NZ Rugby boss Steve Tew on new deal - Sky have nothing to worry about

Blues midfielder Sonny Bill Williams at Newlands, Cape Town. Spectators will soon be able to use their phones at matches for far more than taking selfies. Photo / Photosport

New Zealand Rugby boss Steve Tew says his organisation's new four-year deal with Vodafone will help them prepare for the future, but insists broadcast partner Sky Television have nothing to worry about.

The current five-year Sky deal, said to be worth $70m a year to NZ Rugby, runs out in 2020, and should the broadcaster be part of the bidding process for the next one, Tew's organisation will now likely to be in a position to drive a far harder bargain, or simply go it alone and transmit direct to rugby fans.

One of the positives of the deal espoused by Tew today is the fact that the All Blacks app has been upgraded significantly - in partnership with Vodafone - and that spectators at matches, starting with the British and Irish Lions tour which starts next month, will be able to watch highlights and "alternative live footage from multiple different camera angles" on their phones and devices.

That will mean heavily upgraded wifi capacity for New Zealand stadiums - something that Vodafone should be able to help with. The fact that the telecommunications is an international organisation also provides the potential for New Zealand Rugby to reach overseas subscribers should they wish.

Asked how the deal could affect NZ Rugby's broadcasting future, Tew said: "This is not a rights deal, this is a commercial arrangement that we have with a technology provider, but there's no doubt that the way content is broadcast and consumed is changing virtually day and so for us to be in a partnership with someone at the leading edge of that stuff is helpful, it will help us be better prepared, but we're not committing to anything at this stage because that next negotiation is a long way away."

However, Tew was eager to reassure Sky, too, when asked how the deal would affect NZ Rugby's relationship with the broadcaster. Significantly, the proposed merger between Sky and Vodafone was declined by the Commerce Commission recently.

"There's nothing in here that would worry Sky," Tew said. "They already have, as you can probably work out, a very close working relationship with Vodafone. I talked to John Fellet as recently as this afternoon and he's very happy that our partnership with Vodafone is taking an extra step forward because he already has a strong one [with them]."

By the time Sky's rights deal expires, close to 75 per cent of the country will be able to access fibre internet that's easily quick enough to stream live sports.

When contacted for comment, a Sky spokeswoman said the new app was no cause for concern. Rather, it was "another great use of the content we produce".

She said Sky played a massive role in terms of the production of live sports broadcasts and the company expected more announcements such as this in the near future.

When pressed on NZ Rugby "entering into Sky's territory", Tew said: "There's nothing that we've agreed with Vodafone that we haven't got the rights to do. We just haven't had the partner to do it [with]. And that will include a pretty significant upgrade of wifi around stadiums because there's not much point having the hardware if you haven't got the bandwidth or whatever the technical term is."

Vodafone will launch a "Rugby Road Trip" next week ahead of the British and Irish Lions tour which kicks off in Whangarei on June 3. The first of three tests is at Eden Park on June 24. The company will also provide wifi and other "interactive experiences" at fanzones in Wellington and Auckland.

Tew added: "We want to offer rugby fans the ultimate experience. This partnership with Vodafone means local rugby fans will have access to in-stadium technology that is at the forefront of what is available around the world to watch the game. It is an incredibly exciting development.

"This is a great partnership for New Zealand Rugby in terms of where we want to take the game. It is important to us that we move with the times and offer a world leading fan experience, and in this day and age that means integrating innovative technology into our fan offering."