Graphic: SI
The National Hockey League (NHL) will be adding advertisements to their jerseys for the 2022-23 season. The league becomes the latest major U.S. sports league to sell marketing space on player uniforms during games.
According to Sportico, the NHL board of governors unanimously voted to approve the ad policy, detailed in a memo emailed this week to all 32 teams. Clubs are now free to start negotiating with potential partners, according to the memo, which was reviewed by Sportico.
The memo states that the ads must fit a rectangle 3 inches by 3.5 inches, making them slightly bigger than the patches that the NBA added to its jerseys for the 2017-18 season.
Can confirm the @Sportico report that NHL will have ads on jerseys starting in the 2022-23 season. The league surveyed its teams, found the majority in favor and had a formal Board of Governors vote to approve.
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) August 17, 2021
Mark J. Burns of Sports Business Journal reported in April that teams had started determining how much revenue could be generated by the ad patches before presenting the data to the league.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated in July, with the current financial state of the league, it was not an idea to be immediately dismissed.
“It’s something that makes good sense for us to be considering and looking at but certainly not for next season,” Bettman said. “Beyond that, I’m not prepared to predict but it’s something we’re looking at.”
last season that NHL allowed its teams to sell ad space on their helmets, a move that opened new inventory for clubs to advertising add partners (or accommodate existing ones) amid the revenue crunch of the pandemic. Commissioner Gary Bettman said teams retained more than $100 million through that program, which has since been extended.
According to Sportico, the NBA’s recent patch program was estimated to boost revenues by $150 million annually. The individual team deals generally ranged from low seven figures to upwards of $20 million.
By Jon Sorensen
not a fan, and I think they are making a mistake
Truthfully they’ve had ad’s on Jerseys in CFL for handful of years & you don’t really even notice unless looking right @ them(the ads)! I’am in support of anything for income to teams if it means REDUCED ticket prices!!
and thats the problem, you know full well this won’t lead to lower ticket prices. But it will allow for higher salaries for those employed by the nhl.
Yeah, I can’t imagine it lowering ticket prices, but If it allows the salary cap to go up, that’s a small victory for Caps fans.
I get what your saying Scott, but I would shocked if ticket prices are ever lowered.
Sadly only In your dreams, that the tickets will get lower…
Well NHL needs to examine/lookup what happened in terms of fan support in what happened to CFL in terms of “losing a generation ” of fans. In late 70’s early 80’s,Canadian Football League was the hot commodity in Canada,every team had 1-2 star players that you knew thier name & face & were all over ad’s & endorsements. Then 84-85 a lot of those names left game either retirement or went to NFL(Warren Moon is best example),& league never recovered. Yes teams still had good players but not with same appeal!
That’s when a lot of kids my age got away from being fans! We went to support hockey instead. I now see same thing on verge of happening with NHL! Teams aren’t making enough efforts to go to younger generations & say “how do we get you in arena?” Easiest way lower ticket prices! If a dad could afford to take all his kids to game instead of “i’am only taking 1 out of 3” let’s say ,the other two won’t get feeling of guess were not important enough.
Plus hockey needs to make efforts at grass roots to make equipment more inexpensive,a lot of kids even in Canada now can’t afford the game & it probably same in States!
Teams need to not lose “next generation” because it takes decades if ever to get back!!
I agree with all of your points, particularly about losing a younger generation, and ticket prices for families. I may be taking a cynical viewpoint, but I just don’t see them lowering ticket prices, even though I agree, it needs to be done.
So when you go into the Caps shop or NHL Shop to buy an Ovi jersey, do you get one with all the ads? Right now the jerseys sold look like what the players are wearing — away, home, retro, winter classic, etc. Are they going to sell ad and non-ad versions?
I think this is a mistake.
Very good question. I saw some were already discussing buying current jerseys without ads before the ads come.
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