Here's what the future may look like for sports coverage in New Zealand
Friday, 11 October 2019
Media giants Spark and Sky are at war.
Sky fired back on Friday morning, announcing an exclusive broadcast deal with the International Cricket Council to host men's and women's Cricket World Cup and T20 events for the next four years.
After years of Sky Sport dominance, Kiwis will have to turn to at least two different broadcast providers for their future sporting fix. As upstart rival Spark continues to challenge for tier-one sporting events, what will the future of New Zealand sports broadcasting look like?
**READ MORE:
* Spark promises a 'fresh look' to New Zealand cricket coverage, working out details
* Spark Sport wins New Zealand Cricket broadcasting rights for six years
* Cricket just the start as Spark Sport eyes up other sporting codes**
Now cricket rights are sorted, what other sports rights are still up for grabs?
The next main event for Spark and Sky is the forthcoming rights auction for Super Rugby and Rugby Championship rights.
As New Zealand's most popular sport by some distance, both broadcasters will be keen to win the auction for key rugby union games between 2021-2025.
Incumbent Sky, which has held Sanzaar rights since 1996, has vowed to fight for its rugby coverage. It has asked shareholders to approve a bid for the rights, expected to exceed $235 million. Spark had indicated it was interested in supplanting its rival, without commenting directly.
It was reported on Friday that Sky has been informed it had been successful.
Sky also has the netball locked in until 2021.
Could Super Rugby coverage be split between broadcasters?
In some markets, popular sports are split across more than one broadcaster. In England, EPL coverage was provided by Sky and BT Sport for several seasons, with each hosting fixtures in separate time slots. This season, Amazon Prime entered the fray, meaning British fans will need to pay for three subscriptions to watch live games.
Could it happen here? Analysts say it is unlikely in the near-term. US streaming giants have largely avoided diving into key international markets like the UK, so are unlikely to battle Spark and Sky in a small market like New Zealand. But there's an outside chance that Spark and Sky could carve up the rights.
Adrian Allbon, an analyst at Craigs Investment Partners, says: 'I don't think you could rule out that if Spark put a big enough number out there, and put all the bells and whistles on their offer, they couldn't have some portion of the rights. The difference is that Sanzaar is an amalgamation of three [rugby] unions, so Sky has historically had a strong relationship with the other broadcasters in South Africa and Australia.'
Will the NRL stay put at Sky?
Sky secured an exclusive five-year deal to broadcast the NRL in 2018. The contract runs until the end of the 2022 season, after which the rights will come up for sale again. Spark is likely to covet NRL coverage, which attracts a strong audience throughout the year.
Sky has broadcast and digital rights to NRL games, NZ tests, State of Origin and NRL Nines tournaments until 2022, meaning there will be no changes in the near-term.
Who will take care of golf coverage?
Sky has the rights to golf's majors, The Open, US Open, US Masters, and PGA Championship tournaments. It also hosts the LPGA Tour, PGA Tour and Australian PGA Championship.
Each major has its own New Zealand broadcast deal. Sky's coverage of The (British) Open runs from 2016-2020, for example.
Spark Sport has yet to secure a major championship but will host the 2019 and 2020 Emirates Australian Open.
How about motorsport?
For the next three years, Formula 1, F2, GP3 and Porsche Super Cup races will be shown on Spark Sport. The F1 calendar includes 21 races each year.
The future of the Supercars Championship is more uncertain. Supercars coverage is currently found on Sky Sports, yet broadcast rights are up for grabs in two years. Spark is expected to compete with Sky to host the races, including the Bathurst 1000.
Where can fans watch top tennis tournaments?
Sky has the dominant position in tennis coverage, but two key regional tournaments come up for auction in 2021.
Sky has the rights to show the Australian Open until 2021. The Australian Open is viewed as a critical tournament for NZ broadcasters, as the only Grand Slam tournament in a reasonable timezone for Kiwi viewers.
The rights for the ASB Classic in Auckland also come up in two years.
Further away from home, Sky also hosts the US Open, through ESPN, as well as the French Open.
Spark, on the other hand, holds the rights for Wimbledon in New Zealand, alongside TVNZ. The streaming platform hosted this year's tournament, with highlights and on-demand services.
Who will host American sports?
American giant ESPN hosts 2019/2020 NBA coverage on Sky. The channel also hosts NFL and Major League Baseball.
Spark, meanwhile, has rights to the NBA's Basketball Channel, which hosts about six to seven games per week during the season, as well as highlights and studio shows.
Is satellite TV dead and buried? What about rural areas without high-speed internet?
Sky recently rebranded its old streaming platform, Fan Pass, to Sky Sport Now, in an effort to refresh its online offering. The product has 12 Sky Sport Channels for $49.99 a month. Despite the prevalence of online streaming, analysts say satellite broadcasting will still have a role to play for the time being, as coverage moves from HD to ultra-high-definition 4K.
Allbon says: 'When broadcasts move from HD to 4K, satellite could potentially be the first reliable way to deploy the premium service.'
Allbon adds streaming is undoubtedly 'the future': 'There are lots of different permutations, but without doubt, the quality of the broadband network in New Zealand has risen dramatically.'
While rural sports fans without fibre broadband will feel left behind by the shift to streaming, Spark says it has not forgotten those customers.
Spark Sport's corporate relations oartner Althea Lovell points to 'major initiatives' to improve rural broadband, and says the company's partnership with TVNZ for domestic cricket will offer 'a good chunk of free-to-air content'. She promises the new deal will be 'transformational' for New Zealand cricket.