By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Since the fans won’t be able to attend the Final Four in Cologne this year, EuroLeague Basketball developed a plan for engaging them digitally with the ‘Final 4 Fans’ platform.
Per EuroLeague Basketball:
Even though traveling to Cologne, Germany, to attend the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in-person is not possible, fans can still follow every moment on and off the court more closely than ever before with the launch of Final 4 Fans, a digital feast that will provide access-all-areas, free-of-charge footage throughout the event.
Starting on Thursday, May 27, and running through until the post-title celebrations late on Sunday, May 30, Euroleague Basketball’s Facebook and YouTube channels will broadcast for up to eight hours per day of live and exclusive video covering every aspect of the Final Four.
The extensive coverage tips off on Thursday at 11:30 CET with the opening press conference, featuring the first pre-game comments in Cologne from coaches and star players. The rest of Thursday will include a special “fans hangout” session, followed by live images of all four teams practicing for the first time inside Lanxess Arena and their respective press conferences.
On Friday, the day of the semifinals, a special edition of The Crossover podcast will be complemented by a unique behind-the-scenes arena tour. Then it’s time for the serious action to begin, and Olympiacos Piraeus star Shaquielle McKissic will talk you through all the action live from the semifinals.
Saturday will feature a full recap of Friday’s action, as well as looking forward to Sunday’s title decider with press conferences and practice sessions for the two qualifying teams inside the arena.
And on Sunday, besides another special edition of The Crossover podcast prior to the games, Shaq McKissic will again be your host for play-by-play coverage from the third-place game and, of course, the big finale, the championship game at 20:30 CET. The on-court action and trophy presentation will be followed by exclusive locker room access, allowing fans to keep on partying with the 2021 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champions!
Alex Ferrer Kristjansson, Marketing and Communication Senior Director at Euroleague Basketball, said: “Of course, it’s disappointing that fans are unable to join us in Cologne for the climax of the season, but we want to make sure they are still able to enjoy the entire Final Four as much as possible. The pandemic has really shown us how much technology can be used to bring people together, even if it has to be virtually, and it’s great that our online platforms will provide hours of special and free entertainment to make fans feel they can still be a part of the Final Four.”