Spark’s cup report card marked by mixed grades
The Rugby World Cup is like the Oscars, the Olympics and Super Bowl all rolled into one for Kiwis.
And this year, it leapt into the digital era with mixed reception.
As the cup winds down, Spark Sport is preparing to evaluate the success of streaming the tournament for the first time.
It is the first time such a major event has been broadcast over streaming services and a big test for the rights that were wrestled away from Sky TV.
The technology has seen ups and downs – a major failure during the first big All Blacks match of the tournament left bruises but many saw the service improve over the course of the cup.
Many viewers took to social media to slate the streaming efforts but others said they had solid experiences. Some complained of glitches, stuttering and time delays, while others praised the convenience of being able to stream to multiple devices.
Through a spokeswoman, Spark Sport did not want to comment on specifics such as viewership or an overall evaluation of its performance until after the Rugby World Cup finishes this weekend.
Technology journalist Bill Bennett, who also edits a magazine for telecommunications company Chorus, gives Spark Sport a ‘‘B+’’ for their efforts.
‘‘I think it actually went quite well,’’ he said. ‘‘I think the media gave them a bit of a hard time.’’
The biggest public relations problem for Spark was the first All Blacks match, against South Africa on September 21, when its streaming services failed for many viewers. The match was shifted to live television on TVNZ Duke as part of the contingency plan.
None of the other major matches were forced to go to the backup plan but the initial experience did leave a bit of a black mark, Bennett said. ‘‘While that was a real problem that happened on that game, they had an emergency plan and the emergency plan kicked in pretty fast. Hats off to them for getting that part of it.
‘‘This is how things are going to be in the future.’’
Fans are mixed on the overall streaming experience.
Martin Bridges of Auckland rated it as a positive. ‘‘In general, it worked great for me,’’ he said.
‘‘I had a few minor pixellation issues but not enough to spoil my enjoyment. The ability to watch on multiple devices was very useful, as I spend half my week in Wellington and half in Auckland. So I could watch on my phone or cast to my TV or watch on my Smart TV.’’
Fraser Honey of Waita¯ kere was not so pleased with the service.
‘‘I had a number of problems ... particularly through the middle of the tournament,’’ he said. ‘‘Their app is terrible, so for mobile device and Chromecast users, it was very difficult to navigate.’’
Other fans threatened legal action. A People versus Spark Sport Facebook group drew nearly 3000 fans. The Commerce Commission also received complaints.
Was New Zealand ready for a streaming event as big as the Rugby World Cup? ‘‘You have to start somewhere,’’ said Bridges.
‘‘I think we were ready but Spark weren’t,’’ Honey said. ‘‘The broadcast coverage, sets, commentators, analysis, was all reasonable but overall it was a pretty dire experience because of the delivery failures ... and the semi,’’ he added.
Older or rural users may have faced more problems than others.
‘‘I am highly tech proficient so I hate to think how this went for the bunnies my age and older [mid40s],’’ said Honey.
However, Bennett noted Sky TV has trouble with rain fade affecting its sport broadcasts.
‘‘I think [Spark] were forensically examined and everyone was watching for the stuff-ups in a way we haven’t in the past.’’
Streaming is unlikely to fade away, with big entertainment players like Apple, Disney and others launching new streaming efforts in New Zealand.
Bennett said education and technology upgrades were key for getting the most out of streaming experiences. He said while he personally got plenty of advance notice as to what he needed to do, latecomers probably didn’t. ‘‘I do think that Spark should have made it absolutely clear the moment you bought that service what you needed to do. Not everyone is moving at the same pace with these things.’’
‘‘I think it actually went quite well.’’ Technology journalist Bill Bennett