The Harvey Norman NZ Breakers are thrilled a move to “free to air” television will give more New Zealanders the opportunity to view home matches live on TV.

All 15 of the Breakers’ Thursday night home games in the 2007/2008 Philips Championship, starting on September 20 and finishing on February 7, will be broadcast live by Maori Television.

New Zealand’s national indigenous broadcaster was working with Sky TV on replay opportunities. It is anticipated that replays of the Breakers’ matches, along with other Australian NBL content, will be carried on Sky TV.

Breakers general manager Richard Clarke said the club and its key sponsors are excited by the “free to air” offering.

“We’ve immediately broadened our base of potential viewers,” Clarke said.

“The end result of this new partnership is that more people will have more chances to see Breakers games and that is great for the club and the sport.”

Clarke said the club has been impressed with Maori Television, “its direction, enthusiasm and expertise”.

“Their involvement in the development of the FreeView digital TV platform has them well placed to continue experiencing strong growth and the future opportunities are exciting.

“It’s heartening to be partnering with a broadcaster that is so Kiwi-focused. We’re on the same wavelength and we’re both eager to succeed.”

Clarke said the club would work closely with the broadcaster to generate a following.

“All our home games are on Thursday nights, so there is an opportunity to build a regular audience in a consistent timeslot,” he said.

“We’re going to work hard in tandem with Maori Television to attract more Kiwis to back the Breakers…just as we’re working hard to build an on-court team with a strong New Zealand presence.”

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