Sky TV may not get 2019 Rugby World Cup

Sky Television may not get to broadcast the 2019 Rugby World Cup, it told the NZ Stock Exchange today.

The company informed the NZX it was told overnight that it is not the preferred bidder for rugby’s showpiece in Japan, where the All Blacks will attempt to win a third consecutive World Cup.

"We have been informed that negotiations are underway with the preferred party, and our bid remains in play should those negotiations fail," the company said.

There has previously been speculation that streaming service Amazon may be bidding for the rights, and that Spark and TVNZ might put in a joint bid.

TVNZ and Spark both had no comment to make following this morning's announcement by Sky.