Rugby boss sees a rosy picture

Trapped in a passenger jet on the Wellington Airport tarmac, New Zealand Rugby boss Steve Tew used his mobile phone to watch the men’s sevens team win Commonwealth Gold.

His ability to stream the game could explain his confidence that under the TVNZ-Spark deal announced yesterday, more New Zealanders than ever will have access to live World Cup rugby.

The successful bid for New Zealand’s television rights for the 2019 tournament was confirmed in a joint release from TVNZ and Spark yesterday morning and lauded as the first time since 2007 that New Zealanders would be able to see the games without paying.

While some games will be broadcast free, Kiwi rugby fans are going to have to dig into their pockets to watch every match, and there are fears those in rural areas make struggle to see games on the internet.

Yesterday, Tew said he had yet to see what World Rugby had agreed to and was not party to the commercial details he was ‘‘confident they’ll have done a good deal for us’’.

He had no concerns around games being streamed, saying lack of access was also an issue with traditional television and satellite.

‘‘Not all of New Zealand gets everything. Everyone’s desire here is to get the game in front of as many people as possible, and the world’s changing isn’t it?’’

He cited his journey home from the Gold Coast on Sunday as an example of him being able to see the sevens, when he otherwise might have been unable.

‘‘I missed the women’s game live, but I managed to watch the last five minutes of the men on my phone while we were taxiing, after you were allowed to turn wifi on,’’ he said.

He would not comment on the suggestion by Spark managing director Simon Moutter to Radio NZ that a subscription package might cost $100, saying he had ‘‘no idea’’ if that was the pricing.

NZR did not negotiate the deal, World Rugby did (albeit with NZR input).

Tew would be concerned if rugby fans in the heartland had no access to World Cup feeds, but was confident that would not be the case.

‘‘There’s always been a concern about that but World Rugby are very keen for as many people to see the games as possible.’’

Asked whether NZR would consider streaming Super Rugby games, Tew said it had a ‘‘fantastic’’ relationship with Sky TV.

When that contract ended it appeared NZR would consider all options.

‘‘The world’s changing rapidly, we are on top of (technological change), we’ll see what transpires.’’

Tew appeared unconcerned with the outcry over TVNZ coverage of the Commonwealth Games, in particular around the number of advertisements shown.

‘‘Someone’s got to pay for it right? So you’re going to get adverts.

‘‘Right now you’ve got to learn that without ANZ you wouldn’t be seeing this ... there you go there’s your ad.’’

‘‘If you watch professional sport anywhere else in the world - there’s one game in America, which is very popular, which is designed almost entirely so you can advertise.’’

The TVNZ-Spark deal was intended to offer both free and paid content and be available to all New Zealanders – not just Spark customers.

The pricing would be ‘‘lower than most people would expect’’, Moutter told Radio NZ.

‘‘If you were buying a tournament pass, I think $100 - plus some, minus some, in that sort of territory.’’