This week Maori Television, in partnership with Basketball New Zealand, are releasing the first webisodes of a new series call Tū Kaha. The webisodes provide an exclusive insight into the Tall Blacks camp as the team makes their way through the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, with an eye for a spot at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.
Maori Television’s acting head of content, Summer Wharekawa, says the network sees the partnership with Basketball New Zealand and the Tall Blacks as an exciting opportunity to bring behind the scenes insight to Kiwis throughout Aotearoa.
“Partnering with Basketball New Zealand and having the Māori Television crew embedded in the Tall Blacks camp right into the FIBA World Cup Qualifying window allows us to share unique content with our online viewers via daily webisodes. It’s really special for basketball fans to get this level of exclusivity with a team that’s so close to our hearts”, she says.
Basketball New Zealand Communications Manager Joe Wallace says this is a great step for the Tall Blacks brand, as Basketball New Zealand embraces more opportunities to connect with Kiwi fans.
“The culture of the Tall Blacks and the Tū Kaha spirit that drives the team is well-known within the basketball community, but many New Zealanders outside of that would be unsure of what this team is about. Now Māori Television are helping us connect the Tall Blacks with more sporting fans, and giving them an insight into this special team.
“The Maori TV crew are filming in camp daily and are releasing content right through until the end of this FIBA qualifying window, so New Zealanders will get to see fresh glimpses of the team environment as they prepare and play through this qualifying stage, over about two weeks.
“It’s a great time to tell the Tall Blacks story too. Through the new FIBA qualification system, the Tall Blacks are playing meaningful games at home regularly in front of home fans. They’re on the road to the 2019 FIBA World Cup and the 2020 Olympics. Overtime, these webisodes could be the building blocks of a great sporting story.”
Maori Television are the official broadcaster of the Tall Blacks World Cup Qualifying games and will broadcast them live.
• 28 Jun 2018 vs Hong Kong at Energy Events Centre, Rotorua. Tip off at 7pm.
• 1 Jul 2018 vs China vs Spark Arena, Auckland. Tip off at 3pm.
The webisode series, which is updated daily, can be found here: http://www.maoritelevision.com/tv/shows/tu-kaha
