Sky NZ Chief Executive Martin Stewart has announced that from 1 August all Sky Sport customers will receive 12 dedicated sport channels, including:
- Dedicated homes for Rugby, Cricket, Golf and Football – and channels that strongly feature Netball, League, Motorsport, and more;
- A new Sky Sport News channel; and
- two ESPN channels
All 12 channels will be in HD. There will also be additional pop-up channels for major events like the Australian Tennis Open and Tokyo Olympics Games.
Martin Stewart said, “We’re supercharging Sky Sport. The enhancements are designed for the millions of New Zealanders who love sport. We already have nationwide reach and a reliable service that we know our customers value. By enhancing the channel line-up we’re giving them even more sport, better content discovery, and in glorious HD as well.
“The depth and breadth of our sports offer is second to none, and we continue to add more. We were delighted to announce our six-year deal with Cricket Australia last week, including the iconic Boxing Day Tests back for the first time since 1987, and there’s more to come. Delivering the best sport to our customers and helping our sports partners grow their sport is what we’re here for.”
The full new channel line-up is:
- Sky Sport News
- Sky Sport 1 – Rugby 24/7
- Sky Sport 2 – Cricket 24/7
- Sky Sport 3 – Home of Netball
- Sky Sport 4 – Home of Rugby League
- Sky Sport 5 – Home of Motorsport
- Sky Sport 6 – Golf 24/7
- Sky Sport 7 – Football 24/7
- Sky Sport 8 – Best of The Rest
- Sky Sport 9 – Best of The Rest
- ESPN
- ESPN 2
Sky NZ will also launch a new Sky Sport News channel which will broadcast the latest sports news from New Zealand and across the globe 24/7. It will show live sports news bulletins from New Zealand and around the world including Fox Sports News Australia and Sky Sports News UK, along with breaking news and live press conferences.
Martin Stewart says, “The Sky Sport News channel is an exciting new initiative. We will have daily news from New Zealand and around the world, expert opinion and analysis, exclusive interviews, and a raft of features to keep every keen sports fan engaged.
“We’ll also be launching brand new Sky Sport News shows, including an exciting morning news service, live from our state-of-the-art Auckland studios in September, drawing on the resources of our world-renowned Sky Sport crew.
“I’m also pleased to announce that talented broadcasters Kate King and Goran Paladin will be joining us as presenters. They will be joined by some other exciting local talent, so watch this space.”
The channel will be live from 1 August, and special local shows will start on 2 September.
Capping it all off, Sky NZ has also announced a new sports streaming app giving mobile access to its full line-up of sports channels.
“Sky was the first company to bring sport streaming to New Zealand, first with Sky Go and then Fan Pass. Fan Pass has efficiently streamed four sports channels 24/7 for the last 4½ years, but we know sports fans are looking for more,” said Chief Executive Martin Stewart. “Today we are supercharging it. We have already delivered cheaper pricing for it, and from 14 August we will replace it with our new sports app, Sky Sport Now.”
The Sky Sport Now app will feature:
- All 12 Sky Sport channels (compared to the 4 channels on Fan Pass), including dedicated homes for Rugby, Cricket, Football and Golf; and channels that strongly feature Netball, League, Motorsport and more; and the two ESPN channels
- The new Sky Sport News channel, with daily news from New Zealand and around the world, expert opinion and analysis, exclusive interviews, and a raft of features to keep every keen sports fan ‘in the know’
- The ability to link to a big screen
- Flexible pricing, with weekly and monthly prices, and a special annual deal
- Access to replays, highlights, features and documentaries on demand; and
- A new stats section, with results, fixtures, tables and top performers.
Martin Stewart said, “I announced last month that we are accelerating our focus on streaming services. Sky Sport Now is the first evidence of that strategy. It’s a superb sport streaming offer, and we want it to be in hands of every Kiwi sports fan, wherever they are.
“Sports fans are increasingly mobile, and often time poor. Young fans in particular are looking for a range of experiences. Sky Sport Now is one way we can make sport more accessible, exciting and appealing. We want to delight our customers every day, and we want to be in hands of every New Zealander.”
Sky Sport Now will be available from 14 August.
Visit https://www.sky.co.nz