Digital ads on boards replacing traditional ads

[AlwaysSunnyInTampa]

I'm so sick of this shit. Those film features of dystopian society where you're forced to watch advertising in order to do anything are becoming more accurate every day. What's next? I gotta watch a message from Jake from State Farm in order to enter a public bathroom? Little McDonald's jingle to use the toilet paper in there? If they ever make GTA VI and you're online you get to watch another shitty Big Pharma commercial before you respawn like a "Game Over" sequence?

Hell... Just just randomly turn off our streams and make us buy products so we can continue watching hockey. Sometime during the game Bally Sports can just shut off your shit and demand tribute to Taco Bell and only lets you watch upon paying for the food

Businesses are officially predatory now. I gotta see ads on top of ads now. This is ridiculous

 

[CharlesPuck]

(who thought that was a good idea?!?).

They know exactly how distracting they would be. That’s why they did them.

They can use tracking software and say look, your animated ad got 10x more views than a traditional ad spot.

Then they can sell that space and charge more as the audience is now larger.

This is 100% about selling ad time during the play.

 

[HBK27]

I don't understand why there isn't more push back from fans on social media or more negative articles calling out the NHL for this.

I don't either. The lack of pushback on this is really surprising for such a radical change in how the game is viewed.

Im finding it very distracting. Wouldn't be too bad if they switched ads between whistles . But often you see racing cars, giant animated pucks racing acros the boards during live play. It throws me off the play. And line changes often looks digitally disjointed especially when the doors open.

If they can just change those 2 things - stop ads from speed transitioning during live play and clean it up by the bench, then I should be OK. As it stands now, it's a chore to watch

I still can't believe that not only did the NHL implement these projected board ads (which still don't even work properly), but that they immediately decided to animate them during play.

It's not only distracting, but makes my blood boil that they could be so f'n greedy to do this and actively try to distract viewers from the game. Even the ads projected on the glass, which originally would stay the same the entire period, are now being switched out while the game is going on.

They don't even need to wait for a whistle. Play consistently moves back and forth from one team's zone to the other. You can swap out ads a a team's defensive zone while the play is in the other team's defensive zone if you wanted. But clearly the NHL doesn't care whatsoever about their fans and how distracting these animated ads are for many to watch the games.

This really has zapped a ton of the excitement I had for this season. I don't want to just sit there and watch games anymore and try to focus on the play. Last game I had on mostly in the background I would just rewind the feed by 10 seconds or so whenever something exciting happened.

 

[LuLover96]

I'm so sick of this shit. Those film features of dystopian society where you're forced to watch advertising in order to do anything are becoming more accurate every day. What's next? I gotta watch a message from Jake from State Farm in order to enter a public bathroom? Little McDonald's jingle to use the toilet paper in there? If they ever make GTA VI and you're online you get to watch another shitty Big Pharma commercial before you respawn like a "Game Over" sequence?

Hell... Just just randomly turn off our streams and make us buy products so we can continue watching hockey. Sometime during the game Bally Sports can just shut off your shit and demand tribute to Taco Bell and only lets you watch upon paying for the food

Businesses are officially predatory now. I gotta see ads on top of ads now. This is ridiculous

100% agree with you. I’d be curious to see the psychology behind this as well, because I can’t imagine endless badgering of this nature actually drives more sales.

Maybe a familiarity aspect exists for fast food joints or other businesses that don’t matter in your day to day life, but no self-respecting person says “I’m looking to buy a new cell phone and plan, and I’m going to use Rogers because I saw them on the boards at a hockey game.”

 

[AlwaysSunnyInTampa]

100% agree with you. I’d be curious to see the psychology behind this as well, because I can’t imagine endless badgering of this nature actually drives more sales.

Maybe a familiarity aspect exists for fast food joints or other businesses that don’t matter in your day to day life, but no self-respecting person says “I’m looking to buy a new cell phone and plan, and I’m going to use Rogers because I saw them on the boards at a hockey game.”

The NHL is desperate for revenue. I am absolutely certain that 95% of my rant should be directed at TV networks and the NHL figuring out that companies would pay extra to digitally superimpose ads on the boards and they just want to take the money and run

We really need our sport to get more popular. The dead puck era that made two generations of people think hockey is boring is still affecting us

 

[ElysiumAB]

They know exactly how distracting they would be. That’s why they did them.

They can use tracking software and say look, your animated ad got 10x more views than a traditional ad spot.

Then they can sell that space and charge more as the audience is now larger.

This is 100% about selling ad time during the play.

Oh, no disagreement with what you said, but I was referring to the animated puck, specifically - which seems particularly idiotic.

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

And the players have this "halo" effect around them when they get in front of the ads. The kind you get from standing in front of an artificial background. Adds to the distraction. Again, amateurish.

 

[DuklaNation]

I was watching one game and the ads reset during game play with what appeared to be a black ball that slid across the boards. Who thought this was a good idea needs to be fired ASAP.

 

[King Karl]

Advertising is such a disease.

 

[Isles Shawn]

Would be helpful if everyone keeps writing into the NHL.

NHL Contact & Support Center | NHL.com

Get support for NHL.TV and other products & services, or contact the league for other types of inquires.

www.nhl.com

Send the same email everyday. Flood their inboxes like they flood our game with ads.

 

[HBK27]

Would be helpful if everyone keeps writing into the NHL.

NHL Contact & Support Center | NHL.com

Get support for NHL.TV and other products & services, or contact the league for other types of inquires.

www.nhl.com

Send the same email everyday. Flood their inboxes like they flood our game with ads.

Only takes a couple minutes - everyone should do this.

 

[Statto]

Advertising is such a disease.

Businesses that don’t advertise properly don’t do so well. In a recession it’s the businesses that cut back in advertising that are more likely to fail. Advertising is essential.

 

[King Karl]

Businesses that don’t advertise properly don’t do so well. In a recession it’s the businesses that cut back in advertising that are more likely to fail. Advertising is essential.

I hate that you're right. I'm not an expert on advertising, but I really fail to understand how cramming as many ads as possible down viewer's throats is a winning strategy. Typically if I see a lot of ads for something, or the same ad over and over again, I'll go out of my way to avoid them.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I'm so sick of this shit. Those film features of dystopian society where you're forced to watch advertising in order to do anything are becoming more accurate every day. What's next? I gotta watch a message from Jake from State Farm in order to enter a public bathroom? Little McDonald's jingle to use the toilet paper in there? If they ever make GTA VI and you're online you get to watch another shitty Big Pharma commercial before you respawn like a "Game Over" sequence?

Hell... Just just randomly turn off our streams and make us buy products so we can continue watching hockey. Sometime during the game Bally Sports can just shut off your shit and demand tribute to Taco Bell and only lets you watch upon paying for the food

Businesses are officially predatory now. I gotta see ads on top of ads now. This is ridiculous

I was discussing this with my wife the other day after I muted a political ad after seeing it for the 4th or 5th time.

I'm not sure if you've ever seen Black Mirror, but in one episode there's an ad that a character is tormented by, but he doesn't have enough credits to skip it, so he closes his eyes when it comes on. The ad pauses, plays a high-pitched sound and will not resume until he opens his eyes and watches the ad.

I am absolutely expecting to see things like this coming in the relative near future.

 

[AlwaysSunnyInTampa]

I was discussing this with my wife the other day after I muted a political ad after seeing it for the 4th or 5th time.

I'm not sure if you've ever seen Black Mirror, but in one episode there's an ad that a character is tormented by, but he doesn't have enough credits to skip it, so he closes his eyes when it comes on. The ad pauses, plays a high-pitched sound and will not resume until he opens his eyes and watches the ad.

I am absolutely expecting to see things like this coming in the relative near future.

I did see the episode you're talking about but not much else. I was very directly referencing it and I'm glad you caught this on

 

[DarrylshutzSydor]

The NHL is desperate for revenue. I am absolutely certain that 95% of my rant should be directed at TV networks and the NHL figuring out that companies would pay extra to digitally superimpose ads on the boards and they just want to take the money and run

We really need our sport to get more popular. The dead puck era that made two generations of people think hockey is boring is still affecting us

Hockey today is worse than "the dead puck era" as you put it. it is the same game on every channel, and there is no hitting or fighting. Total Snooze fest with watered down talent as well.....

 

[timorous me]

Something else I've realized that bothers me about these superimposed ads, which is kind of hard to explain, is the feeling it gives that the boards aren't real, that they're projections, so that when the players and puck get near them, it gives this heightened sense of fake reality, like we're watching a game but not in an actual physical space. It's disconcerting, Black Mirror-ish I guess you might say in terms of what it says about this digitized and over-advertised world we live in, and there are several moments in each game where I'm slightly disturbed by that feeling.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Hockey today is worse than "the dead puck era" as you put it. it is the same game on every channel, and there is no hitting or fighting. Total Snooze fest with watered down talent as well.....

Yikes talk about truly awful takes

 

[TootooTrain]

Just watching the texas broadcast of the stars/leafs game. Holy cow theres been a few animated ads 'during active plays'. Its annoying as hell. Makes it difficult to concentrate some times.

Its ok to have moving animations between whistles. But not duirng play. Still images please!!!

 

[GrumpyKoala]

Hockey is for everyone.

That have 4 or 5 paying subscription
That don't mind visual polution
That have no motion sickness issue
That can enjoy the game without sound.

Yeah!

 

[aufheben]

If I didn’t read HFBoards it might have took me several games to notice it. Then again it’s…noticeability (?) is probably directly proportional to how big your TV screen is.

Something else I've realized that bothers me about these superimposed ads, which is kind of hard to explain, is the feeling it gives that the boards aren't real, that they're projections, so that when the players and puck get near them, it gives this heightened sense of fake reality, like we're watching a game but not in an actual physical space. It's disconcerting, Black Mirror-ish I guess you might say in terms of what it says about this digitized and over-advertised world we live in, and there are several moments in each game where I'm slightly disturbed by that feeling.

TBF a TV broadcast is literally a projection to begin with.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

I’ve only caught one game this season. Seeing the ads literally changing is distracting as f***.

Awful.

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

More fun:

The ads glitch out every time the bench doors open.

They draw a vertical blue line up the boards at each end, but not a red one at center ice or for the goal lines.

They use these shitty ads on home broadcasts, where more often then not they're advertising a product that is already on the goddamn physical boards in the arena. Don't the companies themselves at least care that they're paying twice for the same old shit?

 

[Jetsfan79]

I'm starting to wonder if the ads on jersey was a red herring. It would be interested to see how much revenue this provides compared to adds on jerseys. You can make a strong case the animated ads are more noticeable during live play than the tiny jersey patch .

At this point, I'd rather them add a second ad patch on the jersey if it meant getting rid of the digital boards.

 

[HBK27]

Something else I've realized that bothers me about these superimposed ads, which is kind of hard to explain, is the feeling it gives that the boards aren't real, that they're projections, so that when the players and puck get near them, it gives this heightened sense of fake reality, like we're watching a game but not in an actual physical space. It's disconcerting, Black Mirror-ish I guess you might say in terms of what it says about this digitized and over-advertised world we live in, and there are several moments in each game where I'm slightly disturbed by that feeling.

Last night was the first game that I watched really closely, on my PC. The unnaturalness of it all is definitely an issue, as is the motion when the center ice camera is moving quickly - to the point that it was giving me a headache. When players are near the boards, there's a fuzziness around them and sometimes parts of the player disappears - it got to the point that I had to adjust how I watched the game...I wouldn't watch any of the action directly in front of the far boards, but would instead keep my focus towards the center of the ice.

More fun:

The ads glitch out every time the bench doors open.

They draw a vertical blue line up the boards at each end, but not a red one at center ice or for the goal lines.

They use these shitty ads on home broadcasts, where more often then not they're advertising a product that is already on the goddamn physical boards in the arena. Don't the companies themselves at least care that they're paying twice for the same old shit?

I noticed this the other night on the Devils broadcast when the virtual ad system glitched out and they had to revert to regular board ads for a short period of time. The regular ads on the boards and the virtual ads being broadcast were all the same companies. How much additional money are they squeezing out of these companies to justify making the viewing experience worse for so many fans?