Analysis: Streaming ain’t what it used to be

Streaming and fast broadband are inseparableNew Zealand’s ultrafast broadband arrived just in time for the worldwide streaming video revolution. The government-supported UFB network build started in late 2011, Netflix officially opened for business in New Zealand in March 2015. By then, early adopters were buying services from overseas.You could flip that formula and say streaming video arrived just in time to ensure the success of the UFB network. When the network was planned in 2009 officials expected around 20 percent of connected homes would eventually sign up for services.At the time Netflix officially started in New Zealand, only 10 percent of homes passed by fibre were using the service. By 2018, as the first phase of the network build neared completion, uptake hit 44 percent. This was far beyond the initial target and gave government and fibre companies the confidence to extend the network further into regional New Zealand.The jump from 10 percent to 44 percent took just three…