On the hopeful side, Coliseum does plan to concede a free-to-air component for its golf, as occurs with English Premier League coverage. But while New Zealand Golf heralded the new Coliseum service, it won't widely promote the game if aficionados are the only ones watching.
The one-stop shop that Sky has offered for so long is coming to an end. Even Sky is getting involved with the break-up -it is expected to announce separate internet packages for Super Rugby, NRL and Formula One this week.
The problem in terms of getting Lydia Ko in front of a bigger audience is that many sports fans do not have enough interest in golf beyond Ko to fork out an extra $200 a year.
It's a tricky balance for Coliseum, which knows that out of sight, out of mind is a danger. Allowing some of its content to be shown on free-to-air is a shop window that encourages people to become subscribers, but giving too much away persuades people to settle for the free service.
Ko is already a national treasure, and it would be a disaster if her career was to be played out in virtual secrecy. Let's hope emotional and history-making factors can play a part in Coliseum's decisions. Beyond that, well done, Lydia Ko. You are sensational.
SBW - food for thought
If Sonny Bill Williams wants to be taken seriously as a boxer, he needs to find opponents who aren't built like bouncy castles. Even the commentators had trouble taking his latest fight against Chauncy Welliver too seriously, wondering at one point how many food fights were included on his fight record. My guess is there aren't many five-course dinners which have got the better of Welliver.
Asian Zone the place to be
Ever had that left-out feeling? The Asian Cup has roared with hosts Australia wining an outstanding football final against South Korea while New Zealand stood on the sidelines. New Zealand's place as the only powerhouse in Fifa's Oceania zone does have advantages, as Auckland City's performance in the Club World Cup showed. Auckland City's success not only drew publicity for football and the domestic game, but also put a fair whack of money into local football. New Zealand also get a short run at World Cup qualification from their Oceania position. But admission to the Asian zone would give New Zealand so much more via high pressure and significant games for the All Whites. The Asian Cup is expanding from 16 to 24 teams and part of the qualification process for the 2019 tournament, to be played in Iran or the UAE, will double as qualification for the 2018 World Cup. Just imagine the All Whites being part of that. For my money, the Asian Zone is where New Zealand needs to be.
Father of instant replays dies
The speed of the Auckland Nines rugby league tournament means there is no room for endless analysis and replays of individual incidents, which makes a nice change. The games flow and the referees enjoy respite.
On this note, the father of sporting instant replays, an American producer, Tony Verna, died last month at the age of 81. Verna organised the first instant replay during a services gridiron match in 1963, and after overcoming technical challenges the historic moment occurred in the fourth quarter. Verna had to use old tape and was worried that a mistake would lead to a replay of the famous sitcom I Love Lucy hitting screens instead of a football snippet.
