New Zealanders to have more ways to watch rugby than ever before

• New five-year agreement with Sky for 2026-30 as broadcast partner for all of rugby in New Zealand, including All Blacks, Black Ferns and Super Rugby.  

• Exciting new international calendar for the All Blacks and Black Ferns over the five-year period, including new tours and competitions.  

• TVNZ becomes NZR’s free-to-air provincial rugby partner, with 93 matches set to be broadcast. 

• Domestic broadcast revenues will support forecast record commercial, broadcast and matchday revenue in 2026.  

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has confirmed a new broadcast agreement with Sky as the broadcast partner for all of rugby in New Zealand for the 2026-2030 period.

NZR Chair David Kirk said: “We’re delighted to confirm this new agreement with our long-term partner Sky, which will see Sky remain the home of rugby in New Zealand. The next five years are exciting for fans, with the best domestic competitions in the world and an amazing international calendar for our All Blacks and Black Ferns, including a men’s and historic first women’s British & Irish Lions tour”. 

TVNZ will become NZR’s free-to-air provincial rugby partner, which includes all Bunnings Warehouse NPC matches and select Farah Palmer Cup presented by Bunnings Warehouse and Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship games. 

“We are pleased to partner with TVNZ to provide expanded free-to-air coverage of provincial rugby. New Zealanders will have more ways to watch rugby than ever before over the next five years."

Kirk said NZR was focused on improving access to rugby for fans through this broadcast agreement and NZR’s wider content strategy, supported by exciting domestic and cross-border competitions and a block-buster international calendar. 

“The Black Ferns will take part in a new international women’s calendar from next year that will see them play more Test matches against the best teams in the world. We also have some exciting announcements to make in the coming months to confirm the All Blacks calendar, including new competitions and tours.” 

The agreement with TVNZ will see 93 provincial matches available free-to-view on TVNZ+, with three games a week in appointment viewing slots on TVNZ 1. These matches will also be shown co-exclusively live on Sky. 

“We see this as a win-win-win outcome – a secure revenue stream to support NZR in investing in rugby; Sky remaining our partner and the home of rugby; and a win for our fans as they will have more options and channels for viewing rugby.” 

Set against a backdrop of change and turbulence in domestic and international broadcasting and media landscapes, Kirk said there was much to be positive about in terms of the financial outcome, the expansion of rugby coverage and fan access.

“We have seen positive broadcast numbers on Sky for the All Blacks and Black Ferns this year and the Super Rugby Pacific Final enjoyed its best viewership since 2016.” 

International broadcast agreements next 

NZR will now focus on finalising its international broadcast agreements and there is strong global interest in the All Blacks and Black Ferns and in competitions.

“Just as we have seen significant growth in international sponsorship, our focus is now on completing these important international broadcast partnerships, which will add to our record commercial, broadcast and match-day revenue. 

“The next five years will see positive commercial growth internationally that will allow us to continue to reinvest back into rugby in New Zealand,” he said. 

Up to five offshore All Blacks and Black Ferns Test matches respectively across the 2026 to 2030 period are not included in the domestic broadcast agreement. These matches provide NZR with the flexibility to generate significant additional income if confirmed. Rights to broadcast these matches will be negotiated on a match-by-match basis at the time. 

Focus on fan engagement 

The new broadcast arrangements build on a period of sustained growth in viewership and fan engagement across NZR’s competitions, teams and brands. 

At the end of the regular season of the 2025 DHL Super Rugby Pacific competition, over 1.83 million New Zealanders had watched the competition on Sky Sport and free-to-air on Sky Open with the Super Rugby Pacific Final achieving the highest audience since the 2016 Final. A total of 726,000 watched on Sky Sport 1 and Sky Open and around 306,000 people watched on digital platforms Sky Sport Now and Sky Go.  

Nearly 600,000 New Zealanders watched the Black Ferns take on Australia in Wellington and 1.4m Kiwis watched the All Blacks v France series on Sky Sport and Sky Open and 640,000 watched on Sky Sport Now and Sky Go. 

Since launching the free digital streaming service NZR+ in 2023, NZR has seen unprecedented growth in its own digital channels and ability to connect directly with rugby fans.  

The All Blacks YouTube channel has 1.2m subscribers, up from half a million when NZR+ launched in August 2023. NZR+ itself now also has more than 320,000 subscribers, and NZR and Teams in Black brands had more than 13 million followers or subscribers across social media. 

Rugby viewing options  

Sky: Sky is the broadcast partner for all of rugby in New Zealand, including exclusive partner for All Blacks, Black Ferns, DHL Super Rugby Pacific, Sky Super Rugby Aupiki, men’s and women’s British & Irish Lions series, and co-exclusive partner for provincial rugby. Sky will deliver this exciting line-up to New Zealanders on the Sky Box and Pod (and the companion streaming app Sky Go). Kiwis can also stream it on Sky’s standalone sport app Sky Sport Now. 

TVNZ: TVNZ are NZR’s free-to-air provincial rugby partner, including the Bunnings Warehouse NPC and select Farah Palmer Cup presented by Bunnings Warehouse and Bunnings Warehouse Heartland Championship games. This comprises 93 Provincial Rugby matches across NPC, FPC and Heartland Championship. All matches will be available live and free on TVNZ+, with three matches a week in appointment viewing slots on TVNZ 1 (live to delayed). 

NZR+: NZR+ is the one-stop-shop for free New Zealand Rugby content, from match highlights to exclusive documentaries. NZR+ is available 24/7, 365-days a year and features behind the scenes, exclusive, and original content that can’t be found anywhere else. Some subscriptions offer Premium Content including Live matches and tournaments in 50+ territories outside of New Zealand.