Sports technology firm Sportradar has been selected by the National Hockey League (NHL) to power a refreshed NHL.TV, the league’s direct-to-consumer international OTT subscription service available to hockey fans in more than 120 countries and territories outside of the US and Canada.
Under the terms of the collaboration, which coincides with the start of the 2022-23 NHL season, Sportradar will deliver its OTT solution to help the NHL manage the end-to-end workflow of NHL.TV. This includes the OTT back end, all OTT front-end applications (including web and mobile applications), and UX/UI design, as well as third-party integrations on the platform.
In addition to live game streams, NHL.TV offers fans team-specific personalization features, including on-demand videos and additional highlights. NHL.TV will be available on connected TV applications including Android and Fire TV and is also deployed on the Foxxum Operating System.
Ed Blonk, Chief Commercial Officer at Sportradar, said: “Today’s sports fans expect a viewing experience that is highly personalized and tailored to their unique interests. By utilizing our truly dynamic and trusted data-driven, end-to-end OTT solution, which have been developed and refined over the last 15 years, NHL.TV has the ability to meet and exceed viewer demands.
“We look forward to working closely with the NHL to deliver an innovative product that will deepen fan engagement now and in the future.”
Stephen McArdle, NHL Senior Executive Vice President, Digital Media & Strategic Planning, added: “Similar to our North American fan base, NHL international fans are extremely tech savvy and expect a premium digital viewing experience.
“Sportradar’s refresh of NHL.TV for certain international markets will help provide fans around the world with a more personalized and enhanced experience with the game, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with Sportradar to deliver a best-in-class international direct-to-consumer platform.”
Through a landmark global 10-year agreement announced in June 2021, Sportradar is the NHL’s Official Betting Data Rights, Official Betting Streaming Rights, and Official Media Data Rights Partner, distributing the League’s official data and statistics to media, technology, and sports betting companies worldwide.