The NHL will use its All-Star festivities this weekend in St. Louis to "take another step toward the potential integration of digitally enhanced dasherboards (DED) at all 31 club arenas," according to Mark J. Burns of SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL. A source said that if all goes well, the initiative "could be introduced" as early as the '21-22 or '22-23 NHL seasons. The technology will be "utilized during the on-ice events in St. Louis such as the 3-on-3 game, the skills competition and the main event, giving the NHL the chance to see how different sponsors appear on broadcasts in the U.S., Canada and other markets." NHL CRO & Exec VP/Global Partnerships Keith Wachtel said that the implementation "would be a 'seismic shift in camera-visible signage for a professional sports league' and alter the sales strategy for teams, media partners and the league itself." Burns reports this weekend, there will be nine "separate feeds incorporating the new digital ads into each of the broadcasts, specifically for NBC (U.S.), Rogers (Canada) and TVA (French Canadian), along with six other international markets" (SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/20 issue).
OPPORTUNITY CALLS: Wachtel said, “We’re the only North American sport with a significant dual business. ... Budweiser can model advertising to its American audience, its Canadian audience, its French audience. In the U.S., we can advertise Dunkin’ (Donuts) and in Canada, Tim Horton’s. In the U.S., there’s Discover; in Canada, Scotiabank. It’s a huge opportunity for us.” SPORTSNET.ca's Elliotte Friedman notes the league's "hope is, eventually this will lead to increased revenues, since, for example, if the Canucks are in Anaheim, Vancouver will be able to 'place' its own sponsors on the rinkboards, even away from home." Some arenas "need to replace their boards, since they will need special infrared-reflective film built into each advert." Human eyes "can’t see this light, whereas the technology on the camera lens can pick it up." The technology then "uses that to replace the content seen in-arena" (SPORTSNET.ca, 1/22).
