NHL Finalise 10-Year Deal With Sportradar
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he National Hockey League (NHL) look to grow fan engagement through partnerships with Sportradar and Clubhouse.
The deal gives Sportradar the exclusive distribution contract for the NHL’s data as well as designating Sportradar official betting data rights, official betting streaming rights, official media data rights partner and official integrity partner.
A press release on the partnership states Sportradar, who have been the NHL’s official global data distributor since 2015, will distribute the league’s data to media, technology and sports betting companies globally.
As part of the agreement, Sportradar will use its “data-driven marketing solution” called Ad:s, to source overseas betting partners and will have the rights to provide a live stream of NHL games to digital betting platforms in legal markets.
Being official integrity partner of the league, Sportradar will use its Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS) which monitors global gaming activity and trends, to “proactively help safeguard and ensure the integrity of the competition.”
According to Sportico, the deal was being discussed in August and said while specifics weren’t provided, bidding in the late stages of last year passed US$250 million (AU$332 million).
Sportradar global CEO, Carsten Koerl said the expansion of the partnership allows the reach of the league to grow.
“The NHL has been a terrific partner for Sportradar for nearly seven years and we look forward to collaborating with them in an expanded manner to continue increasing the global reach of the league, while delivering ground-breaking products and services to our customers,” Koerl said.
“This agreement truly highlights the global, multi-vertical, wide-ranging capabilities of Sportradar’s technology solutions and reflects how we use data to create engaging, personalised experiences for our partners and customers,” he said.
NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman, also noted how the partnership with Sportradar will provide the NHL with new ways to engage with fans.
“As the global leading provider of sports data for the media and betting industry, Sportradar has the unique expertise to help us deliver stats, insights and video content to our fans, who are extremely tech-savvy and constantly crave new and compelling ways to engage with our sport,” Bettman said.
“The capabilities, versatility and global scale of Sportradar’s platforms and products assist us in providing fans, media and sports betting companies around the world with greater depth of data and more immersive experience with the game,” he said.
Further showing their commitment to growing fan engagement, the NHL have also announced a deal with audio social platform, Clubhouse allowing fans direct access to players ahead of the Stanley Cup Final.
Designed to “bring the global community of hockey fans, players and insiders closer than ever before,” the activation allowed fans of the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning to digitally ‘drop in’ on the Stanley Cup Final Media Day and engage in discussions with players and moderators.
Clubhouse head of sports, Sean Brown said; “there’s no fan base quite like the NHL fan base and we are thrilled to get things started with this official partnership that sets a new standard for how major leagues can connect in the social audio space.”
“We thank the NHL for embracing the opportunity to take fans inside the Stanley Cup Final Media Day and look forward to more engaging programming in the months ahead,” Brown said.
While NHL chief marketing officer, Heidi Browning has said they want the collaboration between the league and Clubhouse to be “the first of many opportunities,” no announcements have been made regarding future plans.
