Soccer: World Cup TV hopes dim for NZ viewers

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Small African nations are being given free live television coverage of next year's World Cup, but New Zealand viewers might see nothing.

As Fifa president Sepp Blatter gave all African nations - apart from South Africa - a guarantee they would see the Korea/Japan-hosted World Cup for nothing, networks here were struggling to come to terms with the astronomical fees being demanded for the television rights.

TVNZ head of sport Denis Harvey said the last response he had received from Prisma - the company selling television rights on Fifa's behalf - suggested the costs this time could be four or five times more than those for the finals in France three years ago which were "six or seven figures."

"That is unrealistic in this market," Harvey said yesterday.

And New Zealand is not alone in what appears a money-grabbing battle.

English Football Association chief executive Adam Crozier said the £170 million ($600 million) being demanded from the BBC and ITV for their joint proposal was "obscene".

The two companies, which offer free-to-air and pay-to-view between them, have offered £55 million.

It appears that Prisma, which has at least two Fifa executive members among its directors, and German media group Kirch have bought the rights from Fifa and are now seeking to recover their huge commitment.

TVNZ has had the rights to past World Cup tournaments and is keen to continue, but Harvey says the cost is not the only problem.

"With games scheduled from 6.30 pm it is not so good for our schedule," he said.

"There is no way we could broadcast all 64 games live - some in the early rounds are being played at the same time - but we have worked out a possible broadcast schedule.

"But that, at the moment, is a secondary issue to the cost. It is not possible to recoup the costs they are asking."

Harvey said that next year, TVNZ was committed to the Winter Olympics, the Commonwealth Games and the America's Cup.

"Our priority remains with events in which New Zealanders are competing ... We will continue to showcase New Zealanders. If we showed the World Cup at the expense of the other major events, and had to cut back on our commitment to netball and other sports, we would be letting them down.

"We have worked out a figure we need to break even. We regard it as affordable and one we are not prepared to go beyond.

"We believe the World Cup is an event worth having, but we do not really want to become involved in the usual Dutch auctions which are, sadly, part of these deals."

New Zealand Soccer chief executive Bill MacGowan said the association would do whatever it could to secure the best possible coverage.

"As well as the coverage we would like to see for all New Zealanders, there is also the issue of the TAB, which can reap some rewards by having the games shown live.

"The game here, as a whole, benefits from that."

Sky's head of sport, Kevin Cameron, is overseas.

A spokesman said the network would bid for rights, but until Cameron returned, little could be revealed.

Suggestions have been made that two networks - one free-to-air, the other pay-to-view - might work together. But only if the price is right.