2019 Rugby World Cup: Free-to-air All Blacks? Winston Peters slams Spark Sport but Labour says no

Spark Sport's glitch.

Spark Sport's streaming failure at the Rugby World Cup has become political, with both Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters and Labour chiming in on the issue.

Peters criticised Spark's inability to stream the All Blacks' World Cup opener against the Springboks after some fans, including the Acting Prime Minister himself, experienced problems streaming the match.

Spark were forced to simulcast the match on TVNZ after its streaming service cut out for many fans, and aired all the matches on Sunday on free-to-air, before returning to streaming only after announcing it had "addressed the issue".

Peters, who labeled Spark's failure as an "abject disaster", vowed that the government will get to the bottom of the issue earlier in the week.

"I can assure you we will find out as fast as possible as to what on earth is not going on," he told Newstalk ZB.

However, Peters and his party's pledge to put free-to-air rights sports in law has been swatted away by his cabinet colleague, Broadcasting Minister Kris Faafoi.

NZ First has put forward a free-to-air members bill that would have all rugby, cricket and football World Cup events played by New Zealand broadcasted free, as well as domestic rugby tests, the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.

The United Kingdom also has a similar measure in place, which includes FIFA World Cup matches, Wimbledon and the Rugby World Cup final.

But Labour didn't back the bill in its coalition agreement, and it hasn't progressed anywhere since its introduction to Parliament in August 2018.

Faafoi said on Tuesday that there was little interest to push for free-to-air sport and that the "horse had bolted".

"Times have changed and rugby has become professional. It's going to be difficult to unscramble that egg," Faafoi told Stuff.

"I know that New Zealand First has got a members bill, but we haven't had any discussions about what that may mean."

Spark said that last night's match between Wales and Georgia had "streamed successfully both from a platform and broadband network perspective".