SEN partners with Seven to produce taekwondo competition

Sports Entertainment Network (SEN) is joining forces with the Seven Network to produce the Australian Taekwondo National Competition.

It will be broadcast on Seven’s video on demand platform 7plus, beginning on Friday Fight Night on April 1, 2022.

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.

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.

“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 unrivaled,” said Australian Taekwondo’s Chief Executive Officer, Heather Garriock.

“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.”

The Australian Taekwondo National Championships will be held at Nissan Arena in Brisbane from April 1-2, 2022.