January 28, 2025 • 20 mins
On Sports Fix with D'Arcy Waldegrave for Wednesday 29 January 2025, sports television rights consultant Colin Smith talks about the possibility of Netflix or DAZN picking up the NRL rights from 2027 onwards - and what that means for Sky TV.
D'Arcy delivers an opinion piece on why we need to celebrate Melie Kerr's success on the global stage.
Plus, NZ Herald online sports editor Alex Powell joins the panel to further discuss the future of sports streaming.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks at b
Follow this and our Wide Ranger podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
This is Sportsfix Howard by News Talks at b.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
GUI.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Hello there and Mark, come on into today's essue of
the Sports Fixed podcast. My name is Darcy Walter Grave.
It's the twenty ninth of January twenty twenty five. Lined
up for you. In today's at menu, we'll be talking
with Colin Smith, the TV sports rights negotiator out of
Australia who's worked with a number of New Zealand operations
(00:44):
around the possibility of the Narl being sold to Netflix
or something bigger and how that will affect the New
Zealand marketplace, specifically SkyTV. I've got some opinion surprise surprise
on Mealy Kerr, who picked up the gong for the
ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year. And Alex Powell, digital
(01:07):
sport editor from and he's in on. Heill joins us
to throw around some opinions around the big sports stories
of the day. This is what we plan. Get ready,
here we go again. In other news in a sports today,
the news from the mouth of the athlete. Starting worth
Y McElroy, who plans to play less golf this year
(01:30):
as he tries to avoid burnout following a challenging twenty
twenty four. The Northern Irishman claimed four titles last year,
but off the course he had a tumultuous year, filing
for divorce and changing his mind. McElroy believes there's too
many PGA Tour events as it is that has told
the Golf Channel he will aim to play not as
(01:50):
many tournaments in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I'm not a spring chicken anymore, seventeen or eighteen years
into this, so I think at this point it's just
all about, you know, what are my priorities and really
trying to focus on them.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Squash player Joe L King has confirmed her intention to
compete at the LA Olympics. The thirty six year old
has been plagued by back and at neat issues in
the last year, but has now returned to fitness. She's
been named as a wildcard for the New Zealand Open
at christ Church in March, with compatriot Paul Cole in
the men Straw. King he'll be thirty nine and twenty
(02:25):
twenty eight, explains how she's adjusted her schedule to ensure longevity.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Trying to make sure I'm not doing too much as
opposed to earlier in my career was like, let's play
fifteen tournaments in a year and try and do as
much as I camera as Now, I've just trying to
make sure that I go out and play. But I'm
taking care of my body and.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Leg spinning all round. O'meli. Kerr is reflecting on the
rise of women's cricket, being named the Female Player of
the Year by the ICC Crickets governing body. The twenty
four year old was the youngest white Fern to debut
at age sixteen, saying her first international was only broadcast
on live stream.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
The thing who eight years ago to where the game
is now, where we're always playing on TV.
Speaker 5 (03:12):
Now you're traveling the world.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
There's all the different culpture around the world.
Speaker 6 (03:15):
That's now my job leading of VIX.
Speaker 5 (03:17):
We've got just the ticket.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
It's sports X HOWD my news talks IV.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Colin Smith is with us on the fix. Now is
it a TV sports rights negotiator? The latest dominator fur
looks to be the NRL. They seem set on selling
their rights to the highest negotiator, which may well be
Do Zone, it may well be Netflix. What does that
mean for us? What does it mean for Sky TV?
(03:44):
We're going to find out now. Hi Colin, thank you,
great to speak and great to have you on as well.
Interesting times for you. All it always is, isn't it.
As a sports rights consultant, this deal with the NRL
that they're trying to marry up with a number of
different massive providers. While talk about money, Dozone, Netflix, Amazon,
(04:05):
They're really looking to get the highest bidder, aren't they.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
Oh, they certainly are, and because it's got opportunities on
both sides of the ditch too, in Australia and now
definitely New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Yeah, but how important is New Zealand to the overall deal?
Ont me just to tack on to one side?
Speaker 5 (04:23):
Well, I think that under states New Zealand and how
and if you think about it, that's bigger than most
of the states other than New South Wales and Victoria.
So it's a significant number. And all of New Zealanders
love their rugby and if they love rugby, they will
soon love NURL as well.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
What will the deal look like if it's Netflix or
the Zone, whoever picks it up? What that look like.
What would it look like for New Zealand column.
Speaker 5 (04:53):
Well, you could see them wanting to acquire the global
rights that includes New Zealand, includes Australia and frankly that's
already happened with Major League Soccer in the United States
where Apple TV have the globe rights, So you could
see there's a real opportunity and therefore to have across
(05:14):
both markets, especially Australia and the significant growth market in
New Zealand and even today in New Zealand, the NRL
outrates Super Rugby of games that played live in New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
You mentioned Apple TV and I've forgot about that player.
There are so many of these players. It's increasingly becoming
the go to for these subscriber channels such as Netflix,
Apple TV. Are there more in line? Would we like
to see more of a fight here?
Speaker 5 (05:48):
Well, you could see it. But on the other hand,
you'd also see that SkyTV in New Zealand would want
to retain. The NRL definitely would want to and especially
if there's a second team saying christ Church, meaning there's
real competitive rivalry between the North and the South Ireland,
which would be huge.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
How likely is this deal to go ahead. Do you
think what do you think will happen?
Speaker 5 (06:12):
If I put that in an Australian context, the NRL,
alongside the AFL are the must have broadcasts in Australia.
So in other words, if you are a serious sports broadcaster,
you want both of those, and you probably would like
cricket in summer now that's what Foxtell has currently and
(06:33):
in a New Zealand context you want rugby, but increasingly
you're going to be more interested in the NRL as well.
So the combination of both means it's very attractive to
a sports streaming service like the ones you've named a
sky TV.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
In trouble here, they lose the NRL, this will be
the death now.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
Not necessarily so, because one of the things that the
SkyTV New Zealand has done, which is really smart, they've
acquired some of the World Cup rugby rights independently of
New Zealand Rugby and they're playing, as I understand, and
hardball get the price more equitable for both in terms
of their current rights. But if they having ANRL, especially
(07:20):
again as I mentioned, a second team, that would be significant.
And if I was SkyTV in New Zealand and sports
their key driver. I would want both rugby and I'd
want NURL as well. If they don't have it, they
could potentially lose subscriptions from that. And the key for
them is being the owner of sport in New Zealand.
(07:41):
But if one of the big players comes in and
there's real economies of scale of operating in Australia New
Zealand business, that would be a real threat.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
What about the uptake You mentioned Spark and one of
the issues they had was reasonable new technology, a lot
of people reticent to actually engage. Maybe we have a
situation where the connections weren't as fast as they as
they are now. Do you think with the advancement of
a few years and where people are going with their
ability to stream and the technology behind it, there will
(08:12):
be a big up take? Is that going to get
in the way?
Speaker 5 (08:15):
Do you think streamers now have sold most of their
technical issues and can take constreme sport the most popular
sports as well, So you're going to get less of
the issues of what i'd call loosely the blackouts, which
were major issues for the Rugby World couple number of
years ago in New Zealand. That won't be the case
(08:36):
and so they are genuine competitors if they want to
enter the market. The beauty is they could enter the
market as they're going to more than likely acquire Foxtel
and Australia. They could then send their product into New
Zealand as well.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
What about pricing, We know what it's going to cost
when we think, we know it's going to cost these
big players, but what about us? What's that going to
do to our bill?
Speaker 5 (08:59):
They are going to make sure their competitive in the marketplace,
so you and I will want to subscribe them so
with attractive content. They don't have a reputation for pricing up.
They have a reputation for being low cost in their
entry prices. So in other words, your streaming costs for
(09:21):
a connection to one of these streaming services won't be excessive.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Colin Smith love chatting with you. It's always a pleasure.
Thanks very much for your time. Look forward to doing
it all again because it's such a dynamic space. You
never know what might happen next week. Colin Smith's sports
rights consultant. Thanks for yours pleasure.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
This is Sportsfix, your daily dose of sports news. How
In by News talks be.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
I don't think the importance of merely Kerr as a
cricketer can be overstated. Picking up the gong for the
best Cricketer in the World for women through the ICC
for twenty twenty four was a huge underlining of her
importance for the game, not only globally, but more specifically
in the New Zealand market. In order to be you
(10:13):
need to see. The example that this young woman has
set for aspiring New Zealand female cricketers has been immense.
The reason she has achieved what she has achieved is
by watching the likes of Sophie Devine and Susie Bates
in their pomp and let's face it, they're still very
close to that now and that has given her the need,
(10:35):
the want, the desire to scale the cricketing heights that
she has Now you have, thank you very much, Free
to AIRTV a demonstration of how important aspirational players are.
Not only is she a tremendous cricketer who spends more
and more time growing what she does, increasing her skill
(10:56):
base and providing wonderful entertainment, she's also an overwhelmingly friendly character.
She is fantastic with the media. She understands the import
she has and the cog that she is in the
wheel of New Zealand women's cricket. She doesn't overstate her
own importance when it comes to the quality of her
(11:16):
play and her delivery, but I'm sure deep down inside
she knows that it's women like her that provide a
platform for other young girls to jump up to the
levels that she has. Ameliaccur or merely as she prefers
to be known as an exceptional talent and at only
twenty four years old, she has the cricketing world ahead
(11:39):
of her. Let's just hope the New Zealand Cricket see
fits to pester the ICC to introduce the test format
to women's cricket. And is a strange fact that I
picked up yesterday and talking with Mealy Kerr, she has
never played a game of red ball cricket. That and
my opinion needs to change. Congratulation merely, you're a superstar
(12:04):
and you've now been recognized on the global stage.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Is now in session on Sportsfix.
Speaker 5 (12:13):
And it's warm.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Welcome into the chamber to Alex Powell for the first
time in twenty twenty five. Alex, Greetings, I trust your
well and I're on top of the world.
Speaker 6 (12:22):
Can we still say that happen in a year. Is
it too late?
Speaker 3 (12:24):
No, it's way too late for that. I'm just I'll
eat it that out. But it's a podcast, so I can't.
So let's just carry on with what we're supposed to
be talking about sports news stories of the day. So
the NRL rights could go to Netflix or maybe does Zone.
It's sky in huge trouble here.
Speaker 6 (12:40):
I mean, that's such a tough one because this landscape
is always changing. I mean you remember when Spark came
in and we all thought, well, this all change everything
and we're going to watch sport online and then it didn't.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Well, the problem with that was it was too early,
it was so that was the issue. People still were going,
oh no, no, no linear TV, Skybox, I can't do ah
And it failed there, didn't it well?
Speaker 6 (12:59):
I mean it did, sadly, But has has New Zealand
changed that much it'll be any different this time around
if people have to sign it to Netflix to watch
the NRL.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
And it totally I'd suggest that the people who are
signing up and signing in are of an age now
that they are fully on that tip, that they're ahead
of the gaming. Look, even though I can do it.
Speaker 6 (13:19):
I meant I wouldn't discount the old school league community
here who a lot of them will have established and
settled viewing patterns where they sit around on a Friday night,
you flip the telly on, you do it, you know,
on a Saturday, and to ask them to change that
and do it all through your phone or through your laptop.
I think it will really take some time to get
used to if it does happen.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
But they kind of have to the NRL hardcore because
it's been on Sky and has been there for so
long now, and if they want to watch their favorite
sport and it's a big draw card for Sky, they're
going to have to upskill. And I'd suggest s it's Netflix.
They couldn't care less because you see on such a
small part of the market.
Speaker 6 (13:56):
Right No, I mean the NRL will go with who
gives them the best deal a way't they? You know
the way sport is now, money comes from TV viewing
rights or streaming rights, So if you want to actually
keep up with other sports around you, you have to go
out there and get the best deals so you can
pay the player's top dollar to keep them in your code,
especially for the NRL, who are always losing talent elsewhere.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Yeah, but the NRL they signed to Netflix. They're not
going to give one rats about what happens over in
New Zealand to their view base because it's too small, right,
They're going to go, just look, this is it, this
is the deal. This is that we've got pick up
and run with it. It really doesn't matter, not saying
they disrespect New Zealand audiences, not particularly like our team,
the NUTRAL. But anyway, see what I'm saying here.
Speaker 6 (14:35):
I do, But I think it depends how long term
they're thinking, because if they do this the first time
and get a lot of money from Netflix on his
own and then it doesn't work, they'll have there'll be
negotiating from a position of weakness the next time it
comes up to actually do one of these deals. So
these things are all fascinating to watch how they play out.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
So ridiculously fluid. And that's the nature of broadcastings, the
nature of sport and media full stop, isn't it.
Speaker 6 (14:58):
Well if you look over in England at the Premier
League football, because they do what's called non exclusive rights.
In New Zealand, we're very big on exclusive rights, so you
only have one place to watch something, whereas they'll sell
chunks of to one company and chunks to another. So
if you want to watch the Premier League, you're a
football fan, you've got to get about three or four
different subscriptions and you're paying through your those for all
of them. So, I mean, I really hope this goes
(15:19):
well for the fans.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
With Netflix and their expanding reach when it comes to sport,
even dozone to a degree, I wonder how long it
is before Netflix snaffle massive American sport like NASCAR, for example,
which is pretty much a weekly experience made Indy Car's
not that big, but golf that they are coming and
(15:41):
they are swooping.
Speaker 6 (15:42):
Well, they had the NFL for over the Christmas period,
didn't they? Netflix?
Speaker 3 (15:44):
There you go?
Speaker 6 (15:45):
So, I mean, was it the Jake Paul Tommy Fury,
one of the flaw Jake Paul Mike Tyson. Wasn't it
they had that right or those rights? I should say, so,
look it's not Netflix have shown this is somewhere they're
prepared to go and they can pull it.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Off, and they probably will, and we just have to
sit there and twittle our fingers and I suppose get
up skilled. If you're part of the generation, you can't
deal with it because if you can't develop, you die.
Basic good, isn't it. That's a horrible thing to say.
Let's walk away from that though. We go from one
end of the skull down to the other end. I
say the other end. Because a white fern Mealy or
(16:17):
Amelia Kerr has picked up the gong for the ICC
Women's Cricketer of the Year are well deserved at the
tender age of twenty four. I been playing since she
was sixteen years old at a national level. No real
surprise here, right, I don't know.
Speaker 6 (16:33):
You look at some of the players that she was
up against, Laura Wolvera and Shamari Atapadu from Sri Lanka
or South Afrid and Strilanka is Biftily there's some bloody
good players in the women's game. You know, Amelia Kurt
doesn't play test cricket, which you look at England and
Australia and India, they all get to do that, so
they even very got more opportunities to present their case
of why did the best player in the world. But
the thing with the Melli curse, she does it when
it matters. You know, she was the player of the
(16:54):
tournament at the TEA twenty World Cup. That was the
only title that was on the line.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Last year, and the team was cooked before that and
they came through and actually did something extraordinary the end.
I'm just you mention test cricket there, because I was
speaking with Meely yesterday about Test cricket and the war.
She said something that kind of surprised me. I've never
played red ball cricket. I would love to play red
ball cricket. I wonder if maybe there might be some
(17:18):
traction there. Even though apparently test cricket is dying, is
that the next step for her? Because she's only twenty four,
she could be playing for another ten or fifteen years,
couldn't she.
Speaker 6 (17:27):
If you look around the world, what's happening with New
Zealand and the white fans and not playing test cricket
does seem to be the exception. There are more women's
tests that there is a demand. You look at the
women's ashes we've got at the moment, South Africa playing
women's test cricket, India playing women's test cricket. I think
the West Indies are playing women's Test cricket, so there
is appetite for it. It's just can financially can it
(17:48):
work out for all parties? And I think what we've
seen even with the men's tand the Black Caps, it
just doesn't always work. In New Zealand only player I
think at the moment four tests this year because it's
just not viable.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
I suppose if you look at the explosion the curve
when it comes to interest and coverage of women's cricket,
it's accelerated ridiculous. She first played only eight years ago,
so it's not out of the question, is it. But
you mentioned that key thing there is all about the Benjamins,
show me the money.
Speaker 6 (18:17):
I mean, it all comes back to that, doesn't it.
Sport has to be a business at the end of
the day. We've seen so many businesses go under it,
you know, with how things are at the moment, and
sports no exception. If it's not there, it will not work.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
And as far as Mealie's futures con sun, you don't
see her disappearing. Off are their leagues. They take twenty leagues.
If you could run away to and never see her again,
you wouldn't think so, right.
Speaker 6 (18:37):
I mean, she's already in very high demand, and the
woman says to when she's played in the Big Bear,
she's played in the Hundred, she's played in the WPL.
I think just the state of the women's game and
the landscape, I should say, rather than the state, means
that there are less conflict of these women's legs because
they do have clearly defined windows. If that were to change,
then yet we should probably worry because the law of money,
(18:59):
and we shouldn't expect places to turn down money because
that's just not how the world works. But I think
if that's where it was going to go, then yep,
we're to wary. But for now, I think the woman's
game does have a very nice equal in between club
and country.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Well that Alex will release you from the chamber. Thanks
very much for your time and your expertise. Aw as
a pleasure, my friend. Thanks mate.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Dissecting the sporting agenda, it's Sports Fix with Jason Pine
and Darcy.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
Waldgrave, signed, sealed and delivered that Sports Fix for the
twenty ninth of January twenty twenty five. I'm Darcy Waldgrave
and along with Jason Pine, we are Sports Fix and
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(19:44):
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(20:06):
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Catch again tomorrow here on the Fix.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
For more from Used Talks at b Listen live on
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You're listening to a podcast from News Talks at b
Follow this and our Wide Ranger podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
This is Sportsfix Howard by News Talks at b.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
GUI.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Hello there and Mark, come on into today's essue of
the Sports Fixed podcast. My name is Darcy Walter Grave.
It's the twenty ninth of January twenty twenty five. Lined
up for you. In today's at menu, we'll be talking
with Colin Smith, the TV sports rights negotiator out of
Australia who's worked with a number of New Zealand operations
(00:44):
around the possibility of the Narl being sold to Netflix
or something bigger and how that will affect the New
Zealand marketplace, specifically SkyTV. I've got some opinion surprise surprise
on Mealy Kerr, who picked up the gong for the
ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year. And Alex Powell, digital
(01:07):
sport editor from and he's in on. Heill joins us
to throw around some opinions around the big sports stories
of the day. This is what we plan. Get ready,
here we go again. In other news in a sports today,
the news from the mouth of the athlete. Starting worth
Y McElroy, who plans to play less golf this year
(01:30):
as he tries to avoid burnout following a challenging twenty
twenty four. The Northern Irishman claimed four titles last year,
but off the course he had a tumultuous year, filing
for divorce and changing his mind. McElroy believes there's too
many PGA Tour events as it is that has told
the Golf Channel he will aim to play not as
(01:50):
many tournaments in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I'm not a spring chicken anymore, seventeen or eighteen years
into this, so I think at this point it's just
all about, you know, what are my priorities and really
trying to focus on them.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Squash player Joe L King has confirmed her intention to
compete at the LA Olympics. The thirty six year old
has been plagued by back and at neat issues in
the last year, but has now returned to fitness. She's
been named as a wildcard for the New Zealand Open
at christ Church in March, with compatriot Paul Cole in
the men Straw. King he'll be thirty nine and twenty
(02:25):
twenty eight, explains how she's adjusted her schedule to ensure longevity.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Trying to make sure I'm not doing too much as
opposed to earlier in my career was like, let's play
fifteen tournaments in a year and try and do as
much as I camera as Now, I've just trying to
make sure that I go out and play. But I'm
taking care of my body and.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Leg spinning all round. O'meli. Kerr is reflecting on the
rise of women's cricket, being named the Female Player of
the Year by the ICC Crickets governing body. The twenty
four year old was the youngest white Fern to debut
at age sixteen, saying her first international was only broadcast
on live stream.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
The thing who eight years ago to where the game
is now, where we're always playing on TV.
Speaker 5 (03:12):
Now you're traveling the world.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
There's all the different culpture around the world.
Speaker 6 (03:15):
That's now my job leading of VIX.
Speaker 5 (03:17):
We've got just the ticket.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
It's sports X HOWD my news talks IV.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Colin Smith is with us on the fix. Now is
it a TV sports rights negotiator? The latest dominator fur
looks to be the NRL. They seem set on selling
their rights to the highest negotiator, which may well be
Do Zone, it may well be Netflix. What does that
mean for us? What does it mean for Sky TV?
(03:44):
We're going to find out now. Hi Colin, thank you,
great to speak and great to have you on as well.
Interesting times for you. All it always is, isn't it.
As a sports rights consultant, this deal with the NRL
that they're trying to marry up with a number of
different massive providers. While talk about money, Dozone, Netflix, Amazon,
(04:05):
They're really looking to get the highest bidder, aren't they.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
Oh, they certainly are, and because it's got opportunities on
both sides of the ditch too, in Australia and now
definitely New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Yeah, but how important is New Zealand to the overall deal?
Ont me just to tack on to one side?
Speaker 5 (04:23):
Well, I think that under states New Zealand and how
and if you think about it, that's bigger than most
of the states other than New South Wales and Victoria.
So it's a significant number. And all of New Zealanders
love their rugby and if they love rugby, they will
soon love NURL as well.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
What will the deal look like if it's Netflix or
the Zone, whoever picks it up? What that look like.
What would it look like for New Zealand column.
Speaker 5 (04:53):
Well, you could see them wanting to acquire the global
rights that includes New Zealand, includes Australia and frankly that's
already happened with Major League Soccer in the United States
where Apple TV have the globe rights, So you could
see there's a real opportunity and therefore to have across
(05:14):
both markets, especially Australia and the significant growth market in
New Zealand and even today in New Zealand, the NRL
outrates Super Rugby of games that played live in New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
You mentioned Apple TV and I've forgot about that player.
There are so many of these players. It's increasingly becoming
the go to for these subscriber channels such as Netflix,
Apple TV. Are there more in line? Would we like
to see more of a fight here?
Speaker 5 (05:48):
Well, you could see it. But on the other hand,
you'd also see that SkyTV in New Zealand would want
to retain. The NRL definitely would want to and especially
if there's a second team saying christ Church, meaning there's
real competitive rivalry between the North and the South Ireland,
which would be huge.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
How likely is this deal to go ahead. Do you
think what do you think will happen?
Speaker 5 (06:12):
If I put that in an Australian context, the NRL,
alongside the AFL are the must have broadcasts in Australia.
So in other words, if you are a serious sports broadcaster,
you want both of those, and you probably would like
cricket in summer now that's what Foxtell has currently and
(06:33):
in a New Zealand context you want rugby, but increasingly
you're going to be more interested in the NRL as well.
So the combination of both means it's very attractive to
a sports streaming service like the ones you've named a
sky TV.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
In trouble here, they lose the NRL, this will be
the death now.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
Not necessarily so, because one of the things that the
SkyTV New Zealand has done, which is really smart, they've
acquired some of the World Cup rugby rights independently of
New Zealand Rugby and they're playing, as I understand, and
hardball get the price more equitable for both in terms
of their current rights. But if they having ANRL, especially
(07:20):
again as I mentioned, a second team, that would be significant.
And if I was SkyTV in New Zealand and sports
their key driver. I would want both rugby and I'd
want NURL as well. If they don't have it, they
could potentially lose subscriptions from that. And the key for
them is being the owner of sport in New Zealand.
(07:41):
But if one of the big players comes in and
there's real economies of scale of operating in Australia New
Zealand business, that would be a real threat.
Speaker 3 (07:50):
What about the uptake You mentioned Spark and one of
the issues they had was reasonable new technology, a lot
of people reticent to actually engage. Maybe we have a
situation where the connections weren't as fast as they as
they are now. Do you think with the advancement of
a few years and where people are going with their
ability to stream and the technology behind it, there will
(08:12):
be a big up take? Is that going to get
in the way?
Speaker 5 (08:15):
Do you think streamers now have sold most of their
technical issues and can take constreme sport the most popular
sports as well, So you're going to get less of
the issues of what i'd call loosely the blackouts, which
were major issues for the Rugby World couple number of
years ago in New Zealand. That won't be the case
(08:36):
and so they are genuine competitors if they want to
enter the market. The beauty is they could enter the
market as they're going to more than likely acquire Foxtel
and Australia. They could then send their product into New
Zealand as well.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
What about pricing, We know what it's going to cost
when we think, we know it's going to cost these
big players, but what about us? What's that going to
do to our bill?
Speaker 5 (08:59):
They are going to make sure their competitive in the marketplace,
so you and I will want to subscribe them so
with attractive content. They don't have a reputation for pricing up.
They have a reputation for being low cost in their
entry prices. So in other words, your streaming costs for
(09:21):
a connection to one of these streaming services won't be excessive.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Colin Smith love chatting with you. It's always a pleasure.
Thanks very much for your time. Look forward to doing
it all again because it's such a dynamic space. You
never know what might happen next week. Colin Smith's sports
rights consultant. Thanks for yours pleasure.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
This is Sportsfix, your daily dose of sports news. How
In by News talks be.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
I don't think the importance of merely Kerr as a
cricketer can be overstated. Picking up the gong for the
best Cricketer in the World for women through the ICC
for twenty twenty four was a huge underlining of her
importance for the game, not only globally, but more specifically
in the New Zealand market. In order to be you
(10:13):
need to see. The example that this young woman has
set for aspiring New Zealand female cricketers has been immense.
The reason she has achieved what she has achieved is
by watching the likes of Sophie Devine and Susie Bates
in their pomp and let's face it, they're still very
close to that now and that has given her the need,
(10:35):
the want, the desire to scale the cricketing heights that
she has Now you have, thank you very much, Free
to AIRTV a demonstration of how important aspirational players are.
Not only is she a tremendous cricketer who spends more
and more time growing what she does, increasing her skill
(10:56):
base and providing wonderful entertainment, she's also an overwhelmingly friendly character.
She is fantastic with the media. She understands the import
she has and the cog that she is in the
wheel of New Zealand women's cricket. She doesn't overstate her
own importance when it comes to the quality of her
(11:16):
play and her delivery, but I'm sure deep down inside
she knows that it's women like her that provide a
platform for other young girls to jump up to the
levels that she has. Ameliaccur or merely as she prefers
to be known as an exceptional talent and at only
twenty four years old, she has the cricketing world ahead
(11:39):
of her. Let's just hope the New Zealand Cricket see
fits to pester the ICC to introduce the test format
to women's cricket. And is a strange fact that I
picked up yesterday and talking with Mealy Kerr, she has
never played a game of red ball cricket. That and
my opinion needs to change. Congratulation merely, you're a superstar
(12:04):
and you've now been recognized on the global stage.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Is now in session on Sportsfix.
Speaker 5 (12:13):
And it's warm.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
Welcome into the chamber to Alex Powell for the first
time in twenty twenty five. Alex, Greetings, I trust your
well and I're on top of the world.
Speaker 6 (12:22):
Can we still say that happen in a year. Is
it too late?
Speaker 3 (12:24):
No, it's way too late for that. I'm just I'll
eat it that out. But it's a podcast, so I can't.
So let's just carry on with what we're supposed to
be talking about sports news stories of the day. So
the NRL rights could go to Netflix or maybe does Zone.
It's sky in huge trouble here.
Speaker 6 (12:40):
I mean, that's such a tough one because this landscape
is always changing. I mean you remember when Spark came
in and we all thought, well, this all change everything
and we're going to watch sport online and then it didn't.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Well, the problem with that was it was too early,
it was so that was the issue. People still were going,
oh no, no, no linear TV, Skybox, I can't do ah
And it failed there, didn't it well?
Speaker 6 (12:59):
I mean it did, sadly, But has has New Zealand
changed that much it'll be any different this time around
if people have to sign it to Netflix to watch
the NRL.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
And it totally I'd suggest that the people who are
signing up and signing in are of an age now
that they are fully on that tip, that they're ahead
of the gaming. Look, even though I can do it.
Speaker 6 (13:19):
I meant I wouldn't discount the old school league community
here who a lot of them will have established and
settled viewing patterns where they sit around on a Friday night,
you flip the telly on, you do it, you know,
on a Saturday, and to ask them to change that
and do it all through your phone or through your laptop.
I think it will really take some time to get
used to if it does happen.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
But they kind of have to the NRL hardcore because
it's been on Sky and has been there for so
long now, and if they want to watch their favorite
sport and it's a big draw card for Sky, they're
going to have to upskill. And I'd suggest s it's Netflix.
They couldn't care less because you see on such a
small part of the market.
Speaker 6 (13:56):
Right No, I mean the NRL will go with who
gives them the best deal a way't they? You know
the way sport is now, money comes from TV viewing
rights or streaming rights, So if you want to actually
keep up with other sports around you, you have to go
out there and get the best deals so you can
pay the player's top dollar to keep them in your code,
especially for the NRL, who are always losing talent elsewhere.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Yeah, but the NRL they signed to Netflix. They're not
going to give one rats about what happens over in
New Zealand to their view base because it's too small, right,
They're going to go, just look, this is it, this
is the deal. This is that we've got pick up
and run with it. It really doesn't matter, not saying
they disrespect New Zealand audiences, not particularly like our team,
the NUTRAL. But anyway, see what I'm saying here.
Speaker 6 (14:35):
I do, But I think it depends how long term
they're thinking, because if they do this the first time
and get a lot of money from Netflix on his
own and then it doesn't work, they'll have there'll be
negotiating from a position of weakness the next time it
comes up to actually do one of these deals. So
these things are all fascinating to watch how they play out.
Speaker 3 (14:51):
So ridiculously fluid. And that's the nature of broadcastings, the
nature of sport and media full stop, isn't it.
Speaker 6 (14:58):
Well if you look over in England at the Premier
League football, because they do what's called non exclusive rights.
In New Zealand, we're very big on exclusive rights, so you
only have one place to watch something, whereas they'll sell
chunks of to one company and chunks to another. So
if you want to watch the Premier League, you're a
football fan, you've got to get about three or four
different subscriptions and you're paying through your those for all
of them. So, I mean, I really hope this goes
(15:19):
well for the fans.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
With Netflix and their expanding reach when it comes to sport,
even dozone to a degree, I wonder how long it
is before Netflix snaffle massive American sport like NASCAR, for example,
which is pretty much a weekly experience made Indy Car's
not that big, but golf that they are coming and
(15:41):
they are swooping.
Speaker 6 (15:42):
Well, they had the NFL for over the Christmas period,
didn't they? Netflix?
Speaker 3 (15:44):
There you go?
Speaker 6 (15:45):
So, I mean, was it the Jake Paul Tommy Fury,
one of the flaw Jake Paul Mike Tyson. Wasn't it
they had that right or those rights? I should say, so,
look it's not Netflix have shown this is somewhere they're
prepared to go and they can pull it.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
Off, and they probably will, and we just have to
sit there and twittle our fingers and I suppose get
up skilled. If you're part of the generation, you can't
deal with it because if you can't develop, you die.
Basic good, isn't it. That's a horrible thing to say.
Let's walk away from that though. We go from one
end of the skull down to the other end. I
say the other end. Because a white fern Mealy or
(16:17):
Amelia Kerr has picked up the gong for the ICC
Women's Cricketer of the Year are well deserved at the
tender age of twenty four. I been playing since she
was sixteen years old at a national level. No real
surprise here, right, I don't know.
Speaker 6 (16:33):
You look at some of the players that she was
up against, Laura Wolvera and Shamari Atapadu from Sri Lanka
or South Afrid and Strilanka is Biftily there's some bloody
good players in the women's game. You know, Amelia Kurt
doesn't play test cricket, which you look at England and
Australia and India, they all get to do that, so
they even very got more opportunities to present their case
of why did the best player in the world. But
the thing with the Melli curse, she does it when
it matters. You know, she was the player of the
(16:54):
tournament at the TEA twenty World Cup. That was the
only title that was on the line.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Last year, and the team was cooked before that and
they came through and actually did something extraordinary the end.
I'm just you mention test cricket there, because I was
speaking with Meely yesterday about Test cricket and the war.
She said something that kind of surprised me. I've never
played red ball cricket. I would love to play red
ball cricket. I wonder if maybe there might be some
(17:18):
traction there. Even though apparently test cricket is dying, is
that the next step for her? Because she's only twenty four,
she could be playing for another ten or fifteen years,
couldn't she.
Speaker 6 (17:27):
If you look around the world, what's happening with New
Zealand and the white fans and not playing test cricket
does seem to be the exception. There are more women's
tests that there is a demand. You look at the
women's ashes we've got at the moment, South Africa playing
women's test cricket, India playing women's test cricket. I think
the West Indies are playing women's Test cricket, so there
is appetite for it. It's just can financially can it
(17:48):
work out for all parties? And I think what we've
seen even with the men's tand the Black Caps, it
just doesn't always work. In New Zealand only player I
think at the moment four tests this year because it's
just not viable.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
I suppose if you look at the explosion the curve
when it comes to interest and coverage of women's cricket,
it's accelerated ridiculous. She first played only eight years ago,
so it's not out of the question, is it. But
you mentioned that key thing there is all about the Benjamins,
show me the money.
Speaker 6 (18:17):
I mean, it all comes back to that, doesn't it.
Sport has to be a business at the end of
the day. We've seen so many businesses go under it,
you know, with how things are at the moment, and
sports no exception. If it's not there, it will not work.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
And as far as Mealie's futures con sun, you don't
see her disappearing. Off are their leagues. They take twenty leagues.
If you could run away to and never see her again,
you wouldn't think so, right.
Speaker 6 (18:37):
I mean, she's already in very high demand, and the
woman says to when she's played in the Big Bear,
she's played in the Hundred, she's played in the WPL.
I think just the state of the women's game and
the landscape, I should say, rather than the state, means
that there are less conflict of these women's legs because
they do have clearly defined windows. If that were to change,
then yet we should probably worry because the law of money,
(18:59):
and we shouldn't expect places to turn down money because
that's just not how the world works. But I think
if that's where it was going to go, then yep,
we're to wary. But for now, I think the woman's
game does have a very nice equal in between club
and country.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Well that Alex will release you from the chamber. Thanks
very much for your time and your expertise. Aw as
a pleasure, my friend. Thanks mate.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Dissecting the sporting agenda, it's Sports Fix with Jason Pine
and Darcy.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
Waldgrave, signed, sealed and delivered that Sports Fix for the
twenty ninth of January twenty twenty five. I'm Darcy Waldgrave
and along with Jason Pine, we are Sports Fix and
if you want more from both of US characters and
sport audio you can interact with. By all, it means
Sports Talk seven to eight Monday through Friday, call on
(19:44):
through eight hundred and eighty ten eighty. You can Texas
as well nine two nine two over the weekend Jason
Pine's Got the Whole Kit and Kamootle twelve mid day
through three o'clock with weekend sport. And if you've enjoyed
what you've heard, by all means subscribe. It means this
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of course, if you have really enjoyed it, why don't
(20:06):
you tell your mates and get them so subscribe to
you have a wonderful rest of your day. I'm Darcy Watergrave.
Catch again tomorrow here on the Fix.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
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