*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread

[Prince EWS]

If nothing else, I'm a bit annoyed that Spark hasn't gotten around to making a PS4 app for Spark Sport, so for now I can only watch the cricket on my laptop or my phone.

In all likelihood if this doesn't work out for Spark then they'll just end up selling the rights back to Sky after a few years. Kinda doubt it'll kill cricket in the interim.

Can you Chromecast it?

You can get a second hand Chromecast for like $20.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

Isn't Spark at $25 quite a bit cheaper than SKY though? Looking at the latter it looks like you have to add some 'SKY starter' package to their Sport offering, which then pushes it out to like $58.

Yeah, with four months of scheduled games you’re pretty much paying a $100 season pass.

 

[SteveNZ]

I 100% completely agree with Reason. Selling the rights to Spark, even if they were the highest bidder, should be a national scandal.

My father, a single man who lives a long way from me, now has no access to the game he loves to watch. He is on a pension and does not own his own home, has no access to a laptop/desktop computer and has to wait until I can get up there to help him sort something out with my Spark log-in. He has Sky, which is his only form of entertainment. He's never had to worry about **** like this.

David White should give a giant **** about the people who are financially or logistically unable to watch our national game, whether it is because they can't afford it, they don't know how to stream it, they don't know how to sign up, their broadband is not strong enough to stream it, or whatever else.

 

[Kippax]

Yes I was quite surprised that an arrangement for Sky to keep putting it into rural homes became some big commercial no-no or a technical impossibility, something that couldn't be thrashed out for the benefit of all parties involved (rural families, NZC, Spark, Sky).

 

[Flem274*]

sparks coverage blows sky out of the water tbh. im glad they got the cricket, and its so good having the entire game on demand.

sky are getting their just desserts here for being anti-competitive trash and it's unbelievable to see people sticking up for them on social media. they're evil, they deserve to be forced to deliver a quality product.

my parents live rurally and can get spark with no issues, but im sure there are plenty who go without. that sucks, im not going to trivialise it, but this isn't sparks fault. they have every right to provide a cricketing product and im glad they exist.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Are the YouTube streams Spark?

 

[Kippax]

Well they're blocked to most of the eyes in here of course but I've seen both. Yes it is Spark's commentators and pictures.

 

[SteveNZ]

sparks coverage blows sky out of the water tbh. im glad they got the cricket, and its so good having the entire game on demand.

sky are getting their just desserts here for being anti-competitive trash and it's unbelievable to see people sticking up for them on social media. they're evil, they deserve to be forced to deliver a quality product.

my parents live rurally and can get spark with no issues, but im sure there are plenty who go without. that sucks, im not going to trivialise it, but this isn't sparks fault. they have every right to provide a cricketing product and im glad they exist.

Honest question - what is Spark doing that blows Sky out of the water?

Sky has sucked for a long time, I agree. That's John Fellett's issue and he drove that company into the ground by refusing to move into the 21st century. And no, it's not Spark's fault. They have no obligation to the national game really, their business is profit. It's on NZC. As Kippax said, something should have been done to ensure that those who could not stream it were catered for. But David White failed in a duty of care to provide for constituents of the game - ie all New Zealanders. It's not just a media spin to suggest that when you take top level sport away from the eyes of those particularly at the lower level, you drain the enthusiasm and the future sustainability of the sport from the ground up.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

Honest question - what is Spark doing that blows Sky out of the water?

The commentary team, no Doull, way less bantz with da boiz, less cynical tone, the in depth interviews in breaks in play have been great, they’d never happen on sky, the general coverage between sessions is vastly improved with better analysis, and the viewer question thing is a good idea - they’ve picked a good mix of questions too. Post day’s play the interview session with three presenters and a player is very good too, compare that to the 30 seconds with Laura we used to get ... it’s been like chalk and cheese for me.

 

[jcas0167]

The Masterclass episodes with Kane and the Sophie Devine one are excellent. It's just a shame increased competition in the sports coverage market can paradoxically result in a smaller number of viewers. As I said on the NZ v WI thread, during the test I tried the Backbencher, Thistle and Trax at lunchtime and none had the cricket on. The guy at the Backbencher said they were considering getting it.

 

[Immenso]

Its is the highlight packages that beat sky,hands down. The session highlights, watch individually.

Miss 80% of the day because of work or other stuff, can still get a grip of what happened beyond just boundaries and wickets that sky served up. Invaluable in a game like test cricket.

 

[kaetor]

How are the highlight packages? I was trying to find a mention of them on the Spark Sports website but couldn't. Something like 20mins for a days play would be ideal for me. Guessing with a streaming service they are available on demand?

That's what I'm missing most - good highlights. The ones on NZC youtube are very disappointing

 

[The Hutt Rec]

Even the graphics are a slight upgrade ... for years Sky has never shown the number of over bowler in a test match, meaning you’d have to go to cricinfo to see how long till the second new ball.

 

[Immenso]

The day highlights are crap.

But the session highlights are bloody great.

There length (session highlights) seem to vary depending on how much action in a session I guess. being On Demand it doesn't need to fit a 25min schedule gap like sky. So it might be 14 mins for 1 session, 9 mins for the next etc. They are not made by a lazy batting-loving moron who only does boundaries, including 4 replays of a slice through vacant gully (cough, sky, cough).

Day (extended) highlights seem to be only 9 or so minutes. They also do a short day highlights package (3 or 4 minutes).

I'm not sure they do a 3rd session highlights, though. Or if they do it comes out later as the editor is still packaging the 2 full day packages.
So I watch session 1, session 2, then the full day but jump top the 3rd session part.

 

[Flem274*]

they do all 3

 

[thundaboult]

Adam Milne won't play for sydney thunder until december 22nd. Hamstring strain. Was keen on watching him play under shane bond today. Ugh...

Boy how cruel the cricket gods are...lockie out with a potentially serious injury too.

 

[Smudge]

someone do an OIA request to NZ Cricket (can you OIA them?)

No.

 

[Bahnz]

Adam Milne won't play for sydney thunder until december 22nd. Hamstring strain. Was keen on watching him play under shane bond today. Ugh...

Boy how cruel the cricket gods are...lockie out with a potentially serious injury too.

Milne won't play more than a few games all season due to injury. As usual.

As for Lockie, there's nothing potential about the seriousness of this injury. If it's a stress fracture, the best case scenario is 6 months on the sidelines and no recurring injury (probably won't be as quick after he comes back either). Real gut punch.

 

[Kippax]

Wellalbidarned always forewarned me about the looming stress fracture for Ferguson.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

The commentary team, no Doull, way less bantz with da boiz, less cynical tone, the in depth interviews in breaks in play have been great, they’d never happen on sky, the general coverage between sessions is vastly improved with better analysis, and the viewer question thing is a good idea - they’ve picked a good mix of questions too. Post day’s play the interview session with three presenters and a player is very good too, compare that to the 30 seconds with Laura we used to get ... it’s been like chalk and cheese for me.

Can I just add Scotty Stevenson is not good and has dragged this whole test coverage down lol