If you're planning on watching all the Rugby World Cup games live this year and haven't got fibre installed at your place, now's the time.
Getting fibre installed and hooked up to your television is generally free to get installed, easy to set up and will mean you're watching the rugby the best way you can.
Fibre is arguably the best broadband available in New Zealand and a big event like the Rugby World Cup going online is going to drive an influx of people to get connected. But there are only so many technicians who can install if for you – so ordering now will mean you’re ready to go for September.
Once you have the fastest internet possible hooked up to where you live, you'll want to get the Spark Sport app and purchase a Rugby World Cup Tournament Pass. If you can, it’s best to get your internet plugged directly into your TV – this makes it rock solid. But an important step - and the most urgent - is organising getting fibre installed.
How do I get fibre installed and what does it cost?
Chorus is New Zealand’s largest telecommunications infrastructure company, and it’s these guys who work with your broadband provider to get your residence connected to fibre.
Kurt Rodgers is the company's network strategy manager and says getting fibre installed is just a phone call to your broadband provider away - and it's free.
"Chorus is installing around 750 fibre connections per day and have connected more than 500,000 Kiwi homes and businesses to the fibre network over the last few years," says Rodgers. “In most cases getting fibre installed happens in just a few hours on a single day."
"Installation is free and then monthly charges will be the same as what you're paying now. To get the ball rolling all you need to do is call your internet provider and tell them you want fibre, they'd then sort it all out for you," says Rodgers.
"They'll arrange for a Chorus technician to come to your house and talk you through the steps we need to make to connect your house to our network. You just have to show them where you want the fibre installed, which we recommend be near your TV in the main living area. Then the technician will take care of it all for you."
How do I get Spark Sport, Netflix and YouTube going on my TV?
Once you have fibre, you want to get it connected to your TV. If you have a fairly new model, that should be a breeze.
"It's really easy if you've got a smart TV, which will have some sort of smart hub and apps you can access right off the remote control. You just physically plug your television into your broadband modem with an ethernet cable or Wi-Fi connect," says Rodgers.
"If you've bought a new TV in the last few years, it's probably a smart TV. If you don't have a smart TV, you can make your TV smarter by plugging in a smart device - the most popular one is a Chromecast, which costs around $90. But there are other ones, like Apple TV."
So getting fibre installed won't cost you - but there may be a cost involved with making your TV smarter, so that it can stream using the fibre. Even if that's a small cost, is it worth spending, or will this all just be back with Sky TV for the 2023 World Cup anyway?
"It's just a question about how long it takes until all television is delivered over the fibre network. Over time, almost everything we do is moving online. Sending a letter has become email, banking has moved online, a lot of shopping has moved online, reading a newspaper or magazine is now often done online," says Rodgers.
"Now, watching TV, listening to the radio and listening to your favourite music is moving online too. And it's moving there quickly."
Indeed, once you have fibre connected to your television, you can watch all your TV on it - TVNZ 1, TVNZ 2, Three and Bravo can be watched over the internet. Of course, streaming services including Netflix, YouTube, Lightbox and Neon can too.
The quality is often better than what you'll be used to, as well.
Unfortunately, not every residence in Aotearoa can get fibre - but that doesn't mean they can't watch the World Cup.
"You want to get the best broadband service you can, and fibre is the very best by a long way. But the next best is VDSL, which is perfectly fine for Rugby World Cup and Netflix streaming," says Rodgers.
How we watch sport or any TV is moving online. Thankfully, getting fibre installed and connected to your TV is free to install and easy to set up.
Visit www.streambig.co.nz to get prepared and find out more about options ahead of this year’s Rugby World Cup.
This article is created for Chorus
