Pledge partner, and we 
work with tertiary institutions like South 
Seas Film & TV School and The University 

Our SKY Crew  
guiding principles: 

WE’RE 
FaNaTIcaL 

We love what we do, because we 
believe in it. We put our decades of 
experience producing, curating and 
watching the world on screen to good 
use, by sharing with and investing  
in curious Kiwi minds.

WE’RE KIWI 

We’re the original pay TV company for  
New Zealanders, but we’ll never put 
our feet up. We’re in tune with our 
customers. Our culture is not that of  
a big corporate, but of a collection  
of Kiwis doing what we love.

WE’RE  
SWITchED ON 

We work as one, using our experience,  
skills and imagination to deliver for  
our customers every day. We embrace 
change and work together to 
continually improve and deliver for  
our customers and as a business. 

Annual Report 201830

SKY Network Television Limited

31

of Auckland to place students into 
internships. Our internships provide 
hands-on experience in a ‘real world’ 
Broadcast & Media, Sport or Entertainment 
role. SKY is proud to have a 50% 
conversion rate for employing interns. 

We want SKY to be a great place to work,  
and foster a fun, friendly culture. We offer 
a comprehensive reward and benefits 
package to all permanent employees, 
including a range of health and fitness 
options like onsite yoga and boxing 
classes, discounted gym memberships 
and health insurance, school holiday 
programme subsidies as well as free  
SKY and NEON.

SKY Crew enjoy the choice of a variety  
of social sport teams and activities, 
including football, basketball, dragon 
boating, touch, running, cricket and  
table tennis. 

This is a fantastic opportunity for staff  
to interact with people who they don’t 
usually work with on a day-to-day basis. 
Our SKY Crew Events team organises 
annual tournaments for football, netball 
and quiz night.

SKY Crew recognised 

In September our SKY contact centre  
crew were once again recognised as one  
of New Zealand’s top contact centres after 
taking out first place in four categories at 
the annual CRM Contact Centre Awards.  
For the third year in a row, SKY won first 
place for Customer Support Services in  
the Industry Sector Awards. 

Our crew were also crowned the best  
in New Zealand for Online Web/Email 
Customer Service, the best in New 
Zealand for Customer Retention and  
SKY’s online streaming service NEON  
won the First Place Diamond Award for 
Live Chat in NZ.

The wins are testament to the hard  
work and passion of our Customer 
Services crew, who are always striving to 
provide our customers with an effortless 
customer service experience. We couldn’t 
be prouder that their efforts have once 
again been recognised.

Environment

At SKY whilst we work to deliver for our 
customers and shareholders, we also 
consider our impact on the environment. 
From considering environmental practices 
when selecting new suppliers, conducting 
waste audits across departments and 
recycling our equipment wherever  
possible, our aim is to reduce our 
environmental impact by implementing 
environmental initiatives that ensure  
SKY meets its environmental 
responsibilities through a process of 
continuous improvement. A highlight  
from the past year has been our 
Environmental Committee, Earth Sea  
SKY’s successful Smug with your Mug 
campaign, which encouraged SKY staff  
to avoid single-use cups for hot drinks in 
favour of reusable options.

DIVERSITY

We continue to value diversity  
of gender, skill, age, ethnicity,  
experience and beliefs at SKY.

Highlights over the past  
year include:

44%

FEMaLE

56%

MaLE

SKY cREW

42%

FEMaLE

58%

MaLE

SENIOR ExEcuTIVES

30+

WOMEN
SKY Sport continues to lead the way with  
women in front of the camera as well as 
behind the scenes. SKY has featured more 
than 30 female faces on our shows and LIVE 
sport coverage in the last 12 months, and 
women are working on coverage carrying  
out such jobs as Camera Operator,  
Director’s Assistant, Production Manager,  
VT Manager and Floor Manager.

40+

NaTIONaLITIES REpRESENTED  
IN OuR WORKFORcE

We held internal celebrations and  
workshops for events including 
International Women’s Day,  
Māori Language Week, New Zealand  
Sign Language Week.

SKY is an Auckland Council Youth Employer 
Pledge Partner, and this year we were a finalist  
for the Young At Heart Awards Youth Employer  
of the Year, and nominated for the Youth 
Induction and Development Award.

We became a member of Diversity  
Works New Zealand.

For more on SKY’s approach to diversity and  
SKY’s diversity policy, see page 81.

OuR cOMMuNITY 

Making a positive contribution in our 
local communities is important to us.  
We have longstanding partnerships 
with the Starship Foundation and 
Special Children’s Christmas Parties, 
and are proud of our SKY Crew who  
get involved wherever they can.

Starship Foundation 

The Starship Foundation gives our children 
better health and brighter futures, and 
we’ve been a sponsor since 2001. The 
Starship National Air Ambulance has 
been our major fundraising project for  
the past three years and has enabled  
our support to go beyond the walls of 
Starship, into the regions of New Zealand. 
Donations of hundreds of thousands of 
dollars, raised by SKY and our community 
of customers, have been dedicated to 
this vital service. 

Beyond providing much needed funds,  
we ensure SKY channels are at every 
Starship bedside to entertain (and 
sometimes just distract) patients and 
families during their stay, and donate 
airtime to help the Foundation generate 
income so that Starship can accellerate 
world-class healthcare for our children.  
We also love working with the Foundation 
to help bring magic moments to Starship, 
our favourites being holding special movie 
nights and donating toys for Starship 
patients at Christmas.

Special Children’s Christmas Parties 

Each year over 175 SKY Crew members 
throw on reindeer ears and Santa hats  
to help bring some joy to more than 
10,000 special Kiwi kids at the six Special 
Children’s Christmas Parties held across 
New Zealand. A day filled with bouncy 
castles, games and gifts for kiwi kids  
in need, SKY is proud to have been a 
supporter of Special Children’s Christmas 
Parties for 12 years, and the naming rights 
sponsor since 2016.

Annual Report 201832

SKY Network Television Limited

Annual Report 2018

33

Board of Directors

pETER MacOuRT
chaIRMaN 

JOhN FELLET
DIREcTOR aND cEO

SuSaN paTERSON 
DIREcTOR

gERaLDINE McbRIDE
DIREcTOR

DEREK haNDLEY
DIREcTOR

MIKE DaRcEY
DIREcTOR 

Mr Fellet joined SKY as chief operating 
officer in 1991. He was appointed as 
chief executive in January 2001 and  
as a director of SKY in April 2001.  
Mr Fellet holds a BA degree in Accounting 
from Arizona State University and has 
over 37 years of experience in the pay 
television industry, including ten years 
of experience with Telecommunications 
Inc. in the United States.

Mr Macourt was appointed as chairman 
of the SKY board in August 2002.  
He is a director of Prime Media Limited, 
Foxtel Management Limited and Virtus 
Limited, and a former director and  
chief operating officer of News Limited 
based in Sydney, Australia. Previously  
Mr Macourt has also served as a  
director of Premier Media, Independent 
Newspapers Limited and a number  
of subsidiaries and associated 
companies of the News Corporation 
Limited.  He holds a degree in 
commerce from the University of  
New South Wales, is a member of  
the Australian Institute of Chartered 
Accountants and the Australian  
Institute of Company Directors. 

Ms Paterson began her career as  
a pharmacist and later completed  
an MBA at London Business School, 
leading to a career in management  
and strategy consulting in New Zealand, 
Europe and the United States of 
America. She is now a professional 
director and a Chartered Fellow of  
the Institute of Directors. Ms Paterson  
is Chair of Steel and Tube Holdings 
Limited and Theta Systems Limited,  
and a director of Goodman NZ,  
Arvida Group and Les Mills NZ Limited.  
She is also a Member of the Electricity 
Authority, Chair of Home of Cycling 
(Avantidrome), and past director or 
Chair of a number of commercial 
infrastructure and growth companies 
and not for profit entities including 
Transpower New Zealand, Abano 
Healthcare, Airways Corporation, 
Housing New Zealand, Auckland 
Hockey, the NZ Eco-Labelling Trust,  
St. Cuthbert’s College and EECA.  
In 2015 Ms Paterson was made an 
Officer of the New Zealand Order  
of Merit for her services to  
corporate governance.

Ms McBride was appointed to the  
board in September 2013. She is a BSc 
Zoology major from Victoria University, 
served as president of SAP North 
America, president of SAP Asia Pacific 
Japan and global vice president of Dell 
Services. Ms McBride is a director of 
Fisher and Paykel Healthcare Limited 
and National Australia Bank Limited  
and is the chief executive and founder 
of MyWave Holdings, a leading edge 
consumer experience and enterprise 
relationship technology company.

Mr Handley was appointed to the  
board in September 2013. Mr Handley  
is an entrepreneur who recently created  
the Aera Foundation, a venture studio 
advancing new models that fuse social  
and financial goals. Before that he spent  
two years helping Sir Richard Branson 
set up the B Team, a global non-profit 
leadership collective. In 2001 at the age 
of 23, he co-founded The Hyperfactory, 
one of the first agencies in the world to 
recognise the power of mobile devices 
for connecting consumers, brands and 
mass media (acquired by NYSE-listed 
Meredith Corporation). Mr Handley  
has attended Massey University, MIT 
Sloan School of Management and 
Singularity University.

With an extensive track record of 
strategy and delivery across television, 
publishing, telecommunications  
and retail, Mr Darcey was appointed  
to the board in September 2017.  
A New Zealander, he has lived and 
worked in the UK since 1989. Fifteen  
of those years were spent at SKY UK, 
initially as the Director of Strategy,  
then six years as Chief Operating 
Officer. He played a prominent role  
in most of Sky UK’s major strategic 
decisions and its major commercial  
and regulatory dealings during this 
period. From 2013 to 2015 Mr Darcey 
was CEO of News UK and since 2015,  
Mr Darcey has provided strategic advisory 
services to media companies, including 
OSN, the main pay TV business in the 
Middle East (based in Dubai) and Digea, 
the association of free broadcasters in 
Greece. Mr Darcey has also advised on 
media issues in the UK, Germany,  
Russia and South Africa.

34

OuR
chaNNELS 

As at 30 June 2018

KEY

Created and produced by SKY

SKY STaRTER

SKY ENTERTaINMENT

35

SKY SpORT

SKY MOVIES

pREMIuM chaNNELS

^

SKY appS

OThER

4 PPV Movie Channels

1 PPV Event Channel

14 Audio Music Channels

3 PPV Adult Channels

^ SoHo is on us for customers who take SKY Entertainment and SKY Sport and/or SKY Movie packages.

SKY Network Television LimitedAnnual Report 201836

SKY Network Television Limited

Financial Statements June 2018

37

2018 Financials

Financial overview 
Financial trends 
Directors’ responsibility statement 
Consolidated statement of comprehensive income  
Consolidated balance sheet  
Consolidated statement of changes in equity  
Consolidated statement of cash flows  
Notes to the consolidated financial statements  
Independent auditor’s report 

38
42
44
45
46
47
48
49
76

38

Financial overview

Summary

Revenue analysis

The net loss after tax for the year ended 30 June 2018 is $240.7 million compared to a net profit after tax of $116.3 million in the previous year.

SKY’s total revenue decreased to $839.7 million, as follows:

The net loss includes an impairment charge of $360 million. If SKY’s 2018 results are adjusted for the impact of this $360 million impairment 
charge, the underlying net profit after tax is $119.3 million, an increase of 2.6% over the $116.3 million net profit after tax reported in the year 
ended 30 June 2017.

The SKY board is required to assess the fair value of intangible assets at each reporting period and if this is determined to be less than the  
book value, then the assets are impaired. The impairment charge reduces the net book value of SKY’s equity at 30 June 2018 to $1.03 billion 
($2.64 per share) compared to $1.33 billion ($3.41 per share) at 30 June 2017. SKY shares closed at $2.60 per share on 30 June 2018. This goodwill 
asset arose on the merger of Independent Newspapers Ltd (“INL”) and SKY back in June 2005 and reflected the difference between the fair  
value of SKY’s assets at the date of the merger and the price that INL shareholders agreed to exchange their shares in INL for SKY shares.  
This is a non-cash charge that has no impact on SKY’s 2018 cash flows or on any of its bank covenants.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (“EBITDA”) decreased by 2.2% to $285.8 million. 

Operating expenses decreased by 7.9% due to cost saving initiatives being rolled out throughout the business, as well as higher programming 
costs in the previous year due to the cost of the Rio Summer Olympics. 

For the years ended 30 June

IN NZD MILLIONS

Satellite subscription revenue

Other subscription revenues

Total subscription revenue

Advertising

Installation and other revenue

Total other revenue

Total revenue

39

2018

681.2

84.7

765.9

57.1

16.7

73.8

839.7

2017

725.1

82.2

807.3

68.1

18.1

86.2

893.5

 % inc/(dec)

(6.1)

3.0

(5.1)

(16.2)

(7.7)

(14.4)

(6.0)

The results are summarised as follows:

For the years ended 30 June

IN NZD MILLIONS

Financial performance data

Total revenue

Total operating expenses

EBITDA

Less

Depreciation and amortisation

Net finance costs

Net profit before income tax and impairment of goodwill

Impairment of goodwill

Income tax expense

(Loss)/profit after tax

Satellite subscription revenue decreased by 6.1% to $681.2 million due to fewer satellite customers, a lower uptake of premium services  
(Sport and Movies), lower pay-per-view buys, and a reduction in the price of SKY’s basic entry level package. 

Other subscription revenue includes commercial revenue earned from SKY subscriptions at hotels, motels, restaurants and bars throughout 
New Zealand and revenue from other subscriptions services such as NEON and, FAN PASS. This revenue increased 3.0% to $84.7 million in 2018 
due mainly to an increase in subscriber numbers for NEON and FAN PASS. 

2018

2017

 % inc/(dec)

Advertising sales revenue decreased by 16.2% to $57.1 million in 2018 due to a general weakening of market conditions for advertising 
expenditure and high advertising sales in the prior year relating to the Rio Olympics.

Installation and other revenues decreased by 7.7% to $16.7 million in 2018. This is mainly the result of fewer installations undertaken. 

839.7

553.9

285.8

102.4

17.5

165.9

360.0

46.6

(240.7)

893.5

601.2

292.3

105.1

19.6

167.6

–

51.3

116.3

(6.0)

(7.9)

(2.2)

(2.6)

(10.7)

(1.0)

n/a

(9.2)

(307.0)

SKY Network Television LimitedFinancial Statements June 2018 
41

Subscriber related costs include the costs of servicing and monitoring equipment installed at subscribers’ homes, indirect installation  
costs, the costs of SKY’s customer service department, sales and marketing costs and general administrative costs associated with SKY’s 
provincial offices. 

In 2018, subscriber related costs decreased by 17.1% due to lower employee and contractor costs of supporting a smaller subscriber base,  
lower trouble calls and decoder repair costs.

Broadcasting and infrastructure costs consist of transmission and linking costs for transmitting SKY and Prime’s television signals from its 
studios in Auckland to other locations in New Zealand and the costs of operating SKY’s television stations at Mt Wellington and Albany. The costs 
of leasing seven transponders on the Optus D1 satellite are included, as is the cost of high definition television broadcasting. Broadcasting and 
infrastructure costs have decreased by 5.7% to $92.0 million due a decrease in employee costs.

Other costs mainly include advertising costs and the overhead costs relating to corporate management. These costs have decreased by 6.1%  
to $50.7 million due to a reduction in ad agency costs related to lower advertising revenue. 

Depreciation and amortisation costs include depreciation charges for subscriber equipment including satellite dishes and decoders owned 
by SKY and fixed assets such as television station facilities. Depreciation and amortisation costs have decreased by 2.6% to $102.4 million due 
principally to an aging decoder base and fewer installations.

Finance costs, net have decreased by 10.7% to $17.5 million. The reduction in interest is due to reduced levels of debt. SKY’s weighted average 
interest rates are as follows:

Bank loans

Bonds

Combined weighted average

Capital expenditure

SKY’s capital expenditure, on a cash basis over the last five years is summarised as follows:

IN NZD MILLIONS

Subscriber equipment

Installation costs

Other

Total capital expenditure

2018

9.2

18.8

30.2

58.2

2017

19.7

29.3

30.7

79.7

2016

63.8

32.6

32.4

128.8

2018

5.58%

6.18%

5.79%

2015

22.8

29.7

63.0

115.5

2017

5.36%

6.04%

5.65%

2014

20.6

36.9

35.5

93.0

8%

15%

8%

OTHER
COSTS

DEPRECIATION 
AND AMORTISATION

Capital expenditure decreased by $21.5 million in 2018 to $58.2 million.

The reduction in capital expenditure in both subscriber equipment and installation costs is reflective of the significant expenditure that was 
made in prior years when the new internet enabled decoders were rolled out to replace the old legacy digital decoders and fewer installations. 

Other capital expenditure of $30.2 million included $14.6 million of software additions, $2.2 million of other plant and equipment, as well as  
$13.4 million of capital work in progress.

40

Financial overview

Expense analysis 

A further breakdown of SKY’s operating expenses for 2018 and 2017 is provided below:

IN NZD MILLIONS

Programming

Subscriber related costs

Broadcasting and infrastructure

Other costs

Depreciation and amortisation

Total operating expenses

2018

328.1

83.1

92.0

50.7

102.4

656.3

2018
% of revenue

39.1

9.9

11.0

6.0

12.2

78.2

2018

2017

2017

349.4

100.2

97.6

54.0

105.1

706.3

2017
% of revenue

 % inc/(dec)

39.1

11.2

10.9

6.0

11.8

79.0

(6.1)

(17.1)

(5.7)

(6.1)

(2.6)

(7.1)

SUBSCRIBER
RELATED
COSTS 

13%

15%

14%

BROADCASTING
AND INFRASTRUCTURE

PROGRAMMING

14%

50%

49%

EXPENSES
SPLIT

14%

14%

15%

Programming costs comprise both the costs of purchasing programme rights and also programme operating costs. Programme rights  
costs include the costs of sport rights, pass-through channel rights (e.g. Disney Channel, Living Channel, etc.), movies (including PPV) and  
music rights. Programme operating costs include the costs of producing live sport events, satellite and fibre linking costs and in-house  
studio produced shows. 

SKY’s programming expenses have decreased by 6.1% and equated to 39.1% of revenue in 2018. This decrease is principally due to several  
“one-off” sporting events purchased in 2017 which included the rights costs of the Summer Olympics and the Americas Cup. A significant 
proportion of SKY’s programme rights costs are in Australian dollars (AUD 27% of rights costs) and United States dollars (USD 52% of rights costs). 
This means the NZ dollar cost included in SKY’s accounts is affected by the strength of the NZ dollar during a particular year and by SKY’s foreign 
exchange hedging policy.

The board’s policy is to hedge a minimum of 85% of the forecast exposures over 0 to 12 months, up to 50% of variable exposures over 13 to 24 
months and up to 30% over 25 to 36 months. Fixed price contracts denominated in foreign currencies are fully hedged at the time of placing  
the order.

SKY Network Television LimitedFinancial Statements June 2018 
 
42

Financial trends

Income statement – five year summary

Depreciation and capital expenditure

IN NZD 000

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

IN NZD 000

Depreciation, amortisation and impairment (1)

Capital expenditure

43

2018

102,414

58,200

2017

105,148

79,700

2016

100,241

128,800

2015

119,194

115,500

2014

126,143

93,000

History of dividend payments

BY CALENDAR YEAR IN CENTS PER SHARE

2018

Interim dividend (paid in March)

Final dividend (paid in September)

Total ordinary dividend

Subscriber base

Total subscribers

7.5

– 

7.5

2018

767,727

Average monthly revenue per residential subscriber  (2)

76.34

Gross churn  (3)

15.4%

2017

15.0

12.5

27.5

2017

824,782

78.82

15.9%

2016

15.0

15.0

30.0

2016

852,679

78.63

17.5%

2015

15.0

15.0

30.0

2015

851,561

79.54

14.5%

2014

14.0

15.0

29.0

2014

865,055

77.52

13.2%

(1)  Excludes goodwill impairment of $360 million. 

(2)  Years 2016-2018 include IGLOO, NEON and FAN PASS not included in earlier periods. 

(3)   Gross churn refers to the percentage of residential subscribers over the 12-month period ended on the date shown who terminated their satellite pay TV 

subscription net of existing subscribers who transferred their service to new residences during the period.

For the year ended 30 June

Total revenue

Total operating expenses (1) 

EBITDA (2)
Less

Depreciation, amortisation and impairment (3)

Net interest expense and financing charges

Unrealised (gains)/losses on currency and other

Net (loss)/profit before income tax (3)

Balance sheet – five year summary

839,729

553,919

285,810

462,414

17,576

(66)

(194,114)

893,485

601,145

292,340

105,148

20,470

(850)

167,572

928,200

602,914

325,286

100,241

19,684

 371 

204,990

927,525

547,756

379,769

119,194

21,696

 – 

238,879

909,001

529,961

379,040

126,143

27,097

1,293

224,507

IN NZD 000

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

As at 30 June
Property, plant, equipment and  
non-current intangibles

Goodwill

Total assets

Interest bearing loans and liabilities

Working capital (4)

Total liabilities

Total equity

Cash flow – five year summary

IN NZD 000

As at 30 June

268,925

1,065,331

1,503,002

235,344

(51,708)

476,315

301,008

1,425,331

1,887,200

298,663

(54,035)

559,322

331,157

1,425,331

1,943,564

348,085

(35,230)

612,641

299,243

1,425,331

1,942,021

350,763

(36,285)

604,818

302,929

1,426,393

1,865,369

387,191

(48,325)

624,205

1,026,687

1,327,878

1,330,923

1,337,203

1,241,164

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Net cash from operating activities

Net cash used in investing activities

Free cash flow available to shareholders

213,613

(58,194)

155,419

244,536

(79,640)

164,896

275,844

(133,635)

142,209

282,915

(115,416)

167,499

305,314

(93,672)

211,642

(1)  Exclusive of depreciation, amortisation and impairment. 

(2)  Net (loss)/profit before income tax, interest expense, depreciation, amortisation and impairment, unrealised gains and losses on currency and interest rate swaps.

(3)  Includes goodwill impairment of $360 million (refer note 9).

(4)  Working capital excludes current borrowing, bonds, derivative financial instruments and available for sale investment.

SKY Network Television LimitedFinancial Statements June 2018 
 
 
 
 
44

45

Directors’ responsibility statement

Consolidated statement 
of comprehensive income

For the year ended 30 June 2018

The directors of Sky Network Television Limited (the Group) are responsible for ensuring that the financial statements of the Group present  
fairly the financial position of the Group as at 30 June 2018 and the results of its operations and cash flows for the year ended on that date.

The directors consider that the financial statements of the Group have been prepared using appropriate accounting policies, consistently 
applied and supported by reasonable judgements and estimates and that all relevant financial reporting and accounting standards have  
been followed.

The directors believe that proper accounting records have been kept which enable, with reasonable accuracy, the determination of the  
financial position of the Group and facilitate compliance of the financial statements with the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013.

The directors consider they have taken adequate steps to safeguard the assets of the Group and to prevent and detect fraud and  
other irregularities.

The directors have pleasure in presenting the financial statements of the Group for the year ended 30 June 2018.

The board of directors of Sky Network Television Limited authorise these financial statements for issue on 23 August 2018.

For and on behalf of the board of directors

Peter Macourt
Chairman

Susan Paterson
Director

23 August 2018

IN NZD 000

Total revenue

Expenses

Programming

Subscriber related costs

Broadcasting and infrastructure

Depreciation and amortisation

Other costs

Operating profit before impairment

Impairment of goodwill

Operating (loss)/profit

Finance costs, net

(Loss)/profit before tax

Income tax expense

(Loss)/profit for the year

Attributable to:

Equity holders of the Company

Non-controlling interests

Earnings per share

Basic and diluted (loss)/earnings per share (cents)

OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(Loss)/profit for the year

Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit and loss

Cash flow hedges

(Loss)/gain on available for sale investments

Income tax effect

Other comprehensive income/(loss) for the year, net of income tax

Total comprehensive (loss)/income for the year

Attributable to:

Equity holders of the Company

Non-controlling interest

Notes

2

2018

839,729

 2017

893,485

328,109

83,168

91,982

102,414

50,660

656,333

183,396

360,000

(176,604)

17,510

(194,114)

46,560

(240,674)

3

3

4 

5 

13

(240,956)

282

(240,674)

349,426

100,161

97,578

105,148

53,980

706,293

187,192

–

187,192

19,620

167,572

51,228

116,344

116,026

318

116,344

13

(61.92)

29.82

1

(240,674)

116,344

25,131

(646)

(6,856)

17,629

(223,045)

(223,327)

282

(223,045)

(5,486)

 2,147 

935

(2,404)

113,940

113,622

318

113,940

SKY Network Television LimitedFinancial Statements June 2018 
 
46

47

Consolidated balance sheet

As at 30 June 2018

Consolidated statement 
of changes in equity

For the year ended 30 June 2018

Notes

2018

 2017

                                                                                          ATTRIBUTABLE TO OWNERS OF THE PARENT

6

1

7

12

8

9

1

12

11 

10 

12 

11 

5 

12 

13 

13 

4,694

63,117

6,334

78,378

9,917

5,444

69,475

 – 

79,003

176

162,440

154,098

209,582

1,124,674

 – 

6,306

1,340,562

1,503,002

238,066

1,488,273

6,552

211

1,733,102

1,887,200

1,040

186,054

11,843

595

199,532

234,304

40,826

1,653

276,783

476,315

577,403

9,032

438,998

–

186,187

21,770

9,038

216,995

298,663

37,683

5,981

342,327

559,322

577,403

(9,062)

758,247

1,025,433

1,326,588

1,254

1,026,687

1,503,002

1,290

1,327,878

1,887,200

IN NZD 000

For the year ending 30 June 2018

Balance at 1 July 2017

(Loss)/profit for the year

Loss on available for sale investment, net of tax

Cash flow hedges, net of tax

Total comprehensive (loss)/income for the year

Transactions with owners in their capacity as owners

Dividend paid

Supplementary dividends

Foreign investor tax credits

Balance at 30 June 2018

For the year ending 30 June 2017

Balance at 1 July 2016

Profit for the year

Gain on available for sale investment, net of tax

Cash flow hedges, net of tax

Total comprehensive income for the year

Transactions with owners in their capacity as owners

Dividend paid

Supplementary dividends

Foreign investor tax credits

Balance at 30 June 2017

Notes

Share 
capital

Hedging 
reserve

Retained 
earnings

Non-
controlling 
interest

Total

Total 
equity

577,403

(9,062)

758,247

1,326,588

1,290

1,327,878

1

13

1

13

 – 

 – 

 – 

– 

 – 

– 

 – 

– 

 – 

– 

(240,956)

(240,956)

282

(240,674)

(465)

(465)

18,094

– 

18,094

– 

– 

(465)

18,094

18,094

(241,421)

(223,327)

 282 

(223,045)

 – 

– 

– 

 – 

(77,828)

(77,828)

(318)

(78,146)

(11,113)

(11,113)

11,113

11,113

– 

– 

(11,113)

11,113

(77,828)

(77,828)

(318)

(78,146)

577,403

9,032

438,998

1,025,433

1,254

1,026,687

577,403

(5,112)

757,417

1,329,708

1,215

1,330,923

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

–

– 

– 

(3,950)

116,026

116,026

318

116,344

1,546

– 

1,546

(3,950)

– 

– 

1,546

(3,950)

(3,950)

 117,572 

 113,622 

 318 

 113,940 

– 

– 

– 

– 

(116,742)

(116,742)

(243)

(116,985)

(15,330)

(15,330)

15,330

15,330

– 

– 

(15,330)

15,330

(116,742)

(116,742)

(243)

(116,985)

577,403

(9,062)

758,247

1,326,588

1,290

1,327,878

IN NZD 000

Current assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Trade and other receivables

Available for sale investment

Programme rights inventory

Derivative financial instruments

Non-current assets

Property, plant and equipment

Intangible assets

Available for sale investment

Derivative financial instruments

Total assets

Current liabilities

Interest bearing loans and borrowings

Trade and other payables

Income tax payable

Derivative financial instruments

Non-current liabilities

Interest bearing loans and borrowings

Deferred tax

Derivative financial instruments

Total liabilities

Equity

Share capital

Hedging reserve

Retained earnings

Total equity attributable to equity holders of the Company

Non-controlling interest

Total equity

Total equity and liabilities

Peter Macourt 
Chairman

Susan Paterson 
Director

For and on behalf of the board 23 August 2018.

SKY Network Television LimitedFinancial Statements June 2018 
 
48

49

Consolidated statement 
of cash flows

For the year ended 30 June 2018

IN NZD 000

Cash flows from operating activities

(Loss)/profit before tax

Adjustments for:

Depreciation and amortisation

Impairment of goodwill

Unrealised foreign exchange loss/(gain)

Interest expense

Bad debts and movement in provision for doubtful debts

Other non-cash items

Movement in working capital items:

(Decrease)/increase in receivables

Decrease in payables

Decrease in programme rights

Cash generated from operations

Interest paid

Bank facility fees paid

Income tax paid

Net cash from operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities

Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment

Acquisition of property, plant, equipment and intangibles

Net cash used in investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities

Repayment of borrowings – bank loan

Advances received – bank loan

Vendor finance received

Repayment of other borrowings

Repayment of borrowings – bond

Dividend paid to minority shareholders

Dividends paid

Net cash used in financing activities

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

Notes

2018

 2017

Notes to the consolidated  
financial statements

For the year ended 30 June 2018

1. General information

(194,114)

167,572

This section sets out the Group’s accounting policies that relate to the financial statements as a whole. Where an accounting policy is  
specific to one note, the policy is described in the note to which it relates. 

3

3

4

4

3

11 

11 

11 

11

102,414

360,000

7

17,756

1,185

83

439

(9,320)

625

105,148

 – 

(212)

21,010

1,732

415

(2,204)

(7,749)

762

279,075

286,474

(15,766)

(696)

(49,000)

(22,704)

(725)

(18,509)

213,613

244,536

29 

(58,223)

(58,194)

(166,000)

97,000 

2,386 

(296)

 – 

(318)

(88,941)

(156,169)

(750)

5,444 

4,694 

42 

(79,682)

(79,640)

(111,000)

261,000 

 – 

–

(200,000)

(243)

(132,072)

(182,315)

(17,419)

22,863 

5,444 

SKY Network Television Limited (SKY) is a Company incorporated and domiciled in New Zealand. The address of its registered office is  
10 Panorama Road, Mt Wellington, Auckland, New Zealand. The consolidated financial statements of the Group for the year ended  
30 June 2018 comprise the Company, Sky Network Television Limited and its subsidiaries. 

SKY is a company registered under the Companies Act 1993 and is a reporting entity under Part 7 of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013.  
The financial statements of the Group have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013  
and the NZX Main Board Listing Rules. 

The Group’s primary activity is to operate as a provider of multi-channel, pay television and free-to-air television services in New Zealand.

These financial statements were authorised for issue by the Board on 23 August 2018.

Basis of preparation

The consolidated financial statements of the Group have been prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Practice in 
New Zealand (NZ GAAP). The Group is a for-profit entity for the purpose of complying with NZ GAAP. The consolidated financial statements 
comply with New Zealand equivalents to International Financial Reporting Standards (NZ IFRS), other New Zealand accounting standards and 
authoritative notices that are applicable to entities that apply NZ IFRS. The consolidated financial statements also comply with International 
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

These financial statements are prepared on the basis of historical cost except where otherwise identified.

The financial statements are presented in New Zealand dollars.

Group structure 

The Group has a majority share in the following subsidiaries, all of which are incorporated in and have their principal place of business  
in New Zealand:

Name of entity

Principal activity 

Parent

Interest held

SKY DMX Music Limited

SKY Ventures Limited

Media Finance Limited

Outside Broadcasting Limited 

Screen Enterprises Limited (1)

Igloo Limited (2)

Believe It Or Not Limited

(1)  Ceased trading during the current year

 (2)  Ceased trading during the prior year

Commercial Music

Investment

Non-trading

Broadcasting services

Non-trading

Non-trading

Entertainment quizzes

SKY

SKY

SKY

SKY

SKY

SKY

SKY

2018

50.50%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

51.00%

2017

50.50%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

51.00%

In March 2016 SKY Ventures acquired a 15.78% interest in 90 Seconds Pty Limited (a cloud video production company) for a cost of $4.8 million. 
In the following year the investment was diluted to 13.54%. This investment is classified as an available for sale financial asset, recognised initially 
and subsequently at fair value, with changes in fair value recognised in other comprehensive income. The fair value as at 30 June 2018 was  
$6.3 million (30 June 2017 $6.6 million). The investment has been reclassified to current assets due to its expected realisation in the coming  
year (refer note 17). 

SKY Network Television LimitedFinancial Statements June 2018 
50

51

1. General information (CONTINUED)

Basis of consolidation

The Group financial statements consolidate the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries.

The acquisition method of accounting is used to account for the acquisition of subsidiaries and businesses by the Group. The consideration 
transferred in a business combination is measured at fair value, which is calculated as the sum of the acquisition date fair value of the assets 
transferred and the liabilities incurred. Each identifiable asset and liability is generally measured at its acquisition date fair value except if another 
NZ IFRS requires another measurement basis. The excess of the consideration of the acquisition and the amount of any non-controlling interest 
in the acquired company, less the Group’s share of the net of the acquisition date amounts of the identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities 
assumed is recognised as goodwill. Acquisition related costs are expensed as incurred.

Subsidiaries

Subsidiaries are entities that are controlled, either directly or indirectly, by the Group. The Group controls an entity when it is exposed to,  
or has rights to, variable returns from its involvement with the entity and has the ability to affect those returns from its power over the entity. 
Subsidiaries are fully consolidated from the date on which control is transferred to the Group. They are deconsolidated from the date on  
which control ceases.

Intragroup balances and any unrealised gains and losses or income and expenses arising from intragroup transactions, are eliminated in 
preparing the consolidated financial statements. Unrealised losses are eliminated in the same way as are unrealised gains unless the transaction 
provides evidence of an impairment of the asset transferred.

Transactions with non-controlling interests

Transactions with non-controlling interests that do not result in loss of control are accounted for as equity transactions – that is, as transactions 
with the owners in their capacity as owners. The difference between fair value of any consideration paid and the relevant share acquired of  
the carrying value of net assets of the subsidiary is recorded in equity. Gains or losses on disposals to non-controlling interests are also  
recorded in equity.

New standards, amendments and interpretations

The new amendment to NZ IAS 7 effective for the first time for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2017 aims to improve information about 
changes in liabilities arising from financing activities. This information is provided in Note 11 and provides a reconciliation of the opening and 
closing carrying amounts for each item for which cash flows have been classified as financial activities and includes changes in financing cash 
flows comprising drawdowns and repayments and other non-cash changes for example new finance leases and changes in fair value. 

The Group has carried out a review of its current sources of revenue with a view to determining whether the requirements of NZ IFRS 15 will 
result in changes to the Group’s current reporting practices, whether those changes will affect the Group’s current reporting systems and 
whether any reclassifications will be required. The Group has identified several sources of revenue which may be affected all of which are unlikely 
to have a significant effect on the Group’s reported revenue or net results. These include installation revenue, customer acquisition  
costs and discounted services. In addition a review of the agency versus principal considerations in certain third party contracts has indicated 
that the Group will record revenue on the basis that its relationship with the end customer is as a principal. Revenue and expenses are expected 
to increase by approximately $11.2 million in the year ending 30 June 2019 and in the comparative period with no effect on the net result, due to 
reclassification of discounts or commission.

No significant changes to existing systems and processes have been identified as necessary to comply with NZ IFRS 15. 

NZ IFRS 16 “Leases” (effective date: 1 January 2019)

NZ IFRS 16 will primarily change lease accounting for lessees; lease agreements will give rise to the recognition of an asset representing the 
right to use the leased item and a loan obligation for future lease payables. Lease costs will be recognised in the form of depreciation of the 
right to use asset and interest must be recognised on the lease liability. The new standard will be substantively different for current operating 
leases where rental charges are currently recognised on a straight-line basis and no lease asset or lease obligation is recognised. The standard is 
effective for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019. The Group intends to adopt the standard from 1 July 2019. 

The Group has assessed the impact of applying NZ IFRS 16 and determined the adjustments to recognise right of use assets and corresponding 
lease liabilities are likely to be significant. Most of this value relates to the Optus transponder lease which is currently treated as an operating 
lease for accounting purposes. The estimated ratio of net liabilities to total assets would fall from approximately 3.3 to 3.0. 

The adoption of NZ IFRS 16 will not have any significant effect on the Group’s banking covenants since adjustment is already in place to treat 
Optus as if it was a finance lease contract.

Other than NZ IFRS 9 “Financial Instruments’, NZ IFRS 15 “Revenue from contracts with customers” and NZ IFRS 16 “Leases”, there are no new 
standards, amendments or interpretations that have been issued and effective, or not yet effective, that are expected to have a significant  
impact on the Group.

Goods and services tax (GST)

The consolidated statement of comprehensive income and consolidated statement of cash flows have been prepared so that all components 
are stated exclusive of GST. All items in the consolidated balance sheet are stated net of GST, with the exception of receivables and payables, 
which include GST invoiced.

The Group is currently assessing the impact of the following new standards on its financial position, performance and cash flows:

Segmental reporting

NZ IFRS 9 “Financial Instruments” (effective date: 1 January 2018)

NZ IFRS 9 simplifies the model for classifying and recognising financial instruments and aligns hedge accounting more closely with common risk 
management practices. Changes in own credit risk in respect of liabilities designated at fair value through profit or loss can now be presented 
within OCI. This change can be adopted early without adopting NZ IFRS 9. The new impairment model requires the recognition of impairment 
provisions based on expected credit losses (ECL) rather than only incurred credit losses as it the case under NZ IAS 39. It is likely that this will 
result in earlier recognition of impairment losses.

NZIFRS 9 will impact the classification and measurement of the Group’s financial instruments and will require certain additional disclosures and 
amended hedge documentation. The changes to recognition and measurement of financial instruments and changes to hedge accounting 
rules are not currently considered likely to have any major impact on the Group’s current accounting treatment or hedging activities. Existing 
hedge documentation has been updated to ensure compliance with NZ IFRS 9.

NZ IFRS 15 “Revenue from contracts with customers” (effective date: 1 January 2018)

NZ IFRS 15 deals with revenue recognition and establishes principles for reporting useful information to users of financial statements about the 
nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from an entity’s contracts with customers. Revenue is recognised  
when a customer obtains control of a good or service and has the ability to direct the use and obtain the benefits from the good or service.  
The standard is effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2018. The standard permits either a full retrospective or a modified 
retrospective approach for the adoption. The Group will adopt NZ IFRS 15 effective 1 July 2018 with full retrospective application.

Operating segments are reported in a manner consistent with the internal reporting provided to SKY’s group of executive directors who are the 
chief operating decision-makers. SKY’s group of executive directors is responsible for allocating resources and assessing performance of the 
operating segments. SKY operates in a single business segment; the provision of multi-channel television services in New Zealand.

2. Revenue

IN NZD 000

Residential satellite subscriptions

Other subscriptions

Advertising

Other revenue

2018

681,231

84,728

57,045

16,725

 2017

725,066

82,247

68,084

18,088

839,729

893,485

Revenue comprises the fair value of the sales of goods and services, net of goods and services tax and is recognised as follows:

Subscription revenue – over the period to which the subscription relates; unearned subscriptions and deferred revenues are revenues  
that have been invoiced relating to services not yet performed, principally subscriptions paid in advance (refer note 10);

Advertising revenue – over the period in which the advertising is screened; and

Other revenue – when the product has been delivered to the customer or retailer or in the accounting period in which the actual  
service is provided. Other revenue comprises revenues received from installation of decoders and other non-subscriber related revenue. 

Financial Statements June 2018Notes to the consolidated  financial statements (CONTINUED)For the year ended 30 June 2018SKY Network Television Limited52

53

4. Finance costs, net

IN NZD 000

Finance income

Interest income

Finance expense

Interest expense on bank loans

Interest expense on bonds

Finance lease interest

Amortisation of bond costs 

Bank facility finance fees

Total interest expense

Unrealised exchange loss – foreign currency payables

Unrealised exchange gain – foreign currency hedges

Realised exchange loss/(gain) – foreign currency payables

Realised exchange loss – foreign currency hedges

2018

 2017

(312)

(312)

10,395

6,179

 50 

272

860

(540)

(540)

10,663

9,064

 – 

361

922

17,756

21,010

2,520

(2,513)

59

 –

812

(1,024)

(648)

10

17,510

19,620

Interest income is recognised on a time-proportion basis using the effective interest method, which is the rate that exactly discounts 
estimated future cash flow receipts through the expected life of the financial asset to that asset’s net carrying amount.

Borrowing costs directly attributable to acquisition, construction or production of an asset that takes a substantial period of time to  
prepare for its intended use are capitalised as part of the cost of the respective assets. All other borrowing costs are expensed in the  
period in which they are incurred. Borrowing costs consist of interest and other costs that the Group incurs with the borrowing of funds.

Transactions in foreign currencies are translated at the foreign exchange rate ruling at the date of the transaction. Non-monetary items 
carried at fair value that are denominated in foreign currencies are translated to New Zealand dollars at the rates prevailing on the date when 
the fair value was determined. Non-monetary items that are measured in terms of historical cost in a foreign currency are not re-translated. 
Foreign exchange gains and losses resulting from the settlement of foreign currency transactions and from the translation at the year-end 
exchange rate of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are recognised in profit and loss except where hedge 
accounting is applied and foreign exchange gains and losses are deferred in other comprehensive income.

3. Operating expenses

(Loss)/profit before tax includes the following separate expenses/(credits): 

IN NZD 000

Depreciation, amortisation and impairment
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment (1) 

Amortisation of intangibles

Impairment of goodwill

Total depreciation, amortisation and impairment

Bad and doubtful debts

Movement in provision

Net write-off

Total bad and doubtful debts 

Fees paid to external auditors 

Audit fees (2)

Other services

Assurance report on regulatory returns

Other services (3)

Advisory services 

Treasury

Total fees to external auditors 

Professional fees in relation to proposed acquisition of Vodafone NZ

Employee costs (4)

KiwiSaver employer contributions

Donations

Operating lease and rental expenses

Related party transactions 

Remuneration of key management personnel (included in employee costs)

Directors' fees

Dividends paid to directors and key management personnel (5)

Total related party transactions

Notes

2018

 2017

8

9

9

6

6

81,224

21,190

360,000

462,414

(290)

1,185

895

409

2

 – 

28

439

21

92,696

2,180

251

36,152

11,415

615

54

87,570

17,578

 – 

105,148

165

1,732

1,897

336

3

17

27

383

 2,145 

97,040

2,251

413

37,939

11,949

555

56

12,084

12,560

(1)  The majority of depreciation and amortisation relates to broadcasting assets (refer note 8 and 9). 

(2)  The audit fee includes the fee for both the annual audit of the financial statements and the review of the interim financial statements. 

(3)  Other services comprise reporting on trust deed requirements and on matters related to proposed acquisition of Vodafone NZ. 

(4)  All employee costs are short-term employee benefits.

(5)   The Group’s directors and key management personnel collectively had shareholdings of 268,988 shares (2017: 186,778 shares) which carry the normal entitlement 

to dividends. Share transactions undertaken by directors can be found as part of the statutory disclosures in the annual report. 

Leases under which all the risk and benefits of ownership are substantially retained by the lessor are classified as operating leases.  
Operating lease payments are recognised as an expense in the periods the amounts are payable. 

Employee entitlements to salaries and wages and annual leave, to be settled within 12 months of the reporting date represent present 
obligations resulting from employees’ services provided up to the reporting date, calculated at undiscounted amounts based on  
remuneration rates that the Group expects to pay.

Bonus plans are recognised as a liability and an expense for bonuses based on a formula that takes into account the economic value  
added by employees during the reporting period. The Group recognises this provision where contractually obliged or where there is a  
past practice that has created a constructive obligation.

Financial Statements June 2018Notes to the consolidated  financial statements (CONTINUED)For the year ended 30 June 2018SKY Network Television Limited 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
54

55

5. Taxation

Income tax expense

The total charge for the year can be reconciled to the accounting (loss)/ profit as follows:

IN NZD 000

(Loss)/profit before tax

Prima facie tax (credit)/expense at 28%

Non deductible expenses 1

Prior year adjustment

Other

Income tax expense

Allocated between

Current tax payable

Deferred tax

Income tax expense

Imputation credits

IN NZD 000

Imputation credits available for subsequent reporting periods based on a tax rate of 28%

(1)  $100.8 million relates to goodwill impairment.

2018

(194,114)

(54,352)

101,098

(132)

(54)

 2017

167,572

46,920

771

3,537

 – 

46,560

51,228

50,392

(3,832)

 46,560 

48,658

2,570

 51,228 

2018

 100,903 

 2017

 80,158 

The above amounts represent the balance of the imputation account as at the end of the reporting period adjusted for:

• 

• 

Imputation credits that will arise from the payment of the amount of the provision for income tax;

Imputation debits that will arise from the payment of dividends (excluding the final dividend announced in August).

 Availability of these credits is subject to continuity of ownership requirements. 

Current income tax expense

Income tax expense represents the sum of the tax currently payable and deferred tax, except to the extent that it relates to items  
recognised directly in other comprehensive income, in which case the tax expense is also recognised in other comprehensive income.  
The tax currently payable is based on taxable profit for the year. Taxable profit differs from profit as reported in profit and loss because  
it excludes items of income or expense that are taxable or deductible in other years and it further excludes items that are never taxable  
or deductible. The Group’s liability for current tax is calculated using the rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the  
balance date.

Deferred tax liabilities and (assets)

The following are the major deferred tax liabilities and assets and the movements thereon during the current and prior reporting periods.

IN NZD 000

For the year ended 30 June 2018

At 1 July 2017

NZ IAS 39 hedging adjustment recognised through other 
comprehensive income 

Revaluation of available for sale investment recognised 
through other comprehensive income

(Credited)/charged to profit and loss

Balance at 30 June 2018

Deferred tax reversing within 12 months

Deferred tax to reverse after more than 12 months

For the year ended 30 June 2017
At 1 July 2016

NZ IAS 39 hedging adjustment recognised through other 
comprehensive income 

Revaluation of available for sale investment recognised 
through other comprehensive income

(Credited)/charged to profit and loss

Balance at 30 June 2017
Deferred tax reversing within 12 months

Deferred tax to reverse after more than 12 months

Notes

Fixed 
assets

Leased 
assets

Other

Recognised 
directly  
in equity

Total

16,168

27,697

(3,259)

(2,923)

37,683

13

1

13

1

 – 

 – 

1,375

17,543

(5,621)

23,164

17,543

 – 

 – 

(5,333)

22,364

(7,142)

29,506

22,364

 – 

 – 

126

(3,133)

(3,133)

 – 

(3,133)

11,916

31,117

(4,997)

 – 

 – 

4,252

16,168

701

15,467

16,168

 – 

 – 

(3,420)

27,697

(6,950)

34,647

27,697

 – 

 – 

1,738

(3,259)

(3,140)

(119)

(3,259)

7,037

7,037

(62)

 – 

4,052

2,786

1,266

4,052

(1,989)

(1,535)

601

 – 

(2,923)

(1,404)

(1,519)

(2,923)

(62)

(3,832)

40,826

(13,110)

53,936

40,826

36,047

(1,535)

601

2,570

37,683

(10,793)

48,476

37,683

Certain deferred tax assets and liabilities have been offset as allowed under NZ IAS 12 where there is a legally enforceable right to set off current 
tax assets against current tax liabilities and where the deferred tax assets and liabilities are levied by the same taxation authority.

Deferred income tax is provided in full, using the liability method, on temporary differences arising between the tax bases of assets  
and liabilities and their carrying amounts in the financial statements. Deferred income tax is not accounted for if it arises from initial 
recognition of an asset or liability in a transaction, other than a business combination, that at the time of the transaction neither affects 
accounting nor taxable profit or loss. Deferred income tax is determined using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted 
by the balance date and are expected to apply when the related deferred income tax asset is realised or the deferred income tax liability  
is settled. Deferred income tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profit will be available against 
which the temporary differences can be utilised.

Key estimates and assumptions

Deferred tax assets are recognised for unused tax losses and other deductible temporary differences to the extent that it is probable that 
taxable profit will be available against which the losses and other deductible temporary differences can be utilised. Significant management 
judgement is required to determine the amount of deferred tax assets that can be recognised based upon the likely timing and level of 
future taxable profits. No deferred tax asset has been recognised in relation to Igloo Limited’s (IGLOO) accumulated losses of $12,150,000 
(30 June 2017: $12,150,000). Those tax losses can be carried forward for use against future taxable profits of IGLOO subject to meeting the 
requirements of the income tax legislation including shareholder continuity. 

Financial Statements June 2018Notes to the consolidated  financial statements (CONTINUED)For the year ended 30 June 2018SKY Network Television Limited56

57

Movements in the provision for impairment of receivables were as follows:

IN NZD 000

Opening balance

Charged during the year

Utilised during the year

Closing balance

Notes

3

2018

 926 

 895 

(1,185)

 636 

 2017

 763 

 1,897 

(1,734)

 926 

The creation and release of the provision for impaired receivables has been included in subscriber related costs in profit and loss. Amounts 
charged to the allowance account are generally written off when there is no expectation of receiving additional cash. The maximum  
exposure to credit risk at the reporting date is the fair value of each class of receivable. The Group holds collateral in the form of deposits  
for commercial customers.

7. Programme rights inventory

IN NZD 000

Opening balance

Acquired during the year

Charged to programming expenses

Balance at end of year

2018

79,003

267,829

(268,454)

78,378

 2017

79,765

286,278

(287,040)

79,003

Programme rights are recognised at cost, as an asset in the consolidated balance sheet provided the programme is available and the rights 
period has commenced at the balance date. Long-term sport rights are executory contracts as the obligation to pay for the rights does not 
arise until the event has been delivered. Most sport rights contracts are, however, payable in advance and as such, are recognised only to the 
extent of the portion not yet utilised. Rights are expensed over the period they relate to on a proportionate basis depending on the type of 
programme right and the expected screening dates, generally not exceeding twelve months. Any rights not expected to be utilised are  
written off during the period.

6. Trade and other receivables

IN NZD 000

Trade receivables

Less provision for impairment of receivables

Trade receivables – net

Other receivables 

Prepaid expenses

Balance at end of year

Deduct prepaid expenses

Balance financial instruments 

IN NZD 000

Residential subscribers

Commercial subscribers

Wholesale customers

Advertising

Commercial music

Other

Notes

2018

 56,575 

(636)

 55,939 

 1,300 

 5,878 

 2017

 61,529 

(926)

 60,603 

 2,739 

 6,133 

 63,117 

 69,475 

14

(5,878)

57,239

(6,133)

63,342

  2018

  2017

Gross

32,837

5,213

11,592

5,197

98

1,638

56,575

Impairment

504

18

– 

27

21

66

636

Gross

34,390

5,217

9,860

9,219

107

2,736

61,529

Impairment

380

38

– 

61

37

410

926

Trade and other receivables are recognised initially at fair value and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest 
method, less provision for impairment. Collectability of trade receivables is reviewed on an on-going basis. Debts which are known to be 
uncollectible are written off. A provision for impairment of trade receivables is established when there is objective evidence, such as default 
or delinquency in payments, that the Group will not be able to collect all amounts due according to the original terms of the receivables. 
The amount of the provision is the difference between the asset’s carrying amount and the present value of the estimated future cash flows, 
discounted at the effective interest rate. The amount of the provision is expensed in profit and loss.

As at 30 June, the ageing analysis of trade receivables is as follows:

IN NZD 000

Not past due

Past due 0-30 days

Past due 31-60 days

Past due 61-90 days

Greater than 90 days

Neither 
past due nor 
impaired

49,504

– 

– 

– 

– 

49,504

2018

Past due  
but not 
impaired

– 

5,093

1,115

167

 60 

6,435

Neither 
past due nor 
impaired

54,013

– 

– 

– 

– 

54,013

Impaired

– 

26

15

213

382

636

2017

Past due  
but not 
 impaired

– 

5,344

897

203

 146 

6,590

Impaired

– 

80

23

197

626

926

Accounts receivables relating to advertising sales are individually impaired when it is clear that the debt is unlikely to be recovered. Impairment 
for all other trade receivables is calculated as a percentage of overdue subscribers in various time buckets based on historical performance of 
subscriber payments.

Financial Statements June 2018Notes to the consolidated  financial statements (CONTINUED)For the year ended 30 June 2018SKY Network Television Limited58

59

8. Property, plant and equipment

Land, 
buildings and 
leasehold 
improvements

Broadcasting 
and studio 
equipment

Decoders and 
associated 
equipment

Capitalised 
installation 
costs

Other  
plant and 
equipment

Projects 
under 
development

IN NZD 000

For the year ending 30 June 2018

Cost 

Balance at 1 July 2017

 64,271 

 139,786 

 352,918 

 306,246 

 81,631 

– 

– 

 364 

(53)

 962 

– 

 550 

(2,005)

– 

– 

– 

– 

 8,581 

(29,779)

 18,789 

(37,825)

64,582

139,293

331,720

287,210

22,694

 2,112 

(53)

24,753

39,829

122,987

8,846

(2,005)

278,757

30,896

228,875

31,459

(29,554)

(37,822)

129,828

280,099

222,512

9,465

51,621

64,698

 906 

– 

 4,850 

(10,325)

77,062

58,701

7,911

(10,224)

56,388

20,674

Total

950,080

– 

(3,032)

56,101

 5,228 

(1,868)

(3,032)

 22,967 

– 

(79,987)

23,295

923,162

– 

– 

– 

– 

712,014

81,224

(79,658)

713,580

23,295

209,582

 63,589 

 155,268 

 480,382 

 403,530 

 81,551 

 18,655 

1,202,975

– 

– 

 711 

(29)

 2,043 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

 3,457 

 15,929 

 29,355 

(20,982)

(143,393)

(126,639)

 380 

– 

 4,234 

(4,534)

(2,423)

– 

(16,232)

(16,232)

 5,228 

58,914

 – 

(295,577)

64,271

139,786

352,918

306,246

81,631

5,228

950,080

20,478

 2,244 

135,611

8,325

389,194

32,634

319,746

35,767

(28)

(20,949)

(143,071)

(126,638)

22,694

41,577

122,987

278,757

228,875

16,799

74,161

77,371

54,630

8,600

(4,529)

58,701

22,930

– 

– 

– 

– 

919,659

87,570

(295,215)

712,014

5,228

238,066

Land, buildings and leasehold improvements at 30 June 2018 includes land with a cost of $8,820,000 (30 June 2017: $8,820,000).

Depreciation related to broadcasting assets (including decoders and capitalised installation costs) of $71,201,000 (30 June 2017: $76,726,000) 
accounts for the majority of the total depreciation charge. Due to immateriality of the remaining depreciation, no allocation of deprecation has 
been made across expense categories in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income. 

The net book value of assets subject to finance leases totals $3,050,000 (30 June 2017: nil). 

Transfer between categories

Transfer to software assets

Additions

Disposals

Balance at 30 June 2018

Accumulated depreciation

Balance at 1 July 2017

Depreciation for the year

Disposals

Balance at 30 June 2018

Net book value at 30 June 2018

For the year ending 30 June 2017

Cost 

Balance at 1 July 2016

Transfer between categories

Transfer to software assets

Additions

Disposals

Balance at 30 June 2017

Accumulated depreciation

Balance at 1 July 2016

Depreciation for the year

Disposals

Balance at 30 June 2017

Net book value at 30 June 2017

Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment losses except land which is shown  
at cost less impairment. Cost includes expenditure that is directly attributable to the acquisition of the items. Capitalised installation costs  
are represented by the cost of satellite dishes, installation costs and direct labour costs. Where parts of and item of property, plant and 
equipment have different useful lives, they are accounted for as separate items of property, plant and equipment.

Subsequent costs are included in the asset’s carrying amount or recognised as a separate asset, as appropriate, only when it is probable  
that the future economic benefits embodied within the item will flow to the Group and the cost of the item can be measured reliably.  
The cost of additions to plant and other assets constructed by the Group consist of all appropriate costs of development, construction  
and installation, comprising material, labour, direct overhead and transport costs. For qualifying assets directly attributable interest costs 
incurred during the period required to complete and prepare the asset for its intended use are capitalised as part of the total cost. All other 
costs are recognised in profit and loss as an expense as incurred. Additions in the current year include $110,000 of capitalised labour costs  
(30 June 2017: $954,000).

Projects under development comprises expenditure on partially completed assets. The projects include items of property, plant and 
equipment and intangible assets. At completion of the project the costs are allocated to the appropriate asset categories and depreciation 
or amortisation commences.

Costs may also include transfers from equity of any gains or losses on qualifying cash flow hedges of foreign currency purchases of  
property, plant and equipment.

Gains and losses on disposals are determined by comparing the proceeds with the carrying amount and recognised in other costs  
in profit and loss.

Depreciation

Property, plant and equipment are depreciated using the straight-line method so as to allocate the costs of assets to their residual  
values over their estimated useful lives as follows:

Assets

Leasehold improvements

Buildings

Broadcasting and studio equipment

Decoders and associated equipment

Other plant and equipment

Capitalised installation costs

Time

5 – 50 years

50 years

5 – 10 years

4 – 5 years

3 – 10 years

5 years

The assets’ residual values and useful lives are reviewed, and adjusted if appropriate, at each balance date.

Key estimates and assumptions

The estimated life of technical assets such as decoders and other broadcasting assets is based on management’s best estimates.  
Changes in technology may result in the economic life of these assets being different from that estimated previously. The board and 
management regularly review economic life assumptions of these assets as part of management reporting procedures. 

Financial Statements June 2018Notes to the consolidated  financial statements (CONTINUED)For the year ended 30 June 2018SKY Network Television Limited60

61

9. Intangible assets

IN NZD 000

For the year ending 30 June 2018

Cost

Balance at 1 July 2017

Transfer from projects under development

Additions

Disposals

Balance at 30 June 2018

Accumulated amortisation and impairment

Balance at 1 July 2017

Amortisation for the year

Impairment

Disposals

Balance at 30 June 2018

Net book value at 30 June 2018

For the year ending 30 June 2017

Cost

Balance at 1 July 2016

Transfer from projects under development

Additions

Disposals

Balance at 30 June 2017

Accumulated amortisation

Balance at 1 July 2016

Amortisation for the year

Disposals

Balance at 30 June 2017

Net book value at 30 June 2017

Software

Broadcasting 
rights

Other 
intangibles

Indefinite life 
goodwill

Total

 135,690 

 3,032 

 14,559 

(14,398)

138,883

 72,837 

 21,134 

– 

(14,398)

 79,573 

59,310

 133,593 

 16,232 

 16,447 

(30,582)

135,690

 86,607 

 16,812 

(30,582)

 72,837 

62,853

 2,185 

 3,167 

 1,426,293 

 1,567,335 

– 

– 

(2,185)

– 

 2,185 

– 

– 

(2,185)

– 

– 

– 

– 

(2,084)

1,083

 3,078 

 56 

– 

(2,084)

 1,050 

– 

– 

– 

 3,032 

 14,559 

(18,667)

1,426,293

1,566,259

 962 

– 

 360,000 

– 

 79,062 

 21,190 

 360,000 

(18,667)

 360,962 

 441,585 

33

1,065,331

1,124,674

 2,185 

 3,167 

 1,426,293 

 1,565,238 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

 16,232 

 16,447 

(30,582)

2,185

3,167

1,426,293

1,567,335

 1,419 

 766 

– 

 2,185 

– 

 3,078 

– 

– 

 3,078 

 962 

– 

– 

 962 

 92,066 

 17,578 

(30,582)

 79,062 

89

1,425,331

1,488,273

The majority of the amortisation charge relates to broadcasting and infrastructure assets. Consequently no allocation has been made across 
expense categories in profit and loss.

Goodwill represents the excess of the cost of acquisition over the fair value of the Group’s share of the net identifiable assets, liabilities  
and contingent liabilities of the acquired subsidiary at the date of acquisition and the fair value of the non-controlling interest in the  
acquiree. The goodwill balance is allocated to the Group’s single operating segment. The majority of the goodwill ($1,422,115,000) arose as 
a result of the acquisition of SKY by Independent Newspapers Limited (INL) in 2005. Subsequent acquisitions have resulted in immaterial 
increases to goodwill. In the current year testing indicated that the carrying value of goodwill would not be recovered , resulting in an 
impairment charge of $360 million.

Broadcasting rights, consisting of UHF spectrum licences are recognised at cost and are amortised on a straight-line basis over the lesser  
of the period of the licence term and 20 years.

Software development costs recognised as assets are amortised on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives (three to  
five years).

Direct costs associated with the development of broadcasting and business software for internal use are capitalised where it is probable 
that the asset will generate future economic benefits. Capitalised costs include external direct costs of materials and services consumed 
and direct payroll-related costs for employees (including contractors) directly associated with the project and interest costs incurred during 
the development stage of a project. Additions in the current year to software include $6,035,000 of accumulated capitalised labour costs, 
$5,849,000 of which were incurred in the current year.

Goodwill

IN NZD 000

Opening balance

Impairment

Closing balance

Key estimates and assumptions

2018

 1,426,293 

(360,962)

 2017

 1,426,293 

(962)

 1,065,331 

 1,425,331 

Assets that are subject to amortisation and depreciation are tested for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances  
indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognised for the amount by which the asset’s carrying 
amount exceeds its recoverable amount. The recoverable amount is the higher of an asset’s fair value less costs to sell and value-in-use.

Assets that have an indefinite useful life, for example goodwill, are not subject to amortisation and are tested at each reporting date for 
impairment and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable.

The Group operates as a single business segment and monitors goodwill for the business as a whole. If the testing indicates the carrying  
value exceeds the recoverable amount, goodwill is considered to be impaired. The recoverable amount of the cash generating unit (CGU) 
which is classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy has been determined based on fair value less cost of disposal calculations which 
include the benefits of proposed changes to the cost structure of the business as SKY leverages new technologies and adapts its operating 
model, some of which would be excluded from a value-in-use calculation.

Key assumptions used in fair value less cost of disposal calculations

Key assumptions are subscriber numbers, churn rates, foreign exchange rates, expected changes to revenue, costs and capital expenditure, 
ability to secure key content, including retention of the SANZAAR rugby contract and a discount rate based on current market rates adjusted 
for risks specific to the business. Growth rates are based on expected forecasts and changes in prices, direct costs and capital expenditure  
are based on past experience and expectations of future changes in the market. 

The fair value less cost of disposal calculation is based on the present value of estimated future cash flows, approved by the board, derived 
from budgets for financial year 2019 and forecasts for the next four years prepared for the impairment model.

The review has resulted in the fair value less cost of disposal calculated falling below the $1.46 billion carrying value of goodwill by $360 
million. This impairment loss recognised in the year ended 30 June 2018 reflects the following key assumptions used in SKY’s model:

-  A further decrease in residential subscribers in total of 57,000 (8.3%) over five years (June 2017 – decrease of 56,000 -7.8%).

Core residential subscriber numbers have continued to decline in the year to 30 June 2018 and the impairment model has been updated 
to assume they continue to decline at reducing rates over the five years. The decline in satellite subscribers is partially offset by a growth in 
retransmission subscribers.

-  A decrease in total subscriber ARPU of 17.6% over five years to $62.89 (June 2017 – 0.7% decrease in ARPU to $78.24).

The lower ARPU assumed in the model reflects the combined impacts of the pricing and product offering changes introduced in March 
2018, of SKY wholesaling more of its products to third parties for on-sale and of growth in the number of subscribers to the lower price and 
lower cost internet delivered products like NEON and FANPASS. 

-  A decrease in operating costs of $51 million (9.2%) over five years (June 2017 – decrease of $101 million – 16.5%).

The reduction in future operating cost savings reflects that actual savings of $47 million were achieved in FY18. The current model also  
treats satellite costs as a finance lease from 1 July 2019, which results in these costs being excluded from future operating costs whereas  
they were included as operating costs in the June 2017 model. The cash cost of the satellite lease is still reflected in the fair value calculation.

Other key assumptions in the model are:

-  Capital expenditure averaging $80 million per annum over the five years reducing to $70 million in 2023.

-  A 0% terminal growth assumption and a 9.0% after tax (12.5% pre-tax) discount rate (June 2017 – 0% and 9.0%).

-  A weaker NZD to USD exchange rate, reducing to 0.67 from the second year (June 2017 – 0.70).

The forecast continuing reduction in SKY’s operating costs reflect the lower customer base and the benefits of cost saving initiatives that  
have started to be rolled out throughout the business, including savings from using new technology. These reductions have been partially 
offset by the effect of the weaker NZ dollar on programming costs. 

The Group also compares the net book value of equity with the market capitalisation value at the balance date. The share price at 30 June 
2018 was $2.60 (prior year $3.45) equating to a market capitalisation of $1.01 billion. This market value excludes any control premium and  
may not reflect the value of 100% of SKY’s equity. The net book value of SKY equity at 30 June 2018 following the $360 million impairment  
of goodwill is $1.03 billion ($2.64 per share). 

Financial Statements June 2018Notes to the consolidated  financial statements (CONTINUED)For the year ended 30 June 2018SKY Network Television Limited 
 
 
62

63

Sensitivity of recoverable amounts

Lease liabilities

The assessment of fair value less cost of disposal is most sensitive to the assumptions on the net gain in satellite subscriber numbers,  
future average revenue per user (ARPU), future cost savings initiatives, the NZD cost of programming rights and the discount rate. 

The fair value less cost of disposal calculation would reduce, resulting in a further impairment of goodwill, should there be the following 
adverse changes in these key assumptions:

-  If satellite subscriber numbers fall by a further 5% over five years, there would be an impairment of approximately $185 million. 

-  If residential subscriber ARPU fell by a further 5% over five years there would be an impairment of approximately $210 million.

-   If cash outflows (either through increased operating costs or increased capital expenditure) were higher by 5% over 5 years there would  

be an impairment of approximately $175 million.

-  If the discount rate were higher by 1% there would be an impairment of approximately $130 million.

-  If the USD/NZD falls 5% to 0.637 there would be an impairment of approximately $50 million.

10. Trade and other payables

IN NZD 000

Trade payables

Unearned subscriptions and deferred revenue

Employee entitlements

Accruals

Balance at end of year

Less 

Unearned subscriptions and deferred revenue

Balance financial instruments 

Notes

2018

 86,103 

 60,746 

 14,740 

 24,465 

 2017

 80,731 

 64,250 

 15,559 

 25,647 

 186,054 

 186,187 

14

(60,746)

125,308

(64,250)

121,937

Trade and other payables are initially measured at fair value and are subsequently measured at amortised cost, using the effective  
interest method.

11. Borrowings

IN NZD 000

Borrowings

Finance lease

Bonds

Repayment terms

IN NZD 000

Less than one year

Between one and five years

Bank Loans

2018

2017

Current

Non-current

Total

Current

Non-current

Total

 458 

 582 

 – 

 132,625 

 133,083 

 2,429 

 99,250 

 3,011 

 99,250 

 1,040 

 234,304 

 235,344 

– 

– 

– 

– 

 199,685 

 199,685 

– 

– 

 98,978 

 98,978 

 298,663 

 298,663 

2018

 1,040 

 234,304 

 235,344 

2017

 – 

 298,663 

 298,663 

The Group has a revolving credit bank facility of $300 million (30 June 2017: $300 million) expiring 17 July 2020 from a syndicate of banks 
comprising ANZ National Bank Limited, Bank of New Zealand, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Westpac Bank. Bank overdrafts of 
$3,307,000 (30 June 2017: $5,701,000) have been set off against cash balances.

Interest-bearing borrowings are recognised initially at fair value less attributable transaction costs. Subsequent to initial recognition,  
interest-bearing borrowings are stated at amortised cost with any difference between cost and redemption value being recognised in  
profit or loss over the period of the borrowings, using the effective interest method. Arrangement fees are amortised over the term of the  
loan facility. Borrowings are classified as current liabilities unless the Group has an unconditional right to defer settlement of the liability  
for at least 12 months after the balance date.

Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash balances and call deposits with maturities of three months or less. Bank overdrafts that are 
repayable on demand and which form an integral part of the Group’s cash management are included as a component of cash and cash 
equivalents for the purpose of the consolidated statement of cash flows.

IN NZD 000

Less than one year

Between one and five years

Future minimum 
lease payments

727

2,704

3,431

2018

Present value of 
minimum lease 
payments

582

2,429

3,011

Interest

145

275

420

The Group’s obligations under finance leases are secured by the lessors’ title to the leased assets. The lease terms are for five years ending on  
30 November 2022 and 30 June 2023. 

Leases in terms of which the Group assumes substantially all the risk and rewards of ownership are classified as finance leases.  
Assets acquired under finance leases are included as non-current assets in the consolidated balance sheet. The lower of fair value and the 
present value of the minimum lease payments is recognised as an asset at the beginning of the lease term and depreciated on a straight-line  
basis over the shorter of the lease term or the expected useful life of the leased asset. A corresponding liability is also established and each 
lease payment is allocated between the liability and interest expense so as to produce a constant period rate of interest on the remaining 
balance of the liability. 

Bonds

On 31 March 2014 the Group issued bonds for a value of $100 million which were fully subscribed.

Terms and conditions of outstanding bonds are as follows:

Nominal interest rate

Market yield

Issue date

Date of maturity

IN NZD 000

Carrying amount

Fair value

Face value

2018

Bond 

6.25%

4.55%

2017

Bond 

6.25%

4.92%

31-Mar-14

31-Mar-21

31-Mar-14

31-Mar-21

 99,250 

 104,375 

 100,000 

 98,978 

 104,529 

 100,000 

Bonds are recognised initially at fair value less costs of issue. Costs of issue are amortised over the period of the bonds. Subsequent to  
initial recognition, bonds are stated at amortised cost with any difference between cost and redemption value being recognised in profit  
or loss over the period of the bonds, using the effective interest method. Bonds are classified in the consolidated balance sheet as  
non-current liabilities unless settlement of the liability is due within twelve months after the balance date.

The difference between carrying amount and fair value has not been recognised in the financial statements as the bonds are intended to  
be held until maturity.

Financial Statements June 2018Notes to the consolidated  financial statements (CONTINUED)For the year ended 30 June 2018SKY Network Television Limited64

65

11. Borrowings (CONTINUED) 

Changes in liabilities arising from financing activities

Exchange rates

Foreign exchange rates used at balance date for the New Zealand dollar are:

IN NZD 000

1 July 2017

Advances 
received

Repayment

Fees

Reclass

Change  
in fair value

 30 June 2018

Current liabilities

Borrowings

Finance lease

– 

– 

Derivatives – interest rate 

2,502

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

(2,502)

Non-current liabilities

Borrowings

Vendor finance

Finance lease

Bonds

Derivatives – interest rate 

199,685

 97,000 

(166,000)

– 

– 

98,978

2,796

2,386

3,182

– 

– 

(125)

(171)

– 

– 

303,961

102,568

(168,798)

– 

– 

–

137

– 

–

272

–

409

458

582

412

– 

(458)

(582)

– 

(412)

– 

– 

– 

–

– 

– 

–  

– 

(909)

(909)

458

582

412

130,822

1,803

2,429

99,250

1,475

237,231

IN NZD 000

1 July 2016

Advances 
received

Repayment

Fees

Reclass

Change  
in fair value

 30 June 2017

Current liabilities

Bonds

Derivatives – interest rate 

Non-current liabilities

Borrowings

Bonds

Derivatives – interest rate 

199,912

677

49,468

98,705

8,986

– 

– 

(200,000)

(677)

261,000

(111,000)

– 

– 

– 

–

357,748

261,000

(311,677)

88

–  

217

273

–

578

– 

2,502

– 

– 

(2,502)

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

(3,688)

(3,688)

–

2,502

199,685

98,978

2,796

303,961

12. Derivative financial instruments 

2018

2017

USD

AUD

GBP

EUR

JPY

2018

0.6774

0.9147

0.5128

0.5793

2017

0.7315

0.9530

0.5623

0.6402

74.9807

81.9792

Credit risk – derivative financial instruments

The maximum exposure to credit risk on the derivative financial instruments is the value of the derivative assets’ receivable portion of 
$16,233,000 (2017: $387,000).

Exposure to currency risk

The Group’s exposure to foreign currency risk that has been covered by forward foreign exchange contracts is as follows:

IN NZD 000

Foreign currency payables 

Dedesignated forward exchange contracts

Net balance sheet exposure

Forward exchange contracts (for forecasted transactions)

223,652

158,740

Total forward exchange contracts

245,244

173,590

USD

2018

AUD

Other

USD

2017

AUD

(27,787)

(16,668)

(882)

(28,822)

(17,918)

21,592

(6,195)

14,850

(1,838)

 – 

(882)

 – 

–

29,921

1,099

16,664

(1,254)

273,746

147,082

303,667

163,746

Other

 – 

 – 

– 

968

968

Sensitivity analysis

A 10% strengthening or weakening of the NZD against the following currencies as at 30 June would have resulted in changes to equity (hedging 
reserve) and unrealised gain/losses (before tax) as shown below. Based on historical movements, a 10% increase or decrease in the NZD is 
considered to be a reasonable estimate. This analysis assumes that all other variables, in particular interest rates, remain constant. The analysis is 
performed on the same basis for the prior year.

IN NZD 000

Notes

Assets

Liabilities

Interest rate swaps – cash flow hedges

Interest rate swaps – fair value through profit and loss

Total interest rate derivatives

Forward foreign exchange contracts – cash flow hedges

Forward foreign exchange contracts – dedesignated

Total forward foreign exchange derivatives

– 

 117 

117

14,485

 1,621 

16,106

16,223

Notional 
amounts

 80,000 

 10,000 

(1,887)

– 

(1,887)

 90,000 

(336)

(25)

 382,392 

 36,442 

(361)

 418,834 

(2,248)

 508,834 

Analysed as:

Current

Non-current

Derivatives used for hedging – cash flow hedges 

At fair value through profit or loss

9,917

 6,306 

(595)

266,054

(1,653)

242,780

16,223

(2,248)

508,834

14

14

14,485

 1,738 

(2,223)

462,392

(25)

 46,442 

16,223

(2,248)

508,834

Assets

Liabilities

Notional 
amounts

– 

 46 

46

324

 17 

341

387

176

 211 

387

324

 63 

387

(5,298)

 188,000 

– 

 10,000 

(5,298)

 198,000 

(8,100)

 421,797 

(1,621)

 46,584 

(9,721)

 468,381 

(15,019)

 666,381 

(9,038)

(5,981)

361,286

305,095

(15,019)

666,381

(13,398)

609,797

(1,621)

 56,584 

(15,019)

666,381

IN NZD 000 gain/(loss)

As at 30 June 2018

Foreign currency payables

USD 

AUD

Foreign exchange hedges

USD

AUD

As at 30 June 2017

Foreign currency payables

USD 

AUD

Foreign exchange hedges

USD

AUD

Other

10% rate increase

10% rate decrease

Equity

Profit 
or loss

Equity

Profit 
or loss

– 

– 

2,526

1,823

– 

– 

(3,087)

(2,229)

(20,058)

(14,353)

(34,411)

(2,058)

(1,385)

24,515

17,544

2,515

1,692

907

42,059

(1,109)

– 

– 

(23,707)

(12,936)

(85)

2,622

2,025

(1,725)

(1,475)

– 

– 

– 

(3,205)

(2,475)

29,048

15,822

103

2,110

1,803

– 

(36,728)

1,447

44,973

(1,767)

Financial Statements June 2018Notes to the consolidated  financial statements (CONTINUED)For the year ended 30 June 2018SKY Network Television Limited66

67

12. Derivative financial instruments (CONTINUED) 

Interest rates

During the year ended 30 June 2018, interest rates on borrowings varied in the range of 3.3% to 6.5% (2017:3.2% to 6.5%).

The Group’s interest rate structure is as follows:

IN NZD 000

Assets

2018

2017

Notes

Effective 
interest rate

Current Non-current

Effective 
interest rate

Current Non-current

Cash and cash equivalents

3.87%

4,694

– 

2.31%

5,444

– 

Liabilities

Borrowings 

Financial leases

Bonds

Derivatives

Floating to fixed interest rate swaps

Fixed to floating interest rate swaps

11

11

11

5.58%

6.15%

6.18%

(458)

(582)

(132,625)

5.36%

(2,429)

– 

– 

(99,250)

6.04%

– 

– 

– 

(199,685)

– 

(98,978)

–

–

 20,000 

– 

60,000

 10,000 

–

–

 108,000 

– 

80,000

 10,000 

23,654

(164,304)

113,444

(208,663)

13. Equity

Share capital

Derivatives consist of currency forwards and interest rate swaps. The fair value is recognised in the hedging reserve within equity until such 
time as the hedged item will affect profit or loss. The amounts accumulated in equity are either released to profit or loss or used to adjust the 
carrying value of assets purchased. For example, when hedging forecast purchase of programme rights in foreign currency, the gains and 
losses previously deferred in equity are transferred from equity and included in the initial measurement of the cost of the programme rights. 
The deferred amounts are ultimately recognised in programme rights’ expenses in profit or loss. 

Amounts accumulated in the hedging reserve in equity on interest rate swaps are recycled in profit or loss in the periods when the hedged 
item affects profit or loss (for example when the forecast interest payment that is hedged is made). The gain or loss relating to any ineffective 
portion is recognised in profit or loss as “interest rate swaps - fair value” in finance costs. The gain or loss relating to interest rate swaps which 
do not qualify for hedge accounting is recognised in profit or loss within the interest expense charge in “finance costs, net”.

When a hedging instrument expires or is sold, or when a hedge no longer meets the criteria for hedge accounting, any cumulative gain or  
loss existing in equity at that time remains in equity and is recognised when the forecast transaction is ultimately recognised in profit or loss. 
When a forecast transaction is no longer expected to occur, the cumulative gain or loss that was reported in equity is immediately transferred 
to profit or loss. Changes in the fair value of any derivative instruments that do not qualify for hedge accounting are recognised immediately  
in profit or loss.

Gains and losses recognised in the hedging reserve in equity (note 13) on interest rate hedges as at 30 June 2018 will be continuously released to 
profit or loss within finance cost until the repayment of the bank borrowings and bonds. In the prior year the revolving credit facility was utilised 
to repay the bond. The interest rate swap designated to the bond were designated to the floating rate debt.

Sensitivity analysis for interest-bearing instruments

A change of 100 basis points in interest rates on the reporting date, would have increased/(decreased) equity (hedging reserve) and profit or loss 
(before tax) by the amounts shown below. Based on historical movements a 100 basis point movement is considered to be a reasonably possible 
estimate. The analysis is performed on the same basis for the prior year. This analysis assumes that all other variables remain constant.

IN NZD 000 gain/(loss)

As at 30 June 2018

Variable rate instruments - bank loans

Interest rate hedges - cash flow

As at 30 June 2017

Variable rate instruments - bank loans

Interest rate hedges - cash flow

100 BP increase

100 BP decrease

Equity

Profit 
or loss

Equity

– 

(1,260)

698

698

– 

(1,260)

– 

(709)

(709)

Profit 
or loss

1,260

– 

1,260

– 

(1,938)

– 

1,938

1,710

1,710

– 

(1,938)

(1,762)

(1,762)

– 

1,938

Derivative financial instruments are used to hedge the Group’s exposure to foreign exchange and interest rate risks. The Group does not 
hold or issue derivatives for trading purposes. However derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting are accounted for as trading 
instruments. Derivative financial instruments are initially recognised at fair value on the date a derivative contract is entered into and are 
re-measured at their fair value at subsequent reporting dates. The method of recognising the resulting gain or loss depends on whether the 
derivative is designated as a hedging instrument and, if so, the nature of the item being hedged. 

At inception the Group documents the relationship between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as its risk management  
objective and strategy for undertaking various hedge transactions. This process includes linking all derivatives designated as hedges to 
specific assets and liabilities or to specific firm commitments or forecast transactions. The Group also documents its assessment, both at 
hedge inception and on an on-going basis, of whether the derivatives that are used in hedging transactions are highly effective in offsetting 
changes in cash flows of hedged items.

Number of shares 
(000)

Ordinary shares 
(NZD 000)

389,140

577,403

Shares on issue at 30 June 2018 and 30 June 2017

Ordinary shares are fully paid and have no par value. The shares rank equally, carry voting rights and participate in distributions. 

Earnings per share

Basic earnings per share

Basic earnings per share are calculated by dividing the profit attributable to equity holders of the Company by the weighted average number  
of ordinary shares in issue during the year.

(Loss)/profit after tax attributable to equity holders of Parent (NZD 000)

Weighted average number of ordinary shares on issue (000)

Basic (loss)/earnings per share (cents)

2018

(240,956)

389,140

(61.92)

2017

116,026

389,140

29.82

Underlying earnings per share

(Loss)/profit after tax attributable to equity holders of Parent (NZD 000)

(240,956)

116,026

Adjust goodwill impairment

Underlying profit after tax attributable to equity holders of the parent

Weighted average number of ordinary shares on issue (000)

Underlying earnings per share (cents)

Weighted average number of ordinary shares

Issued ordinary shares at beginning of year

Issued ordinary shares at end of year 

Weighted average number of ordinary shares

Diluted earnings per share

360,000

119,044

389,140

30.59

–

116,026

389,140

29.82

Number

Number

389,139,785

389,139,785

389,139,785

389,139,785

389,139,785

389,139,785

Diluted earnings per share is calculated by adjusting the weighted average of ordinary shares outstanding to assume conversion of all dilutive 
potential ordinary shares. SKY had no dilutive potential ordinary shares during the current or prior period. 

Financial Statements June 2018Notes to the consolidated  financial statements (CONTINUED)For the year ended 30 June 2018SKY Network Television Limited68

69

13. Equity (CONTINUED)

Hedging reserve

IN NZD 000

Balance at 1 July

Cash flow hedges

Revaluation

Transfer to profit or loss

Deferred tax 

Balance at end of year

Notes

5

2018

(9,062)

14,258

10,873

(7,037)

18,094

9,032

 2017

(5,112)

(11,189)

5,704

1,535

(3,950)

(9,062)

Capex

Capex order greater than NZD $250,000

Opex

Fixed commitments

Opex

Variable commitments

Period

Time of issuing order

Up to 3 years

> 3 years

0-12 months

13-24 months

25-26 months

Minimum 
hedging

100%

100%

0%

85%

0%

0%

Maximum 
hedging

100%

100%

100%

95%

50%

30%

14. Financial risk management

Financial risk management objectives

The Group undertakes transactions in a range of financial instruments which include cash and cash deposits, receivables, payables, derivatives 
and various forms of borrowings including bonds and bank loans.

These activities result in exposure to financial risks that include market risk (currency risk, fair value interest rate risk, cash flow interest rate risk 
and price risk), credit risk and liquidity risk.

The Group seeks to minimise the effects of currency and interest rate risks by using derivative financial instruments to hedge these risk 
exposures. The use of financial derivatives is governed by the Group’s policies approved by the board of directors, which provides written 
principles on foreign exchange risk, interest rate risk, credit risk, the use of financial derivatives and non-derivative financial instruments, and 
the investment of excess liquidity. The Group does not enter into or trade financial instruments, including derivative financial instruments, for 
speculative purposes.

The Corporate Treasury function reports monthly to the board of directors. The board has an audit and risk committee which is responsible for 
developing and monitoring the Group’s risk management policies.

Market risk

Market risk is the risk that changes in market prices, such as foreign exchange rates and interest rates will affect the Group’s income or the 
value of its holdings of financial instruments. The objective of market risk management is to manage and control market risk exposures within 
acceptable parameters, while optimising the return on risk.

The Group buys and sells derivatives in the ordinary course of business, and also incurs financial liabilities, in order to manage market risks.  
All such transactions are carried out within the guidelines set by the board. Generally the Group seeks to apply hedge accounting in order to 
manage income statement volatility.

a) Foreign exchange risk

The Group is exposed to foreign exchange risk arising from various currency exposures primarily with respect to the Australian dollar and the 
United States dollar in relation to purchases of programme rights and the lease of transponders on the satellite. Foreign exchange risk arises 
when purchases are denominated in a currency that is not the entity’s functional currency. The net position in each foreign currency is managed 
by using forward currency contracts and foreign currency options and collars to limit the Group’s exposure to currency risk.

The Group’s risk management policy is to hedge foreign capital expenditure (Capex) and foreign operating expenditure (Opex) in accordance 
with the following parameters. Approximately 90% of anticipated transactions in each major currency qualify as ‘highly probable’ forecast 
transactions for hedge accounting purposes.

b) Cash flow and fair value interest rate risk

The Group’s interest rate risk arises from long-term borrowings. Borrowings issued at variable rates expose the Group to cash flow interest rate 
risk. Borrowings issued at fixed rates expose the Group to fair value interest rate risk. Group policy is to maintain its borrowings in fixed rate 
instruments as follows:

Variable rate borrowings

Period

1-3 years

3-5 years

5-10 years

Minimum 
hedging

Maximum 
hedging

40%

20%

0%

90%

60%

30%

The Group manages its cash flow interest rate risk by using floating-to-fixed interest rate swaps. Such interest rate swaps have the economic 
effect of converting borrowings from floating rates to fixed rates. Under the interest rate swaps, the Group agrees with other parties to exchange, 
at specified intervals (quarterly), the difference between fixed contract rates and floating rate interest amounts calculated by reference to the 
agreed notional principal amounts. The Group also enters into fixed-to-floating interest rate swaps to hedge fair value interest rate risk arising 
where it has borrowed at fixed rates.

c) Price risk

The Group does not have any price risk exposure. 

Credit risk

Credit risk is the risk of financial loss to the Group if a customer or counterparty to a financial instrument fails to meet its contractual obligations 
and arises from cash and cash equivalents, deposits with banks, derivative financial instruments and the Group’s receivables from customers.

The Group has no significant concentrations of credit risk. 

Credit risk with respect to trade receivables is limited due to the large number of subscribers included in the Group’s subscriber base. In addition, 
receivables balances are monitored on an on-going basis with the result that the Group’s exposure to bad debts is not significant. The Group 
establishes an allowance for impairment that represents its estimate of incurred losses in respect of trade receivables. The main components  
of this allowance are a specific loss component that relates to individually significant exposures, and a collective loss component established  
for groups of similar assets in respect of losses that have been incurred but not yet identified. The collective loss allowance is determined based 
on historical data of payment statistics for similar financial assets. The maximum exposure is the carrying amount as disclosed in note 6. 

Derivative counterparties and cash transactions are limited to high credit quality financial institutions. The Group has policies that limit the 
amount of credit exposure to any one financial institution. 

Liquidity risk

Liquidity risk is the risk that the Group will not be able to meet its financial obligations as they fall due. Prudent liquidity risk management  
implies maintaining sufficient cash and cash equivalents, the availability of funding through an adequate amount of committed credit facilities 
and the ability to close out market positions. The Group aims to maintain flexibility in funding by keeping committed credit lines available.

Management monitors the Group’s cash requirements on a daily basis against expected cash flows based on a rolling daily cash flow forecast  
for at least 90 days in advance. In addition the Group compares actual cash flow reserves against forecast and budget on a monthly basis.

The Group had an undrawn facility balance of $169 million (June 2017: $100 million) that can be drawn down to meet short-term working capital 
requirements. The facility limit at 30 June 2018 is $300 million (30 June 2017: $300 million)

Financial Statements June 2018Notes to the consolidated  financial statements (CONTINUED)For the year ended 30 June 2018SKY Network Television Limited70

71

14. Financial risk management (CONTINUED)

The table below analyses the Group’s financial liabilities into relevant maturity groupings based on the remaining period from the balance date 
to the contractual maturity date. The amounts disclosed in the table are the contractual undiscounted cash flows, including interest payments in 
respect of financial liabilities and the net settled interest rate derivatives that are in a loss position at balance date. Balances due within 12 months 
equal their carrying value as the impact of discounting is not significant. 

Notes

Carrying 
amount

Contractual 
cash flows

Less than 
one year

1-2 years

2-5 years

IN NZD 000

At 30 June 2018

Non derivative financial liabilities

Secured bank loans 

Other loans

Finance leases

Bonds

Trade and other payables

Derivative financial liabilities
Forward exchange contracts used for hedging – 
net outflow/inflow (1)

Interest rate swaps (1)

At 30 June 2017

Non derivative financial liabilities

Secured bank loans 

Bonds

Trade and other payables

Derivative financial liabilities
Forward exchange contracts used for hedging – 
net outflow/inflow (1)

Interest rate swaps (1)

130,822 

(140,330)

(4,559)

(4,559)

(131,212)

2,261 

3,011 

(2,376)

(3,402)

(500)

(728)

(500)

(728)

(1,376)

(1,946)

99,250 

(117,188)

(6,250)

(6,250)

(104,688)

125,308 

(125,308)

(125,308)

– 

361 

(373)

(184)

1,887 

(1,708)

(1,268)

(189)

(440)

– 

– 

– 

362,900

(390,685)

(138,797)

(12,666)

(239,222)

199,685 

(221,204)

98,978 

(123,438)

(6,960)

(6,250)

121,937 

(121,937)

(121,937)

(6,960)

(6,250)

– 

(207,284)

(110,938)

– 

11

11

11

11

10

12

12

11

11

10

12

12

The table below analyses the Group’s foreign exchange derivative financial instruments which will be settled on a gross basis into relevant 
maturity groupings based on the remaining period at the balance date to the contractual maturity date. The amounts disclosed in the table are 
the contractual undiscounted cash flows. Inflows have been calculated using balance date spot rates. 

IN NZD 000

At 30 June 2018

Forward foreign exchange contracts 

Outflow (at FX hedge rate)

USD

AUD

Inflow (at year end market rate)

USD

AUD

At 30 June 2017

Forward foreign exchange contracts 

Outflow (at FX hedge rate)

USD

AUD

YEN

Inflow (at year end market rate)

USD

AUD

YEN

Contractual 
cash flows 
foreign 
exchange 
amount

Exchange 
rate

Contractual 
cash flows

Less than 
one year

1-2 years

3-5 years

–

–

–

–

(245,244)

(173,590)

(141,520)

(104,534)

(77,212)

(48,275)

(26,512)

(20,781)

0.6774

0.9147

 175,191 

 161,516 

258,623

176,578

16,367

149,240

106,334

9,520

81,424

49,106

5,043

27,958

21,139

1,804

–

–

–

–

–

–

0.7315

0.9530

81.9792

 214,375 

 153,221 

 49,084 

(303,668)

(163,746)

(636)

293,062

160,778

599

(13,611)

(151,636)

(100,682)

(636)

146,340

98,857

599

(7,158)

(73,242)

(43,218)

– 

70,684

42,435

– 

(78,790)

(19,846)

– 

76,038

19,486

– 

(3,341)

(3,112)

9,721 

5,298 

(9,911)

(6,598)

(2,279)

(1,034)

(5,242)

(3,534)

(1,257)

(451)

Capital risk management

(1)  The table excludes the contractual cash flows of the interest rate swaps and forward exchange contracts which are included in assets.

435,619

(481,732)

(145,279)

(16,746)

(319,707)

The Group’s objectives when managing capital are to safeguard the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern in order to provide returns  
for shareholders and benefits for other stakeholders and to maintain an optimal capital structure to reduce the cost of capital. The Group’s overall 
strategy for capital risk management remains unchanged from 2017.

The capital structure of the Group consists of debt which includes the borrowings disclosed in note 11, cash and cash equivalents and equity 
attributable to equity holders of the Parent comprising share capital, hedging reserve and retained earnings as disclosed in note 13. 

The board reviews the Group’s capital structure on a regular basis. The Group has a facility agreement in place with a syndicate of banks and  
a retail bond issue as described in note 11.

Financial Statements June 2018Notes to the consolidated  financial statements (CONTINUED)For the year ended 30 June 2018SKY Network Television Limited72

73

14. Financial risk management (CONTINUED)

The gearing ratio at the year-end was as follows:

IN NZD 000

Debt 

Cash and cash equivalents

Net debt

Equity

Net debt to equity ratio

Notes

11

2018

 235,344 

(4,694)

 230,650 

 1,026,687 

22%

 2017

 298,663 

(5,444)

 293,219 

 1,327,878 

22%

The Group’s bank loan facility is subject to a number of covenants, including interest and debt cover ratios, calculated and reported quarterly, 
with which it has complied for the entire year reported (2017: complied). 

Fair value estimation

The methods used to estimate the fair value of financial instruments are as follows:

Level 1:  Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2:    Inputs other than quoted prices included within level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly (that is, as prices)  

or indirectly (that is, derived from prices).

Fair value of financial instruments carried at amortised cost

IN NZD 000

Financial assets 

Loans and receivables

Cash and cash equivalents

Trade and other receivables

Total assets

Financial liabilities held at amortised cost

Bank loans

Other loans

Finance leases

Bonds 

Trade and other payables 

Total liabilities

2018

2017

Notes

Carrying 
Amount

Fair 
Value

Carrying 
Amount

Fair 
Value

6

11

11

11

11

10

4,694

57,239

61,933

130,822

2,261

3,011

99,520

125,308

360,922

4,694

57,239

61,933

128,580

2,059

2,907

104,375

125,308

363,229

5,444

63,342

68,786

5,444

63,342

68,786

199,685

198,037

– 

– 

98,978

121,937

420,600

– 

– 

104,529

121,937

424,503

Level 3:   Inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data (that is unobservable inputs), for example discounted  

The fair values of financial assets and financial liabilities are determined as follows:

cash flow.

SKY’s financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value are valued on a level 2 basis other than the available for sale investment (refer note 1)  
that is valued on a level 3 basis. 

IN NZD 000

Assets measured at fair value

Trading derivatives – de-designated or not hedge accounted

Derivatives used for hedging – cash flow hedges

Available for sale investment

Total assets 

Liabilities measured at fair value

Trading derivatives – de-designated or not hedge accounted

Derivatives used for hedging – cash flow hedges

Total liabilities

Notes

2018

 2017

12

12

1

12

12

 1,738 

14,485

6,334

22,557

(25)

(2,223)

(2,248)

 63 

324

6,552

6,939

(1,621)

(13,398)

(15,019)

The fair value of financial instruments that are not traded in an active market is determined by using valuation techniques. These valuation 
techniques maximise the use of observable market data where it is available and rely as little as possible on entity specific estimates. If all 
significant inputs required to fair value an instrument are observable, the instrument is included in level 2.

The Group uses a variety of methods and assumptions that are based on market conditions existing at each balance date. Techniques, such as 
estimated discounted cash flows, are used to determine the fair value of financial instruments. The fair value of forward exchange contracts is 
based on market forward foreign exchange rates at year end. The fair value of interest rate swaps is the estimated amount that the Group would 
receive or pay to terminate the swap at the reporting date, taking into account current interest rates, observable yield curves and the current 
creditworthiness of the swap counterparties. 

Cash and short-term deposits, trade and other receivables carried at amortised cost, trade and other payables, and other current liabilities 
approximate their carrying amounts largely due to the short-term maturities of these instruments.

The fair value of quoted notes and bonds is based on price quotations at the reporting date being a level 1 basis. The fair value of loans from 
banks and lease liabilities is estimated on a level 3 basis by discounting future cash flows using rates currently available for debt on similar terms, 
credit risk and remaining maturities. The fair value of related party receivables is estimated on a level 3 basis by discounting future cash flows 
using rates currently available for deposits on similar terms.

Classification

Financial assets are classified in the following categories: at fair value through profit or loss, or loans and receivables. The classification 
depends on the purpose for which the financial assets were acquired. Management determines the classification of its financial assets  
at initial recognition and re-evaluates this designation at each reporting date.

All purchases and sales of financial assets are recognised on the trade date, which is the date that the Group commits to purchase the  
assets. Purchases or sales of financial assets are sales or purchases that require delivery of assets within the period generally established  
by regulation or convention in the marketplace.

Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss

Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss are financial assets held for trading. A financial asset is classified in this category if  
acquired principally for the purpose of selling in the short-term. Derivatives are categorised as held for trading unless they are designated 
as hedges. Gains or losses arising from changes in the fair value of the “financial assets at fair value through profit or loss” category are 
recognised in profit or loss.

Loans and receivables

Loans and receivables are non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted in an active market.  
They are included in current assets, except for those assets with maturities greater than 12 months after the balance date when they are 
classified as non-current assets. The Group’s loans and receivables comprise trade and other receivables and cash and cash equivalents  
in the consolidated balance sheet. Gains or losses are recognised in profit or loss when the loans and receivables are derecognised or 
impaired as well as through the amortisation process.

Impairment of financial assets

The Group assesses at each balance date whether there is objective evidence, such as default or delinquency in payment, that a financial 
asset or group of financial assets is impaired. If there is objective evidence that an impairment loss on assets carried at amortised cost  
has been incurred, the amount of the loss is measured as the difference between the asset’s carrying amount and the present value of 
estimated future cash flows discounted at the financial asset’s original effective interest rate. The carrying amount of the asset is reduced 
through use of an allowance account with the amount of the loss being recognised in profit or loss.

Financial Statements June 2018Notes to the consolidated  financial statements (CONTINUED)For the year ended 30 June 2018SKY Network Television Limited 
 
74

75

15. Commitments

IN NZD 000

Operating leases – future minimum lease payments:

2018

 2017

The Group has undrawn letters of credit at 30 June 2018 of $650,000 (30 June 2017: $650,000), relating to Datacom Employer Services for  
SKY executive and Screen Enterprises Limited payroll liabilities in the current year.

16. Contingent liabilities

The Group is subject to litigation incidental to their business, none of which is expected to be material. No provision has been made in the 
Group’s financial statements in relation to any current litigation and the directors believe that such litigation will not have a significant effect on 
the Group’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

17. Subsequent events

On 23 August 2018 the Board of Directors announced that it will pay a fully imputed dividend of 7.5 cents per share with the record date being  
7 September 2018. A supplementary dividend of 1.3235 cents per share will be paid to non-resident shareholders subject to the foreign investor 
tax credit regime.

In July 2018 the available for sale investment in 90 Seconds was sold for book value of $6.3 million.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Later than five years

Contracts for transmission services:

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Contracts for future programmes:

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Later than five years

Capital expenditure commitments:

Property, plant and equipment

Year 1

Other services commitments:

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

34,782

34,272

34,607

14,280

–

–

35,134

33,873

33,285

33,170

14,006

72

117,941

149,540

4,987

4,994

2,514

12,495

211,628

172,462

101,784

33,076

19,776

2,666

4,697

539

245

5,481

202,415

181,110

146,953

83,361

33,391

19,331

541,392

666,561

2,661

2,661

11,344

2,055

1,188

233

–

8,813

8,813

7,508

1,562

978

970

193

14,820

11,211

The Group has entered into a contract with Optus Networks Pty Limited (Optus) to lease transponders on the D1 satellite which was launched 
in October 2006 and commissioned in November 2006. The contract is for a period of 15 years from the time of commissioning with monthly 
payments in Australian dollars. This contract is accounted for as an operating lease. Non-cancellable operating lease payments, including Optus 
lease payments, are included in operating leases above.

SKY is currently utilising seven transponders, six of which are on a long-term lease. Access to the seventh transponder was negotiated, effective 
from 1 April 2011.

Financial Statements June 2018Notes to the consolidated  financial statements (CONTINUED)For the year ended 30 June 2018SKY Network Television Limited76

77

Independent auditor’s report

To the shareholders of Sky Network Television Limited

The consolidated financial statements comprise:

•  the consolidated balance sheet as at 30 June 2018;

•  the consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the year then ended;

•  the consolidated statement of changes in equity for the year then ended;

•  the consolidated statement of cash flows for the year then ended; and

•  the notes to the consolidated financial statements, which include significant accounting policies.

Audit scope

We designed our audit by assessing the risks of material misstatement in the consolidated financial statements and our application of materiality. 
As in all of our audits, we also addressed the risk of management override of internal controls including among other matters, consideration of 
whether there was evidence of bias that represented a risk of material misstatement due to fraud.

We tailored the scope of our audit in order to perform sufficient work to enable us to provide an opinion on the consolidated financial statements 
as a whole, taking into account the structure of the Group, the accounting processes and controls, and the industry in which the Group operates.

The Group’s finance function is centralised at the Head Office in Auckland. All audit work in respect of the consolidated financial statements was 
performed by the Group engagement team. 

Our opinion 

Key audit matters 

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements of Sky Network Television Limited (SKY or the Company), including its subsidiaries (the 
Group), present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Group as at 30 June 2018, its financial performance and its cash flows 
for the year then ended in accordance with New Zealand Equivalents to International Financial Reporting Standards (NZ IFRS) and International 
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). 

Basis for opinion 

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (New Zealand) (ISAs NZ) and International Standards on 
Auditing (ISAs). Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the consolidated 
financial statements section of our report. 

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. 

We are independent of the Group in accordance with Professional and Ethical Standard 1 (Revised) Code of Ethics for Assurance Practitioners 
(PES 1) issued by the New Zealand Auditing and Assurance Standards Board and the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants’  
Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (IESBA Code), and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with  
these requirements. 

Our firm carries out other services for the Group in the areas of treasury advisory services and assurance over regulatory reporting. In addition, 
certain partners and employees of our firm may subscribe to SKY services on normal terms within the ordinary course of the trading activities of 
the Group. The provision of these other services has not impaired our independence.

Our audit approach

Overview

An audit is designed to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement.

For the purpose of our audit, we applied a threshold of overall group materiality of $8.3 million, which represents 5%  
of loss before tax, adjusted to exclude the goodwill impairment charge of $360 million.

We have determined that there is one key audit matter:

•  Carrying value of goodwill

Materiality

The scope of our audit was influenced by our application of materiality. 

Based on our professional judgement, we determined certain quantitative thresholds for materiality, including the overall Group materiality for 
the consolidated financial statements as a whole as set out above. These, together with qualitative considerations, helped us to determine the 
scope of our audit, the nature, timing and extent of our audit procedures and to evaluate the effect of misstatements, both individually and in 
aggregate on the consolidated financial statements as a whole.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, 188 Quay Street, Private Bag 92162, Auckland 1142, New Zealand 
T: +64 (9) 355 8000, F: +64 (9) 355 8001, www.pwc.com/nz

Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the consolidated financial 
statements of the current year. These matters were addressed in the context of our audit of the consolidated financial statements as a whole, 
and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters.

Key audit matter

Carrying value of goodwill 

The Group has a goodwill balance of $1,065 million at 30 June 2018 
(30 June 2017: $1,425 million) that arose on the acquisition of SKY by 
Independent Newspapers Limited in 2005. An impairment charge of 
$360 million has been recorded against this balance in the current 
financial year. 

SKY’s business is affected by digital disruption in the media industry 
and this increases the risk of impairment. The carrying value of 
goodwill is dependent on future cash flows and there is risk that if 
these cash flows do not meet the Group’s expectations goodwill  
may be impaired. 

To assess whether or not there is an impairment in the carrying value 
of goodwill management utilised a fair value less costs of disposal 
methodology to determine the value of the business, including 
goodwill, using discounted cash flows. The estimated future cash 
flows used in the model were based on the budget for the next 
financial year and forecast cash flows for the following four years 
prepared for the purposes of the impairment model.

The forecasts in the current model include the benefit of cost 
savings expected in response to the changes in SKY’s business and 
the marketplace, some of which would be excluded under a value 
in use methodology. Consequently, at 30 June 2018 management 
considered the recoverable amount using the fair value less costs of 
disposal methodology as being the most appropriate approach.

The cash flow forecasts used in the model involve subjective 
estimates about future business performance. Certain assumptions 
made by management in the impairment review are key estimates, 
including subscriber numbers and churn rates, average revenue 
per user (ARPU), ability to continue to secure key content, foreign 
exchange rates, expected changes to revenue, costs and capital 
expenditure, overall long-term growth rates and discount rates used. 
Adverse changes in these assumptions might lead to an impairment 
in the carrying value of goodwill.

How our audit addressed the key audit

We obtained management’s fair value less costs of disposal model 
used to assess the carrying value of goodwill at 30 June 2018.

Our audit procedures included the following:

Assessing management’s processes and controls over preparing  
the model.

Assessing the appropriateness of using a fair value less costs of 
disposal approach against the applicable accounting standard.

We tested the calculation of the valuation model, including the inputs 
and the mathematical accuracy and compared the resulting balances 
to the relevant net assets of the business.

We assessed the key estimates and assumptions made by 
management. Our procedures included the following:

•   Ensured that the impairment model used by management to assess 

the impairment of goodwill was approved by the Board.

•   Considered the reasonableness of key assumptions, including 

movements in subscriber numbers, ARPU, foreign exchange rates, 
expected revenue and costs in the next 5 years, the on-going level 
of capex and the long-term growth rate with reference to SKY’s 
performance historically, particularly in recent periods, analysis 
of subscriber tenure and churn, key initiatives being taken and 
comparison to available broker reports. 

•   We engaged our own expert to review the structure of the model, to 

recalculate the weighted average cost of capital used as the discount 
rate in the model and to review external evidence for the rate used for 
cost of disposal. We determined that the rates used by management 
were within a reasonable range given estimation uncertainty.

•   We reviewed management’s secondary assessment of fair value less 

costs of disposal based on market capitalisation at balance date.

In their assessment management determined that the model was 
most sensitive to changes in the assumptions relating to subscriber 
numbers, ARPU, reductions achieved in cash outflows through either 
operating expenses or capital expenditure, the discount rate and the 
USD/NZD exchange rate.

•   We obtained and evaluated management’s sensitivity analyses to 
ascertain the impact of reasonably possible changes. For each of 
the scenarios we tested the mathematical accuracy of the model, 
assessed whether the changes were reasonably possible and 
tested the impact of those changes on the valuation. 

SKY Network Television LimitedFinancial Statements June 201878

Financial Statements June 2018

79

Independent auditor’s report (CONTINUED)

To the shareholders of Sky Network Television Limited

Key audit matter

How our audit addressed the key audit

Management also considered market capitalisation at balance  
date as a secondary assessment of fair value less costs of disposal, 
taking into account that market capitalisation does not include any 
control premium.

As a result of the impairment review, the Directors identified an 
impairment in the carrying value of goodwill at 30 June 2018 and 
reasonably possible changes in key assumptions that could result  
in further impairment, as disclosed in note 9.

We reviewed the disclosures in note 9 to the financial statements  
to ensure they are compliant with the requirements of the  
accounting standards.

As a result of our audit procedures we had no significant matters  
to report.

Information other than the financial statements and auditor’s report

The Directors are responsible for the annual report. Our opinion on the consolidated financial statements does not cover the other information 
included in the annual report and we do not, and will not, express any form of assurance conclusion on the other information. 

In connection with our audit of the consolidated financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider 
whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the consolidated financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or 
otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If, based on the work we have performed on the other information that we obtained prior to the 
date of this auditor’s report, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We 
have nothing to report in this regard except that not all other information to be included in the annual report was available to us at the date of 
our signing. Prior to the date of this report we had received and read the Chairman’s Letter, Chief Executive’s Letter, Financial Overview, Financial 
Trends and Directors’ Responsibility Statement. The Other Information section of the annual report, including Corporate Governance and 
Company and Bondholder Information, and the Board of Directors section are expected to be made available to us after the date of this report.

Responsibilities of the Directors for the consolidated financial statements

The Directors are responsible, on behalf of the Company, for the preparation and fair presentation of the consolidated financial statements 
in accordance with NZ IFRS and IFRS, and for such internal control as the Directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of 
consolidated financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. 

In preparing the consolidated financial statements, the Directors are responsible for assessing the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern, 
disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Directors either intend to 
liquidate the Group or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so. 

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the consolidated financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements, as a whole, are free from material 
misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of 
assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs NZ and ISAs will always detect a material misstatement when 
it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be 
expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these consolidated financial statements. 

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located at the External Reporting Board’s website at: 

https://www.xrb.govt.nz/standards-for-assurance-practitioners/auditors-responsibilities/audit-report-1/

This description forms part of our auditor’s report. 

Who we report to

This report is made solely to the Company’s shareholders, as a body. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state those matters 
which we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or 
assume responsibility to anyone other than the Company and the Company’s shareholders, as a body, for our audit work, for this report or for the 
opinions we have formed.

The engagement partner on the audit resulting in this independent auditor’s report is Leopino Foliaki.

For and on behalf of: 

Chartered Accountants 
23 August 2018

Auckland

Other  
information

Corporate governance 
Interests register 
Company and bondholder information 
Waivers and information 
Share market and other information  
Directory  

80
83
85
90
91
92

SKY Network Television Limited80

81

Corporate governance

This section includes a summary of SKY’s corporate governance 
practices, policies and procedures. SKY has a more detailed 
corporate governance statement available online at  
www.sky.co.nz/investor-relations, which provides the  
required disclosures and compliance statements under the  
ASX Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations  
and the NZX Corporate Governance Code as at 23 August 2018.  
That corporate governance statement has been approved by  
the board. 

Board of Directors

Membership and committees 

SKY’s board is elected or appointed by the shareholders of SKY  
by ordinary resolution. SKY’s constitution provides for a minimum  
of three directors and a maximum of ten directors. The actual number 
of directors may be changed by resolution of the board. As at  
30 June 2018, the board consisted of six directors whose relevant 
skills, experience and expertise are outlined in their biographies on 
pages 32 and 33 and in the detailed corporate governance statement 
on SKY’s website. The nomination and remuneration committee has  
a formal process by which it assesses the overall skills, experience  
and diversity required on the board and works with the board to 
ensure that diversity remains one of the key criteria when evaluating 
potential board candidates. A copy of the Nomination and 
Remuneration Committee Charter is available on SKY’s website at 
www.sky.co.nz/investor-relations. The aim of the board is to have a mix 
of skills represented on the board that are relevant to SKY’s business.

The board may appoint directors to fill casual vacancies that occur 
or add persons to the board up to the maximum number prescribed 
by the constitution. At each annual meeting all directors appointed 
by the board must retire and one third of the other directors must 
retire, although they can offer themselves for re-election if they wish. 
Directors’ fees have been set at a maximum amount of $950,000 per 
annum since October 2015.

The board operates two permanent board committees,  
namely the audit and risk committee and the nomination and 
remuneration committee. The members of both committees  
are Susan Paterson (Chair), Peter Macourt and Derek Handley.  
A copy of the Board Charter is available on SKY’s website at  
www.sky.co.nz/investor-relations.

Independent and executive directors

At 30 June 2018 all of the directors of SKY other than John Fellet  
were considered to be independent directors. John Fellet is 
currently the only executive director on the board. In determining 
independence, the board applies the materiality thresholds set  
out in the NZX and ASX Listing Rules.

Policies, practices and processes

SKY has a number of policies, practices and processes that establish 
guidelines and practices to be followed in certain circumstances or 
in relation to certain matters. These policies, practices and processes 
are under regular review by management and the board. Further 
information is also set out in the corporate governance statement 
available online at www.sky.co.nz/investor-relations.

Audit and Risk Committee Charter and Audit Independence Policy 

SKY has in place an Audit and Risk Committee Charter to govern 
the operation of the audit and risk committee as well as an Audit 
Independence Policy to ensure that SKY’s relationship with its auditors 
is appropriate. The Audit and Risk Committee Charter is posted on 
SKY’s website at www.sky.co.nz/investor-relations. The audit and risk 
committee focuses on internal controls and risk management and 
particular areas of emphasis include:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 adequacy, appropriateness and effectiveness of accounting  
and operating controls;

extent of compliance with SKY policies and procedures;

accuracy of, and security over, data and information;

accountability for SKY’s assets to safeguard against loss;

ensuring an effective internal control environment is fostered; and

economy and efficiency with which resources are employed.

The Audit Independence Policy is designed to ensure that there is no 
perception of conflict in the independent role of the external auditor. 
It restricts and monitors the types of services that the external auditor 
can provide to SKY, prohibits contingency-type fees and requires 
audit partner rotation every five years. 

Code of Ethics

SKY has a Code of Ethics which outlines SKY’s policies in respect of 
conflicts of interest, corporate opportunities, confidentiality, insider 
trading and dealing with corporate assets, in addition to encouraging 
compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The Code of Ethics 
is posted on SKY’s website at www.sky.co.nz/investor-relations.

Investor Communication and Continuous Disclosure

SKY has an Investor Communication Policy and a Continuous 
Disclosure Policy designed to keep both the market and SKY’s 
shareholders properly informed. These policies are designed  
to ensure compliance with SKY’s continuous disclosure obligations 
and include posting press releases, annual reports and assessments, 
and other investor-focused material on its website. These policies  
are overseen by SKY’s Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer. 
Copies of these policies are available on SKY’s website at  
www.sky.co.nz/investor-relations.

Diversity Policy

Risk management

Diversity of gender, skill, age, ethnicity, experience and beliefs  
are valued by SKY. SKY recognises the value of diversity and the 
organisational strength, problem solving ability and innovative 
approach that it brings. The provision of equal opportunities for  
all employees is fundamental to the way in which SKY functions  
as a business. SKY established a Diversity Policy during 2012  
(updated in 2015) and has posted this on SKY’s website at  
www.sky.co.nz/investor-relations. The board acknowledges there  
is a lot of focus on gender diversity both on boards and within 
companies, and as noted in SKY’s Diversity Policy, this is one of  
the diversity characteristics that is considered when evaluating  
new director candidates. As at 30 June 2018, SKY’s board had two 
female directors and four male directors (compared to two female 
directors and three male directors as at 30 June 2017).

SKY takes a holistic approach to diversity. SKY’s measurable objectives 
for achieving diversity are that: 

• 

• 

• 

 Each year, the board actively considers the composition of the 
board and any opportunities for new directors to join the board 
with diversity (including gender diversity) being one of the key 
criteria when considering new appointments.

 Each year the board compares the number of female and male 
employees at SKY to the previous financial year’s figures to ensure 
that SKY is maintaining a strong level of female participation at all 
levels of the organisation.

 Each year the board considers the extent of age diversification 
at SKY by comparing the number of employees aged over and 
under 45 years to the previous financial year’s figures, in order  
to ensure SKY is benefiting from a mix of experience and new 
ways of thinking. 

For the year ended 30 June 2018, the board is satisfied that SKY 
achieved its gender diversity objectives and other measureable 
diversity objectives as follows:

 The board considered opportunities for new directors to join  
the board with diversity (including gender diversity) in mind  
for new appointments.

SKY’s risk framework is overseen and monitored by both the board 
and the audit and risk committee. SKY maintains a risk register and 
the audit and risk committee in conjunction with management 
regularly report to the board on the effectiveness of the management 
of SKY’s business risks and whether the risk management framework 
and systems of internal compliance and control are operating 
efficiently and effectively in all material respects. 

SKY has a Risk Management Policy which provides an overview of 
its risk management process. The policy outlines SKY’s strategic risk 
management objectives and guidelines and provides a framework to 
identify, manage and report on risks both financial and non-financial. 
The audit and risk committee reviews the Risk Management Policy 
annually. The board reviewed SKY’s risk management framework 
during the reporting period to 30 June 2018 and is satisfied that SKY 
has in place a robust risk assessment process. SKY’s internal audit 
function is contracted out to an independent third party. An annual 
internal audit plan is presented and approved by the audit and risk 
committee and the audit and risk committee receives internal audit 
reports during the year and monitors completion of action items  
that arise.

Material exposure to economic, environmental and social 
sustainability risks

SKY identifies and assesses material exposure to economic, 
environmental and social sustainability risks on an annual basis and 
like all media companies SKY is exposed to industry disruption and 
ongoing structural changes in the way it carries out its business. 
A summary of SKY’s Risk Management Policy, the key economic, 
environmental and social sustainability risks it faces, and how SKY 
intends to manage those risks is available on SKY’s website.

Principal risks that could affect results and performance include:

• 

• 

• 

regulatory environment;

competition;

content protection;

•  business continuity – interruption to business;

 There was almost equal representation of male and female 
employees across SKY (44% of SKY’s 1,159 staff are female  
as at 30 June 2018, compared to 45% of a total 1,223 staff  
at 30 June 2017).

• 

• 

• 

investment strategy – adoption of new technology;

financial risks;

reputational risks and brand perception;

•  business transformation; and

• 

customer value proposition.

 The company had good female participation at all levels of  
the organisation, including 30 female senior executives 
compared to 41 male senior executives as at 30 June 2018  
(there were 31 female senior executives and 43 male senior 
executives at 30 June 2017) (1).

 There continues to be appropriate participation at senior levels 
of the organisation of employees under the age of 45 years 
(including 32% of senior executives as at 30 June 2018 compared 
to 39% at 30 June 2017), compared to employees over the age of 
45 years (68% of senior executives as at 30 June 2018 compared 
to 61% at 30 June 2017). 

 SKY also embraces ethnic diversity with a recent staff survey 
highlighting that there are over 40 nationalities represented  
on our staff.

(1)  ‘Senior executives’ are executives at one and two levels below the Chief Executive in terms of reporting lines. For the year ended 30 June 2018, 3 out of  

11 senior executives one level below the Chief Executive were female and 27 out of 60 senior executives two levels below the Chief Executive were female.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

SKY Network Television LimitedFinancial Statements June 201882

83

Corporate governance (CONTINUED)

Interests register

Health and safety

Regulatory Policy

Disclosures of interest – general notices

Directors have given general notices disclosing interests in various entities pursuant to section 140(2) of the Companies Act 1993. Those notices 
which remain current as at 30 June 2018 are as follows:

SKY has policies and procedures in place to ensure compliance  
with relevant laws, regulations and the NZX and ASX Listing Rules.

Treasury Policy

SKY has a formalised Treasury Policy that establishes a framework for:

• 

• 

foreign exchange risk management;

interest rate risk management;

•  borrowing, liquidity and funding risk;

Director

John Fellet

Derek Handley

Peter Macourt

cash management;

counterparty credit risk;

• 

• 

• 

• 

operational risk and dealing procedures; and

Geraldine McBride

reporting and performance management.

The objective of the policy is to reduce, spread and smooth interest 
rate and foreign exchange risk impacts on financial results over a 
multi-year period, reduce volatility in financial performance and 
ensure appropriate debt and liquidity arrangements for the business.

Susan Paterson

ONZM

Entity 

Media Finance Limited

Outside Broadcasting Limited

SKY Ventures Limited

Igloo Limited

Aera Limited

Aera Foundation

Iliad Management Limited

Virtus Health Limited 

Prime Media Limited

Foxtel Management Pty Ltd and its subsidiaries

My Wave Holdings Limited

My Wave Limited

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited

National Australia Bank Limited

Theta Systems Limited

Les Mills Holdings Limited

Goodman (NZ) Limited and associated companies

Arvida Group Limited

Steel and Tube Holdings Limited

New Zealand Golf

The Electricity Authority

Tertiary Education Commission

The Home of Cycling Charitable Trust 

Relationship

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Trustee

Director

Director/Chair

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director/Chair

Director

Director

Director

Chair

Board Member

Board Member

Commissioner

Chair

Chair

Chair

Director

Mike Darcey

M24Seven

Dennis Publishing Limited

Premier League Basketball UK

SKY has an Occupational Health and Safety Policies and Procedures 
Manual and a group health and safety management committee to 
ensure that SKY fully complies with its health and safety obligations.

SKY’s strategic approach to health and safety is to:

•  provide a safe workplace for all;

• 

• 

 fulfil all safety obligations within the business, in line with  
the strategic intent, corporate objectives and legislative 
requirements; and

 share a vision and commitment to a safety culture that  
drives continual improvement and resilience at all levels  
within the company.

Insider Trading Policy

SKY has a formal policy in relation to insider trading which is posted 
on SKY’s website at www.sky.co.nz/investor-relations. The policy 
provides that directors, officers and employees of SKY may not buy or 
sell securities in SKY, nor may they tip others, while in the possession 
of inside information. SKY’s policy affirms the law relating to insider 
trading contained in the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 and 
complies with ASX Listing Rule 12.9.

Independent advice

SKY has a procedure for board members to seek independent  
legal advice at SKY’s expense. 

Remuneration Policy

SKY has policies in place to ensure it remunerates fairly and 
responsibly. SKY’s objective is to pay each employee fairly for  
their contribution to the overall success of the Company.  
We aim to reward employees for their performance.

The aim of our pay system is that it:

• 

• 

• 

is transparent and clear to all employees;

is affordable to the company;

 has its basis in an objective and transparent methodology  
that is both robust and defensible; and

• 

is able to be applied consistently throughout the company.

Our pay system, and related performance systems, enable,  
attract, retain and motivate competent staff. 

Our remuneration processes will ensure staff are rewarded  
fairly in relation to:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

the work they do and their performance in the job; 

other jobs in the organisation;

the market value of their job;

their contribution to the organisation; and

their knowledge, skills and competencies used on the job.

SKY Network Television LimitedFinancial Statements June 2018 
84

85

Interests register (CONTINUED)

Disclosures of interest – authorisation  
of remuneration and other benefits 

SKY’s board did not authorise any additional payments of annual 
directors’ fees during the year to 30 June 2018. 

Disclosures of interest – particular transactions/use  
of company information 

During the year to 30 June 2018, in relation to SKY:

• 

• 

 no specific disclosures were made in the Interests Register under 
section 140(1) of the Companies Act 1993; and

 no entries were made in the Interests Register as to the use of 
company information under section 145(3) of the Companies  
Act 1993.

Disclosures of relevant interests in securities 

During the year to 30 June 2018, in relation to SKY’s directors,  
officers and senior managers, the following disclosures were made  
in the Interests Register as to dealing in SKY’s shares under section 
148 of the Companies Act 1993 and section 297 of the Financial 
Markets Conduct Act 2013:

John Fellet made ongoing disclosures in relation to the on-market 
acquisitions of 80,100 ordinary shares as follows:

• 

• 

• 

50,100 shares on 24 August 2017;

20,000 shares on 22 September 2017; and

10,000 shares on 3 April 2018. 

Insurance and indemnities

SKY has in place directors’ and officers’ liability insurance to cover 
risks normally covered by such policies arising out of acts or 
omissions of SKY directors or employees in that capacity. 

SKY has entered into a deed of indemnity pursuant to which it has 
agreed to indemnify directors, senior management and officers of 
SKY against liability incurred from acts or omissions of such directors, 
senior management or officers, subject to certain exceptions which 
are normal in such indemnities. 

SKY subsidiaries’ interests registers 

The directors of SKY’s subsidiaries have given notices disclosing 
interests in the various entities pursuant to section 140 of the 
Companies Act 1993. Those notices which remain current as at  
30 June 2018 are set out below:

Screen Enterprises Limited:  
George MacFarlane and Jason Hollingworth have each given a general 
notice disclosing interests arising from being employees of SKY.

Outside Broadcasting Limited:  
John Fellet and Jason Hollingworth have given notices disclosing 
interests arising from being employees of SKY and, in John Fellet’s 
case, a director of SKY.

SKY DMX Music Limited:  
Martin Wrigley and Grant McKenzie have each given a general 
disclosure notice disclosing interests arising from being senior 
employees of SKY and, in Martin Wrigley’s case, a shareholder of SKY.

Igloo Limited:  
John Fellet, Jason Hollingworth and Michael Watson have given 
notices disclosing interests arising from being employees of SKY and, 
in John Fellet’s case, a director of SKY.

Believe It Or Not Limited:  
Grant McKenzie and Eggherick Van Der Plank have given notices 
disclosing interests arising from being employees of SKY. Brendan 
Lochead has given a general notice disclosing his interest arising 
from being a shareholder of Believe It Or Not Limited and a director 
and shareholder of Mad If You Don’t Limited. Annabelle Lochead has 
given a general notice disclosing her interest arising from being the 
wife of Brendan Lochead (who is a shareholder of Believe It Or Not 
Limited) and a director and shareholder of Mad If You Don’t Limited.

SKY Ventures Limited:  
John Fellet and Jason Hollingworth have given notices disclosing 
interests arising from being employees of SKY and, in John Fellet’s 
case, a director of SKY. 

The remuneration of SKY’s employees acting as directors of 
subsidiary companies is disclosed in the relevant banding for 
employee remuneration on page 89 or in the case of John Fellet,  
his remuneration is disclosed below under the heading Remuneration 
of Directors.

No director of any subsidiary company received directors’ fees or 
extra benefits by virtue of the fact that they are acting as directors  
of subsidiary companies.

Statement of directors’ interests

For the purposes of NZX Listing Rule 10.4.5(c), the following table sets 
out the equity securities (shares in SKY) in which each director had a 
relevant interest as at 30 June 2018:

Relevant interests

John Fellet 

Derek Handley

Peter Macourt

Geraldine McBride

Mike Darcey

Susan Paterson

Shares

245,000

4,000

–

–

–

10,000

Company and bondholder 
information 

Directors holding and ceasing office

John Fellet 

Derek Handley

Peter Macourt

Geraldine McBride

Susan Paterson, ONZM 

Mike Darcey (appointed 19 September 2017)

Subsidiaries

At 30 June 2018, SKY had the following subsidiary companies:

SKY DMX Music Limited, Screen Enterprises Limited, Outside 
Broadcasting Limited, Igloo Limited, Believe It Or Not Limited,  
SKY Ventures Limited and Media Finance Limited. During the  
year to 30 June 2018, SKY DMX Music Limited operated the SKY  
DMX music business, Screen Enterprises Limited operated the 
FATSO DVD and blu-ray rental business until it ceased trading on 
23 November 2017, Outside Broadcasting Limited provided mobile 
on-site broadcasting facilities and services, Believe It Or Not Limited 
provided quizzes for the hotel entertainment industry, and SKY 
Ventures Limited provided investment and sponsorship in the  
field of information and broadcast technology, including by  
holding a 13.54% investment in 90 Seconds Pty Limited  
(a cloud video production company). This investment was  
sold in July 2018. Media Finance Limited and Igloo Limited  
did not trade during the year.

Directors of subsidiaries

Subsidiary

Director

SKY DMX Music Limited

Grant McKenzie

Martin Wrigley

Steven Hughes

Kenneth Eissing Jr 

Screen Enterprises Limited

Jason Hollingworth 

George MacFarlane

Outside Broadcasting Limited

John Fellet

Jason Hollingworth

Igloo Limited

John Fellet

Jason Hollingworth

Michael Watson

Believe It Or Not Limited

Anabelle Lochead

Brendan Lochead

Grant McKenzie

Eggherick Van Der Plank

SKY Ventures Limited

John Fellet

Media Finance Limited

John Fellet

Jason Hollingworth 

SKY Network Television LimitedFinancial Statements June 201886

87

Company and bondholder 
information (CONTINUED) 

Remuneration of directors 

Substantial security holders 

Total Director Remuneration is fixed by shareholders. The annual fee pool limit is $950,000, and was approved by shareholders at the annual 
meeting on 21 October 2015. 

According to notices given to SKY under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 the following persons were substantial security holders  
in SKY as at 30 June 2018 and 9 August 2018 (as indicated below):

Directors’ remuneration and value of other benefits received by directors of SKY during the year 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018 were as follows:

Name

John Fellet (1) 

Derek Handley (2) 

Peter Macourt (Chair)

Geraldine McBride 

Susan Paterson

Mike Darcey (appointed 19 September 2017)

Board 
fees

Audit and Risk 
Committee

Nomination 
and 
Remuneration 
Committee

– 

125,000 

170,000 

100,000 

100,000 

50,000 

– 

15,000 

12,000 

– 

20,000 

–

– 

6,250 

5,000 

– 

12,000 

–

Other

Total 
remuneration 

1,975,000 

1,975,000

– 

– 

– 

–

–

146,250 

187,000 

100,000 

132,000 

50,000 

545,000 

47,000 

23,250 

1,975,000 

2,590,250

(1)  John Fellet is also SKY’s Chief Executive and a director of SKY Ventures Limited, Media Finance Limited, Outside Broadcasting Limited and Igloo Limited.  

He did not receive any directors’ fees during the above period. His remuneration, as specified above, comprises salary and performance based remuneration.

(2)  Derek Handley’s fees include $29,250 relating to the prior year.

The current fees paid to SKY directors are as set out in the table above. Directors do not receive any performance or equity based remuneration, 
or superannuation or retirement benefits. This reflects the role of the directors which is to provide oversight and guide strategy, whereas the role 
of management is to operate the business and execute SKY’s strategy.

Chief executive remuneration 

John Fellet has been an employee of SKY for 26 years and the CEO of SKY for 17 years. 

Mr Fellet’s remuneration is a mix of base salary and bonus and is externally benchmarked annually. 

Mr Fellet’s base salary for FY18 was $1,413,057 (compared to $1,406,130 for FY17). Bonuses are paid in September each year and relate to 
performance in the prior financial year. Further details for the past five years are as follows:

Base salary 

STI

LTI

Total remuneration

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

1,413,057

1,406,130 

1,375,262 

1,333,750 

1,287,500

156,249

405,694

144,743

414,868

204,243

423,745

227,579 

347,767

195,680

322,913

1,975,000 

1,965,741

2,003,250

1,909,096 

1,806,093 

Mr Fellet shares in a bonus pool (with 16 executives who participate in the scheme) which is designed to drive long-term value creation.  
The proportion of the bonus pool attributable to Mr Fellet depends on the board’s assessment of his performance against a range of KPI’s 
including development of the long term strategy, leadership, product offerings and pricing, supplier arrangements, organisational efficiencies, 
and subscriber numbers. Mr Fellet’s bonus for FY18, which is payable in September 2018, is $567,897 (compared to $561,943 for FY17). This is 29% 
of Mr Fellet’s total remuneration.

The bonus is paid in cash in September each year. A bonus amount is calculated based on financial performance for the prior financial year 
ended 30 June and this is added to a pool of deferred bonus payments, with one third of the total bonus pool paid being out in the year, and 
two thirds of the pool being deferred. This deferral of part of the annual bonus is to provide a long-term component to the scheme as the extent 
to which it is paid will be dependent on the future performance of the business. There is no entitlement to the deferred bonus on resignation or 
retirement of an executive. The board may consider the individual circumstances in determining how much if any of the deferred bonus will be 
paid on retirement.

The annual bonus calculation is based on two factors:

• 

• 

the absolute rate of return on capital employed; and

the year on year movement in the rate of return capital employed.

The absolute rate of return on capital employed is calculated as earnings before interest, tax and depreciation (EBITDA) divided by the cumulative 
capital investment over the previous five years. The scheme also looks at the year on year change in this rate of return and a fixed dollar amount 
is paid for each percentage point change in the rate of return. This fixed dollar amount is two times the dollar amount paid in the rate of return 
calculation. If the rate of return decreases compared to the previous year this element of the calculation will result in a negative value being 
deducted from the bonus pool causing the pool to reduce and the bonus payments to reduce. The pool was reweighted down by $528,000  
in 2018 due to a reduced number of participants.

Entity

Kiltearn Partners LLP 

Harris Associates L.P. 

BlackRock, Inc and its related bodies corporate 

Allan Gray Group

Harris Associates Investment Trust

Entity

Kiltearn Partners LLP 

Harris Associates L.P. 

BlackRock, Inc and its related bodies corporate 

Allan Gray Group

The total number of issued voting securities of SKY as at 30 June 2018 and 9 August 2018 was 389,139,785.

Twenty largest shareholders as at 9 August 2018 

Holder name

HSBC Nominees (New Zealand) Limited 

JPMorgan Chase Bank NA NZ Branch

Citibank Nominees (New Zealand) Limited

HSBC Custody Nominees (Australia) Limited 

Citicorp Nominees Pty Limited 

Accident Compensation Corporation

JP Morgan Nominees Australia Limited 

National Nominees New Zealand Limited

BNP Paribas Nominees (NZ) Limited

National Nominees Limited 

ANZ Wholesale Australasian Share Fund

BNP Paribas Nominees Pty Ltd 

Tea Custodians Limited 

FNZ Custodians Limited 

ANZ Wholesale NZ Share Fund

Deutsche Securities Australia Limited

JBWere (NZ) Nominees Limited

Forsyth Barr Custodians Limited

ANZ Custodial Services New Zealand Limited

New Zealand Permanent Trustees Limited 

Securities as at 30 June 2018

51,623,954 

27,990,800 

31,925,463

27,668,989

19,851,800

Securities as at 9 August 2018

51,623,954

27,990,800

31,925,463

27,668,989

Holding

Percentage  
(to 2 d.p.)

187,563,312

48.20

35,968,655

35,159,680

30,967,938

21,426,015

13,345,227

10,773,558

5,537,724

5,299,355

3,512,123

3,374,677

2,592,339

1,585,173

1,175,739

667,379

644,539

551,219

443,704

420,625

420,531

9.24

9.03

7.95

5.51

3.42

2.76

1.42

1.36

0.90

0.86

0.67

0.40

0.30

0.17

0.16

0.14

0.11

0.10

0.10

SKY Network Television LimitedFinancial Statements June 201888

89

Company and bondholder 
information (CONTINUED) 

Distribution of ordinary shares and shareholdings as at 9 August 2018

Employee remuneration 

1 – 1,000

1,001 – 5,000

5,001 – 10,000

10,001 – 100,000

100,001 and over

Total

No. of  
shareholders

Percentage 
(to 2 d.p.)

No. of 
shares

Percentage 
(to 2 d.p.)

2,096

2,380

543

391

41

38.45

43.67

9.96

7.17

0.75

1,204,035

6,110,302

4,047,627

9,936,834

367,840,987

5,451

100.00

389,139,785

0.31

1.57

1.04

2.55

94.53

100.00

Non marketable parcels of shares

As at 9 August 2018, 409 shareholders in SKY had non-marketable parcels of shares for the purposes of ASX Listing Rule 4.10.8.

Other information

For the purposes of ASX Listing Rules 4.10.14, 4.10.18 and 4.10.21, as at 9 August 2018:

• 

• 

• 

SKY had no restricted securities or securities subject to voluntary escrow on issue;

there was no on-market buy back; and

SKY was not subject to s611 of the Corporations Act 2001.

Voting rights attached to shares

Each share entitles the holder to one vote.

Distribution of bonds and bondholdings as at 9 August 2018

SKTO20 Bonds

1 – 1,000

1,001 – 5,000

5,001 – 10,000

10,001 – 100,000

100,001 and over

Total

No. of 
bondholders

Percentage  
(to 2 d.p.)

No. of bonds

Percentage  
(to 2 d.p.)

–

126

254

718

88

–

10.62

21.42

60.54

7.42

–

630,000

2,450,000

25,887,000

71,033,000

–

0.63

2.45

25.89

71.03

1,186

100.00

100,000,000

100.00

Voting rights attached to bonds

Each bondholder is entitled to one vote for every dollar of principal outstanding on their bonds at meetings of bondholders. Bondholders do not 
have the right to attend or vote at shareholders’ meetings.

The number of employees or former employees of SKY and its subsidiaries (excluding directors of SKY but including employees of SKY holding 
office as directors of subsidiaries, other than the Chief Executive(1)) whose remuneration and benefits was within specified bands for the year to 
30 June 2018 is as follows: 

Remuneration ($)

100,000 – 110,000

110,001 – 120,000

120,001 – 130,000

130,001 – 140,000

140,001 – 150,000

150,001 – 160,000

160,001 – 170,000

170,001 – 180,000

180,001 – 190,000

190,001 – 200,000

200,001 – 210,000

210,001 – 220,000

220,001 – 230,000

230,001 – 240,000

240,001 – 250,000

260,001 – 270,000

300,001 – 310,000

320,001 – 330,000

380,001 – 390,000

430,001 – 440,000

440,001 – 450,000

460,001 – 470,000

500,001 – 510,000

510,001 – 520,000

530,001 – 540,000

550,001 – 560,000

770,001 – 780,000

No. of employees

89

51

30

32

20

7

12

9

8

5

2

2

5

1

2

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

2

1

1

(1)  The remuneration of SKY’s Chief Executive John Fellet is not included in the above table as he is also a director of SKY. His remuneration is disclosed under the 

heading “Remuneration of Directors” on page 86.

Donations

During the year 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018, SKY made cash donations totalling $251,000. SKY’s subsidiaries did not make any donations.

Auditors

The auditors of SKY and its subsidiaries were PricewaterhouseCoopers. The amount paid to PricewaterhouseCoopers by SKY and its subsidiaries 
in the year to 30 June 2018 for statutory audit services and for other services was: 

IN NZD 000

SKY

Statutory audit services

Other services 

409

30

SKY’s subsidiaries did not pay PricewaterhouseCoopers any fees. 

SKY Network Television LimitedFinancial Statements June 201890

91

Waivers and information

Current and ongoing waivers

The following is a summary of all waivers granted in favour of SKY 
which were relied upon by SKY in the 12-month period preceding  
the date two months before the date of publication of this report. 
These were:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

 A waiver to permit SKY to lodge its half yearly and final reports in 
the form of an NZX Appendix 1 instead of an ASX Appendix 4D 
and ASX Appendix 4E, on the condition that SKY provides any 
additional information required by the ASX Appendices as an 
annexure to the NZX Appendix 1; 

 A waiver from ASX Listing Rule 6.10.3 to the extent necessary 
to permit SKY to set the “specified time” to determine whether 
a security holder is entitled to vote at a shareholders’ meeting 
in accordance with the requirements of relevant New Zealand 
legislation;

 A waiver from ASX Listing Rule 15.7 to permit SKY to provide 
announcements simultaneously to both ASX and NZX;

 A waiver from ASX Listing Rule 14.3 to the extent necessary to 
allow SKY to receive director nominations between the date three 
months and the date two months before the annual meeting;

 Confirmation that the rights attaching to SKY shares set out in 
SKY‘s constitution are appropriate and equitable for the purpose of 
ASX Listing Rule 6.1 and comply with ASX Listing Rule 2.1;

 Confirmation that ASX will accept financial accounts prepared in 
accordance with New Zealand GAAP and New Zealand Auditing 
Standards, and denominated in New Zealand dollars; and

7. 

 Confirmation that SKY can provide substantial holder information 
provided to it under the New Zealand Securities Markets Act 1988 

(now the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013).

Admission to the official list of the Australian  
Stock Exchange 

In connection with SKY’s admission to the official list of the ASX,  
the following information is provided:

1.  SKY is incorporated in New Zealand.

2. 

 SKY is not subject to Chapters 6, 6A, 6B and 6C of the  
Australian Corporations Act 2001 dealing with the acquisition  
of shares (such as substantial holdings and takeovers).

3. 

 Limitations on the acquisition of the securities imposed  
by New Zealand law are as follows: 

(a)   In general, SKY securities are freely transferable and  

the only significant restrictions or limitations in relation  
to the acquisition of securities are those imposed by  
New Zealand laws relating to takeovers, overseas  
investment and competition.

(b)   The New Zealand Takeovers Code creates a general rule 
under which the acquisition of more than 20% of the  
voting rights in SKY or the increase of an existing holding  
of 20% or more of the voting rights in SKY can only occur  
in certain permitted ways. These include a full takeover offer 
in accordance with the Takeovers Code, a partial takeover 
offer in accordance with the Takeovers Code, an acquisition 
approved by an ordinary resolution, an allotment approved 
by an ordinary resolution, a creeping acquisition (in certain 
circumstances) or compulsory acquisition if a shareholder 
holds 90% or more of SKY shares.

(c)   The New Zealand Overseas Investment Act 2005 (and 

associated regulations) regulates certain investments in  
New Zealand by overseas persons. In general terms, the 
consent of the New Zealand Overseas Investment Office 
is likely to be required where an ‘overseas person’ acquires 
shares or an interest in shares in SKY that amount to more 
than 25% of the shares issued by SKY or, if the overseas 
person already holds 25% or more, the acquisition increases 
that holding.

(d)   The New Zealand Commerce Act 1986 is likely to prevent a 
person from acquiring SKY shares if the acquisition would 
have, or would be likely to have, the effect of substantially 
lessening competition in a market.

Share market and  
other information

New Zealand

Annual meeting

SKY’s ordinary shares are listed on the main board of the NZX and 
trade under the symbol SKT. SKY’s bonds are listed on the NZDX 
and trade under the symbol SKT020. SKY’s International Security 
Identification Number issued for the company by the NZX is 
NZSKTE0001S6.

The next annual meeting of Sky Network Television Limited will 
be held at the Sofitel Hotel Auckland, 21 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, 
Auckland, on 18 October 2018, commencing at 10.00 am.

NZX Limited
Level 1, NZX Centre 
11 Cable Street 
Wellington 6011, New Zealand

Mailing address:
PO Box 2959 
Wellington 6140, New Zealand

Tel: +64 4 472 7599 Fax: +64 4 496 2893 
Website: nzx.com

Australia

SKY’s ordinary shares are also listed on the ASX and  
trade under the symbol SKT.

ASX Limited
Exchange Centre 
20 Bridge Street, Sydney 
NSW 2000, Australia

Mailing address:
PO Box H224 
Australia Square, Sydney 
NSW 1215, Australia

Tel: +61 2 9338 0000 Fax: +61 2 9227 0885 
Website: asx.com.au

SKY Network Television LimitedFinancial Statements June 2018 
 
 
 
92

Directory

Registrars

Shareholders should address questions relating to share certificates, 
notify changes of address or address any administrative questions  
to SKY’s share registrar as follows:

New Zealand Ordinary Share Registrar 
Computershare Investor Services Limited 
Level 2, 159 Hurstmere Road  
Takapuna, North Shore City 0622 
New Zealand

Mailing address:  
Private Bag 92119 
Auckland Mail Centre 
Auckland 1142, New Zealand

Tel: +64 9 488 8700 Fax: +64 9 488 8787 
Email: enquiry@computershare.co.nz

Australian Branch Register 
Computershare Investor Services Pty Limited 
Yarra Falls, 452 Johnston Street 
Abbotsford, VIC 3329 
GPO Box 2975 
Melbourne VIC 3001, Australia

Freephone: 1800 501 366 (within Australia) 
Tel: +61 3 9415 4083 (outside Australia)  
Fax: +61 3 9473 2500 
Email: enquiry@computershare.co.nz

Bondholder Trustee 
The New Zealand Guardian Trust Company Limited 
Level 6, 191 Queen Street  
Auckland 1010, New Zealand

Mailing address:  
PO Box 274, Shortland Street 
Auckland 1140, New Zealand

Tel: 0800 683 909 Fax: +64 9 377 7470 
Email: ct-auckland@nzgt.co.nz

Directors 
Peter Macourt  
John Fellet  
Derek Handley 
Geraldine McBride 
Mike Darcey  
Susan Paterson ONZM 

Executives 
John Fellet  
Jason Hollingworth  
Travis Dunbar  
Richard Last  
Chris Major  
George MacFarlane 
Rawinia Newton  
Cathryn Oliver  
Michael Watson  
Tex Texeira 
Michael Watson  
Julian Wheeler 
Martin Wrigley  

Chairman 
Chief Executive 

(appointed 19 September 2017)  

Director and Chief Executive 
Chief Financial Officer 
Director of Entertainment / Programming 
Director of Sport  
Director of External Affairs 
Director of Strategy 
Director of Advertising 
Chief of Staff 
Director of Marketing 
Director of Broadcast and Media 
Director of Marketing 
Chief Product and Technology Officer 
Director of Operations

New Zealand Registered Office 
10 Panorama Road, Mt Wellington,  
Auckland 1060, New Zealand

Tel: +64 9 579 9999 Fax: +64 9 579 8324 
Website: sky.co.nz

Australian Registered Office 
c/- Allens Arthur Robinson Corporate Pty Limited 
Level 4, Deutsche Bank Place 
126 Philip Street 
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

Tel: +61 2 9230 4000 Fax: +61 2 9230 5333

Auditors to Sky 
PricewaterhouseCoopers 
PricewaterhouseCoopers Tower, 
188 Quay Street, Auckland 1010, New Zealand

Tel: +64 9 355 8000 Fax: +64 9 355 8001

Solicitors to SKY 
Buddle Findlay 
PricewaterhouseCoopers Tower, 
188 Quay Street, Auckland 1010, New Zealand

Tel: +64 9 358 2555 Fax: +64 9 358 2055

SKY Network Television Limited94

SKY NETWORK TELEVISION LIMITED

PO Box 9059 
Newmarket 
Auckland 1149 
New Zealand

10 Panorama Road 
Mt Wellington 
Auckland 1060  
New Zealand

sky.co.nz

Financial Statements June 2018