Matches in rugby's National Provincial Championship are on track to appear on a free-to-air platform.

As Sky and New Zealand Rugby near renewal of their broadcast contract - the Herald reports agreement has all but been reached that TVNZ Plus will show live NPC games in 2026.

The deal being worked on between Sky and TVNZ would see matches split across the two networks - both screening a mix of live, delayed live and highlights.

It's understood up to three lives games a week will end up on TVNZ Plus.

The discussions come as NZR also considers the format of the provincial competition.

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