QUEENSLAND’S premier netball competition, the HART Sapphire Series, will be livestreamed on News Corp’s KommunityTV as part of a three-year deal.
Each week KommunityTV will stream a double-header featuring one Sapphire Division and one Ruby Division – the league’s second tier – game.
The stream will be exclusive for News Corp subscribers and on-demand replays of every live streamed game will be available after fulltime.
The coverage will go beyond the court as well with KommunityTV to deliver weekly content which dive deep into the league’s players, performance and breaking news.
Netball Queensland General Manager of Netball Glenn Dennis said NQ were thrilled to build on the HART Sapphire Series’ growing profile.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Kommunity TV to showcase the incredible Queensland talent in our HART Sapphire Series over the next three seasons,” Dennis said.
“The HART Sapphire Series is the highest competition in the state and the penultimate step for aspiring professional netballers and it is important for the competition to have visibility for fans, families and selectors alike.
“This year, for the first time, the competition will be bolstered by Suncorp Super Netball players who will have the opportunity to come back into the competition for additional court time when needed.
“The addition of professional netballers into the HART Sapphire Series will help to raise the profile and calibre of the competition and ensure Queensland netballers are among the best prepared for professional opportunities.”
The HART Sapphire Series has long been the breeding ground for Suncorp Super Netball stars, such as the Queensland Firebirds’ Ruby Bakewell-Doran, Macy Gardner, Remi Kamo and Mia Stower.
News Sport Network managing director Michael Wilkins said Netball Queensland was a welcome addition to the growing KommunityTV portfolio.
“This three-year partnership with Netball Queensland completes our comprehensive approach to live streaming grassroots netball across Australia,” Wilkins said.
“Queensland becomes the fourth state to partner with KommunityTV to live stream weekly matches from their premier competitions in the Sapphire Series and Ruby Series.
“Both competitions are steeped in history and represent the great netball talent in the Sunshine State, and now feed directly into the Suncorp Super Netball through partnerships with the Queensland Firebirds and Sunshine Coast Lightning.
“News Corp Australia has been committed to organically growing our coverage of the sport of netball through our mastheads and digital presence on Code Sports. We are proud that Netball Queensland has joined forces with us to further that growth at the grassroots level.”
The Sapphire Series will kick off on April 22 at Nissan Arena, running out 14 rounds before a three week finals campaign ending on July 30 with the league grand final.
