Only seven matches of next year's Rugby World Cup will be live on free-to-air TV.

TVNZ and Spark have secured broadcast rights to the tournament after Sky was ruled out as the preferred bidder for rights.

READ MORE: TVNZ, Spark confirm they've won rights to Rugby World Cup

Spark says it will stream all matches online to paying subscribers.

But TVNZ chief executive Kevin Kendrick says the details of the free-to-air coverage are still being sorted out.

"There will be seven matches that will be shown live free-to-air TV.We will definitely have the first one, we will definitely have the last one and we will confirm the details of the ones in between over the next few months."

The deal also covers other tournaments, including the 2021 Women's World Cup.

LISTEN ABOVE AS KEVIN KENDRICK SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING