NZC signs six-year broadcast deal with Spark Sport

New Zealand Cricket's deal with Spark Sport brings an end to their 24-year association with Sky. © Getty

New Zealand Cricket and Spark Sport, a streaming service, have signed a six-year broadcast deal, it was confirmed on Thursday (October 10). The deal also brings an end to the Sky-NZC relationship that has been thriving since 1995. Sky, however, hold the rights for all domestic cricket till mid-2020.

Spark will add the men's and women's internationals, the domestic one-day cup final and T20 Super Smash. "This is a deal which future-proofs the whole of cricket in New Zealand," David White, the NZC CEO, said. "Live streaming is the future. It allows viewers to free themselves from fixed linear schedules to watch live, delayed, highlighted or clipped content when and where they choose, and on a wide range of devices.

"Together with the free-to-air component provided by TVNZ, this accord means more cricket games than ever before will be broadcast live. It's timely that we make this move now, at a time when more New Zealanders than ever - and especially young Kiwis, consume their sports content through digital devices."

All, however, is not lost for Sky. They will still broadcast the Indian Premier League and New Zealand's tour of India in 2021-22 and 2022-23. They also have the rights to New Zealand's tour of Australia in 2019-20 and 2020-21 and for all the cricket that will be played in Australia.