The ice-hockey association, National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) have partnered with the media entertainment platform, TikTok.
Through this partnership, TikTok Tailgate Stage would get introduced to the fans at NHL’s 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series in Nashville on February 26, 2022, and the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic in Hamilton, Canada on March 13, 2022. Through this association, the parties would work together to generate unique and exclusive content like athlete fashion interviews, ‘Who Wore It Best’ and ‘Get Dressed with the Best’ segments to highlight player features and personalities.
This collaboration will witness in-ice branding for TikTok while on the other hand, some of the platform’s recognised artists will perform at the aforementioned marquee events. In addition, the two entities will also associate to deliver entertainment in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, NHL Stadium Series and the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic.
Heidi Browning, the NHL Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, commented on this partnership and said, “TikTok is an extremely influential entertainment platform with a growing audience of Gen Z users. 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.”
Mathieu Schneider, the NHLPA Special Assistant to the Executive Director, gave his insights on the association and said, “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. 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.”
Daniel Habashi, the GM of TikTok Canada, also put forth his comments on this deal and said, “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 recognize 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.”