Spark gets ‘costly’ RWC rights across try line
Spark will have splashed out to secure the rights to the 2019 Rugby World Cup (RWC), Sky Television says.
Sky TV spokeswoman Melodie Robinson said Sky offered to pay ‘‘significantly more’’ for the rights to the 2019 World Cup than it did when it won the rights to the cup in 2015.
‘‘Therefore, Spark paid a lot of money,’’ she said.
Spark spokesman Andrew Pirie said it was ‘‘very comfortable’’ with the price it paid and it was not safe to assume RWC organiser World Rugby picked the highest bid.
‘‘What we do know is that World Rugby have stated objectives about broadening the appeal of rugby beyond traditional rugby followers and our bid emphasises how our approach would give more New Zealanders more choice and opportunity,’’ Pirie said.
Sky Television investors had already written off the Rugby World Cup as lost when the pay-television giant announced last month that it was not the preferred bidder for the tournament in Japan.
That was confirmed yesterday when Spark announced it had secured the rights to the RWC, as well as the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2021, this year’s Rugby World Cup Sevens and the World Rugby Under20 Championship this year and next.
The contract for the cup was between the event organisers and Spark, with Television New Zealand playing a secondary role, Spark spokeswoman Lucy Fullarton said.
Spark will stream the games online to paying customers, who need not be Spark broadband customers, with TVNZ providing the free-to-air component always required by the cup organisers.
Will this mean more RWC games will be free-to-air?
It appears not. At the last World Cup, Sky screened seven games free-to-air on Prime; the opener, two quarterfinals, the semis, the final and the play-off for bronze. Spark has confirmed TVNZ will also air seven games free-to-air. These will include the tournament opener – likely to involve hosts Japan – and the final.
Sky TV also showed the opening ceremony of the 2015 RWC on Prime and daily highlights from the event.
It is not clear whether daily highlights will be available free-to-air on TVNZ 1 or 2 in 2019. Fullarton indicated that highlights might be provided free online by Spark.
What will it cost to watch online and how will it work?
Full pricing won’t be revealed until next year but managing director Simon Moutter has indicated a streaming subscription to the whole event will cost about $100.
Anyone with good enough broadband will have the option of subscribing to watch all the games online, or to purchase individual matches via pay-per-view.
What if I don’t have good broadband?
By next year, fast broadband will be even more widely available but Spark says it is looking at a range of options.
These might include licences that would let pubs and clubs show streamed coverage of the games – similar to the service Sky provides to show Sky Sports to patrons.
Will the coverage be any good?
It will need to be to avoid a backlash. The World Rugby U20 Championship is due to kick off in France next month and the Rugby World Cup Sevens in July, but Spark has clarified it has sub-licensed the rights to those events to TVNZ because it won’t be ready to stream them.
Depending on the timing of the 2019 U20 Championship, the RWC may be the first tournament it offers as a paid service online, so it may be jumping in at the deep end.
How will it affect Sky TV?
Sky shares opened unchanged at $2.34 yesterday.
Chief executive John Fellet, who will quit within the year, has argued the premier rugby event isn’t a big drawcard for Sky Sports, given the biggest games need to be shown free-to-air anyway.
First NZ Capital research head Arie Dekker has gone as far to say the loss is ‘‘largely irrelevant to Sky’’.
But the new arrangements may mean more traditional satellite TV customers will choose to get to grips with internet TV for the first time.
Fellet indicated last month that satellite TV would be safe until at least 2026, thanks to a new deal it’s negotiating with Optus.
Spark was ‘‘very comfortable’’ with the price it paid to secure the rights to the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Spark spokesman Andrew Pirie
And on Spark?
It has not revealed how much it paid for the rugby rights, nor how much it may be recouping from TVNZ through the free-to-air arrangements.
But given Spark will have paid the bulk of the money for the rights to the 2019 RWC, you can expect analysts and investors to be probing for answers.
Spark’s share price was steady in trading yesterday , signalling that investors are reserving judgment.
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
"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?"
New Zealand Rugby boss Steve Tew, left.
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.’’
Opinion: It has been 28 years since New Zealand last hosted the premier sporting event in the Commonwealth.
Auckland was the host in 1990 when the Commonwealth Games last came to New Zealand, with 2000 athletes from 55 nations storming the city during the height of summer.
In four years, Birmingham will host the Games for the first time, and next year the rights to the 2026 and 2030 Games will be up for consideration.
After a long break, it’s time for New Zealand to again host the Commonwealth Games. It would prove our most successful Games ever.
SOUNDS GREAT, BUT HOW? Glad you asked. The Games would be jointly hosted by Auckland and Hamilton, using as many existing venues as possible.
There would be two big ticket items that would need to be paid for in order to host these Games. One would solve an issue we’ve had with sporting stadia in Auckland, and the other would, potentially, ease some of the housing issues we have in the city.
You’ve probably guessed it, but Auckland would get a world class stadium capable of hosting the athletics meet.
Imagine the sort of stadium which could also host rugby and cricket and more when the Games are through. It may even have a roof, who knows.
But the kicker is that it doesn’t have to be brand new. A waterfront stadium would be fantastic, but a less expensive option would be to refurbish Mount Smart Stadium into something truly special.
It hosted the Commonwealth Games athletics meet back in 1990, and although it appears a little run down at the moment, it’s the logical place for a stadium rebuild to take place.
That will be a major cost, but it’s a cost that is needed in order to host an event of this magnitude. Then comes the athletes village. Picture an athletes village in south-west Auckland capable of housing around 4000 people. With events also occurring further south, in Hamilton, not all athletes would be in the village, so there wouldn’t be a need for new accommodation for 5000 plus people.
Once the Games were complete, the athletes village would be turned into housing for the people of Auckland.
Everyone seeks the white picket fence and a backyard for the dog, but this stylish apartment complex will hint at the future Auckland needs when dealing with a housing crisis.
If done right, the village will have around 700-800 apartments, and if rules are put in place for the sale of these apartments, firsthome buyers will be front of the queue to purchase them.
THAT’S COOL, BUT YOU PROMISED MEDALS
Ahh, yes. How would these Games be New Zealand’s most successful ever? That comes down to the sports we would get to select as hosts.
There are a number of core sports at the Commonwealth Games. Athletics, swimming, badminton, boxing, hockey, lawn bowls, netball, rugby sevens, squash and weightlifting are perennial Commonwealth Games sports.
It’s then that the host nation can get creative, and select from a list of ‘‘optional’’ sports to add to their Games.
In the past, rowing, sailing and canoeing were optional sports. While the Commonwealth Games Federation have relegated those three sports, a Games organiser could still negotiate to have them included.
Finally, New Zealand get to make the most of the athletes which dominate at the Olympic Games, but can’t find a place when the Queen gets involved.
Lake Karapiro would be humming for the entirety of the Games, while sailing would debut in the water near Rangitoto. We play to our strengths.
With several powerhouses out of the mix (Norway, Croatia, France, Germany, the United States, you name them), New Zealand have even more chance to dominate the sports which make us so successful when the Olympic Games role around.
We’d also reintroduce cricket to the Commonwealth Games, after it debuted in 1998. A short Twenty20 tournament would see the world’s best cricketers on our shores for a mini World Cup.
Beach volleyball and basketball get ditched from the Gold Coast Games, but Games rules state that with cricket being played, we have the option of also adding para basketball which is a no brainer.
SOUNDS GREAT. BUT WHERE?
New Zealand has world class venues for many of the competitions listed above.
Lake Karapiro takes care of the rowing and canoeing, if we get them across the line. Canoe slalom, if included, takes place at the Wero Whitewater Park in Auckland. Sailing will be offshore in Auckland.
Swimming will be held at Henderson in Auckland. It could do with some extra seating, perhaps, so a minor refurbishment could be on the cards.
Netball will be held at Spark Arena in Auckland, rugby sevens will be at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, hockey is on the North Shore, while cricket will spread a little further, shared between Eden Park, Seddon Park, Bay Oval in Tauranga and Cobham Oval in Whangarei.
Track cycling will take place at the Avantidrome in Cambridge, and the road racing and mountain biking will also be held in Waikato.
Boxing will be at the home of David Nyika, at Claudelands Arena in Hamilton, while triathlon will be on a course around the Auckland waterfront.
Badminton, lawn bowls, squash, judo, table tennis and weightlifting will find quality venues easy enough, and there are enough good arenas, like the North Shore Events Centre, that hosting the gymnastics will be no issue.
Athletics is the big one, which requires that stadium we talked about earlier.
ALRIGHT THEN, SO 2026 or 2030?
Well, that’s a good question, and is where reality comes into it.
Minister for Sport Grant Robertson is on the Gold Coast enjoying the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
He is well aware that the Commonwealth Games Federation has begun the process to find hosts in 2026 and 2030, and said he is learning plenty from how Australia have hosted the Games.
‘‘At this point the Government does not have a plan to bid for the Games,’’ Robertson said.
‘‘However, it has been useful to attend the Gold Coast Games to observe what is required to host such an event.
‘‘I think it’s important that New Zealanders understand the scale of the modern Commonwealth Games.
‘‘It is a massive logistical undertaking, with a huge amount of organisation going into things like security and accommodation.’’
While there are no plans at this very moment to bid for a Commonwealth Games, Robertson said he is looking into what sort of major events New Zealand could play host to in the near future, and whether the Commonwealth Games would fit.
‘‘New Zealand does has a proven track record of successfully hosting major international sporting events, such as the Cricket World Cup in 2015 and Rugby World Cup in 2011.
‘‘I am currently looking at what the best focus is in terms of the major sporting events New Zealand should bid for - multisport or otherwise.’’
We get similar messages from the chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation, David Grevemberg.
‘‘I think there’s a place for the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand at the right time, the right fit, as long as it’s an investment that can make sure long-term sustainable development,’’ Grevemberg said.
‘‘We believe there’s no question there’s an opportunity to make that fit in the development of various communities in New Zealand and be a real value-added proposition for New Zealanders.’’
So, that means there’s a chance.