International England vs Tonga Tour 2023

In reality Tonga is a competitor for players- wonder if it was intentional to not give free promotion to the competitor to the Kiwis?

Unlikely considering Tongan players play in the NRL which is a cornerstone product offering of SKY.

I would expect SKY have very good demographic data of their subscriber base.

With a 2.30am kick off time, if their data were to suggest only a small number of subscribers would watch then they would be unlikely to pay a premium for the rights.

The game was on free to air in England, the rights holder may have been wanting a bigger fee than SKY were willing to pay.
 
Unlikely considering Tongan players play in the NRL which is a cornerstone product offering of SKY.

I would expect SKY have very good demographic data of their subscriber base.

With a 2.30am kick off time, if their data were to suggest only a small number of subscribers would watch then they would be unlikely to pay a premium for the rights.

The game was on free to air in England, the rights holder may have been wanting a bigger fee than SKY were willing to pay.
I watched it on Kayo here in Oz. I was surprised! Didn't think they had any rights to it either.
 
I watched it on Kayo here in Oz. I was surprised! Didn't think they had any rights to it either.

I have no knowledge but I would guess streaming rights were less than set/top box rights.

Had Spark Sport still been around you would think they would have nabbed it.

Also, in Australia - a 12.30am kickoff in NSW is still bloody late but achievable. better than 2.30am in Auckland
 

England v Tonga: Matty Ashton and Ben Currie brought in for second Test​

Last updated on 1 minute ago1 minute ago.From the section Rugby League

Matty Ashton playing for Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves full-back Matty Ashton made his England debut earlier this year against France
Second Test - England v Tonga
Venue: John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield Date: Saturday, 28 October Kick-off: 14:30 BST
Coverage: Live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer; live text updates on the BBC Sport website and app
Matty Ashton and Ben Currie have been called into England's 19-man squad for Saturday's second Test against Tonga in Huddersfield.
Warrington Wolves winger Ashton is set to make his second international appearance, coming in for the injured Tommy Makinson.
His club-mate Currie replaces Morgan Knowles, who is also injured.
England won the first Test 22-18 in St Helens last Sunday, with the third at Headingley on 4 November.
"Last week was a real battle of attrition and we fought hard to come out on top, but we still have work to do to win this three-game series," England head coach Shaun Wane said.
"We know that Tonga will be hurt, they'll come out even stronger, and will be seeking revenge this weekend."
Knowles was ruled out of the game on Tuesday with a thumb injury and Makinson is sidelined with a wrist issue, both picked up during the opening match.
England will be captained by St Helens full-back Jack Welsby while skipper George Williams serves the second of a two-game suspension before returning for the final Test.

England squad​

Ashton, Bateman, Burgess, Clark, Currie, Farrell, Hill, Johnstone, King, Lees, Lewis, McMeeken, Mulhern, Newman, Radley, Smith, Walker, Welsby (capt), Whitehead
 
I have no knowledge but I would guess streaming rights were less than set/top box rights.

Had Spark Sport still been around you would think they would have nabbed it.

Also, in Australia - a 12.30am kickoff in NSW is still bloody late but achievable. better than 2.30am in Auckland
Was on Foxtel as well which Sky often piggy backs on
 
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