Telecommunication giant Spark has won the race to claim the New Zealand rights to Formula One races, which it will stream online for 2019.
Along with Formula One, Spark has already captured the rights for the Formula Two championships, GP3 Series and the 2019 Porsche Super Cup Series for three years, starting with the Australian Grand Prix in March.
It is a key addition to the network, which has also secured TV rights for the 2019 Rugby World Cup and English Premier League rights for three seasons, starting from next August.
Spark head of sport Jeff Latch said it would announce more sports content rights within weeks.
Plans and pricing have yet to be disclosed, with a new streaming service to be launched early next year.
New Zealander Brendon Hartley is currently competing in Formula One with Toro Rosso. He claimed his best-ever finish at the US Grand Prix, where he finished ninth on Monday (NZ time).
Hartley’s future in the sport in unclear with rumours circulating he won't be retained for next season.
When asked about his plans at the US Grand Prix, the 28-year-old snapped.
"Obviously having to answer questions about my future every week which is getting increasingly annoying and I've read in the media that I have to beat my team-mate [Pierre Gasley]," he told Sky Sports UK.
"I was ahead in Singapore until team orders, I was ahead in Russia until the car broke down, I was ahead in Suzuka in qualifying and I was ahead today, so let’s see what happens."
Spark's sports rights so far:
Rugby - Rugby World Cup 2019, Women's Rugby World Cup 2021, World Rugby U20 Championships 2019, Heineken Champions Cup
Football - Premier League, Manchester United TV
Motorsport - Formula 1 World Championship, Formula 2 Championship, GP3 Series, 2019 Porsche Super Cup Series
Newshub.
