Sky and Discovery NZ have expanded their partnership by announcing select NRL and State of Origin matches will broadcast on Three and ThreeNow as well as live on Sky Sport and Sky Sport Now.
The deal begins with free-to-air coverage on Three of the Vodafone Warriors’ traditional Anzac Day encounter with Melbourne on Monday while the Vodafone Warriors’ May 14 match against South Sydney and State of Origin I on June 8 will also be shown on Three and ThreeNow along with live coverage on Sky Sport and Sky Sport Now.
All other NRL matches and State of Origin II and III will be live and exclusive on Sky.
Discovery’s broadcasts will be hosted by Newshub sports presenter Andrew Gourdie and special guests.
“Our goal at Sky is to deliver our great sport and entertainment content to New Zealanders in ways that work for them, right across the country,” said Sky New Zealand chief executive Sophie Moloney.
“We do that with our Sky Box and streaming services, and free-to-air is also an important part of the mix, which we deliver on Prime as well as through great partnerships like this one with Discovery.
“Our partnership with the NRL (and the New Zealand Rugby League) includes a shared commitment to growing the game of rugby league in New Zealand and we look forward to working with Discovery to deliver these special matches to more Kiwi fans.”
Coverage of the Anzac Day match will begin on Sky Sport at 8.00pm on Monday while Three will kick off at 8.30pm.
“We are excited to be delivering on our promise to bring even more sport to our audiences in 2022 in partnership with Sky,” said general manager Discovery New Zealand and Australia Glen Kyne.
“Last year we saw huge interest in our broadcast of State of Origin I, which was free-to-air on Three for the first time in 19 years. We’re thrilled to be offering more great action this year with three must-watch games across both NRL and State of Origin. Broadcasting these games on Three, ThreeNow, Sky and Sky Sport Now enables more Kiwis to enjoy the thrill of live rugby league.”
