Sky TV
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Spark Sport partner with SKY to show Rugby World Cup 2019™ in commercial premises
Spark Sport and SKY announce that commercial premises that want to show Rugby World Cup 2019™ will be able to buy access to a Spark Sport pop-up channel on their SKY decoder. This is in addition to Spark Sport’s existing offer to commercial customers to stream Rugby World Cup matches from the Spark Sport app over their broadband connection.
As announced in April, commercial customers can purchase a Spark Sport Rugby World Cup Tournament Pass at the consumer price through sparksport.co.nz/rwc2019. This option gives both consumer and commercial customers access to all 48 matches live and on demand, plus access to a range of highlights and archive matches.
Additionally, from today, SKY commercial customers can buy access to a Spark Sport RWC pop-up channel through SKY, which includes all 48 matches live. Commercial customers can access the pop-up channel for a one-off cost at commercial rates. Rates are confidential but reflect the quality and scale of the event.
Under the terms of the partnership, Spark will cover the costs of SKY establishing the pop-up channel and will receive all related revenue from SKY commercial customers.
David Chalmers, Executive Lead for Spark Sport, explains, “After testing in a wide range of commercial environments, we are confident in the Spark Sport streaming service that we are making available for commercial premises. But we also wanted to provide an alternative option for venues that would prefer to use their existing infrastructure, particularly for those locations without streaming-ready broadband connectivity.
“This partnership with SKY means that commercial businesses which already have SKY set up in their premises have options for how they screen the tournament, to ensure that as many commercial premises around New Zealand as possible can show the Rugby World Cup in its entirety.”
Sophie Moloney, SKY’s Strategic Partnerships lead, said that “Watching the Rugby World Cup is a special activity for many New Zealanders, and a big part of the sports calendar for pubs and clubs throughout the country. We are pleased to be able to work together with Spark to deliver this alternative access option for our commercial customers, including those in rural areas who don’t yet have access to fast enough broadband.”
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@Bovidae that is a really savvy and pragmatic approach. Can imagine no publican wants to be faffing about with their stream feed and login when there are thirsty punters to serve! Let alone having more reliable access to the game.
Hmm wonder if more people will watch at the pub rather than getting a spark subscription?? -
@Paekakboyz Yes, but likely also an acknowledgement that the commercial market wasn't going to invest to stream a one-off event.
I wonder what the commercial rate will be for pubs etc?
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@Bovidae Not cheap, I remember huge numbers bandied around when I've looked at for clubs etc. A while ago, but Sky commercial is $$$
But this is a great idea, until Streaming is more mainstream, good news! I've got the package but this will encourage me to go to the club and watch it - if they take it up.
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SKY NEW OWNER OF GLOBAL STREAMING APP RUGBYPASS
SKY IS EXPANDING ITS REACH INTO THE GLOBAL RUGBY MARKET WITH THE ACQUISITION OF RUGBYPASS, THE LARGEST ONLINE RUGBY NETWORK IN THE WORLD. RugbyPass is the premier online destination for global rugby fans, offering a live streaming rugby service across Asia, Australia and Europe, along with a wide array of original video content, news, analysis, stats and a world-first rugby player and team rankings system, the RugbyPass Index. Sky Chief Executive Martin Stewart says: “We are thrilled to be bringing RugbyPass under the Sky umbrella. Its media channels are reaching over 40 million people a month and growing quickly, and as the rights-holder for SANZAAR in 62 countries across Asia and Europe (including exclusively in 39 countries), it has an impressive following of rugby fans who have plenty of potential to buy streaming services.”
Launched in 2016, RugbyPass broadcasts live in 63 countries and is the largest publisher of Rugby content in the world. It produces more than 2300 pieces of content a month, distributed across 29 owned and operated individual media channels reaching over 40 million people a month. RugbyPass is based in Dublin, with offices in Singapore and New Zealand. Transaction information: Sky is acquiring 100% of RugbyPass, with a completion date of 19 August 2019. RugbyPass is the world’s largest digital rugby platform combining live OTT broadcasting with unique and engaging video content and stories for rugby fans around the globe. RugbyPass is currently owned by US-based RugbyPass Investors LLC, which is majority owned by private investment company Cooper and Company. The purchase price is US$40m, with consideration made up of US$10m cash and issuance of new Sky shares of US$20m at completion, and the remaining US$10m payable in cash during an agreed earn out period. RugbyPass will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Sky.
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Sky says it will seek shareholder approval to enter a deal worth more than $235m with Sanzaar for post-2021 rights to All Blacks, Super Rugby and Mitre 10 Cup games. The approval, which will be sought at the pay-TV broadcaster's annual meeting on October 17, does not mean Sky has sealed a deal. Rather, it's laying more groundwork for a king-hit bid well above that mark - and fulfilling a legal requirement, given Sky's diminished status on the stockmarket. "This is the first time we've taken such a step, and it's due to our current market cap relative to the potential size of the deal," a Sky spokeswoman told the Herald. "At our current value, we need to seek shareholder approval for any deal worth over $235m - and, on that basis, even the existing deal would need approval if we were entering into it today."
The $235m price tag represents more than a quarter of Sky TV's $839m revenue for the 2018 financial year. Sky's various woes have seen it lose around 80 per cent of its market valuation over the past five years. Its shares were trading yesterday at $1.13, close to their all-time low, giving it a market cap of under $500m. Sky would not comment on the status of its negotiations, citing commercial confidentiality.
Earlier this month, the Herald reported that Sky had put a $400m offer on the table for the next five-year Sanzaar contract, representing a $10m per year increase on its current contract. At the time, the Herald understood that was not enough for NZ Rugby to take the possibility of split rights off the table (that is, Sky getting broadcast rights and Spark streaming/online rights). But after Spark's various Rugby World Cup wobbles, Sky might be loath to go higher, and Sanzaar and NZ Rugby more cautious about striking out in a new direction for season-long events. Sky shareholders will also be asked to vote on the acquisition of global streaming player RugbyPass in a deal worth up to $60m.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12272097
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I'll be pleased if it goes through.
My experience with Spark has been shit. I had to listen to most of the Ireland versing Japan match. If the video was there it was out of sync, or frozen. Freeze framing / rewind hopeless. Awful.
I'd suffer Justin's commentary to have Sky back.
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Media release (Sky and Netball NZ):
Netball NZ and Sky are thrilled to announce an extension to their agreement that deepens the partnership and helps grow the game at all levels. The strengthened partnership will deliver a rich suite of top tier netball for Sky Sport and Sky Sport Now customers, along with a commitment to continue delivering some key matches free-to-air. The agreement includes all Silver Ferns games and all domestic top tier events, including: • The Constellation Cup • ANZ Premiership matches • National netball league • National age group championship matches. Sky will deliver great netball to New Zealand fans across all platforms - broadcast over the satellite on Sky Sport 3 (the Home of Netball), streamed on Sky Go and Sky Sport Now, and free-to-air on Prime.
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So, in addition to Sky obtaining the exclusive coverage of all Investec Rugby Championship, Steinlager Series, Investec Super Rugby, Mitre 10 Cup and all New Zealand’s other domestic rugby competitions , they have now also obtained the rights to all domestic netball. I don't watch netball, but plenty of people do, so this is another great deal for Sky. Not sure what the existing agreement (that has now been extended) was; does this mean that Sky now has the rights to all netball?
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@Snowy But you'll have fibre by 2022.
Yeah, and a sealed road and Hill street intersection will be fixed, and a sewerage system and public transport...fcking 3rd world round here.
Shakes fist at sky (TB) to get back on topic.
This is the bit I don't get. People move into an area lacking infrastructure then complain about it's lack of infrastructure.
You're as bad as those that build houses next to airports then complain about the planes. -
@Snowy But you'll have fibre by 2022.
Yeah, and a sealed road and Hill street intersection will be fixed, and a sewerage system and public transport...fcking 3rd world round here.
Shakes fist at sky (TB) to get back on topic.
This is the bit I don't get. People move into an area lacking infrastructure then complain about it's lack of infrastructure.
You're as bad as those that build houses next to airports then complain about the planes.No. The complaint is that I pay rates the same as everybody else that get all of the services. Completely different. I pay the same for my shit internet, I pay the same as people that have town supply water, a sewerage system, sealed roads, rubbish collection, etc. Yes I knew about it but it isn't a like for like comparison. With what I get my rates should be free!
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@Snowy But you'll have fibre by 2022.
Yeah, and a sealed road and Hill street intersection will be fixed, and a sewerage system and public transport...fcking 3rd world round here.
Shakes fist at sky (TB) to get back on topic.
This is the bit I don't get. People move into an area lacking infrastructure then complain about it's lack of infrastructure.
You're as bad as those that build houses next to airports then complain about the planes.No. The complaint is that I pay rates the same as everybody else that get all of the services. Completely different. I pay the same for my shit internet, I pay the same as people that have town supply water, a sewerage system, sealed roads, rubbish collection, etc. Yes I knew about it but it isn't a like for like comparison. With what I get my rates should be free!
Point remains. You know when you move somewhere what the infrastructure and costs are. That's your decision to make.
If you decide that the trade off between purchase price or location compensate for the services you don't get (but still pay for) then stop complaining.
You could reverse this and say that lots of people would love to live away from suburbia but given their situation and schooling/ transport/roading/rubbish etc etc have decided that the trade off doesn't work for them.
You chose your cake.
There is also the argument that to deliver top quality services to some properties costs 10 or 20 times what it does to others and you are expecting them to subsidise you (exactly what you are complain about that you currently subsidise them). The balance has to be found somewhere.
For the record though, where public services such as rates are involved I would expect a different charging structure for different service levels as well. Most councils (I know ours does) will have structures that differ. -
I'll add to that that the power goes off at least once a week and I am going to have to buy a generator. I pay the same for power as everybody else but don't have a reliable supply.
Starting to see the difference?
I see that you chose to live in a marginal area.
I assume there are reasons for that?