KEY POINTS:
A court order will "restrain" Sky from using rugby World Cup coverage in its magazine-style programmes, TV3 said today.
However, Sky described the result of the case as a "draw".
The order from the High Court extends to The Cup and Reunion, both screened on Sky and The Crowd Goes Wild, which screens on Prime.
TV3, which owns the New Zealand broadcast rights to the Rugby World Cup, had claimed Sky had been using too much of its footage.
MediaWorks - owner of TV3 - said in a statement: "Under the ruling, Sky Sport 1, 2 and 3, and SKY Sport Highlights are to be considered as one channel for the purposes of counting frequency and minutes used of Rugby World Cup footage, with a maximum of three screenings per day, separated by at least three hours."
Its chief operating officer Rick Friesen said: "The judge has clearly understood all the issues in this case and upheld TV3's right to protect its interests, expanding significantly upon the temporary order issued last week.
"The judge also suggested that a code of practice be developed around what fair dealing entails, and I intend to send invitations to the major broadcasters in the very near future to begin that process."
Sky's chief executive John Fellet said while the injunction stops Sky from broadcasting coverage during The Cup, The Crowd Goes Wild and Reunion, it will continue showing the coverage during Sport 365 and "other news programmes".
"All we ever wanted was the same courtesy as we have given everyone else," Mr Fellet said.
He issued a warning to MediaWorks and TV3: "It is somewhat ironic that TV3 relied on compliance with the News Access Agreement when they continue to use Sky footage in breach of its requirements. Obviously we will be more vigilant about their compliance with this agreement in the future."
- NZ HERALD STAFF
