Editorial: When will sports coverage catch up with modern media?

Knowing the outcome before she gets to watch a delayed broadcast means Sonya Bateson has almost abandoned watching national sport.

I've almost given up on watching national sport.

In the past few weeks, we've had world-class sporting events like the Lions tour and the America's Cup, but I haven't seen a single match or race.

In fact, the last time I watched rugby was during the Rugby World Cup.

It's not because I'm a traitor to my country like one workmate described me - I enjoy a good game of rugby - it's because I don't have Sky.

Sure, the big sports events usually have delayed free-to-air coverage on Prime, but within seconds of the game finishing, I know the outcome thanks to alerts on my phone from all the major news outlets and from my friends talking about it on Facebook.

Within an hour, I'll have read detailed information about who the best players were, breakdowns of the most impressive manoeuvres and video footage of the gutsy (and stupid) streakers.

By the time the delayed coverage is aired, there's no point in me watching the game since I know everything that happened. And who wants to watch something when they already know how it ends?

I'm not about to sign up for Sky. I rarely watch television and would rather curl up on the couch with a good book. When I do watch the small screen, it's via an online streaming service like Netflix, which costs a fraction of the amount of Sky and comes with the convenience of being able to watch what I want, when I want it.

When will our sports coverage join the modern world?