Sport is finally back – which means it's time to get your pay-TV and streaming subscriptions sorted once again.
With sports resuming across the globe and in New Zealand, it's time to revisit the complicated world of sports broadcasting.
Here's all you need to know about the sports that have returned amid the pandemic, how to watch/stream it in New Zealand, and how much it costs.
Cost: $57.98/month (Sky box), $72.98/month (My Sky), $77.98/month (My Sky+)
Features: 12 live TV channels (including additional pop-up channels), limited on-demand options via Sky Go, record live TV (My Sky only)
Sports: The largest portfolio of sports content in the country, including NZ rugby (see below for full list of sports)
Cost: $19.99/week, $49.99/month, $299.99/year (the annual pass is a limited offer)
Features: 12 live TV channels (plus additional pop-up channels), limited on-demand options and limited live replay
Sports: Same as traditional Sky Sport
Cost: 19.99/month
Features: Live and on-demand
Sports: Popular international competitions like the Premier League and Formula 1 (see below for full list of sports)
Cost: FREE!
Features: Live TV, live stream and limited on-demand options
Sports: Exclusive America's Cup rights. Apart from that, not heaps but some content through partnerships with Sky and Spark
Cost: FREE!
Features: Live TV, live stream and limited on-demand options
Sports: Some international basketball content, including Tall Blacks and Tall Ferns
Cost: FREE!
Features: Live TV, live stream and limited on-demand options
Sports: Some delayed sports from Sky Sport's large portfolio, including rugby
Cost: FREE!
Features: Live and on-demand on Sky Sports Next YouTube channel
Sports: Variety of local New Zealand sports events (more than 50 different sports according to Sky)
Cost: $324.99/year or $42.99/month; $184.99/year or $21.99/month (for one specific team)
Features: Live and on-demand
Sports: NBA
Cost: US$205/year (approx. NZ$326) with other pricing options available
Features: Live and on-demand
Sports: NFL
Cost: US$11.99/month (approx. NZ$19) or US$109.99/year (approx. NZ$175)
Features: Live and on-demand
Sports: MMA
- Other international competitions/leagues also have their own streaming services including AFL and MLB
The NFL plans to start its season on time, with pre-season games starting in August.
Sky and Spark had similar deals for the 2019/20 NFL season (from December last year when Spark announced its deal), but it is unclear if NFL will still be available on Spark Sport next season.
Sky Sport
NFL: Selected games live, including playoffs and Super Bowl (ESPN)
NCAA: Selected games live (ESPN)
Spark Sport
NFL: Selected games live, including playoffs and Super Bowl (based on 2019/20 season)
NFL game pass
NFL: Every game live and on-demand
Best place to watch: Sky Sport, NFL game pass (for die-hard NFL fans)
The AFL resumed its season last week on June 11.
Sky Sport
AFL: Three live matches each week, including live coverage of the AFL grand final (based on 2019 season)
AFL live pass
AFL: Every game live and on-demand
Best place to watch: AFL live pass
There isn't a concrete MLB start date yet, but reports suggest the new season could kick off as early as mid-July. The ABL plan to release its schedule for the 2020/21 season in August.
Sky Sport
MLB: Selected games live, including playoffs and World Series
ABL: Every Auckland Tuatara home game live and selected Tuatara away games (based on 2019 season)
MLB.tv
MLB: Every game live and on-demand
Best place to watch: Sky Sport, MLB.tv (for die-hard MLB fans)
The NBA has set a tentative restart date of August 1. The NZ NBL kicks off on June 23.
Sky Sport
NBA: Selected games live, including playoffs and NBA finals (ESPN)
WNBA: Selected games live (ESPN)
NCAA: Selected games live (ESPN)
ANBL: Every NZ Breakers game live, selected ANBL matches featuring other teams
NBL: All NBL matches (based on 2019/20 season), some free coverage on Sky Sport Next
Spark Sport
NBA: Selected games live via NBA TV
NBA League Pass
NBA: Every game live and on-demand
Prime
ANBL: 14 home or away NZ Breakers games live, including Breakers playoff games (based on 2019/20 season), delayed NZ NBL coverage
Māori TV
FIBA: Live Tall Blacks and Tall Ferns games
Best place to watch: Sky Sport, NBA league pass (for die-hard NBA fans)
The UFC has been one of the first sports to return post-Covid and continues to hold regular events. Boxing has also returned in some areas around the world.
Sky Sport
Boxing: Most big international fights and Joseph Parker fights on pay per view, other boxing content
MMA: UFC events both free and PPV (ESPN)
Spark Sport
Boxing: Fights promoted by Protocol Sports Marketing
MMA: One Championship
DAZN
To be announced. However, DAZN owns the international rights to the world's top boxing fighters and promotional companies including Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin, Golden Boy Promotions and Matchroom boxing (Joseph Parker's promoter). Parker's team will likely negotiate a deal with Sky and DAZN to see who earns the rights for his fights in New Zealand, while the other rights are likely to exist under DAZN once it launches here.
Best place to watch: Sky Sport, UFC fight pass (for die-hard UFC fans)
The first scheduled international New Zealand cricket game is the White Ferns' clash against Australia in September 27.
Sky Sport
International cricket: Live Black Caps and White Ferns games played in Australia and India, other internationals played in Australia and India, Cricket World Cup qualifiers and ICC tournaments
Cricket leagues: Selected IPL, Big Bash games live
Spark Sport
NZ Cricket: Every Black Caps and White Ferns home game live, all Men's and Women's Super Smash games, Ford Trophy final
TVNZ
NZ Cricket: Selected Black Caps and White Ferns games live free-to-air, including first T20 international of each home series, two regular season games from both Men's and Women's Super Smash competitions per week.
Best place to watch: Spark Sport (for NZ cricket fans), Sky Sport (for international cricket fans)
Several leagues around the world, including the Premier League and Bundesliga have restarted. The A-League resumes its season in mid-July.
Sky Sport
NZ Football: Live coverage of All Whites and Football Ferns games, Wellington Phoenix games, other local football content
Club football: Selected games live for UEFA Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, A-League, most top tier European leagues, several other leagues and competitions
International football: Euro 2020, UEFA Nations League, FIFA tournaments including 2022 World Cup
Spark Sport
Club fooball: Every English Premier League game live and on-demand, Liverpool TV, Manchester United TV, Bayern Munich TV
Prime
Football: Selected delayed football coverage from Sky
Best place to watch: Sky Sport, Spark Sport (for die-hard EPL fans)
The PGA Tour resumed last week on June 12. The LPGA Tour returns with its first event on July 24.
Sky Sport
Golf: Live coverage of all four of golf's majors, LPGA Tour and PGA Tour events, Australian PGA Championship, NZ Open
Spark Sport
Golf: Live coverage of the Australian Open (in 2019 and 2020)
Best place to watch: Sky Sport
The NASCAR Cup Series and IndyCar has been up and running, the Supercars Championship starts on 27 June and the 2020 Formula One season kicks off on July 6.
Sky Sport
Motorsport: Live coverage of Supercars, Nascar, Indycar, MotoGP
Spark Sport
Motorsport: Live coverage of Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3, 2020 Porsche Supercup Series, FIA World Rally Championship
Best place to watch: Spark Sport (for Formula racing, rally), Sky Sport (for Nascar, Indycar, Supercars, MotoGP)
The ANZ Championship resumes on June 19.
Sky Sport
Netball NZ: Live coverage of Silver Ferns games, Constellation Cup, ANZ Premiership and national netball league
Best place to watch: Sky Sport
Super Rugby Aotearoa kicked off last weekend.
Sky Sport
NZ Rugby: Live coverage of All Blacks and Black Ferns games, Rugby Championship, Super Rugby, Mitre 10 Cup, Farah Palmer Cup, sevens, first XV
European rugby: Live coverage of Six Nations, Guinness Pro14, French Top 14, Gallagher Premiership, Premier Rugby Cup
Spark Sport
International rugby: Live coverage of Rugby World Cup 2021
European rugby: Live coverage of Heineken Champions Cup
Prime
Rugby: Selected delayed coverage of Super Rugby, All Blacks, other rugby content from Sky
Best place to watch: Sky Sport
The NRL kicked off last month.
Sky Sport
Rugby league: Live coverage of NZ Warriors, NRL, Super League
Prime
Rugby league: Delayed coverage of Warriors, other league content from Sky
Best place to watch: Sky Sport
Tennis will resume its season in August with the first ATP even scheduled for August 15, while the first WTA event will start on August 4. The first grand slam will be the US Open on September 1st.
Sky Sport
Tennis: Live coverage of Australian Open, Roland Garros, US Open, ATP Masters, ASB Classic
Spark Sport
Tennis: Live coverage of Wimbledon, WTA circuit
TVNZ
Tennis: Live coverage of Wimbledon
Best place to watch: Sky Sport
Sky Sports also has coverage of several other sports including the New Zealand Badminton League, the New Zealand Premier League tennis, Snooker Champions League, WWE, and others.
Spark Sport has some coverage of E-sports including the Blast Pro Series and F1 E-sports.
Rugby
Sky extended their partnership with NZ Rugby until 2025, with NZ Rugby also becoming a five per cent shareholder in Sky. Spark has the rights to next year's women's Rugby World Cup, which is held in New Zealand.
Cricket
Cricket is where it gets a bit tricky – a possible warning to the way sports rights could get divided up in the future. Spark Sport announced last year that it will become the official rights partner for NZ Cricket for six years from April 2020.
Basically, it means Spark Sport snagged the rights to NZ Cricket games played in New Zealand (including Black Caps), while Sky Sport still has the rights to Cricket Australia games played in Australia and BCCI (India) games played in India including the Indian Premier League (IPL). Black Caps tours to Australia and India, for example, will be broadcast on Sky Sport.
Meanwhile, Sky extended its deal with ICC for rights to events like the Cricket World Cup until 2023.
Netball
Netball NZ extended its broadcasting deal with Sky until the end of 2024.
Rugby league
Sky's deal with the NRL runs out at the end of the 2022 season, making league likely to be one of the next big bidding wars.
Football
Spark have the English Premier League rights until May 2022, while Sky last year signed a four-year deal with beIN sports, which includes rights to the major European club competitions (outside of the Premier League) and international competitions like Euro 2020. Sky also have the rights to the A-League until the end of the 2022 season.
