Sky TV has secured All Blacks, Black Ferns, and Super Rugby rights until 2030, worth $70 million annually.
Up to five tests are outside the deal, potentially broadcast on other platforms, raising concerns.
Provincial matches, including NPC and Farah Palmer Cup, will return to free-to-air on TVNZ.
The devil could be in the detail for All Blacks fans following the announcement of NZ Rugby’s new broadcast deal with Sky TV.
The paid-subscription broadcaster has inked a deal to screen All Blacks, Black Ferns and Super Rugby rights until 2030. It’s understood that the deal isworth about $70m annually.
But up to five Black Ferns and All Blacks tests in this period are ringfenced outside of the deal – meaning they will likely be broadcast on another platform. Sky could bid for the rights to those matches, but they would be in a race against other one-off parties.
Global streaming services with big pockets could be interested in having a run with the black jersey. Likewise, smaller NZ-based operators might want to get into the game.
We’ve been here before – and it could be risky territory for NZ Rugby and All Blacks fans.
During the 2019 Rugby World Cup, fans were left exasperated when Spark’s efforts to broadcast the tournament led to a stuttering, underwhelming experience.
Sitting at home watching the match, supporters would be left staring at frozen screens as buffering issues blighted the show.
At the time, one fan on social media said Spark had “ruined the most Kiwi thing, watching an All Blacks game, LIVE, as a nation”.
Codie Taylor leads the All Blacks haka ahead of last weekend's test match against Argentina. Photo / SmartFrame
If there’s one thing you don’t want to stuff up in New Zealand public life, it’s the shared experience of watching the All Blacks.
It’s not clear what games will be outside the contracted events already headed for Sky services, but many fans will likely be scrambling to figure out new subscriptions with unfamiliar platforms for those one-off tests in neutral venues.
Or not bothering to watch at all – and that’s the great risk for NZR.
That’s considerably less than the estimated $110m agreed in the last deal in 2019, but it’s big money, second only to the considerable sponsorship cash NZ Rugby can command.
Last year, the national game’s sponsorship revenue went past broadcast earnings for the first time.
But there’s more than merely upfront money to consider in taking your games to other platforms – the reputational damage if things fall flat or fans feel cut off can take many seasons to shrug off.
Back in 2019, it wasn’t just Spark that got rucked over in the public eye, people wondered what NZ Rugby had been thinking by launching into a risky venture.
At the other end of the scale – nearer the grassroots of the game – 93 provincial matches played out in the NPC, the Farah Palmer Cup and the Heartland Championship will be returning to free-to-air slots on TVNZ.
The sheer volume of provincial footy going out in this deal could help put regional rugby back into the national consciousness.
At provincial level, fan support has withered since the introduction of professionalism in 1996.
The lightweight fluff of Super Rugby – with night-time kickoffs, superficiality and vague loyalties – has made for a solid TV entertainment product that lacks deep engagement.
The goose producing the golden egg still wears a black jersey.
NZ Rugby’s strongest, biggest and most loyal consumer base is the army of All Blacks fans who wake at all hours and follow the team through thick and thin.
In its latest broadcast deal, NZ Rugby commendably moves towards building a lifeline for provincial rugby.
But they must make sure they do not cut off that army of fans.
Don’t roast the goose.
Winston Aldworth is Head of Sport for NZME, working alongside New Zealand’s best sports journalists.
