Spark's decision to bundle Sky Sport Now, at a discount, with its own Spark Sport could be "the first white flag" in its media strategy, Jarden head of research Arie Dekker says.

In Dekker's view of the six-month deal, "there is a distinct possibility that this is the first step in a process in which Spark can offload its sporting rights".

Dekker has been a long-time sceptic of Spark's push into content. When Spark reached a $6 million deal to sell its Lightbox entertainment streaming service to Sky earlier this year, he predicted it would be the start of a full withdrawal from streaming.

In response to Dekker's comments, Spark Sport told the NZ Herald that this is "totally consistent" with their approach.

"We are committed to our sports-streaming service and excited about the beginning of our six-year partnership with New Zealand Cricket beginning next month, alongside the wide range of high-quality sports content already on the platform."

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