Fans of professional hockey in North America have noticed a serious spike in the number of advertisements during games and broadcasts. The league has long welcomed ads, but it recently adopted, as the industry might put it, “new revenue opportunities.” This includes branding player jerseys and helmets, as well as launching “digitally enhanced” and “AI-powered” dasherboards so that viewers at home see variable, geographically targeted ads instead of a standard message or logo. The recent blitz follows the league’s decision to add more on-ice ads a few years ago.
The digital boards, new on-ice ads, and branded patches on uniforms are ugly and distracting. Combined with regular commercial breaks during and between periods and sponsored broadcasts — which include plugs for Amazon or Uber or any number of the now ubiquitous sports gambling outfits that prey on fans of the sport — the visual and mental burden of the ad bombardment is tremendous. It’s an ultrabranded aesthetic dystopia that undermines what ought to be the joy — and maddening sorrow — of watching a hockey game.
It’s not like the league or its teams have been hurting for cash. While pro sports suffered during the pandemic — a result of postponed or canceled games and the resulting drop in ticket revenue — they’ve since bounced back as fans have returned to arenas.
Revenue for the National Hockey League (NHL) has reached an all-time high of $6.2 billion, in part thanks to the digital billboards and uniform ad placements, which drew roughly seven hundred sponsors…
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Auteur: David Moscrop
