The DED system allows for the digital replacement of camera-visible arena dasherboards within local, national, and international NHL game broadcasts. The technology will look to create new advertising opportunities for the NHL and its teams and their media and corporate partners.
The NHL has partnered with Supponor, a specialist digital signage technology firm, to develop the DED technology solution, which uses remote, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based keying technology to program dasherboard advertising during game broadcasts by placing dynamic graphics over the camera-visible arena dasherboards.
DED graphics can be displayed during games in a market-specific way wherever the game feed is broadcast resulting in dynamic and targeted branding and promotional messaging that was not previously achievable, allowing the league and its clubs to target marketing messages at specific broadcast territories, providing additional exposure to their sponsors in home and away markets for the first time.
Keith Wachtel, NHL Chief Business Officer and Senior Executive Vice President, mentioned: “Digitally Enhanced Dasherboards will revolutionise the way properties and broadcasters interact with brands across the world, not only in the NHL, but in all sports,”
James B Gambrell, Supponor CEO, stated: “Working closely with the NHL to develop, test and implement Digitally Enhanced Dasherboards has been the most complex implementation of Supponor’s AIR AI, software-based solution. Our system will support the NHL’s requirements and needs and will set a new gold standard for other sports.”
The NHL’s DED solution will allow for dynamic dasherboard branding and messaging featuring URLs, flighted marketing campaigns, co-branded official designations, social media integration and QR codes.
Besides, the DED display will be programmable into multiple formats, from a single-advertiser full-dasherboard takeover to a split zone format with ten advertisers brands.
Supponor will also manage the league’s ‘Slot Virtual’ advertising for 2022/23 and has developed a Content Management System (CMS), allowing the NHL and its clubs to manage their own playlists for every game broadcast in their market.
The NHL expects an adjustment period for fans, but it’ll ultimately improve their viewing experience. The league has games on the air in more than 100 countries; in the future, every broadcast of every game could see completely different ads on the boards around the world.
