With Spark vanquished, Sky raises sports channel and Sky Sport Now pricing

Sky has cited "rights inflation" for its latest hike in the cost of its Sky Sport package and Sky Sport Now streaming app. Photo / Photosport

Sky TV is increasing the costs of Sky Sport by $3 per month from March 1, and the price of its Sky Sport Now streaming app by $5 per month from the same date.

Price hikes have been predicted since Spark sold its sports streaming platform, and Sky regained rights to Formula 1 (most other Spark Sport content will move to TVNZ from mid-year).

A Sky spokeswoman denied the increases have anything to do with the demise of its only serious local competition in paid sports streaming.

“The cost to acquire sport rights and produce quality content continues to increase,” she said. Sky Sport had price increases while Spark Sport was still active in the market. And with Spark gone, fans of some sports, like cricket and football, will no longer have to pay for two services to see all of the action.

Late last year, Sky regained rights from Spark for men’s and women’s Rugby World Cup competitions through to 2029. Sky also won back English Premier League football rights from Spark with a six-season deal.

Sky says it has not increased the price of Sky Sport Now (which currently costs $19.99 per week, $39.99 per month or $399.00 per year) since 2019.

Sky Sport, which currently costs $34.99, also saw a $3 price rise in March last year, with Sky blaming “rights inflation.”

The pay-TV broadcaster has also been grappling with salary inflation.

In November, as it announced a 41 per cent increase in net profit to $62.2 million, Sky said it was giving staff earning over $100,000 a 5 per cent pay rise and staff earning under that amount an 8 per cent increase. The wage rises were billed as necessary to attract and retain talent in a tight labour market.

Yesterday, Sky said its new box, which will have a $200 up-front fee and cost $15 a month to unlock its ability to record up to five channels at once, had entered customer trials. A spokeswoman said the commercial launch date was “a few weeks” away.

Sky increased the price of its Neon entertainment streaming service from $15.99 to $17.99/month mid-year.

Streaming services raise prices

Sky is not alone in hiking prices.

Just ahead of Christmas, Disney announced a series of price rises for Disney+.

The streaming service debuted here in November 2019 for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.

In 2021, it raised its monthly price to $12.99 per month or $129.99 per year, citing an expanded lineup of content.

The price was further increased from December last year to $14.99 per month or $149.99 per year.

Arch-rival Netflix earlier increased the cost of its basic plan by 8 per cent, from $11.99 to $12.99 per month, and the cost of its Premium plan by 14 per cent from $21.99 to $24.99 (Netflix introduced its new Netflix Basic With Ads for A$6.99 across the Tasman in November, but has yet to name a launch date for NZ.)

And in October, Apple TV+ increased its NZ pricing from $8.99 to $12.99 per month.