New Zealand Rugby has launched a new digital platform for fans, with key functionality from Deltatre’s NEXUS, built to help teams and leagues create and manage their own global fan hubs.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has launched a new digital platform to serve as the digital home of the Black Jersey. Available at allblacks.com, blackferns.com (women’s teams) and through a new All Blacks and Black Ferns app, the platform combines a Live Match Centre, team news, original content, match highlights and statistics, fixtures, news and the full history and legacy of New Zealand’s Rugby teams.
The launch forms a part of NZR's wider strategy to deepen relationships with rugby fans around the world. For NZR Chief Commercial Officer Chris Brown, the platform reflects the changing way fans consume sport and the importance of a direct connection with supporters.
"The worlds biggest sporting organisations have built effective, lasting relationships with their fans,” he said. “This platform positions the All Blacks and Black Ferns to do the same. This platform gives us the ability to better understand what fans value and deliver experiences that keep them engaged with our teams year-round.
The Live Match Centre will come online for fans ahead of the All Blacks vs France match, coming up on Saturday 4 July. It will feature real-time scores, live statistics and in-play updates, available to fans both from inside the stadium and watching from home.
Beyond match day, fans have access to breaking news and analysis. They can watch original behind-the-scenes content, on-demand highlights and short form vertical video designed for mobile, and view an archive of the history, culture and defining moments of rugby in New Zealand.
Building a Digital Fan Destination
The platform gains much of its functionality from a new product called NEXUS developed by Deltatre, specialist in streaming, digital and data technology. Deltatre NEXUS makes it possible for sports leagues and federations of all sizes, like New Zealand Rugby, to create and manage their own digital fan hubs, similar in scope if not in size to the NBA’s League Pass, a comprehensive streaming destination for fans who want to follow more of the action throughout the season.
The goal for such hubs is maximising the value of the league’s rights, leaning into the fan experience idea and securing first-party data to push financial success. A combined proposition, NEXUS draws together video, editorial, real-time data, commerce and fan engagement tools. For fans, it creates a single destination avoiding the need for separate accounts, registrations or payment systems. For rights holders, it opens a unified view across all digital and streaming touchpoints with a consolidated analytics environment to support decision-making.
Supporting on-going operations, NEXUS consolidates OTT and web management, reducing complexity for both vendors and teams. For example, content published once is distributed automatically across web, iOS, Android and connected TV.
Live Streaming Direct to Fans
Most important perhaps is that, from launch, the Home of the Black Jersey platform will also stream live rugby direct to fans in markets that lack a broadcast partner. First to appear will be the Māori All Blacks and Japan XV match live on Allblacks.com and the All Blacks & Black Ferns App, to all markets outside of New Zealand and Japan.
NZR Chief Commercial Officer Chris Brown
The Black Ferns have a distinct digital destination at blackferns.com and All Blacks & Black Ferns App, a move that Chris believes reflects the global rise of womens rugby.
The launch occurs just as rugby enters one of its most intense periods of international competition, when the inaugural Nations Championship, womens WXV series, Rugbys Greatest Rivalry between the All Blacks and Springboks, and the inaugural British and Irish Lions Womens Tour in 2027 are all set to engage fans worldwide. The platform is intended to give NZR a digital presence and infrastructure capable of converting that global interest into loyal fans.
A notable NEXUS function is territory-specific segmentation that allows organisations to tailor experiences by market. For instance a team could offer merchandise discounts for international audiences alongside ticket benefits for local fans. The ability to target the availability of content geographically and vary subscription structures creates opportunities to rapidly enter new markets, exposing premium rights and archive content in locations where accessibility has previously been limited.
Continuing the Evolution
The platform builds on the foundations established through the existing NZR+ website and app, which attracted nearly 450,000 registered fans globally and helped more than double the audience of the All Blacks YouTube channel to 1.35million. Meanwhile, the Black Ferns YouTube channel has generated more than 20 million views since its launch in August 2025. The insights, content capability and audience developed through NZR+ have now been integrated into the broader digital ecosystem spanning web, app and connected TV.
Deltatre NEXUS
Chris said, "Over the past three years we’ve learned a huge amount through developing NZR+, building an audience of dedicated fans, and significantly growing our digital content reach. This platform takes those developments and brings everything together in a permanent digital home purpose-designed for fans."
NZR+ is now evolving into NZRs in-house production studio, which continues to produce original video content. Productions include the series Behind the Fern, giving fans behind the scenes access to their favourite teams, players' stories and premium production. The new platform also has a simpler user experience for fans, designed with single sign-on access to all NZR channels, website, app and connected TV.
Future development of the platform will include a personalised fan experience, allowing users to follow chosen teams and players while the platform delivers content and updates specific to those interests. www.deltatre.com
