Sky Sport
Sky Sport logo
CountryNew Zealand
Programming
Language(s)English, Māori (special events)
Picture format1080i (HDTV) 16:9
Ownership
OwnerSky Network Television
History
Launched18 May 1990
Links
WebsiteOfficial Site
Availability
Streaming media
Sky Goskygo.co.nz
Sky Sport Nowskysportnow.co.nz

Sky Sport is a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by New Zealand's satellite pay-TV company, Sky.

History

Sky Sport 1 is the original Sky Television sport channel in New Zealand. It was first introduced in 1990 as Sky Sport on the Sky UHF service. When Sky Sport began it operated between the hours of noon and around midnight, and occasionally screened live sports events outside these hours. By July 1991, Sky Sport commenced 24-hour transmission with a direct feed of ESPN at certain times during the week.

A sister channel, Sky Sport 2 was launched in 1997 when Sky introduced a nationwide analogue direct broadcasting via satellite (DBS) service, followed by a third channel, Sky Sport 3 in 2003 and Sky Sport 4 in 2013.

On 1 August 2019, Sky launched five more Sky Sport channels, numbered from 5 to 9. Additionally all the channels were re-aligned to be sport-specific, and a Sky Sport News channel was launched providing the latest news and updates from across all sports. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand, the Sky Sport News channel was rebranded as Sky Sport Select, a combination of sports news and general sporting coverage.

Channels

Ten main channels comprise the Sky Sport service[1]

Channel Name Content
050Sky Sport SelectA mix of international sporting news supplied by Fox Sports News and general sport coverage.
051Sky Sport 1Rugby union coverage and a mix of other sports.
052Sky Sport 2General sport coverage.
053Sky Sport 3Cricket coverage and a mix of other sports.
054Sky Sport 4Rugby league coverage and a mix of other sports.
055Sky Sport 5Motorsport coverage and a mix of other sports. Includes content from Red Bull TV.
056Sky Sport 6Golf coverage, 24 hours a day.
057Sky Sport 7Association football coverage, 24 hours a day. Previously known as Sky Sport 7 beIN Sports from 2019-2023.
058Sky Sport Premier LeaguePremier League coverage, 24 hours a day. Includes coverage of all matches and Premier League-related content (e.g. match previews, highlights, documentaries).
059Sky Sport 9General sport coverage.

All Sky Sport channels are broadcast in 1080i high definition.

Pop-up channels

Additional Sky Sport channels are launched in order to broadcast major events such as the Australian Tennis Open and the Olympic Games.

Outside Broadcasting

Sky owned Outside Broadcasting Limited from 2010 to 2021, providing outside broadcast facilities for Sky Sport coverage with eight broadcast trucks and fly away kits. These traveled the length of New Zealand and overseas to cover events for Sky Sport. These trucks were also contracted out to other television networks like TVNZ and Māori Television. On 12 August 2020, Sky announced it had sold Outside Broadcasting to NEP New Zealand, part of American production company NEP Group. As part of the transaction, NEP will be Sky's outsourced technical production partner in New Zealand until at least 2030.[2] The sale was cleared by the Commerce Commission on 5 February 2021.[3]

Sky Sport Now

Sky Sport Now logo

On 14 August 2019, Sky launched Sky Sport Now, featuring online live streams for all 10 Sky Sport channels, highlights, on demand, match statistics and points tables. Three passes are available for purchase: a week pass, a month pass and a 12-month Pass. Pay-Per-View events can be purchased separately when they become available. Sky Sport Now is available via internet browsers as well as on iOS, Android and PlayStation 4 devices.

On 27 October 2020, Sky announced that its Sky Sport Now streaming service would be bundled with Spark Sport for a NZ$49.99 monthly subscription from 16 November 2020 onwards.[4]

Sports

Association football

Football

From 2019 until 2023, matches aired on beIN Sports platforms were also available on Sky Sport due to a four-year partnership contract.[5]

Leagues

Domestic cups

International club competitions

International matches

International tournaments

Beach Soccer

Futsal

International tournaments

Athletics

Australian rules

Basketball

Cricket

Cycling

Golf

Motor racing

Multi-discipline events

Netball

Rowing

Rugby league

Rugby union

Swimming

Tennis

Former logos

References

  1. ↑ "Life needs more sport! SKY supercharges sport offering with 12 sport channels". Sky Network Television. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  2. ↑ "Sky TV sells its outside broadcast subsidiary to NEP". Radio New Zealand. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  3. ↑ "Commission grants clearance for NEP to acquire Sky's outside broadcasting assets". Commerce Commission. 5 February 2021.
  4. ↑ Keall, Chris (27 October 2020). "Surprise deal: Sky Sport Now to be bundled with Spark Sport". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  5. ↑ "Champions League and La Liga headline Sky NZ's co-branded BeIN channel - SportsPro Media". www.sportspromedia.com. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
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