TV-Sportforum

Eine Meldung aus Neuseeland zu den dortigen Zielen und Inhalten von SKY in der heutigen Ausgabe des "The Timaru Herald", SECTION: SPORT; Pg. 1

Broadcaster focuses on local sport after losing top football and PGA Tour golf, writes Simon Plumb.

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Sky Television says it will pursue domestic sport content more aggressively as the broadcasting giant adapts to New Zealand's rapidly- changing market.

Last week organisers of the New Zealand Open revealed Michael Hill's growing national golf tournament had secured live TV broadcasting, both in New Zealand and overseas territories, for the first time from 2015.

Sky spokeswoman Kirsty Way said that while Sky was yet to formally sign a rights deal to take the NZ Open's live feed, it is the broadcaster's intention to do so.

Over the past few days Sky has also secured new rights deals for domestic tennis and, rather bizarrely, has also been screening highlights of the New Zealand open billiards - one of the most niche sporting events available.

Way agreed that the NZ Open, tennis and billiards coverage represented a collective shift in Sky's content and an increased focus on local sport.

The move comes after Sky lost the live broadcast rights to the English Premier League in 2013, and, a matter of weeks ago, the live rights for the PGA Tour from January 2015 - both going to online venture Coliseum Sports Media.

"As we know, it's always quite costly to produce local sport. But we are trying to think outside the square to get as much local coverage as we can," Way said.

"Over the last few days, we've picked up the New Zealand tennis nationals which are coming up, so that's also good for us.

"We're just really looking at what we can do more locally."

Michael Glading, tournament director of the NZ Open, says increased funding for the event, from both government and the commercial sector, was the tipping point in live broadcasting now being achievable.

However, Glading also said that the NZ Open has been in ongoing discussions with Sky for the past five years about screening the event, and the satellite broadcaster had been helpful.

"We have raised the money for the broadcasting, we're funding it, but Sky are being very supportive," Glading said.

"In fairness to Sky, we've been talking to them for the last five years and our long- term goal is to be on live TV - and we would love them to be part of that.

"We're now developing from a highlights package in the short term to a live package for the long-term. Sky has come along with us for the journey, they've been a broadcast partner right from the start and gave more exposure to that one-hour highlight package than they would to most.

"Sky has been helping in a hundred ways, including giving us the commercial income from a telecast. That's great because it means that when we go out and sell sponsorship, we can sell advertising space - which impacts our frame, not theirs [Sky's] - so they have been very accommodating."

Way said Sky expected to make a decision by the end of the year on whether it would start offering subscribers standalone season tickets to watch individual sports or competitions online - without requiring a subscription to any of Sky's other pay- television services. Fairfax NZ