Sky Tv
Why Sky is screening some of its top-dollar sport for free
Sky TV became the big beast of pay TV by keeping a stranglehold on exclusive live rights to the country's most popular sports for paying subscribers. This week it suddenly announced top rugby, netball… Audio
Rugby in recovery as a media spectacle
Anger about rules and referees ruining rugby matches ran for days in the media after last weekend's Rugby World Cup final. Players, pundits and even current national coaches have said the game is… Audio
Our World Cup runneth over - and out. What next?
The Women's World Cup 2023 attracted record crowds in the stands and on TV - both here and in Australia. It also delivered drama and off-pitch stories that livened up standard sports coverage. But… Video, Audio
Punching above our Commonwealth weight?
The Kiwi contingent at the The Commonwealth Games headed home from Birmingham this week with a record number of medals. Patriots in the press were pumped up, but did we really punch above our weight… Audio
Media commentator Andrew Holden
Andrew Holden traverses the recent ratings and musical chairs in Radio, RNZ launches its youth radio channel, Tahi, and Sky TV has reported stellar results, prompting analysts to say the company is… Audio
Coping with Covid chaos disrupting sport on screen
A core part of your business is screening the world’s sport to customers keen enough to pay for it. Then Covid stops almost all of it stone dead. What do you do? Mediawatch asks a Sky exec how they… Video, Audio
Rugby rights deal may push SKY TV prices up - CEO
SKY TV is warning it may cost more to watch sport on its platforms, because of a more expensive rugby rights deal.
But the company is promising subscription fees won't change this financial year.
… Video, Audio
School sports streaming stoush still simmering
The Herald recently lifted the lid on divisions over a deal that’s allowed Sky TV to screen school-age sports since late last year. Critics claim it commodifies kids’ sports - and one high-profile… Audio
Televised school sport: Is a governance role needed?
Critics of televised school sport want to see greater scrutiny applied to how it's run, amid concerns the professionalisation of sport at a younger age will increase the pressure on teenage players. Audio
Why televised school sport could be a Trojan horse
The uproar over televising school sport, and the complicated mix of players clashing over who owns it. Audio
A fresh survey of the worrying state of New Zealand media companies
Our Fourth Estate is "collapsing" according to Winston Peters. This week he set out what he wants as the coalition government ponders a new policy for the media - due to be unveiled any day now. But… Audio
Sky and TVNZ would team up for the Tokyo Olympic Games
The media community with all the uncertainty and speculation on its future got a surprise this morning when it was announced that Sky and TVNZ would team up for the Tokyo Olympic Games next year. Audio
Rugby TV deal creates claims of conflicts
Sky and NZ Rugby sprang a surprise this week making a unique deal for TV rights with no bids from any other broadcaster. It's raised questions about conflicts of interest - and compromises in… Video, Audio
Sky TV's 'all or nothing' move on rugby
The nature of Sky TV’s new deal to secure premier rugby rights shows how far the under-pressure broadcaster was prepared to go to hold on to a key asset and it keeps online rivals at bay for now, says…
Coming up
Sports rights storm gathers steam
A typhoon over Tokyo scrapped Rugby World Cup games this weekend – while the scrap over who will screen our favourite sports here in the future intensified.
Was Spark's streaming drama a storm in a tech teacup?
Was Spark Sports streaming fail just a one-off blip? Or game over for our titanic telco and sport on screen - and a knockback for digital innovation? Would politicians arriving at the breakdown really… Video, Audio
Press panic over Spark streaming the Rugby World Cup online
We haven't been this twitchy about tech since Y2K. Spark took a gamble by buying the World Cup broadcast rights and offering live streaming coverage to subscribers. It's sparked a flood of sceptical -… Video, Audio
Watchdogs draw different conclusions on Christchurch gunman’s footage
The Broadcasting Standards Authority has sanctioned Sky TV for screening snippets of the gunman’s video of the Christchurch mosque attacks in March. But other broadcasters escaped censure here and in… Audio
Infratil confirms it's working on deal to buy Vodafone NZ
The utilities investor, Infratil, says it's teamed up with another party to buy Vodafone New Zealand. Audio
In thrall to Thrones
TVNZ made a bold move screening a contemporary local drama each weeknight this past week - but it was a foreign fantasy on pay TV that grabbed the media's attention. And turns out New Zealanders have… Audio