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Bit Of A Yarn

NZ Live Sold to NEP (NZ Live does the Trackside Broadcasts)


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NZ Live is the company that does the Trackside broadcasts and production.

 

 

US firm could produce NZ rugby matches in Australia, but says that's not its plan

CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF

NEP says it will give its New Zealand purchase whatever resources it needs to grow.

Sky Television's grip on domestic sports broadcasting could be loosened by the arrival of a deep-pocketed United States outdoor-broadcasting giant.

Pennsylvania-based NEP group now has the technology to produce Kiwi sports broadcasts either in New Zealand, or at "hubs" it has set up in Sydney or Melbourne.

NEP has taken over NZ Live, an Auckland company that films horse racing for the TAB and which also films productions for Television New Zealand, Maori Television and MediaWorks.

Sky TV has wrapped up broadcasting rights for the major domestic rugby, rugby league, netball and cricket competitions until between 2020 and 2021 and its investment in expensive outdoor broadcasting equipment has been one factor that helped it renew those contracts.

But NEP Australia president Soames Treffry said NEP could help the likes of Television New Zealand and Spark film sports events, or help sporting bodies sell games direct to the public.

"If rights come up for market, we will be there to support whoever the rights holder may be. In New Zealand there haven't been a lot of options necessarily."

Alternatively, it could film events for Sky if it wanted to outsource the production of live sports, he said.

Treffry said NEP would give NZ Live, which will be renamed NEP New Zealand, "whatever resources they need to grow their business".

NZ Live prepares to cover a Fox Memorial Shield match; it could be about to play a part in a bigger game.

NZ Live operations director Ray Standridge said NEP was the largest company of its kind in the world and "proactive with changing technology".

NEP's purchase of NZ Live came just a few weeks after Spark announced it had secured the rights to the 2019 Rugby World Cup, in partnership with TVNZ.

NEP was changing the way rugby and cricket was produced for Australian pay-television company Foxtel, Standridge said.

In the past, NEP would send an outside broadcasting truck to manage sports productions at stadiums.

But better broadband has allowed it to centralise the production of sports broadcasts at two hubs in Sydney and Melbourne, which means it need only dispatch camera-people to far-flung events, saving money.

"Increasingly, we are doing a lot of events for Fox Sports where we will have the main production crew stay in Sydney or Melbourne and the match might be in Perth. There are savings in travel and logistics, providing a more efficient outcome," Treffry said.

He downplayed the likelihood of NEP wanting to manage the production of Kiwi Super Rugby fixtures from Australia, if it won the job of producing them.

Producing sports broadcasts has involved sending trucks like these to stadiums, but better broadband may make that "old school".

"We are respectful culturally, so while it would be technically possible I don't think we would do that. I can't imagine it would be that welcome – New Zealand is a rugby club with four million members."

He did not rule out some broadcasts being produced in Australia on a case-by-case basis, but said its goal was to grow the New Zealand business.

"Importantly, it will be New Zealand sports done by New Zealand people."

NEP could put in a third hub in Auckland or Wellington as an alternative to using outside broadcasting trucks if demand justified it but, geographically, New Zealand did not have the same challenges Australia, he said.

 - Stuff

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THe prediction made by slam dunk in a posting on racecafe April 6 2014 has come true.

snippet from RC

"Remember a while back when Radio Pacific were having financial problems. Well the Racing Board invested into Radio Pacific and a few years later walked of with a profit of well over $20 million. Racings biggest ever payday.
Now a prudent and enterprising CEO would conclude if that formula works why not try it again. Therefore investing in the Parnell Studio's would have been most likely the best options. Instead we have two or three individuals piggy backing on racing and probably walking of with millions profit when selling the business later on. Millions which should have stayed with racing.
Just how much is Racing in terms of funding,expertise and goodwill contributing to NZ Live Ltd. Hard working industry employees,jockeys,trainers and long suffering owners, sponsors  are being used as pawns to enrich a few."
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  • 2 years later...

What's worse is the NZ Live/NEP contract is one of the long term ones that the NZ TAB signed up to that led to the bailout.

But wait it gets worse it is this contract that has forced the HD broadcasting and telco network upgrades and subsequent increase in operating costs onto NZ TAB.

Meanwhile us mere customers struggle to get Trackside full screen on our Smart Phones without buffering!

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