Maori TV considers ad-free World Cup games

Rugby fans could see all 48 games at the 2011 Rugby World Cup without advertisements under plans being considered by Maori Television.

Maori TV chief executive Jim Mather said ad-free coverage of the 16 live and 32 delayed games the broadcaster will show could help it regain the initiative after its bid for exclusive free-to-air rights was blocked by the Government.

Prime Minister John Key has brokered a joint bid that will see Maori TV show all the games, but share some of the live matches with Television New Zealand and TV3.

The International Rugby Board is understood to be close to accepting the bid, which involves up to $3 million of taxpayer funds.

Mr Mather told Parliament's Maori affairs committee yesterday he was disappointed the Government had stepped in to stop Maori TV's exclusive bid, which would have been funded using $3 million from Te Puni Kokiri.

He said the veto amounted to "political management" of Maori TV's editorial and commercial independence, and had undermined an important initiative to get more Kiwis watching the network.

But the broadcaster is considering ways to maximise its share of World Cup viewers.

"Quite aside from what we're expecting to do – give this a very specific Maori and Polynesia/Pacific flavour ... we also expect the fact that [showing] all 48 games uninterrupted, no ads, would be quite a compelling reason for many viewers to watch our particular broadcast," Mr Mather said.

"We haven't made that decision yet, but those are the sorts of things that we're considering at this time."

Under the joint bid, Maori TV will get the rights to all 16 live free-to-air games, but will share the final, third place playoff, semi- and quarterfinals with TVNZ and TV3.

TVNZ will also share the opening ceremony and opening game between the All Blacks and Tonga, with Maori TV and TV3 sharing the All Blacks-France pool game.

The deal gives the other two broadcasters nine live games each.

Maori TV will air delayed coverage of the remaining 32 games. Every match will be shown live on Sky, meaning some games will beon four networks at the same time.

A spokeswoman for TVNZ said last night it was too soon to say if it would consider ad-free cover.

Mr Key yesterday rejected Mr Mather's claim that the Government stepping in to stop the exclusive Maori TV bid was political interference. "The reality is that once you've got taxpayer dollars involved, which is exactly the case here .. . then I think it is a political event."

A TV3 spokesman said it would never show ads while live rugby was being played, but had to show them during the halftime breaks as it was a commercial operator funded by advertising.

- © Fairfax NZ News