I am starting to get quite anxious at this point about Sparks coverage of the RWC.
Spark seems to be keeping the vast majority of details to itself, which I guess for commercial reasons, makes sense, however, for an event as significant to a huge number of Kiwi's, the lack of detail is unnerving.
The last two RWC's I have watched every single game. My intention was to do the same this year, however, all I can see mentioned is an App. Whilst I do understand App's can work on a number of platforms, these things usually take a fair number of iterations to bed down and get right.
As mentioned I watched every game, on Sky, with a good rewind and FFWD function, and I am a subscriber to Netflix and other streaming services. In my view, especially for sport, the seek options for Sky are FAR FAR superior to those of the SVOD functions.
With only 9 months to go, this has the risk of going really badly. I really hope it doesn't, but I feel that Spark should be making details clearer and testing on a wider scale should really be starting very soon.
I do not want to be limited to watching my RWC on a smartphone or ipad BTW, so I am hoping they have a native android app and that it's stable.
Personally, I'd have been much happier if Sky had retained the rights, in my experience, watching sport over a stream is considerably less reliable than over a satelite. Sky is a proven performer in delivering sport content, even at the premium that some people think they charge. I am still hopeful that Spark will share the rights with Sky.
It would be much more reassuring if Spark gave some solid details. I am not THAT worried what it costs, it's a 1/4 year option for me, but I want an excellent viewing experience. The advantage I think Spark has, is it may be able to support a greater number of platforms.