LATEST: Sky TV wrong: we will launch a standalone streaming service, beIN boss says

Bad news, English Premier League fans: beIN Sports won't be launching a standalone streaming service for New Zealanders — partially squandering the $12 million it spent to win local rights.

With beIN refusing to respond to phone or email messages, NBR asked its partner Sky TV for an update.'

Communications director Kirsty Way responded, "BeIN have recently advised they won’t be launching a standalone online service in New Zealand.

She added, "Obviously this was a big surprise. Just days before, I was on radio saying you don’t need to be a Sky customer to access [EPL games]".

Sky TV customers who sign up for its new $11.96 a month beIN channels (which carry EPL games plus selected European football) will be able to access the beIN Sports Connect streaming video service — but only once it goes live for Kiwis.

BeIN has not responded to NBR questions on that point, either, but it's NZ Twitter account has told followers that Sports Connect "beIN SPORTS CONNECT will not be available within the next few weeks. We are working hard to make the service available ASAP."

The new season of the EPL is already into its third week.

Fans of English soccer — or at least those who want to watch games and are too above-board to turn to illegal options — now have no other avenue but Sky TV.

Sky TV says 100% of the beIN channel revenue will go directly to beIN.

The pay-TV broadcaster seems to be offering its new beIN channels simply to avoid another disappointing-the-fans controversy — although it will benefit from the extra Sky Basic revenue it will bring in and upsell opportunities.

In its application to the Commerce Commission to merge with Vodafone, Sky TV confirmed the unusual, revenue-less nature of its deal with beIN.

Ms Way has previously maintained that Sky-averse football fans could take a beIN Sports Connect account directly with beIN. But with the promise of a standalone service having evapourated, that's no longer an option.

With beIN remaining enigmatically silent, the Sky comms director has been the only source of information throughout.

Crazy money

The saga began when New Zealand rights for the next three seasons of the English Premier League came up for grabs.

The Al Jazeera-owned beIN won with a bid that NBR understands was north of $4 million*, or way above what incumbent rights holder Lightbox Sport was willing to pay (Lightbox Sport, a joint-venture between Spark-owned Lightbox and Coliseum Sports Media, operated PremierLeaguePass.com, created after Coliseum stole EPL rights from Sky three years ago). It was also too rich for Sky's blood. Ms Way would not comment on the price other than that beIN had driven up bidding to an "uneconomic" level.

Al Jazeera is owned by the government of Qatar. The moneybags oil state will host the 2022 and beIN has been mopping up soccer rights worldwide, apparently looking to become a major force in football broadcasting and streaming ahead of its event.

Earlier this year, Coliseum boss Tim Martin told NBR that beIN had a history of buying up rights, but not always using them. Sadly for football fans, his words turned out to be prophetic.

LATEST: Sky TV wrong: we will launch a standalone streaming service, beIN boss says

* A senior executive involved with negotiations tells NBR: "beIN paid the dollar number you quoted [$4 million a season] above and beyond what Lightbox Sport and Sky TV bid. The total winning bid was much more than $4 million. Hence why Sky and Lightbox Sport stopped at a point that there would be no return on the investment."