STG News
The 2019 Huawei Mate30 Pro New Zealand Television Awards have just wrapped up with Sky taking home two major category wins for Sky Sport and Prime.
Congratulations to Brian Hitchcock, Dean Pooley, Gareth Thorne, Simon Head, and Mark Malaki-Williams who took out the ‘Monstavision Best Sports Programme’ category with part one of their three-part Sky Sport documentary, Keeping The Faith: 25 Years Of The Warriors.
Part one of the docu-series premiered in May on Sky Sport 2 and documented the Warriors’ early years, from the creation of the club right through to their first six seasons as a team. Both archival footage and unique interviews were used to tell the story that had Kiwi league fans across the country captivated and eagerly awaiting subsequent episodes.
Keeping The Faith
“As the home of sport in New Zealand, we are delighted to win this prestigious award recognising the skills and storytelling talent of our Sport Production team. This documentary series was a labour of love and acknowledges our strong and long-standing partnership with the Warriors, past and present,” says Brian Hitchcock, Head of Sports Production.
Owen Hughes accepted the award for ‘Best Factual Series’ on behalf of the crew behind Uncharted With Sam Neill. The local production was produced by Frame Up Films for Prime in New Zealand, and followed the Pacific voyage of Captain James Cook in the 18th century.
This documentary, led by internationally-recognised actor Sam Neill, was made with the support of New Zealand on Air and was available free-to-air on Prime (as well as Neon) for Kiwi audiences.
Uncharted With Sam Neill
“Congratulations to our Prime and Sky Sport teams for their wins tonight. It’s fantastic to see their talent and dedication recognised in this way. On behalf of our 1,100-strong crew at Sky, they’ve done us extremely proud,” says Martin Stewart, Sky CEO.
“We love creating great local television for New Zealand audiences, and both of the awards tonight cover topics that mean a lot to Kiwis. Keeping the Faith tells the great sporting story of the Warriors’ journey from the start to where they are now – a strong competitor with an incredibly loyal fan base. If you haven’t seen it yet make sure you catch it on Sky Sport Now. Uncharted with Sam Neill is also a great watch and takes viewers through a deep dive at an important part of New Zealand history.
“Together, these awards recognise the depth and breadth of our sport and entertainment offering,” adds Stewart.
Sky wins at NZ TV Awards:
Monstavision Best Sports Programme
- Keeping The Faith Episode One
Sky Sport (Sky NZ) – Brian Hitchcock, Dean Pooley, Gareth Thorne, Simon Head, Mark Malaki-Williams
Available on Sky Sport Now
Best Factual Series
- Uncharted With Sam Neill
Frame Up Films (for Prime) – Owen Hughes
Available on Neon