Spark names streaming teammate
Spark has named its technology partner for streaming live sport.
The telco’s Spark Sport service, which will be used to stream the Rugby World Cup 2019 and other events in Spark’s growing sports stable, will be iStreamPlanet, which supports streaming for the Super Bowl, the NBA League Pass and the Olympics.
Spark also announced a four-year deal for local rights to the FIH (International Hockey Federation) series, including local games.
While hockey is a minority sport, the deal is notable because it will be Spark’s first foray into local sports production, in partnership with NEP, the world’s largest outside sports broadcaster.
Formerly, Sky TV’s near-monopoly on outside sports broadcasting facilities has been regarded as key plank in its fortress as it seeks to defend its sports rights.
It’s now conceivable that Spark could utilise NEP for a bid for All Blacks games or Super Rugby.
Spark says by positioning itself as the host broadcaster for FIH games, it’s “demonstrating ambition to become a key player in the local sports market”.
The telco yesterday started taking sign-ups for its new service on its website.
On October 25, Spark bolstered its sports lineup by winning three-year exclusive rights to the Formula 1.
Pricing has yet to be announced, although the telco has already displayed a robust appetite for charging, with MD Simon Moutter raising the possibility that a Rugby World Cup pass will cost around $100.
Spark has recently built a portfolio of sport, outbidding Sky TV for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, regaining English Premier League rights for three seasons from next year, and securing Heineken Champions Cup rights to European rugby.
At Sky’s recent annual meeting, chairman Peter Macourt stressed that not all the country would have ultrafast broadband by the Rugby World Cup.
Macourt said Sky’s ability to reach the whole country via satellite was a key advantage with sports bodies.
And although he did not name the telco, Macourt put the acid on Spark by reminding shareholders about the Fifa World Cup debacle in June — where a frozen stream saw Optus forced to refund all views and hand over all games to broadcaster SBS, delivering the free-to-air channel a bonus 1.2m viewers.
For its part, Spark has partnered with TVNZ and says it has a plan B if streaming fails. It has not detailed its plan but presumably it would involve handing off coverage to the free-to-air broadcaster if things go south.
Signing a gold-plated partner like iStreamingPlanet will help address concerns about streaming wobbles. But Spark still faces the larger problem that at least 15 per cent of the population (and probably a lot more) won’t have ultrafast broadband by Rugby World Cup time.
At the AGM, Sky chief executive John Fellet reiterated that his company had pulled out of bidding for Formula 1 races for the next three years. He said a move to races at 1am and increased highlights on social media had pushed viewership to below 1 per cent of Sky subscribers, diminishing Sky’s appetite to place a high bid. Premier League and Heineken Champions Cup viewership was also in the faction-of-a-per cent range, he said.
On social media, a number of F1 fans had been hoping that no one would pick up local rights — a turn of events they hoped would allow them access to the official Formula One app that is currently geo-blocked to Kiwis.