Spark and TVNZ to bring coverage of Rugby World 2019

Spark New Zealand Limited
ARBN 050 611 277 Spark City, 167 Victoria Street West, Private Bag 92028, Auckland, New Zealand



MARKET RELEASE
16 April 2018

Spark New Zealand and TVNZ to bring coverage of Rugby World
Cup 2019 and other world rugby tournaments to New
Zealanders

• New Zealanders will be able to view all RWC2019 matches live or on-demand
via Spark streaming over their broadband or mobile connection.
• Spark’s live and on-demand service will be accessible to customers of all New
Zealand broadband and mobile providers – it won’t be restricted to Spark
customers.
• The tournament will be offered on a pay to watch basis, with packages to
include a tournament pass and passes for individual matches.
• TVNZ will screen selected matches free-to-air. TVNZ won’t break to ads in live
game time.
Spark New Zealand announced today it has secured the rights to bring to New
Zealanders the Rugby World Cup 2019 (RWC2019), the Women’s Rugby World Cup
2021, the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018, and World Rugby U20 Championships
2018 and 2019.
New Zealanders will be able to stream Rugby World Cup 2019 matches and related
content live or on-demand over their home broadband or mobile connection, using a
wide range of devices – including TVs, mobiles, tablets and laptops. The service will
offer both free and paid content and will be available to all New Zealanders - not just
Spark customers.
Spark has entered into an agreement with TVNZ, which will see the Rugby World
Cup Sevens 2018, the World Rugby Under 20 Championship 2018 and selected
matches from the Rugby World Cup 2019 screen free-to-air on TVNZ. Free-to-air
coverage of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 will be confirmed closer to the
tournament date.
Spark Managing Director Simon Moutter said, “At Spark, we want to help shape the
future of sports watching by New Zealanders, so we are immensely proud to be
bringing these iconic tournaments via modern streaming capabilities that offer a
richer, more engaging viewing experience. We intend to use the power of technology
to give Kiwis more control and better choices about what they watch, when they
watch and how they watch.”
Mr Moutter said rather than the “all or nothing” bundle that has been the approach
for previous Rugby World Cups, Spark intends to offer pricing options to suit people’s
differing preferences and budgets.
“While we won’t be releasing pricing details until next year, I can say there will be a
menu of well-priced options, ranging from individual match passes through to a full
tournament package. We believe this makes Rugby World Cup viewing more

Spark New Zealand Limited
ARBN 050 611 277 Spark City, 167 Victoria Street West, Private Bag 92028, Auckland, New Zealand


accessible to many more New Zealanders than has been the case for recent
tournaments.”
World Rugby Chief Executive Brett Gosper said: “We are excited to be announcing
details of this innovative deal with Spark for World Rugby tournament rights in New
Zealand.
“New Zealand is well-known for its passionate love for rugby and so it’s fitting for
such a ground-breaking new approach to delivering some of rugby’s premier
tournaments to begin here. We believe that this deal will give fans in New Zealand
access to an exceptional viewer experience that will deliver even more action,
analysis and coverage to more people than ever before.”
TVNZ CEO Kevin Kenrick said, “Our agreement will broaden the availability of New
Zealand’s biggest sport and give viewers even more choice. Together we’re
committed to delivering a fantastic viewing experience for all New Zealanders –
making the most of Spark’s leading digital technology and distribution capabilities
and TVNZ’s unrivalled audience reach and content expertise.
“Big sporting events have a huge following and in New Zealand it doesn’t get much
bigger than the Rugby World Cup. It’s must watch moments like this that drive TV
viewing. TVNZ’s excited to be the free-to-air TV home for the next Rugby World Cup.
The tournament is a major addition to our sport event line up, and builds on our
recent Commonwealth Games coverage.” Mr Kenrick said.
TVNZ will screen seven Rugby World Cup 2019 matches live – including the
tournament’s opening match and the final – the same number offered free-to-air in
2015, and a yet to be confirmed number of delayed matches. Ads won’t run in live
game time, said TVNZ. Details of these matches will be released in the coming
months.
Mr Moutter confirmed the live streaming service would not be restricted to Spark
customers and would be accessible via New Zealand’s 5 million+ mobile connections
(3G/4G) and 1.5 million broadband subscribers, saying “we will be reaching out to
other network operators and providers to see how we can optimise the viewing
experience for their customers. Although of course we are likely to offer Spark
customers some special deals and experiences.
“We believe that by offering New Zealanders more options when it comes to where
and how they watch games – and how much they need to spend - we will make the
Rugby World Cup accessible to a much wider audience than those with a paid-TV
subscription.
“The increasing diversity of New Zealand and rapid changes in technology mean
many of us are watching sport in a very different way to in the past. By combining
our technical expertise and capability with that of TVNZ, we believe we will not only
deliver these tournaments in a way that long-time, loyal rugby fans will love, but we
will also reach out and inspire new audiences to get behind our men and women in
black – bringing the Rugby World Cup to a much wider audience,” Mr Moutter said.
Mr Moutter also emphasised the importance of the rights to Spark’s broader media
strategy.
“Through our successful operation of Lightbox and our partnership with Netflix, we
have demonstrated our commitment to be a key player in a rapidly evolving media
environment when it comes to New Zealanders watching their favourite TV shows

Spark New Zealand Limited
ARBN 050 611 277 Spark City, 167 Victoria Street West, Private Bag 92028, Auckland, New Zealand


and movies online. Given how passionate New Zealanders are when it comes to
watching their favourite sports, we have an ongoing interest in playing our part as
sports viewing moves online as well.
“At the same time, we’re disciplined when it comes to investments of this nature.
Although sport is a powerful content genre, it is typically very expensive – something
we’re mindful of. For this reason, we’re focused on making sure the business case
for securing rights of this nature can stand on its own two feet – and these
tournaments certainly do that.”

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How will Kiwis be able to access RWC2019?
New Zealanders will be able to stream the matches over their broadband or mobile
connection, via an app that will be compatible with a wide range of devices –
including TVs, laptops, tablets and mobile phones. TVNZ will offer selected matches
free-to-air.

How much will it cost?
Spark won’t be releasing pricing details until next calendar year but intends to offer
pricing options to suit people’s differing preferences and budgets. This will include a
full tournament package and individual match passes.

Which games will be screened free-to-air via TVNZ?
These details will be released in due course, but we can confirm there will be seven
live matches screened free-to-air, and this will include the tournament’s opening
match and the final.

Will I have to be a Spark customer to watch the RWC2019?
No. We will be streaming the tournament over an app that will be available to all
New Zealanders, no matter who their broadband or mobile provider is. The app will
be compatible with a wide range of devices. It will be free to download and then
matches and packages will be offered on a pay to watch basis. Selected matches will
be also be available free-to-air via TVNZ.

What sort of free content might you offer online via the app?
Those details will be released next year, but the content is likely to include – for
example – highlights from the week’s play or delayed full match content.

What about people who don’t have good broadband coverage – particularly
people in rural areas?

The vast majority of New Zealanders can and do already access streaming services
very effectively and that number continues to grow with UFB and RBI programmes
roll-outs continuing. However, we are very mindful that in late 2019, some people
may still not have adequate coverage to stream the matches at home. We want to
do our best to give as many New Zealanders as possible to watch - so we are looking
at a range of options. We’re not able to give any details right now.

What tournaments are included?
Men’s Rugby World Cup 2019 Japan Sept-Nov 2019

Spark New Zealand Limited
ARBN 050 611 277 Spark City, 167 Victoria Street West, Private Bag 92028, Auckland, New Zealand


Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 TBA TBA
Men’s/Women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 San Francisco July 2018
Men’s World Rugby U20 Championship 2018 France May-June 2018
Men’s World Rugby U20 Championship 2019 TBA TBA
Note: The 2018 tournaments will screen via TVNZ as the Spark streaming service
will not yet be available. Details TBC shortly.

-ENDS-



For Spark media queries, please contact:
Lucy Fullarton
Senior Communications Partner
+64 21 070 6197, or
0800 222 412

For TVNZ media queries, please contact
Georgie Hills
GM Corporate Communications
+64 21 259 3016

For investor relations queries, please contact:
Dean Werder
General Manager Finance and Business Performance
+64 (0)27 259 7176