The Netball New Zealand governing body has announced the 2026 edition of the country’s top-tier netball competition, the ANZ Premiership, will be aired by public broadcaster TVNZ.
TVNZ replaces pay-TV heavyweight Sky NZ, which has held the rights to the competition since 2008, most recently securing a one-year extension to cover the recently concluded 2025 season.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The new deal will see the competition return to its first home, TVNZ, which will show all games across its linear TVNZ 2 channel and TVNZ+ streaming platform.
The deal builds upon an earlier Netball NZ partnership with TVNZ, which saw the public broadcaster show Saturday games live FTA alongside Sky NZ during the 2024 season.
For the 2025 season, meanwhile, Netball NZ produced the Saturday game, which screened exclusively on TVSN, while Sky NZ aired it on delay.
As part of the new deal, Netball NZ has reportedly agreed to produce the games itself in exchange for increasing its visibility through FTA.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataIn an email, obtained by the NZ Herald publication, Netball NZ chief executive Jennie Wyllie told stakeholders that the governing body had “made the decision to invest its own resources in the production and delivery of the 2026 ANZ Premiership, a commitment we believe is vital to ensuring the continued visibility and accessibility of our game.”
However, she warned: “Our reserves are obviously not infinite, so we are continuing to work with our partners on a new funding model that can deliver a sustainable competition.”
Wyllie has now publicly commented: “Following a season where we’ve seen strong broadcast numbers, fantastic match attendances and unprecedented global viewership, it’s exciting to now have the opportunity for even more New Zealanders to enjoy the game on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+.
“Netball is played and loved by hundreds of thousands across Aotearoa, and this move will help bring the sport closer to communities nationwide.”
The competition will follow a two-round format, played between six domestic teams, before the final series. There will be 30 round robin matches and two finals over 12 weeks.
Melodie Robinson, TVNZ’s head of sports, events, and partnerships, said: “Our netballers are at the top of their game, they're powerful wāhine toa, and we're thrilled to be connecting tamariki with the heroes who inspire them, bringing the excitement straight into their homes each weekend.”
The change in broadcaster comes amid a push for more domestic sports in New Zealand to be shown FTA to grow exposure, with the previous deal between Netball NZ and TVNZ for the Saturday game coming as part of the movement.
For the 2025 season of basketball’s NBL, for example, Sky NZ streams Friday night games on TikTok, while Sunday games have also been made available FTA on its Sky Open channel.
