The NHL is using Sportradar ad:s to:
Grow the NHL’s reach, engagement and revenue globally through new sports betting partnerships
Optimise the efficiency of digital sponsorship activation with Sportradar adtech
Improve partner ad performance with CTR increasing 225%
Territories covered: Global
Product/s featured: ad:s Sponsorship & Engagement Tool
Website: https://www.nhl.com/ (ads geo-targeted to sponsor’s markets)
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As the leading ice-hockey league in the world, one of the NHL’s key priorities is to keep growing the sport beyond North America. Part of this objective, is to grow the NHL’s international sponsorship platform.
But the NHL isn’t only interested in developing new partnerships, they want to innovate and use technology to drive better performance for their partners whilst creating better experiences for the hockey fan.
Enter Sportradar ad:s.
ad:s, Sportradar’s industry specific multi-channel marketing platform, is uniquely positioned to advise the NHL on the sports betting category from both an advertising and sponsorship perspective.
Thanks to our global sponsorship sales team and Sportradar’s 900+ global sportsbook operator relationships, we’ve been able to combine data, insight and local market knowledge to create new unique partnerships in the category.
Driving increased value for the NHL’s sports betting partners digitally was the next challenge. With ad:s Engagement Tool, the NHL now employs Sportradar’s proprietary adtech which allows partners to deliver contextually relevant adverts on the NHL’s digital platforms, such as NHL.com.
The technology behind Engagement Tool is based on three areas:
1. Automation – tech to choose the right content at the right time
2. Relevancy – ads driven by live data and live odds
3. Context – what bet to show based on the website content
Not only does this improve the performance in terms of engagement and conversion for the sponsor, the tech also helps the NHL create more relevant content on their websites, with ads related to the article being read, improving fan engagement and therefore their experience. As demonstrated by an increased click through rate.
Working together to bring NHL’s rights to market, Sportradar’s global sponsorship sales team have helped create new partnerships across the Baltics, Balkans, Germany, Austria, Scandinavia and more. A joint success which has helped position the NHL’s global sponsorship platform as central to the league’s international growth.
The first case study of integrating ad:s Engagement Tool into one of the newly created partnerships, was with OlyBet for the 2022 Stanley Cup play-offs. This integration of Sportradar adtech saw a 225% increase in click through rates on ad units compared to pre-Sportradar integration.
Growing the league’s presence and engagement globally through new sports betting partnerships in strategic markets and the use of adtech remains a key pillar in the success to date and continued strategy of the wider Sportradar NHL relationship.
Plus, thanks to our advanced insights and reporting suite we're continuing to optimise the Engagement Tool adtech to improve the NHL’s fan experience and the ad performance for the partners.
Speak to our sponsorship experts today to grow your business with a win-win partnership.
Already have a partnership in place? Optimise its performance with our superior digital activation capabilities.
The National Hockey League (NHL®), founded in 1917, consists of 32 Member Clubs. Each team roster reflects the League’s international makeup with players from more than 20 countries represented, all vying for the most cherished and historic trophy in professional sports – the Stanley Cup®. Every year, the NHL entertains more than 670 million fans in-arena and through its partners on national television and radio; more than 191 million followers - league, team and player accounts combined - across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube; and more than 100 million fans online at NHL.com. The League broadcasts games in more than 160 countries and territories through its rightsholders including ESPN, WBD Sports and NHL Network in the U.S.; Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada; Viaplay in the Nordics, Baltics, and Poland; YLE in Finland; Nova in Czech Republic and Slovakia; Sky Sports and ProSieben in Germany; MySports in Switzerland; and CCTV5+ in China; and reaches fans worldwide with games available to stream in every country. Fans are engaged across the League’s digital assets on mobile devices via the free NHL® App; across nine social media platforms; on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio™; and on NHL.com, available in eight languages and featuring unprecedented access to player and team statistics as well as every regular-season and playoff game box score dating back to the League’s inception, powered by SAP. NHL Original Productions and NHL Studios produce compelling original programming featuring unprecedented access to players, coaches and League and team personnel for distribution across the NHL’s social and digital platforms.
The NHL is committed to building healthy and vibrant communities using the sport of hockey to celebrate fans of every race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. The NHL’s Hockey Is For Everyone™ initiative reinforces that the official policy of the sport is one of inclusion on the ice, in locker rooms, boardrooms and stands. The NHL is expanding access and opportunity for people of all backgrounds and abilities to play hockey, fostering more inclusive environments and growing the game through a greater diversity of participants. To date, the NHL has invested more than $100 million in youth hockey and grassroots programs, with a commitment to invest an additional $5 million for diversity and inclusion programs over the next year.
