TVNZ and Spark New Zealand have secured the rights to screen free-to-air live coverage of the Rugby World Cup 2019 (RWC2019), the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021, the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018, and World Rugby U20 Championships 2018 and 2019.
Spark has teamed up with TVNZ to allow New Zealanders to stream the Rugby World Cup 2019 matches and related content live or on demand.
The service will offer both free and paid content to all New Zealanders – not just Spark customers.
Spark intends to offer pricing options to suit people’s differing preferences and budgets.
“There will be a menu of well-priced options, ranging from individual match passes through to a full tournament package. We believe this makes Rugby World Cup viewing more accessible to many more New Zealanders that has been the case for recent tournaments,” says Spark Managing Director Simon Moutter.
World Rugby Chief Executive Brett Gosper believes this new approach will deliver a range of coverage to more people than ever before.
TVNZ CEO Kevin Kenrick said, “Our agreement will broaden the availability of New Zealand’s biggest sport and give viewers even more choice”.
Mr Moutter has confirmed the service will not be restricted to Spark users and will be available to everyone in the country.
“We believe that by offering New Zealanders more options when it comes to where and how they watch games – and how much they need to spend - we will make the Rugby World Cup accessible to a much wider audience than those with a paid-TV subscription,” he says.
