NEW YORK (October 10,2019) – The National Hockey League (NHL®) andSportsMEDIA Technology (SMT) today announced an expansion to their longstanding partnership as the NHL’s real-time scoring system provider, which now will include puck and player tracking technology development and implementation,data integration and distribution, and virtual graphics generation.
“Fan engagement and technological innovation are at the forefront of everything we do. Using technology to depict exactly how fast, how skilled our game and our players are, enhances the connectivity our fans have with hockey,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. “We are thrilled to expand our partnership with SMT, a leader in the sports technology industry and established partner of the NHL. Through our partnership we look forward to continuing to innovate our scoring and puck and player tracking systems, as well as how we bring to life limitless data points, which will take fans more inside the game than ever before.”
“SMT is proud to extend our longstanding partnership with the NHL and to support NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman’s vision for harnessing the power of live player and puck tracking,” said SMT CEO and founder Gerard J. Hall. “With the installation of SMT’s comprehensive OASIS Platform in every NHL arena, broadcasters, fans and other hockey stakeholders will experience a firehose of data seamlessly integrated into easy-to-consume visualizations that showcase never-before-seen insights, predictions and content.”
The NHL has expanded its 20-year relationship with SMT to provide a comprehensive, end-to-end solution that includes the capture, processing, distribution and visualization of game data, which will be utilized to enhance a multitude of NHL platforms and fan experiences including live game broadcasts, streaming products, sports betting, free to play apps,fantasy and AR/VR. Details include:
· Creating an updated version of the NHL’s HITS (Hockey Information and Tracking System)official scoring system, which will include the future integration of puck and player tracking data.
· Continuing to develop and install NHL puck and player tracking systems and related technology in all NHL arenas.
· Utilizing the SMT “OASIS” Platform and infrastructure to ingest, aggregate, and distribute data from multiple sources (including the puck and player tracking system) and filter and distribute data to the appropriate NHL applications, stakeholders and end consumers.
· Processing and distributing NHL puck and player tracking data in the form of innovative graphics and visualizations to NHL media partners and other stakeholders.
The NHL will work with SMT to deploy NHL puck and player tracking systems in all NHL arenas by the 2020 Stanley Cup®Playoffs. Once implemented, the technology will track the movements of the puck and each on-ice player during every game. The system will have the ability to generate nearly one million 3-dimensional coordinates/data points over the course of a regulation game and will enable the creation of new advanced metrics and statistics which will be presented via informative and compelling graphics and visualizations across a variety of NHL platforms and fan experiences.
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About the NHL
TheNational Hockey League (NHL®), founded in 1917, consists of 31 Member Clubs andproudly welcomes its 32nd franchise, based in Seattle, for the 2021-22 season.Each team roster reflects the League’s international makeup with players frommore than 20 countries represented, all vying for the most cherished andhistoric trophy in professional sports – the Stanley Cup®. Gary Bettman hasserved the NHL as Commissioner since February 1, 1993 and has guided theworld’s top professional hockey league to more than $5 billion in annualrevenues and partnerships with more than 40 blue chip corporate sponsors. Everyyear, the NHL entertains more than 670 million fans in-arena and through itspartners on national television and radio; more than 151 million followers -league, team and player accounts combined – across Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube; and more than 100 million fans online at NHL.com. The League broadcastsgames in more than 160 countries and territories through its rightsholdersincluding NBC/NBCSN and the NHL Network™ in the U.S., Sportsnet and TVA inCanada, Viasat in the Nordic Region, Yandex in Russia and CCTV and Tencent inChina. The NHL reaches fans worldwide with games available online in everycountry including via its live and on-demand streaming service NHL.TV™. Havingentered the esports world in 2018, the League hosts the NHL Gaming WorldChampionship™ annually, drawing record digital streaming audiences during the2019 campaign. Fans are engaged across the League’s digital assets on mobiledevices via the free NHL® App; across nine social media platforms; on SiriusXMNHL Network Radio™; and on NHL.com, available in eightlanguages and featuring unprecedented access to player and team statistics aswell as every regular-season and playoff game box score dating back to theLeague’s inception, powered by SAP. The NHL is committed to building healthyand vibrant communities through the sport of hockey by increasing youthparticipation and engagement; fostering positive family experiences; promotinginclusion, positive culture and leadership; and supporting sustainable communityimpact.
About SMT
SMT, a leading innovator and supplier of real-time data delivery and graphics solutions for the sports and entertainment industries,provides clients with cutting-edge storytelling tools to enhance live sports and entertainment productions. The world’s most prestigious sporting events(including the Super Bowl, Indianapolis 500, Tour de France, NCAA Tournament,NASCAR events, NHL games, and major tennis and golf events such as Roland Garros and the Open Championship) utilize SMT’s technology. The 33-time Emmy Award-winning company is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, with divisions in Jacksonville, Fla.; Fremont, Calif.; London, England; Toronto, Canada; and Munich, Germany. For more information, visit SMT.com.