NHL to debut Digitally Enhanced Dasherboards; virtual ads to replace traditional signage on arena rink boards

[DaGap]

Seems to me the games I have seen didn't have nearly the amount of advertisers cycling as you have on the physical boards. So maybe they're just buying board space and not digital space? I still willing to bet this was done all half-cocked and they screwed over some of these advertisers.

I know it'd be wishful thinking, but how great would it be if the demand for physical ad space on the boards fell to a level so low they'd just discontinue it, then we'd go back to having nothing on the physical boards, lol

One thing I noticed watching Oilers vs Canucks is the digital ads being shown were dependent on what camera angle was being used for the play at the time. It looked like only 4 Angles had the digital ads and the others didn't

 

[Sparty]

One thing I noticed watching Oilers vs Canucks is the digital ads being shown were dependent on what camera angle was being used for the play at the time. It looked like only 4 Angles had the digital ads and the others didn't

Yeah, I have mostly been watching the regional US games (parts of Buffalo, Florida, Anaheim, Columbus) and they only show the digital ads when the feed is showing the center ice camera. I picked mostly the oddball teams to watch so far this year, lol

 

[golfortennis1]

One thing I noticed watching Oilers vs Canucks is the digital ads being shown were dependent on what camera angle was being used for the play at the time. It looked like only 4 Angles had the digital ads and the others didn't

Same with TB/Pitt Saturday. When they went to an ice level camera, you could see that it was the static ads.

 

[Moose Head]

They're not different boards, safety hazard is same as it always was. Think of a Hollywood movie done with green screen, they're just projecting an image over what's physically there.

Did not know that, lol. Damn I’m a boomer sometimes

 

[varsaku]

It will take a bit of time for the league and broadcasters to work out the kinks in this new advertising technology. Soon it will be seamless in broadcasts and we would have all gotten used to it by then or be focused on another change the NHL is implementing.

 

[Hullois]

It honestly f***ing sucks. I hate it more than those ugly jersey patch and I f***ing hate those too.

 

[WaveRaven]

Love the puck disappearing. Such an improvement on seeing it. Ring it around the boards gone, then it suddenly appears once its at bottom dasher level. .

No goal line or centre ice line. No blue lines in game one.

Man you have to an idiot to think this is ready. THE PUCK DISAPPEARS !

 

[Colezuki]

I was pleasantly surprised in the habs game, it wasn’t moving and more static and I hardly noticed it. Had to remind myself it was there. If that’s what it is for the rest of the year I’m fine with it

 

[ThreeOfAPerfectPair]

Wonder how much of a draw down in viewers this is going to cause.

 

[Tawnos]

Wonder how much of a draw down in viewers this is going to cause.

Probably not much of one, which is the case most of the time this kind of thing happens and people say they hate it.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I have no issue with them using splashy digital ads, that actually makes a lot of sense. But the moving ads have to stop. It's crazy to think people are going to appreciate moving objects being superimposed into the field of play, come on now people.

 

[Crease]

I'm with you tarheel. I'm fine in principle with digital ads. But movement and change during play is a problem for me. Eye strain, fatigue, distraction, you name it. I'm not going to stop watching because I'm emotionally invested in the product, but digital ads as currently deployed have negatively impacted the viewing experience for me.

Sports executives are constantly looking for ways to increase ad space during the game broadcast, and not just confine it to commercial breaks. Every whistle is followed by an ad. Every segment is sponsored. Every power play and penalty kill is sponsored. The scorebug is brought to you by some company. Now it's digital ads on the boards, glass, and ice. It's not going to slow down until there's no more space. The fans can't vote with their wallet because there is no alternative product. Maybe this is where consumer protection laws can come in.

 

[varsaku]

I'm with you tarheel. I'm fine in principle with digital ads. But movement and change during play is a problem for me. Eye strain, fatigue, distraction, you name it. I'm not going to stop watching because I'm emotionally invested in the product, but digital ads as currently deployed have negatively impacted the viewing experience for me.

Sports executives are constantly looking for ways to increase ad space during the game broadcast, and not just confine it to commercial breaks. Every whistle is followed by an ad. Every segment is sponsored. Every power play and penalty kill is sponsored. The scorebug is brought to you by some company. Now it's digital ads on the boards, glass, and ice. It's not going to slow down until there's no more space. Maybe this is where consumer protection laws can come in.

It all comes down to money. The moving ads will draw more attention than static ones, so the NHL/Broadcasters can charge more.

 

[Eco]

Yeah - I mostly just ignore them, but I assume that the money the teams receive from the physical board adverts can be concerning.

On a small note though, I do find it a bit...annoying, when I'm watching a game on ESPN+, and let's say it Sharks at Vegas, and I'm watching the Sharks broadcast, and then they show Sharks adverts on the board around the VGK ice. That just feels...off to me.

 

[sh724]

Sounds like i am in the minority here but i am liking the digital boards more than the static boards. The digital are so much cleaner and easier to tune out instead of being full from one end to the other of different colors, fonts, etc.

 

[HBK27]

Sounds like i am in the minority here but i am liking the digital boards more than the static boards. The digital are so much cleaner and easier to tune out instead of being full from one end to the other of different colors, fonts, etc.

Appreciate your input Gary.

 

[KCC]

Sounds like i am in the minority here but i am liking the digital boards more than the static boards. The digital are so much cleaner and easier to tune out instead of being full from one end to the other of different colors, fonts, etc.

maybe here but the majority watching in general don’t care. The league is tweaking it as time goes on. I don’t even notice it anymore honestly.

 

[timorous me]

I'm with you tarheel. I'm fine in principle with digital ads. But movement and change during play is a problem for me. Eye strain, fatigue, distraction, you name it. I'm not going to stop watching because I'm emotionally invested in the product, but digital ads as currently deployed have negatively impacted the viewing experience for me.

Sports executives are constantly looking for ways to increase ad space during the game broadcast, and not just confine it to commercial breaks. Every whistle is followed by an ad. Every segment is sponsored. Every power play and penalty kill is sponsored. The scorebug is brought to you by some company. Now it's digital ads on the boards, glass, and ice. It's not going to slow down until there's no more space. The fans can't vote with their wallet because there is no alternative product. Maybe this is where consumer protection laws can come in.

It's a little surprising--but maybe it shouldn't be--that executives don't realize how different the hockey viewing experience is to other sports. For instance, I can easily handle the digital advertising hoardings surrounding a football pitch because of the size and proximity of them on camera; they're much less of an intrusion, even when they're bright or there's a dachshund chasing a football in them, than a moving/changing projected ad on the boards during an NHL broadcast.

Similarly, a ticker at the bottom of the screen is much less of a distraction during the fairly static broadcast of a baseball game than it is during the fast-moving action of a hockey game. Yet we see executives forcing these things down our throats as hockey fans and thinking we're obtuse or basically not watching games very closely. And the big difference from other sports is that hockey is a sport played on bright white ice, so everything else--from the ads to the tickers--stands out even stronger and detracts even more fiercely from the viewing experience. But they don't give a damn because of the extra money in play. It's so frustrating as a fan to be treated like we're stupid.

 

[Chet Manley]

I'm having a really hard time adjusting to this one. Keep having my attention drawn away during live action which is going to end up being a deal breaker if it continues. Perhaps my brain isn't made to resist looking at something that changed on the playing field.

 

[golfortennis1]

I'm with you tarheel. I'm fine in principle with digital ads. But movement and change during play is a problem for me. Eye strain, fatigue, distraction, you name it. I'm not going to stop watching because I'm emotionally invested in the product, but digital ads as currently deployed have negatively impacted the viewing experience for me.

Sports executives are constantly looking for ways to increase ad space during the game broadcast, and not just confine it to commercial breaks. Every whistle is followed by an ad. Every segment is sponsored. Every power play and penalty kill is sponsored. The scorebug is brought to you by some company. Now it's digital ads on the boards, glass, and ice. It's not going to slow down until there's no more space. The fans can't vote with their wallet because there is no alternative product. Maybe this is where consumer protection laws can come in.

PVR's are a wonderful thing. I can't even watch TV live anymore. I record it and watch later, FF'ing anything I can.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Any soccer fans should be used to it.

 

[LadyStanley]

Nice video describing how it works