Although it won't be a universal sentiment at the moment, Spark's acquisition of cricket is good news, and should be a boost for sport in New Zealand.
Sport is all about competition, but there hasn't been any in the broadcasting of it.
Not any more.
On Thursday the Telecommunicationscompany confirmed it had secured the rights to all cricket played in this country from April 2020, with a free-to-air component on TVNZ.
It's a crucial step, confirming Spark is here for the long haul.
Despite the earlier moves to grab the Rugby World Cup and English Premier League, there was a sense that their board were wavering on their commitment to the broad strategy put forward by Spark Sport CEO Jeff Latch.
It's believed they monstered Sky's offer for the rights, enough to convince New Zealand Cricket to cut long standing ties with the pay television operator.
Latch told the Herald earlier this year that he was determined to go after the big three, Rugby, Cricket and the NRL, and having got the first, he's won't step back now.
It wasn't perfect timing for the announcement, given the issues that have plagued Spark's Rugby World Cup coverage.
Spark Sport streaming issues. Photo / File
Some of those have been overblown, in keeping with our #outrage culture, but there will be fears, especially among cricket lovers in the rural areas, about their access.
There will also be questions over the capability of Spark's platform to handle the elongated coverage that cricket demands.
That's valid, but overall this move has positive implications for sport in this country.
It continues the shift away from Sky's monopoly, which not so long ago was almost complete.
Towards the end of the last decade TVNZ all but gave up on sports coverage; there was a decreased appetite from senior management, but also couldn't compete with Sky's budget or outside broadcast facilities.
TV3 dabbled, mainly in motorsport, but were also confined to the fringes.
That created a situation where Sky had unprecedented power.
It meant that sport bodies, outside the big four or five, had to fork out to get any coverage in one way negotiations.
Sky also had Prime, thanks to some poorly thought out legislation, which gave them access to the Olympics.
But look at what has happened since Spark's emergence.
Sky, to their credit, have invested in sport, with new sponsorship arrangements with the New Zealand Rugby League, Wellington Phoenix and the Breakers, among others
There's also more coverage, particularly of women's sport. The dynamic has changed; Sky now needs the sports, just as much as those bodies want the coverage.
Overall, there should be more money sloshing around for sport.
And there has also been an upside for consumers.
Spark chief executive Jolie Hodson. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Sky have become much more flexible with their pricing and packages, to retain subscribers, as well as expanding their offering to 12 channels, and they needed to.
Because for all their excellent product, Sky got complacent during their long monopoly era.
Look at rugby.
Aside from their excellent game day coverage, they haven't really developed or broadened their offering over the last decade.
For an example of how a national sport should be covered, analysed and debated, tune into football in Italy or England, baseball in Japan or league in Australia.
A colleague was in England in 2006, and impressed by the cricket offering, which included a feature where ongoing highlights of the day's play could be accessed at any time, via a button on the remote control.
That still isn't available in New Zealand.
The Sky Go website still relies on the problematic flash player and their Sky Sport App needs work.
Thursday's development will also mean cricket is occasionally back on free to air, with a domestic element and the first game of every Twenty20 International series.
That's important, as there are a whole generation of kids that might never have seen the Black Caps or White Ferns play live.
Sky will maintain an important presence in the market, and might always be the dominant player, especially if they hold onto rugby coverage.
But Thursday's development mean New Zealand is edging closer to the Australian model.
Across the Tasman there is intense competition, with Channel Seven, Nine, SBS, Fox Sports and Optus all having their own segments of the sports pie.
That's nirvana for viewers, and the sporting bodies, and something we need to pursue.
