The Nation Network’s basketball media offering includes Hello and Welcome and Raptors Republic; provides daily coverage of both league-wide NBA news and Toronto Raptors focused content; reaches the growing men’s and women’s basketball community across Canada
TORONTO — The Nation Network (“TNN”), the leading destination for independent sports coverage and a part of Better Collective’s digital sports media group, announced today its media offerings and programming for the 2024-25 NBA season. TNN’s leading basketball and Toronto Raptors coverage has expanded alongside its rapidly growing digital presence within the sport, delivering high-quality, engaging content to Canada’s growing community of basketball fans.
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Daily coverage from around the NBA will be provided by Hello and Welcome with Will Lou & Alex Wong (“Hello and Welcome”), presented by Betway and produced by Jerome Cheng. Lou and Wong are two of the most followed basketball media personalities in Canada and the show is currently the #1 basketball show on the charts in the country [1]. Hello and Welcome is the go-to source for all league updates, in-depth post-game analysis, watchalongs, insider news, and insightful discussions on games and performances, with a special focus on the Raptors. Throughout the 2024-25 NBA season, Lou and Wong will host three weekly video-podcasts, as well as post-game shows for all 82 regular season Raptors games, live on YouTube and distributed across all major social media and podcast platforms. Additionally, Hello and Welcome will be leading two yet-to-be-determined fan road trips to cover the Raptors in different US cities, and will also be hosting a season kickoff party for its community of fans, held on November 12th at 7:00 pm ET at GRETA Bar in Toronto (additional details found here).
Recently added to The Nation Network’s basketball media lineup, Raptors Republic, a leading Raptors-centric media brand and fan community, will bring top analysis, commentary, and engagement to fans of the team this season. Raptors Republic’s offerings include podcasts, video, website, social media channels, and experiential fan activations for its robust, dedicated community of Raptors enthusiasts across Canada. The site’s talent lineup is led by Samson Folk, Esfandiar Baraheni, and Louis Zatzman, and a collection of authentic digital content creators. Raptors Republic will feature content around the Toronto Raptors, Raptors 905, and Canada basketball while mixing in analysis, humour, post-game recaps, live shows, and more. Raptors Republic also produces Pull Up Tre, Run it Back, Confederacy of Dunks, Buckets & Tea, Game Recaps with Esfandiar Baraheni and a weekly Mailbag with Samson Folk.
The Nation Network is committed to building a close community of fans through sports and with basketball’s rise in popularity in Canada, content expansion within the sport is a natural next step, including for the forthcoming Toronto WNBA expansion franchise. Basketball in Canada has maintained significant growth in recent years, evidenced by the NBA increasing its Canadian viewership 11% from 2023 to 2024 [2]. Canada also ranks second in players by country, only trailing the United States, with 25 professionals currently occupying roster spots. Hamilton, Ontario native and 2024 NBA MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander headlines the list of Canadian stars in the league, bolstered by the likes of Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, and rookie Zach Edey.
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“The Nation Network prides itself on consistently delivering top-notch content for our amazing community of supporters and we couldn’t be happier to have substantially bolstered our basketball portfolio this season,” said Jay Downton, Founder and CEO of The Nation Network. “In recent years, basketball’s popularity has grown exponentially across Canada and with our properties, we have strong national coverage of both the Raptors and the entire league. Hello and Welcome and Raptors Republic have the foremost voices in the Canadian basketball space and we are thrilled to work alongside them to continue building the strongest and deepest hoops community in the country.”
TNN serves as a leading destination for authentic sports coverage for communities of fans across Canada, made possible through its commitment to working with premier talent and production teams, and prioritizing relevant brand partnerships for its properties. Trusted brand partners for its basketball focused offerings this season include Tangerine, Betway, and Coors Light.
[1] Apple Podcasts : Canada : Basketball Podcast Charts – Top Podcasts
[2] The Globe and Mail, Abdulhamid Ibrahim, 20 February 2024
About The Nation Network
The Nation Network is the leading destination for premier, digital sports coverage and is dedicated to serving a community of true fans. TNN’s portfolio of 35+ podcasts and 10+ websites delivers a diverse range of content across all major forms of media, from real-time updates to comprehensive analysis, fantasy predictions, and essential betting insights. TNN is a part of Better Collective, a digital sports media group.
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