Sports Entertainment Network (SEN) is joining forces with the Seven Network to produce the Australian Taekwondo National Competition which will be broadcast into homes across the country via Seven’s video on demand platform 7plus, beginning with the highly anticipated Friday Fight Night on April 1, 2022.
In a coup for athletes and fans, the Friday Fight Night broadcast will include Australia's top-16 Black Belts of eight men and eight women sparring over four hours.
SEN's production arm, Rainmaker, produces high-end programming for multiple platforms, including the Seven Network, Fox Sports, SBS, and ESPN, and will provide production services for Australian Taekwondo utilising its purpose-built state-of-art TV studios in Melbourne.
SEN has established itself as a destination for sports looking to showcase their offerings to new, diverse audiences. Engaging SEN is the first step in Australian Taekwondo's long-term plan to see all state and national championships being broadcasted live.
Rainmaker CEO Richard Simkiss said the alignment with Australian Taekwondo fits 7plus and their Olympic sports coverage.
“We are so excited to work with 7plus and be able to deliver this broadcasting solution for Taekwondo Australia. We hope through our benchmark broadcast we can raise awareness of this sport, which will result in an increase in Taekwondo participation throughout Australia.
“Rainmaker cannot wait to tell the story of the commitment, skill, and resilience that these athletes show, and being instrumental in elevating the profile of female and male Taekwondo athletes in Australia.
“Friday Fight Night is a highly anticipated evening as this is first major combat sports gathering in two years and we can’t wait to be a part of it” Simkiss said.
Australian Taekwondo's Chief Executive Officer, Heather Garriock, is thrilled with the landmark broadcast announcement, which is not just a win for Australian Taekwondo but for every club, member, athlete, and fan.
"We're really proud to join forces with SEN and Seven, to produce and deliver high-quality programming for the National Championships right into the homes of Australians. What they offer Taekwondo in terms of broadcast touchpoints is unrivalled,” Garriock said.
“This announcement is momentous for Australian Taekwondo; it's the first time we've been exclusively associated with a national broadcaster. This partnership provides us with a platform to showcase Taekwondo to both a domestic and international audience and see our martial art reach more people than ever before."
7plus, which has a user base of over 11 million, has grown significantly off the back of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and more recently, the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. Managing Director Seven Melbourne and Head of Network Sport, Lewis
Martin, said the alignment with Australian Taekwondo is another valuable addition to Seven’s unbeatable sport offering.
“As Your Home of Sport, we are rapt to deliver the Australian Taekwondo National Championships to Seven’s vast and highly-engaged audience on 7plus,” Martin said.
Fans across the country will be able to view high-quality, engaging coverage of the Australian Taekwondo National Championships on 7plus through their Smart TV, tablet, phone or computer.
"We want to work towards having all state and national championships broadcasted. However, to do this, our events require a certain level of production to deliver a premium product and we're starting with our Friday Fight Night," added Garriock.
SEN is the number one publisher of sports content in Australia and will deliver content from the Australian Taekwondo National Championships on its owned channels during event week alongside 7plus.
Fans will have the opportunity to see other coloured belts in action live, with fights to be streamed on Australian Taekwondo's digital channels over the two days of competition.
The Australian Taekwondo National Championships will be held at Nissan Arena in Brisbane from April 1-2, 2022. Spectator tickets and athlete registrations are accessible via the Australian Taekwondo website. Sponsorships and corporate hospitality packages are also available.
The event is proudly supported by the Brisbane City Council via Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA), New Balance, ProYou Business Advisory, Shogun Martial Arts, and the Australian College of Physical Education.
SEN is the largest syndicator of sports radio content across Australia. The business owns and operates 51 radio stations across Australia and New Zealand, including 1116 SEN Melbourne, 1170 SEN Sydney, 1629 SEN SA in Adelaide, as well as 15 stations under its racing brand SENTrack. It also owns a newspaper, magazine, and talent management business.