Spark Sport kicks off at $20 a month

Spark revealed the company's Spark Sport service will launch early next month. Customers signing for the service will get a one month free trial. After that they will pay $20 a month for access to all the sporting codes. It's a pay-as-you-go model with customers not being asked to sign long-term contracts.

The streaming service will be online in time for the Australian Grand Prix. As the technology is untested at scale, Spark Sport is hedging by simultaneously broadcasting them on TVNZ's free Duke channel.

At the time of writing Spark Sport's launch line-up includes: Formula 1, the FIH Pro hockey league, live NBA basketball matches, Heineken Cup Rugby games, some Premier League and Champions League content and the World Rally Championships.

Beta test

Spark Sport says the launch will start as a beta test. This will let the company test its technology in real conditions. Jeff Latch, who heads the operation, says: “We will continually be developing the platform and rolling out new functionality in the weeks and months after launch.”

From day one the service will be available on most popular web browsers. There are options for customers with Apple iPhones, iPads and AirPlay. Spark Sport will also work with Android phones, tablets and Chromecast. Later there will apps for some Samsung TVs. Over time this range will broaden to include other smart TV brands and Apple TV.

Spark Sport says it will reveal details about its Rugby World Cup streaming next month after the launch of the initial service.

Spark profit drops as Southern Cross Cable misses dividend

Spark booked a profit of $153m for the six months to December 31. That's down 5.6 percent on the year earlier and below analyst expectations. Revenue was flat at $1.75 billion. In the same period a year earlier Spark collected a $28 million dividend from Southern Cross Cable. None was paid this time.

Sky TV drops 28,000 subscribers, juggles prices

Sky TV says it lost 28,000 subscribers last year. While alarming, the number is relatively small, Sky still has 750,000 subscribers and reaches about 43 percent of the market.

The company says it is changing its price structure so that customers no longer pay extra for high definition television, but otherwise its prices will rise by about two percent. In its half year results Sky reported a net profit of $53.6 million, that's down by almost 20 percent on the year earlier. Revenue was down eight percent at $403 million.

TeamTalk profit down 11 percent on higher investment costs

TeamTalk reported a $1.9 million half-year profit, down 11 percent from last year's $2.1 million. Revenue was flat at $17 million, operating costs climbed seven percent to $7.9 million. The company says it invested $3.6 million on its new digital radio network during the period. The company also announced it has a five-year contract to manage the telecommunications network for Powerco, an energy company.

Network for Learning security upgrade reaches halfway point

Network for Learning says more than 1300 of the 2450 or so schools using its managed network services now have upgraded firewalls and web filtering. N4L says the upgrade will protect against online threats and will help schools stop students using virtual private networks to bypass filtering. The Crown-owned company says it also plans to upgrade many schools to a 1 Gbps service by October.

Spark completes IoT network roll-out

Spark says it has finished rolling-out its Cat-M1 cellular Internet of Things (IoT) network. The network is based on Spark's mobile sites and now covers 98 percent of the nation's population. Intellihub, a smart meter service, is the first company to use the network. It services Trustpower's meters.