NHL sponsorship revenue surges thanks to new virtual ads and jersey patches

Hockey viewership is also climbing, according to the report. ABC and ESPN showed 50 NHL games this season, 22 more than last year, averaging 629,000 viewers—up 6% from last year. (The report excluded “limited windows where the NHL competed with NFL broadcasts.”) ABC averaged around 1 million viewers for this season’s games, up 19% versus the 2021-2022 season. The first round of the NHL playoffs set viewership records—up 18% compared with last season through the first 14 games, the report stated.

Though not without some controversy, the introduction this season of what the league calls its “digitally enhanced dasherboards (DEDs)” has led to a new source of revenue for the league. The technology utilizes artificial intelligence to place virtual ads onto the dasherboards during game broadcasts, allowing sponsors to target fans based on where they’re watching the games. More than 700 brands were represented in DED ads this year, led by the automotive industry, SponsorUnited stated; the NHL previously told Ad Age that brands had to have pre-existing relationships with the NHL and its teams to be featured on the digital signage. 

Some teams are “generating as much as 25% more revenue in dashboard signage alone,” said SponsorUnited CEO Bob Lynch in a statement. Several fans, though, have complained that the new ads were distracting, and there have been reports of tech glitches causing issues for those with epilepsy.

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