The National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) have formed a partnership with TikTok to deliver ‘original content and unique experiences’.
The collaboration includes in-ice branding and the introduction of the TikTok Tailgate Stage at two upcoming marquee outdoor NHL events; the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series on 26 Feb in Nashville, and the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic on 13 March in Ontario.
“TikTok is an extremely influential entertainment platform with a growing audience of Gen Z users,” commented Heidi Browning, NHL Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer.
“While highlights are among our most engaging content, through this partnership, we hope to reach the broader TikTok community with exclusive content that captures the amazing fan experience at NHL games and tentpole events, player lifestyle videos, and concerts and global livestreams.”
The hashtag ‘’Hockey’ has got 12.2 billion views on the platform, whereas the NHL TikTok account has now gained 1.7 million followers, and team accounts on the platform have around 546 million views globally.
“As the digital media landscape has continued to grow and evolve, it’s clear that TikTok has established itself as a premiere platform to connect with fans around the world,” noted Mathieu Schneider, NHLPA Special Assistant to the Executive Director.
“We are excited to help showcase the style, interests and engaging personalities of our players to a large and diverse audience through this exciting partnership.”
Furthemore, music and entertainment have been named ‘key components’ to the partnership, with the NHL and TikTok collaborating on musical artists for upcoming NHL events.
Various artists in the video network’s community are set to perform at the TikTok Tailgate Stage, such as country music singer Walker Hayes. His performance will also be livestreamed on the NHL’s TikTok account.
Daniel Habashi, GM of TikTok Canada, concluded: “Sports content is evolving; fans on TikTok want to see an authentic and multi-dimensional side of the athletes, leagues, teams, and games they love.
“We’re lucky to work with partners like the NHL and NHLPA who recogniSe this and want to bring music and fashion into the fold – two verticals that are both integral to TikTok and extremely popular with our global community.”
