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Spark Sport director Jeff Latch has confirmed some rural customers in New Zealand won’t be able to access the streaming service during its coverage of this year’s Rugby World Cup.
The Crown Infrastructure Partners (CIP), the body responsible for providing ultra-fast broadband to residents, told MPs that up to 40,000 households in New Zealand will not own a strong enough signal to stream Rugby World Cup matches.
Latch confirmed the situation during an interview on the Country sports radio broadcast shortly after the over-the-top (OTT) platform announced its pricing structure for the tournament on 16th April, with the offer topping out at NZ$89.99 (US$60.75) for the most premium package.
In an official statement, Spark Sport also confirmed that, in the event of ‘a widespread and significant issue’ inhibiting its Rugby World Cup coverage, the company has devised a contingency plan that would see live broadcasts switch to the TVNZ Duke streaming service. TVNZ will also make select games free-to-air throughout the tournament in Japan, which kicks off on 20th September.
Latch said: “There will be some rural customers who cannot get Spark Sport and the Rugby World Cup. That is a fact.”
Before adding: “While we’re absolutely not expecting any issues with our platform, we want New Zealanders to have confidence that we’ve thought through all eventualities. It’s better to have a back-up plan and not need to use it than to have no back-up plan at all.”
Spark Sport’s Rugby World Cup package will not fall within its regular NZ$19.99 (US$13.73) subscription, with an all-access tournament pass an additional vost but available at a discount prior to the event.
Early-bird subscribers will be able to gain access to the Spark’s tournament pass for NZ$59.99 (US$40.50) if they sign up in May, with the price rising to NZ$79.99 (US$54) between June and September.
The tournament pass includes full match replays for 30 days following each Rugby World Cup fixture, match highlights, archived World Cup content, as well as pre and post-match programming. Single match passes will also be available for sale at NZ$24.99 (US$16.90) once the tournament starts.
“Spark Sport is the only place rugby fans will be able to watch every single match live (some of the free matches will play with a delay on TVNZ).
Latch continued: “A year ago, we said we wanted to help shape the future of sports watching for New Zealanders. We believe that our Rugby World Cup plans deliver on that, using the flexibility of streaming to give Kiwis control and choice about what they watch, when they watch and how they watch.
“In addition, we’re delivering pricing that makes watching the entire tournament truly affordable for New Zealanders – and that stacks up extremely competitively when you look at how streaming sports tournaments have been priced around the world.”
The Spark Sport Rugby World Cup 2019™ Tournament will go on sale early May for just $59.99. All 48 matches will be available LIVE and on demand plus a range of highlights, pre-match, half-time and post-match coverage, player and coach interviews, 1/2 pic.twitter.com/AMcQgrXaoI
— sparknzsport (@sparknzsport) April 15, 2019
Spark Sport, which is owned by New Zealand telecommunications company Spark NZ, officially launched in March to coincide with the opening weekend of the 2019 Formula One season, including a free one-month trial to subscribers.
The service also has offers access to coverage of the Premier League, English soccer’s top flight, as well as action from the National Basketball Association (NBA), the FIA World Rally Championship, Manchester United TV, and European club rugby union.
During its first six months in the lead up to the Rugby World Cup, it was also revealed that the Spark Sport app will gradually become available on a range of platforms including Apple TV, Panasonic, LG and Sony Smart TVs and more.
Spark Sport director Jeff Latch has confirmed some rural customers in New Zealand won’t be able to access the streaming service during its coverage of this year’s Rugby World Cup.
The Crown Infrastructure Partners (CIP), the body responsible for providing ultra-fast broadband to residents, told MPs that up to 40,000 households in New Zealand will not own a strong enough signal to stream Rugby World Cup matches.
Latch confirmed the situation during an interview on the Country sports radio broadcast shortly after the over-the-top (OTT) platform announced its pricing structure for the tournament on 16th April, with the offer topping out at NZ$89.99 (US$60.75) for the most premium package.
In an official statement, Spark Sport also confirmed that, in the event of ‘a widespread and significant issue’ inhibiting its Rugby World Cup coverage, the company has devised a contingency plan that would see live broadcasts switch to the TVNZ Duke streaming service. TVNZ will also make select games free-to-air throughout the tournament in Japan, which kicks off on 20th September.
Latch said: “There will be some rural customers who cannot get Spark Sport and the Rugby World Cup. That is a fact.”
Before adding: “While we’re absolutely not expecting any issues with our platform, we want New Zealanders to have confidence that we’ve thought through all eventualities. It’s better to have a back-up plan and not need to use it than to have no back-up plan at all.”
Spark Sport’s Rugby World Cup package will not fall within its regular NZ$19.99 (US$13.73) subscription, with an all-access tournament pass an additional vost but available at a discount prior to the event.
Early-bird subscribers will be able to gain access to the Spark’s tournament pass for NZ$59.99 (US$40.50) if they sign up in May, with the price rising to NZ$79.99 (US$54) between June and September.
The tournament pass includes full match replays for 30 days following each Rugby World Cup fixture, match highlights, archived World Cup content, as well as pre and post-match programming. Single match passes will also be available for sale at NZ$24.99 (US$16.90) once the tournament starts.
“Spark Sport is the only place rugby fans will be able to watch every single match live (some of the free matches will play with a delay on TVNZ).
Latch continued: “A year ago, we said we wanted to help shape the future of sports watching for New Zealanders. We believe that our Rugby World Cup plans deliver on that, using the flexibility of streaming to give Kiwis control and choice about what they watch, when they watch and how they watch.
“In addition, we’re delivering pricing that makes watching the entire tournament truly affordable for New Zealanders – and that stacks up extremely competitively when you look at how streaming sports tournaments have been priced around the world.”
Spark Sport, which is owned by New Zealand telecommunications company Spark NZ, officially launched in March to coincide with the opening weekend of the 2019 Formula One season, including a free one-month trial to subscribers.
The service also has offers access to coverage of the Premier League, English soccer’s top flight, as well as action from the National Basketball Association (NBA), the FIA World Rally Championship, Manchester United TV, and European club rugby union.
During its first six months in the lead up to the Rugby World Cup, it was also revealed that the Spark Sport app will gradually become available on a range of platforms including Apple TV, Panasonic, LG and Sony Smart TVs and more.
