Spark Sport says record numbers watched RWC warmup

South Africa's Handre Pollard. Photo / Photosport

There was some better news for Spark Sport overnight, with its stream of the Japan vs South Africa Rugby World Cup game appearing to be a success.

Viewership of the friendly was "the highest of any live event to date since Spark Sport launched in March," Spark said in a statement.

It's hard to quantify the success, however, as Spark did not immediately reveal how many viewers constituted a record. The company has yet to reveal any sign-up numbers and has indicated it won't do so until after the tournament.

Spark Sport head Jeff Latch had encouraged Rugby World Cup Tournament Pass buyers to give the service a try-out with last night's Japan vs South Africa friendly, which kicked off just after 10pm NZT (and was won by the Springboks 41 - 7).

This morning, Spark said, "We're really happy with how it went. Our platform, key performance measures and real-time monitoring tracked well. The feedback we've received through our channels and social media has been largely positive with most customers reporting a great viewing experience.

"A small minority of customers reported isolated user-related device issues and our care teams worked to help them troubleshoot."

Spark's social feeds backed up its claim, with only a handful of complaints.

Spiark Sport head Jeff Latch earlier said he expected 50 per cent of RWC Tournament Pass buyers to sign up in the final fortnight before the event.

Spark said, "Our general advice to Spark Sport customers is to make sure the operating systems on all devices are up-to-date and any software updates are installed. In addition they should ensure that the Spark Sport app and any other related apps such as Chrome are running on the latest versions.

"Spark Sport Rugby World Cup Tournament Pass holders have access to a catalogue of great rugby content including historical Rugby World Cup games, documentaries and exclusive content. It's a great way for customers to test their devices and in-home set up. And if they have any issues watching the content, they can get in touch with the Spark Sport help team so we can help them get ready for Rugby World Cup well ahead of match day."

Yesterstay, after a survey was released revealing many Kiwis had angry or fearful attitudes about streaming, Spark said, "While we appreciate that this is the first time that a major sporting event has been streamed to New Zealand and understand that change can create some uncertainty, we believe it will be a catalyst for positive change in the way Kiwis consume sports content.

"Though some may find the change daunting at first, we're confident people who may not have been eager to live stream before will have a world of options opened up to them once they start streaming."