42 LISTENER SEPTEMBER 14 2019
THIS LIFE
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A
s Rugby World Cup fever builds, so, too,
does the pressure on Spark to make sure we
can actually watch it via the internet.
It is make or break for Spark Sport,
the service that the country’s largest broadband
provider will use to live-stream all 48 games of the
tournament after it outbid Sky TV for the rights. If
the All Blacks make it to the final, it might become
the most-streamed event in New Zealand’s history.
Can our broadband network handle it?
Definitely, if you are on ultrafast broadband;
probably, if you are on a good copper-line
connection. In rural areas with patchy service, it
will be hit-and-miss. I wouldn’t want to rely on a
mobile connection to stream the games, either.
So, it was a smart move by Spark to do a deal
with Sky TV to allow commercial venues to screen
all the games live on a Spark Sport pop-up channel
on their Sky decoder. Bars and clubs will pay
commercial rates to do so, although some will take
the cheaper and riskier option of just streaming the
Spark Sport app over their internet connection.
At least then you’ll be able to head out and find
somewhere showing the games. In rural areas,
Spark Sport is also offering schools a free Rugby
World Cup tournament pass, which is a smart
move. If anywhere in town is going to have good
broadband, it will be the local school, and it’s a great
opportunity to put on a barbecue
and get the community together.
But there are a number of
potential failure points between
the stadiums of Japan and the
screen you’ll watch the gameson. Australia’s Optus suffered an
embarrassing failure last year when
its video streaming of the Fifa World
Cup failed. It had to ask broadcaster
SBS to show some of the games on
free-to-air TV.
Spark has that card to play as a last
resort. Its broadcast partner, TVNZ,
will screen 12 games – seven of
them live, including the tournament
opener, semi-finals and final. The
New Zealand pool matches and
quarter-final will be delayed by onehour. TVNZ also has the ability to
broadcast the remaining games if
Spark Sport falls over.
But, even if everything goes to
plan, there could still be anguish
in your lounge if you don’t plan
ahead and check your technology to
see you have everything you need
to stream the games. Here are the
options for watching the World Cup
at home:SMART TVs The easiest way to view
involves downloading the Spark Sport
app onto your smart TV and opening
it with a click of your remote.
But only 2017 onwards Samsung,
Panasonic, Sony and TCL and 2019
LG smart TVs will have the Spark
Sport app in time for the tournament.PLUG AND PLAY For older and
incompatible TVs that have an HDMI
connection, you can plug in your
laptop with an HDMI cable to stream
Spark Sport from your web browser
and mirror it on your TV screen. You
may need an HDMI adapter to allow
this, and make sure your browser is
up to date.FREEVIEW AND APPLE TV Two
Freeview devices support the Spark
Sport app. The puck-shaped Dish TV
SmartVu X gadget will give your old
TV with HDMI a smart-TV interface,
as will the Dish TV Freeview A2
recorder ($439). Apple TV 4K box
(from $179) and older HD versions
will support the Spark Sport app.CHROMECAST The tiny dongle from
Google ($60-$110) plugs into your
TV and lets you wirelessly send Spark
Sport from your phone or computer
to your TV screen.SMARTPHONES AND TABLETS
If big-screen viewing isn’t important,
the Spark Sport app is on iOS and
Android smartphones and tablets,
too. You’ll need a Spark Sport tourna-
ment pass ($80 until September 10,
then $90) to stream all games. Make
sure to test out your set-up well before
kick-off on September 20. lSport streaming’s
acid test
The Rugby World Cup
will challenge the tech
savviness of both Kiwi
sports fans and broadband
provider Spark.
by Peter Griffin
TECHNOLOGY
There are a number
of potential failure
points between thestadiums of Japan
and the screen you’ll
watch the games on.It’s make-or-break time for Spark Sport
and its Rugby World Cup live-streaming
services.Sonny Bill Williams
is likely to feature in
the All Blacks’ first
pool game against
South Africa.