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Sky TV unlikely to be Rugby World Cup broadcaster
By Online Editors
New Zealand's pay-TV operator Sky Network Television is 'not the preferred' bidder to broadcast the 2019 Rugby World Cup. The company was informed overnight negotiations had proceeded with the preferred bidder.
Sky has been the exclusive rights holder of All Blacks test matches in New Zealand for over 20 years, however, Rugby World Cup rights are sold by IMG media on behalf of World Rugby separate to the SAANZAR rights which Sky holds.
According to the Herald, the leading bidder is a joint venture between Spark and TVNZ which could see the games streamed over the internet with TVNZ providing free-to-air coverage.
"We have been informed that negotiations are underway with the preferred party, and our bid remains in play should those negotiations fail," Sky said.
"We are not at liberty to provide further detail of the bid process at this stage."
Sky explained that while the Rugby World Cup is "great content" it is an "incredibly expensive event that plays every four years for six weeks".
If Sky TV were to lose the Rugby World Cup rights, it would be a historic moment for the company which has had a stranglehold over rugby in New Zealand for over twenty years. With increased speculation that tech giants such as Amazon are looking to make a play in the rugby rights business, investment advisor Jeremy Sullivan of Hamilton Hindin Greene advised;
"If Sky did lose the rugby rights though... watch out," he said.
The news of Sky's unpreferred bid was not well received by the market, with shares down seven percent in early trading.
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Latest Comments
Agree with Wilson B- at best. And that is down to skilled individual players who know how to play the game - not a cohesive squad who know their roles and game plan. For those who claim that takes time to develop, the process is to keep the game plan simple at first and add layers as the squad gels and settles in to the new systems. Lack of progress against the rush D, lack of penetration and innovation in the mid-field, basic skill errors and loose forwards coming second in most big games all still evident in game 14 of the season. Hard to see significant measureable progress.
Go to commentsKeep telling yourself that. The time for a fresh broom is at the beginning - not some "balanced, incremental" (i.e. status quo) transition. All teams establish the way forward at the beginning. This coaching group lacked ideas and courage and the players showed it on the pitch. Backs are only average. Forwards are unbalanced and show good set piece but no domination in traditional AB open play. Unfortunately, Foster - Mark 2. You may be happy with those performances and have some belief in some "cunning plan" but I don't see any evidence of it. Rassie is miles ahead and increasing the gap.
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