Another thing that people aren't talking about is how are people supposed to get introduced and fall in love with the sport when it is behind a pay bracket. I have only got back into EPL the last 3 and a half years after the All Whites campaign in 2010, I feel I wouldn't of gone down this rabbit hole of watching every game and checking transfer rumors if I couldn't simply watch and record it on Sky Sport.
TVOne will have Match of the Week at 12pm every Sunday and a highlights package every Monday night, so this will actually cause more exposure for football in this country. Anyone with a TV will have some coverage of it now, not just Sky subscribers. Not to mention that Sommet Sports are going to be broadcasting a wide range of football leagues on Freeview next season.
Yip, if all you have is Freeview then with Sommet Sports coming on the scene and some free EPL on TVNZ you are now significantly better off as a footy fan. On balance I think this is a big boost for football in NZ. NZF should be considering jumping ship to one of Sommet or Coliseum also. Then the only issue is the A-League.
Of course, this will only be the situation for the next year or two until all the rights get re-negotiated and go back on the merry-go-round again.