Streaming service Spark Sport has picked up the rights to UEFA club competitions in New Zealand.
In replacing Sky New Zealand as the country’s broadcaster, Spark will air the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the new third-tier UEFA Europa Conference League from the 2021/22 season.
The agreement, brokered by the Team Marketing agency, also includes highlights, review shows and clips of the action from each tournament.
“With these five top-tier competitions on Spark Sport, we will be the leading football destination for all Kiwi football fans as they tune in to watch the best football the world has to offer,” stated Jeff Latch, head of Spark Sport.
“Our content library has become more extensive as international rights holders look for providers who deliver to the growing demand in streaming. Our platform delivers to this changing broadcasting landscape.”
The deal builds on Spark’s rapidly expanding rights roster, which incorporates the English Premier League, Women’s Super League (WSL), Copa América and club channels MUTV and Liverpool TV.
Having launched around two years ago, the subscription streaming service also carries coverage of New Zealand cricket, Formula One, MotoGP, the National Basketball Association (NBA), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), National Football League (NFL) and WTA tennis.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director at UEFA, commented: “Spark Sport has ambitious plans in football, and we are excited to see it provide compelling coverage of the competitions for European club football fans in New Zealand.”
Earlier in the week, Australian streaming service Stan Sport acquired the rights to the UEFA club competitions in the region, with coverage for both parties kicking off in August when the Champions League gets underway.
