Sky TV has announced that it is not the preferred bidder for the broadcast rights of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

The success of New Zealand rugby is peddled around the world as a national triumph, yet live All Blacks tests are still out of reach for a lot of Kiwis.

Unless fans are lucky enough to be at the game, without a Sky sports subscription they'll have to wait for Sky-owned Prime TV to replay the game 90 minutes after kick off.

But most sports fans like to live in the moment and will find a way to catch it as it's happening, either at a sports bar or perhaps from Stuff's live blog (wink).

GETTY IMAGES Two of the All Blacks' games on their northern hemisphere tour will be livestreamed on AllBlacksTV.com (File photo).

Sky Television chief executive John Fellet said on Tuesday that he thought Sky had a better than evens chance of keeping rugby rights for the next 15 years, but he clarified he was referring to Super Rugby, which it films.

READ MORE:

* Sky unlikely to be the place to watch the next Rugby World Cup

* Spark, TVNZ plan joint bid for 2019 Rugby World Cup broadcasting rights

* Sky TV boss reckons it could hold rugby for another 15 years

* NZ First policy for free-to-air All Blacks tests a no-go under coalition agreement

Traditionally, the success of our rugby teams has a lot to do with our national mood, and with the next rugby television deal to be penned in 2020, should there be a consideration to protect All Blacks tests and televise them live and free-to-air?

The question was posed in Parliament last year when a NZ First bill called for any game of "national significance" to be freely available to all New Zealanders.

Both National and Labour voted against the failed Broadcasting Amendment Bill which would have ensured international rugby, league, netball and Olympic games can be watched by all New Zealanders.

Under the proposed bill, domestic matches in tournaments such as Super Rugby would also be free-to-air.

DAVID WHITE/STUFF John Fellet said on Tuesday that he thought Sky had a better than evens chance of keeping rugby rights for the next 15 years.

Paying for the development of sports with taxes, and then paying to watch them live wasn't fair, according to NZ First MP Clayton Mitchell.

"At the end of the day sports is New Zealand culture ... we just want to make sure that's extended out to everybody fairly," he said at the time.

Other countries with sports-hungry populations have taken the approach that an element of free-to-air live coverage should be made available to the wider population.

GETTY IMAGES UK tennis fans get to watch stars like Novak Djokovic compete at Wimbledon on free-to-air television.

In the United Kingdom, Wimbledon, the Olympics, FA Cup and World Cup football, among others, are protected and shown on terrestrial television.

Australian television provides a wide range of regional and international free-to-air content thanks to the country's anti-siphoning laws which allow free-to-air television broadcasters the chance to bid on protected events before pay television.

THE NUMBERS

SUPPLIED Sky TV is not the preferred bidder for Rugby World Cup broadcasts (File photo).

There's no way around it, professional rugby needs money to compete in an ever-changing entertainment market.

Switching to free-to-air could cut a big chunk from New Zealand Rugby's operating budget - revenue from sponsorship, live matches and merchandise can only provide so much.

Television income made up 40 per cent of New Zealand Rugby's $257 million revenue in 2017. It will likely make up more than half its revenue in 2018 without the British and Irish Lions tour which injected $40m last year.

Sky has been the sole rights holder of All Blacks tests for over 20 years and in that time has spent over $1 billion to secure its position.

It has been money well spent, Sky has been the most popular television company for some time with a large subscription base.

But with new players - Amazon, Netflix and Lightbox - crowding the market, New Zealand Rugby will surely have more options and potentially better offers - which will be needed to keep players from the lure of professional club tournaments in Europe.

However, livestreaming their own games, with a little help from Sky, could be another lucrative option.

CALIFORNIA STREAMING

The NZR and Sky are partnering to livestream some of the All Blacks' matches on their northern hemisphere end of year tour.

Two of the All Blacks' games and two of the New Zealand Maori team's games will be livestreamed as pay-per-view events on AllBlacksTV.com and will be available to both international and New Zealand-based fans.

The venture has the potential to open up huge revenue streams in Asia and the United States where their fan base continues to grow.

NZR chief executive Steve Stew said over seven million follow the All Blacks on allblacks.com and social media outside New Zealand which will help extend their broadcast options.

RUGBY WORLD CUP JAPAN 2019

Meanwhile Sky announced it is not the preferred bidder to broadcast the Rugby World Cup in 2019.

Spark and Television New Zealand are understood to have agreed to put in a joint bid for the broadcasting rights, however they would not comment whether they had been told they had been successful.

If they do win rights to the event, it is expected Spark would be likely to stream matches over the internet, with TVNZ providing free-to-air coverage.