Sky says Spark went 'right to the limit' for cricket rights, NZ Cricket says Sky speculating

Wednesday, 16 October 2019

A mystery has emerged over the circumstances under which Sky Television was beaten by Spark for the right to broadcast domestic cricket matches.

Sky chief executive Martin Stewart said on Monday that Sky went 'right to the limit' on cricket, and beyond it, and 'got outbid by miles' by Spark.

But NZ Cricket spokesman James Bennett said Stewart 'may have been speculating'.

Bennett said NZ Cricket did not tell Sky how much Spark had bid. 'To be honest, Sky would not know the figure,' he said.

Spark Sport have won the rights to broadcast New Zealand Cricket for six years, it was announced on Thursday in Auckland.

* Sky shares jump after it extends rugby rights for 5 years

* Spark will have paid through the nose for Rugby World Cup, Sky TV suggests**

Stewart was responding to the question of whether Sky might have invested too much in rugby rights at the expense of its cricket bid.

Sky has said Spark's bid for the cricket was high above it own.

'We have got a very detailed understanding of what different rights are worth to us and we went beyond that level for the cricket and we came up a long way short, so it is just a great result for NZ Cricket,' he also said on Monday.

Spark spokesman Andrew Pirie said it was a 'safe assumption' that Spark would not have told Sky the price that it had paid for the cricket rights, which will make it the official rights partner for all domestic matches for six years once Sky's existing rights expire in March.

Pirie brushed off the suggestion that Spark might have been over-exuberant in its bidding for the cricket, saying it was 'very comfortable' with the commercial terms of its deal.

Sky spokeswoman Kristy Martin said it didn't have any further comment.

The pay-TV firm has previously also indicated that Spark bid through the nose for the rights to the RWC.

Next season's A-League rights will be up for grabs soon.

Sky renewed its rights to domestic rugby and most All Blacks games for five years on Sunday for an undisclosed price known to exceed $235 million.

That deal is subject to a shareholder vote at its annual meeting in Auckland on Thursday, but Stewart has said the price Sky agreed to pay will not be revealed at the meeting.

Sky announced on Wednesday that it had also secured a new 'long-term partnership' with the New Zealand Open golfing tournament.

Sky TV chief executive Martin Stewart celebrates its rugby rights win with NZR chairman Brent Impey.

New rights deals for rugby league and netball, which are both commonly viewed as 'top tier' sports, are appear unlikely to be finalised before 2021, based on the timing of past negotiations.

But broadcasting rights for A-League football appear to be about to come into play.

Football Federation Australia spokesman Adam Mark said this season was the final one covered by a four-year deal with Sky TV and he believed the New Zealand rights would be available at the end of the current season.

Pirie would not comment on whether Spark was likely to bid.

'Our position has always been that we would look at any rights on a case-by-case basis, based on the opportunity,' he said.