New Zealand

Opposition to the proposed merger between telecommunications company Vodafone NZ and pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand is growing after telco Spark claimed in a submission to the country’s Commerce Commission that the deal would not be in the interests of sports viewers.

Olympic Games

Media company Fairfax Media has claimed a victory for press freedom after a judge today (Friday) decided to dismiss pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand’s application for an injunction on its online video coverage of the 2016 summer Olympic Games.

Football

Pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand has confirmed a carriage deal with beIN Media Group that will result in club football competition the English Premier League returning to television screens in the country ahead of the 2016-17 season.

Cricket

Pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand has acquired rights for the Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 cricket tournament.

Golf

Pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand this month stepped in to acquire PGA Tour golf rights after streaming service Coliseum negotiated the termination of its deal.

Football

Pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand has agreed a carriage deal with beIN Media Group that will result in club football competition the English Premier League returning to television screens in the country in time for the 2016-17 season.

Golf

Pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand has signed rights deals with the men’s US PGA Tour and the Ladies Professional Golf Association, and has reportedly agreed a contract for club football’s English Premier League.

Multi-sport

Telco Vodafone NZ has agreed a deal to merge with Sky, a major pay-television sports broadcaster in New Zealand.

Basketball

Pay-television sports broadcaster ESPN has extended and expanded a deal in Australia and New Zealand for the North American NBA basketball league.

Netball

Deals for Australia’s new top-tier netball competition signify a strong commitment from broadcasters to women’s sport and could signal a step-change in revenue earned by Netball Australia.

Rugby League

Pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand has agreed a five-season extension to its rights deal with Australian rugby league competition the NRL, with the contract also including national team Test matches.

Multi-sport

Sky New Zealand’s renewal of Olympic Games rights last month is the latest in a string of long-term deals agreed by the International Olympic Committee.

Cricket

John Manning, research analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence, reviews television audiences in selected key cricket markets for the recent ICC World Twenty20 tournament

Rugby

New media player Coliseum has developed into a pan-Asian service and will wind down operations in its home market of New Zealand.

Interview with Coliseum founder Tim Martin, on the launch of the pan-Asian Rugby Pass OTT service, and the company’s scaling back in New Zealand.

Olympic Games

Pay-television broadcaster Sky TV has extended a rights deal in New Zealand and the Pacific region for the Olympic Games.

Tennis

International sports broadcaster ESPN has acquired rights in Australia and New Zealand for the ATP World Tour men’s tennis series, according to the Mumbrella media news website.

Cricket

Pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand has confirmed a rights deal for the World Twenty20 cricket tournament, which will start in India next month.