RWC ‘piracy’ rattles Sky TV

Sky Television says it is concerned by an online service that lets people watch the Rugby World Cup on the cheap.

ViewTVabroad.com is advertising access to all the World Cup games plus other British and United States television channels for £6.49 (NZ$15.90) a month.

Viewers would need to subscribe for two months to watch all Rugby World Cup (RWC) matches, up to the final on October 31, at a cost of $31.81.

Sky Basic subscribers would need to pay a minimum of $56.58 extra to watch the games on Sky Sports.

Sky TV is also offering online access to Sky Sports to non-Sky subscribers though its HD Fan Pass service for $19.99 a week, which would work out at a cost of nearly $140 for the whole tournament.

British broadcaster ITV won the rights to broadcast and stream RWC matches online within the United Kingdom. Its streaming service, ITV Player, should be blocked outside the UK.

ITV says people must be in the UK to use ITV Player and it is unable to show its programmes outside the country.

ViewTVabroad.com is providing access to ITV Player to people elsewhere using what is known as a virtual private network (VPN), which disguises the location of people’s computers.

Sky TV spokeswoman Kirsty Way said ViewTVabroad.com was ‘‘a form of piracy’’ and illegal.

Sky TV had exclusive rights to the RWC in New Zealand, she said.

Way said the company was ‘‘very concerned’’ by ViewTVabroad.com and other services like it.

World Rugby, formerly the International Rugby Board, was ‘‘aware of these illegal sites and I imagine will be taking action’’, Way said.

ViewTVabroad.com was displaying the official logo of the RWC on its website.

The business has been operating for several years, accepts credit card payments and provides customer support through United States and European phone numbers.