1 Jun 2018

'Secretive team is pulling back the black curtain'

7:00 am on 1 June 2018

All Blacks' fans are being offered a closer look inside the locker room and the lives of the team - but they'll have to pay for it.

All Blacks training camp 2018.

All Blacks training camp 2018. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

All or Nothing: New Zealand All Blacks is the latest series under the Amazon-Prime All or Nothing sports documentary banner. It premieres on the streaming service today.

It follows the notoriously tight-lipped team during the Lions' tour and the 2017 Rugby Championship.

Documentary makers said it pulled back the curtain and offered exclusive access to two of the team's major events.

Media commentator Geoff Lealand said the trailer made big promises.

"They kind of talk about the All Blacks just being ordinary blokes but they are also warriors, and they're more than a team, they're a family.

"I guess, if we get some insights into them, are they that ordinary? Are they like us? Or are they something quite extraordinary? I think that'll be quite illuminating just looking beyond the game."

The six-part series narrated by filmmaker Taika Waititi is available only to those with a paid Amazon-Prime subscription, which costs about $8.50 a month.

Auckland University of Technology senior marketing lecturer Jessica Vredenburg said the documentary would not only push the All Blacks' brand internationally but also Amazon-Prime's in New Zealand.

"Potentially, they are using this to tap into a new market in terms of the American market ... but as we know, here in New Zealand, the All Blacks are a huge part of the culture.

All Blacks' business and operations manager Darren Shand hoped the series boosted the profile of the team with American audiences.

"The opportunity was more initially based around a good commercial opportunity that made sense to have our brand seen in a country where rugby is not big, first and foremost, and that's Amazon's major audience.

"The market for sport and how people consume it changes - we're interested to see how this will work as well."