Kiwi fans wanting to watch the Black Ferns' defence of the Women's Rugby World Cup will be able to do so, with Three to be New Zealand's free-to-air partner for this year's tournament.
Beginning October 8, Three will broadcast eight matches throughout the tournament, including the final and two semi-finals live, as well as delayed coverage of two quarter-finals.
New Zealand's pool matches against Australia, Wales and Scotland will also be screened. All 26 matches of the tournament will be broadcast on Spark Sport.
The Black Ferns face Australia on October 8, Wales on October 16 and Scotland on October 22. The two semi-finals will be played on Saturday, November 5, and the final on November 12.
"We couldn't be prouder to have the premiere women's rugby tournament broadcasting free-to-air live on Three," said Warner Bros. Discovery senior vice president Glen Kyne.
"We know New Zealanders will be 100 percent behind the Black Ferns, as they compete for the World Cup title, and we're chuffed to be broadcasting these games to fans on Three and ThreeNow.
Head of Spark Sport Jeff Latch added the World Cup would be a monumental event for the game in New Zealand, at a time of unprecedented growth in women's rugby.
"You can feel the momentum for women's rugby growing by the day," he said.
"Recently, we've seen the first-ever Women's Super Rugby Aupiki competition kick off and the Black Ferns are gearing up for their first World Cup on home soil, as they defend their title for the sixth time.
"This will be the first time we've partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to bring Kiwis more of the sport they love and we hope rugby fans across the country will take up the opportunity to watch the pinnacle event for women's rugby - whether that be through free-to-air on Three, or streaming live and on-demand via Spark Sport."
This year's tournament will be the first Women's Rugby World Cup held in the southern hemisphere, as the Black Ferns try to defend their title won at the 2017 tournament.
