--- title: "Breaking the Ice: Inside the NHL’s $1.6B Sponsorship Season" description: Discover how the 2024–25 NHL season achieved a record $1.6B in Sponsor Media Value through strategic broadcast and social media sponsorships. image: https://blog.relometrics.com/hubfs/Hockey%20LP%20back.jpeg --- Share: [mailto:?subject=Breaking%20the%20Ice%3A%20Inside%20the%20NHL%E2%80%99s%20%241.6B%20Sponsorship%20Season&body=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.relometrics.com%2Fbreaking-the-ice-inside-the-nhls-1.6b-sponsorship-season](mailto:?subject=Breaking%20the%20Ice%3A%20Inside%20the%20NHL%E2%80%99s%20%241.6B%20Sponsorship%20Season&body=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.relometrics.com%2Fbreaking-the-ice-inside-the-nhls-1.6b-sponsorship-season) > “The NHL’s multi-layered broadcast sponsorship strategy and expanding social media ecosystem are delivering unmatched value for sponsors,” said Jay Prasad, CEO of Relo Metrics. > > ### [--- Click here to unlock the full copy of the 2024 NHL Brands Insight Report](https://insights.relometrics.com/2024-nhl-end-of-season-insights-report) > > --- ### Broadcast Still Dominates, But Digital is Gaining Serious Ground Broadcast accounted for **93% of total SMV**, proving it's still the gold standard when it comes to consistent sponsor visibility. That said, **social media is catching up fast**, with a **67% year-over-year increase** in value—fueled by more content, player-focused storytelling, and viral moments.![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXc86haXfP4V1OsJR95J_3_fktnLNHZ6o9c2WxuEcTGl-uNoOw-bbfwsrM63A0UYnkv7SyORKQuiof88ZsJFYKcSs38Oqxutw2DskQVOSvl1nDU1eFUksfdKjYGwaUOFn8C0z3SE?key=R2DADjsZeDU84xzM19xbaQ) ### Tik Tok is Hockey's Breakout Platform  TikTok exploded this season: - **+62%** in branded content posts - **+38%** in engagements per post - **+27%** in exposures per post Mic’d-up moments, crowd reactions, and behind-the-scenes content resonated most. Interestingly, high-performing posts came not just from NHL-owned channels but also from media accounts like **@espn**, **@cbssports**, and **@anaheimducks**. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcETrLuKPNBiEnfPOez18cAU51ySuCbpE0k2IzmajnOIia3H5TNggMqFnSeh_2FnsaSPpm5fsJ8NwWfkXhgwrnXYwhdxyzd7BJcqVWzaZhxYtVCHizlCArbX-PXROBELhV6Ths?key=IvCd0SoeWJU7VWo3ENzf3w) ### Cultural Moments Drive Massive Brand Value  Two events delivered huge spikes in exposure: - Four Nations Face-Off replaced the All-Star Game, and its content drove 120% more media value than last year’s All-Star Week. - Alexander Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal created one of the season’s most shared moments.![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcEPlIxwbWgNij6oj0Gzon5fNuQNzsFbacMuKSN4wxfhOUiUv9iGvp6dw2oQW7_0bXtq5HdGht9VclZxFYrsgTrl-9E6mwzwOhZRQzFndqWuHRfZhy2ZSdEkaS1mt8bmCdhWcvI?key=IvCd0SoeWJU7VWo3ENzf3w) ### Broadcast Inventory Continues to Deliver The NHL produced more brand exposures per game than the NBA, MLB, or NFL—22% more than the next-highest league—thanks to the depth of its inventory and strategic camera angles. Top-performing broadcast assets included: - Digitally Enhanced Dasherboards (DEDs): $499M in value - Center ice logos - Static dasherboards Zone placement mattered: DEDs located in Zones 2 and 4 averaged the highest screen time per cycle, making them prime real estate for advertisers. ![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcXsR5ijaHY3oxb08yPRSbzkb8LoQyXFF3STMn3Wv1Z7fjvmi5hdQtMG5MHLZVhOM0fQ7hIlDak0-z6CZimlL2b31pc4ly6excW7RgdKl8pIr0u9AB-sV1SWpKeEhXa37Sz_1c4?key=IvCd0SoeWJU7VWo3ENzf3w) ### Who Won the Season? A Look at the Top Performing Brands The 2024–25 season saw 3,574 brands gain exposure, with 357 of them surpassing $1M in media value. Top brands by total SMV included: - Scotiabank – $26.1M - CCM – $27.1M  - Toyota – $30M - FanDuel – $22M - Bell – $29.8M Financial Services emerged as the top category, with 35 brands in the sector clearing the $1M mark. Telecom value was highly concentrated among a few major players—Bell, Rogers, Verizon, and Spectrum—each benefiting from high-visibility partnerships and naming rights. ### [Click here to unlock the full copy of the 2024 NHL Brands Insight Report.](https://insights.relometrics.com/2024-nhl-end-of-season-insights-report)   ## See Your Sponsorship Data in Action [Schedule a Demo](https://9393297-hs-sites-com.sandbox.hs-sites.com/contact-us) ### Subscribe to **Our Blog** Keep Up with the pros ## View our latest posts ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://blog.relometrics.com#website", "@type" : "Website", "name" : "Relo Metrics", "potentialAction" : { "@type" : "SearchAction", "query-input" : "required name=search_term_string", "target" : { "@type" : "EntryPoint", "urlTemplate" : "https://blog.relometrics.com/hs-search-results?term={search_term_string}" } }, "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://blog.relometrics.com#organization" }, "url" : "https://blog.relometrics.com" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://blog.relometrics.com/breaking-the-ice-inside-the-nhls-1.6b-sponsorship-season#webpage", "@type" : "WebPage", "about" : { "@id" : "https://blog.relometrics.com#organization" }, "dateModified" : "2024-10-01T12:0000+0000", "datePublished" : "2025-08-05T20:1914+0000", "description" : "Discover how the 2024–25 NHL season achieved a record $1.6B in Sponsor Media Value through strategic broadcast and social media sponsorships.", "image" : { "@id" : "https://blog.relometrics.com/breaking-the-ice-inside-the-nhls-1.6b-sponsorship-season#primaryimage", "@type" : "ImageObject", "caption" : "", "url" : "https://9393297.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/9393297/Hockey%20LP%20back.jpeg" }, "inLanguage" : "en", "isPartOf" : { "@id" : "https://blog.relometrics.com#website" }, "name" : "Breaking the Ice: Inside the NHL’s $1.6B Sponsorship Season", "url" : "https://blog.relometrics.com/breaking-the-ice-inside-the-nhls-1.6b-sponsorship-season" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Hannah Shain", "url" : "https://blog.relometrics.com/author/hannah-shain" }, "dateModified" : "2025-08-05T20:19:30.143Z", "datePublished" : "2025-08-05T20:19:14.000Z", "headline" : "Breaking the Ice: Inside the NHL’s $1.6B Sponsorship Season", "image" : [ "https://blog.relometrics.com/hubfs/Hockey%20LP%20back.jpeg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.relometrics.com/breaking-the-ice-inside-the-nhls-1.6b-sponsorship-season", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.relometrics.com/hubfs/Relo%20Metrics_Logo_POS_RGB-1.png" }, "name" : "Relo Metrics" } } ```