Moana Pasifika eye bigger cut of TV pie

Moana Pasifika want a bigger slice of the broadcasting pie from New Zealand Rugby and are asking for their original deal to be revisited.

The fledgling Super Rugby Pacific team are having a tough second season, losing their first 13 games after a heartbreaking 47-46 loss to Fijian Drua yesterday, and last week it was announced their best player, centre Levi Aumua, is heading to the Crusaders next year.

However, the team set up to help promote players from Samoa and Tonga could end up playing a far more significant role in the New Zealand rugby landscape if the relationship between NZ Rugby and Rugby Australia continues to deteriorate.

Moana Pasifika CEO Pelenato Sakalia says his club is having to operate on less money than the five other New Zealand Super Rugby teams live on and he wants that looked at.

‘‘It would be nice to be treated equitably,’’ Sakalia said.

‘‘[Super Rugby Pacific] is significantly funded by broadcasting revenue, we only get a small proportion of that, relative to the other clubs.

‘‘What we’re looking for and engaging with NZR about is to have a closer examination of the basis of what the original licence was set.

‘‘We believe the level of funding that’s allocated to us needs to be looked at carefully.

‘‘In the meantime, we continue to work with the partners we’ve got, find ways to continue to be financially viable moving forward.

‘‘We feel comfortable with what we’ve got in place that we will be viable moving forward for the remainder of our time in the competition.’’

World Rugby has been partly funding Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua as they establish themselves. But that current funding, which was reported in February 2022 as being $1.2 million a year, ends at the end of next season. Sport New Zealand also reportedly provided $4m to underwrite the team for a maximum of four years.

Sakalia says the loss of the World Rugby money won’t sink the club, but it will have an impact.

‘‘I’m not going to go into financially sensitive stuff, but we’re not talking about big sums,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s significant, but things have to be kept in perspective as well.’’

New Zealand Rugby negotiates the broadcasting deal with Sky TV, which is believed to be $100m a year between 2021-25.

Moana Pasifika gets paid a fee by NZR under its licence. Sakalia wants that fee to be looked at again and although he wouldn’t go into any details, he wouldn’t be asking for this if he thought they were getting too much money.

‘‘We want the basis of what the licence fee is determined to be revisited and better reflect what it is we bring to New Zealand, NZR and the competition,’’ he said.

Moana Pasifika could find itself in a strong position in negotiations with NZR, with the volatile relationship between NZR and Rugby Australia potentially working in its favour.

If there is a split, NZR needs to stand up a new viable competition to satisfy Sky TV. It wouldn’t want to go back to the old Super Rugby Aotearoa model of five teams, two games a week and one club having a bye. By keeping Moana Pasifika afloat NZR would be able to give Sky TV three games each weekend. Another less likely plan would be to have an eight-team competition with the five NZ teams, plus one from Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. Either way, NZR needs Moana Pasifika.