It’s time to get your TV onto fibre
Us Kiwis use on average 234GB of data every month to stream our favourite movies, TV shows, sporting events and everything else we use our broadband for. So when it comes to watching all that great content, there’s nothing better than seeing it on your biggest screen.
If you want to do that buffer-free without any interruptions, you’ll need to connect your TV to fibre. This is important if you have multiple people streaming at the same time on multiple devices as you’ll want to ensure you have enough speed and capacity come game time.
So, stop squinting at the small screens and stream big New Zealand! Check out below for all you need to know about getting connected to fibre and making sure you’re set up for the best streaming experience.
Connecting your TV
How to set up your TV
Our resident tech expert Kurt Rodgers will show you how to set up your TV for the best streaming experience.
- Get on the best broadband connection available
- Plug your modem directly into your TV
- Get an unlimited data plan
Can your address get fibre?
Streaming devices
VodafoneTV
VodafoneTV brings your favourite channels and apps into one place, including Sky. There's no monthly cost to use VodafoneTV but certain apps and channels require a subscription before you can start watching them through your VodafoneTV.
It’s easy to set-up, features a 3-day rewind and 500 hours of recording and can connect to your modem for Wi-Fi and ethernet capability.
Priced at $179 and available from accredited retailers across New Zealand.
Casting sticks
Controlled by a smartphone or tablet, casting sticks plug straight into the back of your TV — no box required. This makes it an easy option for secondary TVs around your house.
Streaming boxes
A small box that plugs into your TV that you control with an included remote. They typically have the most features and widest selection of streaming services, and receive the most frequent software updates.
Smart TV
Smart TVs don’t require any extra hardware. With a Smart TV, all you need to do is turn it on and use the included remote control. They are easy to use and support a wide range of streaming apps.
Popular sports streaming services
Spark Sport
Spark Sport is a new sport streaming service that will offer global and local sport live and on demand. Spark has confirmed sports through the service will include the Rugby World Cup 2019, English Premier League, F1 and the FIA World Rally Championship. Monthly subscriptions will be $19.99 per month with package details for the Rugby World Cup to be announced in April. Spark Sport offers a free trial.
Fan Pass
Fan Pass is available on a range of devices (from phones to Smart TVs) and is pretty easy to use. You get high definition broadcasts of Sky Sport channels 1 to 4 and some on-demand highlights, all without a Sky TV subscription. And you can also access pay-per-view content. The six-month package is a reasonable $55.99 per month and that is usually enough to cover you for a sports season like Super Rugby and All Blacks tests or the NRL. A stand-alone month is a bit more pricey at $99.99.
NFL GamePass - American football
The NFL last season offered an array of packages for live and on-demand HD streams. An entire season is priced at a reasonable $US79.99, or you could follow one team for $US49.99 or even get a quick dip seven-day pass for $US19.99. The app is available on most mobile devices, browsers, and some media boxes, such as Apple TV.
MLB TV - baseball
The 2019 Major League Baseball season is about to start and there’s so many options here for fans. When watching on-demand games you can skip between innings and scoring plays. You can choose between home and away broadcast commentary. Extra content including highlight packages and specially edited games is also available. The service is called MLB TV, the app is called MLB At Bat. Last year a season cost $US112.99.
NBA League Pass - basketball
This season there were three main viewing options: you could get the entire season for $NZ324.99, or follow one team only (good if you want to watch Steven Adams and the OKC Thunder!) for $NZ184.99 or get a restricted version that offers eight games a month for $NZ119.99. The app is available on most mobile devices, browsers, and some media boxes, such as Apple TV.
Golf TV – golf
This new service is the international version of PGA Tour Live which used to cover just the early rounds of a golf tournament but offered decent behind-the-scenes coverage and highlights. Golf TV advances golf coverage for Kiwi subscribers so you can watch live coverage of entire tournaments, specified highlights, including a favourite player, featured groups of your choosing, even featured holes at big events. Coverage includes the PGA Tour, Seniors Tour and Web.com Tour.
beIN Sports - football
This is the ultimate home for football fans. The price structure is simple – $NZ197.80 for a year or $NZ19.78 a month (given football goes for 10 months of the year, it’s neither here nor there what you choose). You get great value for money – especially if you’re following a team outside the English Premier League. You get Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, La Liga as well as lower tier English leagues. This is also available as part of a Sky subscription for a higher fee and watching via Sky is the only way to get HD coverage.
Popular entertainment streaming services
All of these platforms have the rights to a different selection of music, shows, movies and events, so make sure you do your homework and check that your preferred service has your favourite titles.
