Kerry Packer once famously said, “You only get one Alan Bond in your lifetime and I’ve had mine”. Think it’s safe to say TVNZ are probably having similar thoughts about Spark Sport - Christmas has well and truly come a week early for them.
It’s one thing for Spark to decide to exit the sports market considering it’s become unprofitable for them and for TVNZ to take over the NZ Cricket rights since they’re the secondary partner. It’s a whole other extraordinary thing for Spark to not only transfer the majority of the rights to TVNZ but to cover the fees for the transferred rights as well.
Below is a timeline of when (as far as publicly known) Spark Sports’ various rights agreements end:
2022
Formula 1 (including Formula 2 & 3 - already confirmed to be moving to Sky Sport next year)
Netball Australia (encompasses Super Netball & home Diamonds matches [excluding those that involve the Silver Ferns])
NFL
One Championship
PGA Australia
Porsche Supercup Series
Royal Ascot
United Rugby Championship
World Rally Championship
WTA tennis
Note: Haven’t included the linear channels Spark Sport offers (i.e., Liverpool TV, MUTV, NBA TV & TAB Trackside) since I’m guessing the rights to carry them probably won’t transfer to TVNZ.
While TVNZ won’t pick-up all of Spark Sport’s rights for one reason or another, what the above list does highlight is they’re likely going to get a substantial amount of sports content for TVNZ 1, Duke & (particularly) TVNZ+ that could extend until mid-2028. Their sports strategy has well and truly paid off in a way they could never possibly have imagined it would.
I am still unconvinced on how much will actually head to TVNZ, to be honest.
A lot of these rights have been signed as paywalled content only not for FTA (which is generally a higher cost) - it’s questionable whether TVNZ+ would have the infrastructure to support multiple streams (for Champions League simultaneous kickoffs for example).
While Spark/TVNZ’s intent is for contracts to be handed over, it might be easier to do with NZC than it will be abroad. And it remains to be seen whether Spark would pay the rights fees for overseas sports still, like they will be with NZC/TVNZ. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a few of these overseas rights claim to have their agreement broken and go back to market on a long-term deal.
There’s also a whole lot of niche sport there TVNZ probably could not be bothered with.
While that list is a decent slate of content for a sports broadcaster, unless TVNZ has the capability to show it (be it on FTA or via some kind of streaming) there’s not a lot there that you’d think they’d be sad to lose out on.
Imagine a lot of this will go back to the market and probably end up back at Sky or maybe BeIN?
The main thing going for them potentially doing that for whatever rights can/will transfer to TVNZ is the agreements for most of Spark Sport’s properties (and I’m including a lot of the properties whose agreement duration is publicly unknown) end either next year or in 2024. As such, they won’t be footing the bill for a significant period.
Delta Goodrem’s third annual Christmas special, Christmas with Delta, will premiere on TVNZ2 this Saturday (Christmas Eve) at 2.10pm. It was filmed in front of a packed audience at The Concourse theatre in Chatswood, Sydney in mid November.
Couple of years after Three dropped Millionaire Hot Seat, it is returning to New Zealand TV screens back to its old network on TVNZ 1 starting January 3 next year.
Possibly - not even having a reporter in vision is some remarkable areas
The Vox thing was obviously a late substitute for the drone light show but that felt quite lazy.
TVNZ likes to put in a lot of effort. I know when Three did it they took a bit of the countdown the fireworks and music and done. That’s all it needed to be.
From what I understand Rush isn’t much of a competitor ratings wise - although Duke isn’t much of a ratings winner either.
It’ll have a load of cricket from next summer which will serve it well.
