Pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand has halted its daily and weekly ‘Fan Pass’ service, which allowed non-subscribers to access its sports channels online.
The service launched in August 2015, giving viewers the chance to purchase 24-hour or weekly passes to view the Sky Sports 1, 2, 3 and 4 channels, without having to subscribe to Sky.
Customers will still be able to purchase monthly passes, but from May 24 the price will increase from NZ$59 (€37/$41) per month to NZ$99.99. In addition, six-month passes can be purchased for NZ$330.
Daily passes were available for NZ$15 and weekly passes priced at NZ$20, while Sky also ran a range of special offers and discounts.
According to the Stuff.nz website, Sky chief executive John Fellt said: “We would have been happy if it had cannibalised, if it generated more revenue. As best as you try to cater for everyone, sometimes it is just not worth the effort.”
Sky holds rights to a number of major sporting events, such as this year’s Rugby League World Cup and Australia’s National Basketball League. The broadcaster also has a rights deal in place until 2019 with the Cricket Australia national governing body.
In an email to customers, Sky said: “Sports rights aren’t cheap and it’s just not stacking up for us as much as we've tried to make it work.”