Online television service Lightbox has linked up with digital sports broadcaster Coliseum Sports Media to establish a new joint venture in New Zealand called Lightbox Sport.
The platform will provide coverage of all Coliseum’s New Zealand sports content, including golf, English Premier League football and French Top 14 rugby union.
“This partnership looks to simplify the crowded online TV marketplace,” Lightbox chief executive Kym Niblock said. “By joining forces we will be giving customers a greater breadth and depth of choice and a more compelling viewing experience. Both Lightbox and Coliseum Sports Media already give Kiwis greater choice over how they watch TV online, and both have proven the ability to secure top quality content – but together, our combined buying power will make us an even more formidable force in the market.”
Coliseum Sports Media chief executive Tim Martin added: “The reality is online sports viewing, and paying for the sport you want to watch, is rapidly becoming mainstream around the world. By pooling resources with Lightbox we want to make sport more accessible and more affordable for all. This partnership will give Kiwis more freedom to watch the sports they want, when they want.”
Lightbox and Coliseum’s existing properties will continue to run as they do now in the short term, but the boards and management teams of both companies say they will work towards “building the best packages with the best price levels to deliver a mix of entertainment, including sport, that consumers will have control over".