Free to air cricket will return to TV screens next year as Spark pulls the plug on its sports streaming service.

It's blaming the escalating cost of content rights, Covid disruptions and a failure to get enough eyeballs on screens just three years after launching. As part of an exit deal TVNZ will become the home of cricket in Aotearoa from mid-2023, broadcasting Black Caps and White Ferns tests, T20 matches and one day internationals played on home turf along with Super Smash matches.

The deal expires at the end of the 2025/26 season.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive officer David White says it's good for the game.

Technology commentator Peter Griffin talks to through the details.