Seizing the Opportunity: How the NHL is Capitalizing on Viewership and Innovation for Stronger Brand Partnerships
The National Hockey League is scoring big with fans, with the ’21-‘22 regular season seeing its highest viewership since '16-17 - up 18% year-over-year.
“It’s great to see the NHL regaining momentum coming out of the pandemic, but the work doesn’t stop there. It’s an increasingly competitive landscape for viewers and all leagues are seeing increases in viewership and sponsorship dollars,” said John Abreu, Director of Partnerships, FanAI Inc.
For their part, the NHL skated on to success with the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs covered on ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and TBS averaging 768,000 viewers, up 58% from last season on NBCSN, CNBC, and the USA Network. The increase in viewership was strengthened by four playoff series going to game seven.
Even beyond those nailbiting series, where the NHL viewer numbers have hockey sticked up, the league is competing with the NBA, who is also seeing their playoff viewership climb, as well as MLB, who has seen a 2% increase in regular season viewership so far (including more than 40% in some markets). This all goes to say that if professional hockey wants to stand out to viewers and sponsors, it needs to innovate.
One example of their innovative approach to working with brands was showcased these playoffs. Alongside specialized company The Famous Group, Chipotle delivered a mixed reality ad in front of Colorado Avalanche fans, which ultimately went viral gathering praise.
That innovative spirit also showed up in the way business is done. The NHL also saw its first team sever ties with Ticketmaster, as the Florida Panthers announced a partnership with SeatGeek. The SeatGeek platform will allow the Panthers to leverage a multitude of fan data to improve the fan experience and generate three times the revenue of their Ticketmaster relationship for the team.
The Panthers, who are coming off a season that has shown increased attendance, will classify that financial windfall as hockey-related revenue resulting in higher player salaries.
Despite all the positive momentum, Gatorade, an NHL sponsor since 2006, opted to not renew their partnership with the league, instead focusing on college and women's sports.
With the 2022-2023 season in sight, the hope is that the NHL can carry the momentum of increased viewership, and continue to drive innovation and value for both fans and brands alike.
FanAI helps brands understand and measure sponsorship impact on sales using unique insights to maximize investments. Our mission is to help brands realize the true value of sponsorships by proving their impact on sales, and our vision is to be the leader in optimizing brand marketing performance.
