NEW YORK and TORONTO,
Jan. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/
-- The National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey
League Players' Association (NHLPA) today announced a North
American partnership with GoPro, the maker of the world's most
versatile camera and enabler of some of today's most immersive and
engaging content. The agreement is GoPro's first with a major
professional sports league. As part of this unprecedented
partnership, the NHL will use GoPro's innovative equipment and
expertise to deliver hockey fans never-before-seen perspectives of
the game and the talents of the top players in high-definition
video content during national and regional game broadcasts and
across the digital and social media platforms of the NHLPA, NHL and
GoPro.
![Patrice Bergeron Patrice Bergeron](http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnvar/20150123/170930)
To mark another first, GoPro's Professional Broadcast Solution,
developed in a partnership with Vislink, will deliver live HD
points of view and will debut during the 2015
NHL® All-Star Weekend, which will be held
Jan. 23-25 in Columbus, Ohio. GoPro cameras worn by players
will deliver real-time HD content and multiple angles and views to
bring viewers even closer to the action on the ice for the 2015
Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition™ on Saturday, Jan. 24 (7 p.m.
ET on NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports). Additional GoPro points of
view are anticipated for the live broadcast of the 2015 Honda NHL®
All-Star Game on Sunday, Jan. 25
(5 p.m. ET on NBCSN, CBC, TVA
Sports).
"GoPro is the perfect partner for us in our ongoing commitment
to bring hockey fans closer to the game," said Bob Chesterman, NHL Senior Vice President of
Programming and Production. "As the preeminent leader in adaptable
cameras, only GoPro has the technology to help us and our media
partners showcase the beauty and intensity of hockey in new and
deeper ways. Our partnership with GoPro will be a big win for
both new and lifelong hockey fans."
"This partnership marks a significant first step for GoPro into
team sports, made possible because of NHL and NHLPA's progressive
thinking," said Todd Ballard,
Senior Director of Lifestyle Marketing at GoPro. "Together we will
push the boundaries of video content production in hockey and
provide fans of the sport with unique, immersive perspectives of
the game that they've never seen before, from players and officials
to in-goal and rink side."
Video content captured with GoPro cameras throughout the season,
including the 2015 NHL All-Star Weekend, will offer fans an
immersive experience. Game broadcasts will use the content to
provide deeper layers of storytelling and to showcase the skating,
stickhandling, goal scoring and netminding skills of some of the
biggest names in the NHL. On-ice footage of the best players in the
world is among the point-of-view GoPro content fans can expect this
season.
"The use of GoPro cameras will give fans a new perspective of
the extraordinary speed and skill of today's NHL players," said
Mathieu Schneider, NHLPA
Special Assistant to the Executive Director. "We are excited to
have GoPro working with us and the NHL to show the great
athleticism of our players."
As part of the agreement, GoPro is an Official Partner of the
NHLPA and the NHL and will receive prominent brand exposure across
the NHL's broadcast, digital and social media platforms – including
NHL Network™, NHL.com, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Vine. NHL
video content will be featured on some of GoPro's dedicated media
channels, including the GoPro YouTube channel.
ABOUT THE NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL®),
founded in 1917, consists of 30 Member Clubs, each reflecting the
League's international makeup with players from more than 20
countries represented on team rosters, vying for the most cherished
and historic trophy in professional sports – the Stanley Cup®.
Every year the NHL entertains more than 250 million fans
in-arena and through its partners on national television and radio;
more than 10 million fans on its social platforms; and more than
300 million fans online at NHL.com. In Canada, the 2014-15 season marks the beginning
of a landmark 12-year broadcast and multimedia agreement with
Rogers Communications, which includes national rights to NHL games
on all platforms in all languages. In the U.S., the NHL is in the
fourth season of its 10-year agreement with NBC and NBCSN, the
10th consecutive season both networks have served as
national television partners. The NHL is committed to giving back
to the community with programs including: Hockey is for
Everyone™, which supports nonprofit youth hockey organizations
across North America; Hockey
Fights Cancer™, raising money for local and national cancer
organizations; NHL Green™, which is committed to pursuing
sustainable business practices; and a partnership with the You Can
Play Project, which is committed to supporting the LGBT community
and fighting homophobia in sports. The NHL received three 2014
Sports Business Awards: "Sports League of the Year," "Sports
Executive of the Year" recognizing Commissioner Gary Bettman, and "Sports Event of the Year" for
the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®. For more information,
visit NHL.com.
NHL, the NHL Shield, and the NHL All-Star Game logo, NHL
Network name and logo, NHL Mobile and NHL Live are trademarks of
the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved.
ABOUT THE NHLPA
The National Hockey League Players'
Association (NHLPA), established in 1967, is a labour organization
whose members are the players in the National Hockey League (NHL).
The NHLPA works on behalf of the players in varied disciplines such
as labour relations, product licensing, marketing, international
hockey and community relations, all in furtherance of its efforts
to promote its members and the game of hockey. In 1999, the NHLPA
launched the Goals & Dreams fund as a way for the players to
give something back to the game they love. Over the past 15 years,
more than 70,000 deserving children in 32 countries have benefited
from the players' donations of hockey equipment. NHLPA Goals &
Dreams has donated more than $22-million to grassroots hockey programs, making
it the largest program of its kind. For more information on the
NHLPA, please visit www.nhlpa.com.
NHLPA, National Hockey League Players' Association and the
NHLPA logo are trademarks of the NHLPA. © NHLPA.
ABOUT GOPRO, INC. (NASDAQ:GPRO)
GoPro, Inc. is
transforming the way consumers capture, manage, share and enjoy
meaningful life experiences. We do this by enabling people to
self-capture engaging, immersive photo and video content of
themselves participating in their favorite activities. Our
customers include some of the world's most active and passionate
people. The quality and volume of their shared GoPro content,
coupled with their enthusiasm for our brand, virally drives
awareness and demand for our products.
What began as an idea to help athletes self-document themselves
engaged in their sport has become a widely adopted solution for
people to self-document themselves engaged in their interests,
whatever they may be. From extreme to mainstream, professional to
consumer, GoPro has enabled the world to capture and share its
passions. And in doing so the world, in turn, is helping GoPro
become one of the most exciting and aspirational companies of our
time.
For more information, visit www.gopro.com or connect with GoPro
on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or LinkedIn.
GOPRO, HERO, the GOPRO logo, and the GoPro Be A HERO logo are
trademarks or registered trademarks of GoPro Inc. in the United States and other countries.
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