How long can Spark Sport remain a viable enterprise?

Peter Lampp is a sports commentator and former sports editor based in Palmerston North.

OPINION: It’s hard to figure out what the bright sparks at Spark Sport are playing at.

They’re far from popular when they keep leaping in and snatching television sports rights, and then often farm out the cream to their free-to-air ”partners”.

Last weekend, Spark shared the Twenty20 cricket with TV One where we seldom see sport. It must have been worth TVNZ’s while because annoyingly, they bumped our weekly must-watch, Country Calendar, which since 1966 has been New Zealand’s longest-running tv programme.

In the same time slot over on Three, Spark was sharing the Black Ferns’ opening Rugby World Cup match against Australia, delayed by a mere hour.

READ MORE:
* Spark may need to cut price of Spark Sport after losing EPL to Sky, says analyst
* Spark and Sky’s fight for rights could mean bigger bill for sports fans
* Cricket just the start as Spark Sport eyes up other sporting codes

If Spark played hard ball, they could’ve refused to share any of the matches because there must have been 100 times more viewers on Three.

The matches they didn’t show for free, such as Wales versus Scotland, would have been of minimal interest to New Zealanders anyway in a tournament which only England, France and New Zealand can win.

By partnering with Three, there’s less incentive to join up and pay Spark Sport’s minuscule monthly fee of $20 per month, especially for those in remote areas where reception can be shaky and where Sky Sport’s satellites can reach.

Spark Sport thus must be deriving income from their sharing ”partners” and it’s likely World Rugby insists on a free-to-air outlet.

Spark Sport’s fee appears to be what supermarkets call a loss leader and surely cannot recoup the grossly expensive broadcasting rights. Spark Sport must be propped up by its Spark parent which generates the bulk of its $3.7 billion of revenue from commoners like us who pay for phone and broadband coverage.

As the country’s biggest internet service provider, Spark has the biggest mobile network through which its sport is streamed. Spark’s net profit is $420 million so it can afford to keep playing this sport game for a while yet.

Spark Sport kicked off in March 2019 when it collared the Rugby World Cup in Japan which so enraged rugby fans that it was akin to hijacking one of Richie McCaw’s helicopters.

Serendipitously, when this week I enquired of Spark Sport’s media team whether they’d collared the Rugby World Cup rights for France next year, on the same day Sky announced they’d locked in all of World Rugby’s competitions until 2029.

In the meantime though, Spark has the rights to the Rugby League World Cup which starts in England on Tuesday, even if most games will be in the dark side for us. The Kiwis’ matches will be available free on something called ”Spark Sport Freebies” with a three-hour delay, after you create an account which doesn’t require credit card details.

Overall though, most dedicated sports fans already take Sky, especially since they snatched back the English Premier League this year. They also get the staples of rugby, netball, golf, NRL and V8 Supercars while Spark hangs its hat on domestic cricket and Formula 1.

When Spark earlier grabbed the US Open tennis this year, most weren’t bothered.

Sky has expanded to covering smaller sports, even weekly to Heartland rugby using a South Canterbury streaming service. But getting those outside broadcast trucks to Kaikohe for the Northland-Manawatū match must have cost a packet.

Rather than having swags of permanent staff, they now largely contract freelancers; hence we heard usual Sky voices, Kirstie Stanway and Ken Laban’s, at the women’s rugby last weekend.

When the smart TV goes dumb

Meanwhile, our household had a shaky television week.

Without warning, our smart TV decided to go from a perfect LED picture to sound only, which meant panic stations because there was sport to watch.

It seems when the backlight in a TV set goes on the blink, it’s usually toast and so it was bequeathed to Martin’s Electrical’s parts department.

In the meantime, a non-smart job was hauled out of mothballs. But try watching Shane van Gisbergen blazing away on a glassy screen mid-afternoon with sun streaming in.

The room needed urgent darkening, but hell hath no fury like a woman scorned when you close the curtains on a summery spring day.

Crusaders dominate tour squads

If you were a member of the Crusaders forward pack you’d feel ripped off if you missed out on the northern tours for the All Blacks or All Blacks XV.

With 17 Crusaders going, 13 of them forwards, star flanker Tom Christie must be wondering.

If Ethan Blackadder, Joe Moody, Cullen Grace and Josh Goodhue had been fit, that would have made 21 Crusaders between the two teams.

Surely the XV is a development side and picking a few experienced troopers was wise. But Blues converted wing Bryce Heem is 33 and TJ Perenara at 31 has probably had his day too.

Unfortunately, injuries have taken out Salesi Rayasi, the Auckland wing with a huge boot, and Northland flanker Tom Robinson.