GoPro teams up with NHL ice hockey in first foray into professional sports
GoPro has long been the go-to gadget for amateur athletes to capture and share their exploits, but now the the small camera is stepping into the big time.
The listed company has teamed up with the NHL, the biggest ice hockey league in the world, to broadcast intimate live footage right from the heart of the action.
With the release of the above video, fans can for the first time experience the full sound and fury of the game from the perspective of NHL stars Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews.
The partnership marks GoPro’s first with a professional sports league which will see its cameras’ footage used during live game broadcasts online and on TV.
Players won’t have the cameras fixed to their helmets for every outing on the ice, with the in-game footage reserved for special occasions such as Sunday’s All-Star fixture. Standard league matches will see the Go-Pro cameras from players’ perspectives outside the rink.
Following the revelation of the partnership, shares in GoPro rose an impressive 8.6 per cent on Friday. The camera-maker’s stock is recovering after falling 20 per cent earlier this month when Apple revealed a patent for a new mountable camera.
GoPro shares are up 118 per cent to $52.51 per share from an initial IPO price of $24 set last September. The company’s fourth quarter results are scheduled to be released on 5 February, with analysts expecting results to be lifted by strong holiday sales.
Todd Ballard, senior director of lifestyle marketing at GoPro, commented:
This partnership marks a significant first step for GoPro into team sports, made possible because of NHL and NHLPA’s progressive thinking.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.”