Sky Network Television yesterday released a sports fans pass, giving unbundled access to some of its key sports - Super Rugby, NRL and Formula 1.
The separate subscriptions are available on a season, monthly or weekly pass.
It is available on both iOS and Android devices and content can be viewed both live and on-demand.
Forsyth Barr broker Peter Young said it was an organised release which had been designed to complement, not compete with, Sky's premium services.
''The capability required would have been in development for some time as this would not be a simple proposition to launch.''
The risk for Sky in unbundling sport was it might cannibalise existing premium satellite services, he said.
The pricing and product seemed to have been designed to specifically avoid that.
In the case of rugby, the All Blacks rugby tests would be extra, as would the World Cup.
There was no MySky recorder, the quality would be as good as an available internet connection allowed and all those extra channels and sports would no longer be available, Mr Young said.
''Yes, the service will appeal to some but in its current format, we believe cannibalisation will be limited.''
There would be issues raised with Sky's proposed pricing and the lack of a bundled sports proposition, he said.
At the same time, the market awaited the launch of Sky's Neon on-demand service.
Equally, the options offered to premium satellite subscribers would be assessed.
The changes highlighted the moves Sky was making to retain a position in both camps - the provider of a premium satellite service with many added-value services and a disaggregated sports content provider.
At its core, Sky remained the provider of a premium service that was unlikely to be placed by the majority of customers at current pricing, Mr Young said.
In a separate announcement, Sky said it had secured the broadcast rights from the Rugby World Cup, one of the most anticipated sports events for 2015.
Under the terms of the deal, Sky would broadcast live coverage of all 48 matches and would also deliver a comprehensive TV, digital and mobile offering.
Mr Young said with production capabilities, satellite-based pay-TV, a free-to-air channel and with Sky due to offer an improved internet-delivered product, the company would have a complete portfolio of services.
The upgrading of customers' set-top boxes to MySky units would allow Sky to tap into new revenue streams, delivering a significant advantage over future competition.
The plan
Sky TV has unbundled access to some of its key sports - Super Rugby, NRL and Formula 1 - offering internet-delivered access through season, monthly or weekly passes. The catch is in the price, with a season pass at $299 for each sport, monthly passes from $49 and weekly ones from $19.90. With basic Sky and sports in high definition, and a MySky PVR (personal video recorder) at just below $100 a month, pricing for the new services was designed to minimise cannibalisation of premium services.
