The game of tennis – and how to fix it

In the wake of the Buzzfeed/BBC investigation into match-fixing in tennis, we spoke to two members of the international sports betting industry to understand how the matches get rigged. The identities of both the journalist and the employees have been withheld in return for their speaking candidly on this issue. Chris Kermode, head of the Association … Read more

Television: EXCLUSIVE MUSIC VIDEO – ‘Hold Your Hand in Mine Harry Warner’ From Shorty Street Scandal’s James Mustapic

The Spinoff is proud to present the exceptional music video for ‘Hold Your Hand in Mine Harry Warner’, the debut pop single from Shorty Street Scandal‘s James Mustapic.  More from The Spinoff on Shortland Street: – An interview with James Mustapic about creating this Shortland Street-themed musical magic – Interviewing Shortland Street producer Simon Bennett about tonight’s … Read more

Competition: Subscribe to The Spinoff Newsletter and Win a Flash FreeviewPlus LG TV

Dear Spinoff Reader, Wouldn’t it be lovely to get a bundle of the best Spinoff reads of the month, delivered piping hot and straight to your inbox at the end of every month? What if we could promise you not only that, but the chance to win a FreeviewPlus LG TV, valued at $2,499? All … Read more

Sports: The Men in Blazers Premier League Wrap – Episode 13

Rog and Davo join us from Embassy Road Studios to mark the momentous occurrence of both Everton and Chelsea notching up wins in the same week and of course the incomparable Jamie Vardy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKJTg_3yUto&feature=youtu.be?utm_source=thespinoff&utm_medium=partnership&utm_campaign=partnership Sign up to Premier League Pass now and get the rest of the EPL season for 1/2 Price.

Television: Inside the Lightbox – Feasting Upon The Best Thanksgiving Episodes

Inside the Lightbox is a sponsored post where we mine the extensive Lightbox catalogue for shows you might like to watch. We don’t celebrate it here New Zealand, but that doesn’t mean you can’t gorge upon a mighty platter of great Thanksgiving episodes from your favourite Lightbox shows.  The Mindy Project (S01E06 ‘Thanksgiving’) Two of Mindy’s … Read more

Sports: The Men in Blazers Premier League Wrap – Episode 12

Join the Men in Blazers Rog and Davo as they tackle all the talking points from Gameweek 12 of the Premier League. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyXoDOuBo18?utm_source=thespinoff&utm_medium=partnership&utm_campaign=partnership With a quarter of the season gone, Premier League Pass are offering a quarter off the price. To claim your 25% discount, simply sign up as usual to a Full Season pass, … Read more

Sports: The Men in Blazers Premier League Wrap – Episode 11

This week the Men in Blazers discuss the mid-table clash between Liverpool and Chelsea. Are Rog and Davo #teamJose or #teamCesc in the Chelsea fiasco? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P3DVrTNNj0&feature=youtu.be?utm_source=thespinoff&utm_medium=partnership&utm_campaign=partnership With a quarter of the season gone, Premier League Pass are offering a quarter off the price. To claim your 25% discount, simply sign up as usual to a … Read more

The Wintec Press Club Awards – “The Pitiful irony is That This Time of Crisis is Also a Golden Period of Good Writing”

The winners of New Zealand’s most prestigious media awards were announced yesterday at a bacchanalian feast in Hamilton. The annual Wintec Press Club awards were staged as part of the Wintec Press Club free lunch extravaganza, held on the banks of the Waikato River, featuring guest speaker and gun nut Heather du Plessis Allan. Journalists from … Read more

Sports: The Men in Blazers Premier League Wrap – Episode 10

This week Men In Blazers Rog and Davo wonder if anyone in New Zealand is paying attention to football and get a bit carried away over the All Blacks themselves. https://youtu.be/ypYTsS_-w78/?utm_source=thespinoff&utm_medium=partnership&utm_campaign=partnership Watch all this weekend’s Premier League action live and on demand at Premier League Pass.

Sports: The ACC Presents Champagne Rugby, Episode Five

The Alternative Commentary Collective return for an unprecedented fifth week of Champagne Rugby, previewing the weekend’s big semi with what could be the most dangerous prediction mechanism yet. A member of the public finally agrees to climb inside the social media testicle, and poses one of the best questions ever posed to the collective: who … Read more

Sports: The (Non) Official 2015 RWC (Non) Drinking Game

We thought about doing a Rugby World Cup drinking game, but, let’s face it, that would be kind of seedy for games that kick off at 4am and 8am. So instead, in a breakfast mood, The Spinoff presents a (Non) Drinking Game, in which the penalties involve the consumption of dry breakfast cereal biscuits (such … Read more

Sports: The Men in Blazers Premier League Wrap – Episode 8

Premier League Pass kindly loans us NBC’s excellent football pundits Men in Blazers, to bring us up to speed with all the Premier League talking points ahead of this weekend’s games. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKemH61l-vs&feature=youtu.be Watch all this weekend’s Premier League action live and on demand at Premier League Pass.

Politics: Bloggerwars – Voices from the Left and Right Weigh in on John Key and the Panda Bears

In a new occasional feature, The  Spinoff Politics invites voices from the blogosphere to address the issues of the day. This week, we asked FaceTheTruth and Liber Archie to consider the panda situation. FaceTheTruth: The panda and the flightless birds Here we go again, the MSM and the BDSM (blinkered, decadent social media) getting all … Read more

A Tribute to Scout’s Saucy ‘Mile High Diaries’

Here at The Spinoff there’s no Scout feature we anticipate more than ‘Mile High Diaries’ – the definitely true tales of animal lust conducted at 40,000 feet. We were pleasantly surprised to receive an anonymous submission to the series of our own this week… I buckled in safely just as the plane was about to take … Read more

The Sayings of Diane: On Having a Facial

An occasional series in which we feature an insight or proverb from In the Arena (Penguin Random House, $40), the new book by entrepreneur Diane Foreman and her ghost writer Jenni McManus. On what makes an entrepreneur: If I’m having a facial, I’m thinking, “What if I bought this clinic?” In the Arena, by Diane Foreman … Read more

Television: News – Mr Robot Hacks Into New Zealand Screens Exclusively on Lightbox

One of the most talked-about new shows of 2015, Mr Robot has arrived exclusively in New Zealand on Lightbox today. Critics have called the paranoid cyber-thriller series “a modern classic” (Forbes) and “a welcome spark of inspiration” (Variety), the topical themes of which “understand the internet to the last chilling detail” (Salon). The series follows Elliot … Read more