28 Mar 2018

Sky may lose 2019 Rugby World Cup rights

11:41 am on 28 March 2018

Sky Television says it will possibly lose the rights to broadcast the next Rugby World Cup.

The All Blacks winning the 2015 Rugby World Cup

The All Blacks winning the 2015 Rugby World Cup Photo: Supplied

The company says it's been told overnight that it's not the preferred bidder for the New Zealand broadcasting rights for next year's tournament.

It says it's been told that negotiations are underway with the preferred party, and that its bid remains in play should those negotiations fail.

Sky TV says it's disappointed not to be the preferred bidder, but it's an economic reality that it can't have every match of every sport that New Zealanders like to watch.

It also says that the Rugby World Cup is a six week event that occurs every four years, and it still has the rights to broadcast Super Rugby and domestic games, as well as All Black tests.

- RNZ