Sportcal

TVNZ to launch first pay-TV offering after landing 2026 World Cup rights

Access to the entire tournament will only be available through an event pass on TVNZ+.

Public broadcaster Television New Zealand (TVNZ) has announced it will launch its first pay-TV offering after winning a landmark agreement to air soccer’s flagship 2026 FIFA World Cup.

TVNZ replaces the country’s dominant pay-TV broadcaster Sky NZ, which held the main rights in New Zealand to air the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as well as Amazon Prime and media company Stuff, which showed select games free-to-air (FTA).

The broadcaster said while it will still show all matches involving the All Whites national team, along with other select games, on a FTA basis, access to the entire tournament schedule will only be made available to those who purchase an event pass on its streaming service TVNZ+.

It will be the first time that TVNZ has charged fees for access to its content.

Next year’s World Cup is being staged across the US, Canada, and Mexico and will feature an extended list of 48 teams, including New Zealand’s All Whites, playing 104 matches across 39 days.

The broadcaster’s rights package also includes FTA coverage of the Under-17 and Under-20 men’s and women’s World Cups this year and in 2026, respectively.

TVNZ chief executive Jodi O’Donnell said: “Launching a pay product means TVNZ can competitively bid for and acquire more sports and serve it to audiences in the ways they want to watch it – whether it’s every moment live, or free-to-air on our channels.”

TVNZ has previously said that while it will maintain its original FTA ad-funded business model, it was looking to introduce pay-TV offerings as part of its five-year digital strategy.

The latest rights are the third to be announced by TVNZ in the past month as it looks to compete with the country’s dominant sports broadcaster, Sky NZ.

Last week, the broadcaster was announced as New Zealand Rugby’s FTA provincial rugby partner, covering the men’s annual National Provincial Championship and the women’s top-tier Farah Palmer Cup.

The broadcaster also snapped up rights to cover the 2026 edition of the country’s top-tier network competition, the ANZ Premiership, from previous holder Sky NZ.