GoPro may be known for its users’ videos based on individual sports like surfing or mountain biking, but the brand’s new partnership with the National Hockey League (NHL) could bring the high-definition compact cameras into the leagues of the more established pros. The two companies have teamed up to use GoPro camera footage during live broadcasts of professional hockey matches.
According to TechCrunch, the NHL is interested in attracting a younger viewership to its hockey games. GoPro’s connection to this audience through action sports and a healthy online video presence was apparently a good fit for the League, which plans to have on-ice players wear the cameras to provide real-time, point-of-view footage during the live broadcasts. The NHL will begin using GoPro devices and its corresponding Live Broadcast Solution during the the 2015 NHL All-Star Weekend from January 24 to 25. If all goes well, expect to see the cameras in professional hockey games a lot more often.
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TechCrunch notes that while professional sports organizations like the NFL have already been using remote-controlled wire-flown cameras during games, many of the groups are looking to modernize their filming options. For example, ESPN recently announced plans to use footage from drones during broadcasts of the Winter X Games occurring this week. And GoPro already tested its Live Broadcast Solution program during the Games’ Snowmobile Speed & Style competition on January 22.
GoPro is already a leader in the action camera industry, so the decision to team up with the NHL to provide player-perspective footage only makes sense. The brand isn’t too shabby at marketing itself, either. We recently included GoPro on our list of top ten digital-savvy YouTube brands for 2014 because of the company’s online video expertise using awe-inspiring clips, which routinely get millions of shares and views.
It’s likely this partnership with the NHL will only tout GoPro’s name to the larger sports industry and could lead to initiatives with other major leagues. The deal will also help establish GoPro as the go-to camera brand for up-close-and-personal sports footage, whether recorded or live, individual or team-based, amateur or pro.
