The NHL Just Can’t Get Social Media Right

Copyright

from the ready-fire-aim dept

The NHL keeps doing this kind of crap to itself. Of all the major American sports leagues, I’d say it’s pretty clear that the National Hockey League trails all the others in terms of getting things right with the internet. The league finally piggybacked onto the MLB Advanced Media platform several years ago to power its game-streaming service, only to have that entire product descend into the hell that is the NHL’s strict blackout rules. Making an app about the NHL and want to use the league’s name as a searchable keyword so customers can find it? Well, that is apparently trademark infringement.

The point is that the NHL is the pro-sports version of our curmudgeonly uncle that hates modernity and all this new-fangled techno-gizmos the young whipper-snappers are always staring at instead of going outside and playing with a stick or something. And so, perhaps it’s no surprise that a whole bunch of content creators on YouTube that focus on the NHL were suddenly hit with a flurry of copyright notices and demonitizations.

According to multiple content creators, the effects of the copyright claims ranged from having the monetization of their videos redirected to the league to some of the videos being outright blocked. In a video posted to his channel explaining the issues, popular YouTuber EckhartsLadder expressed doubt that moving forward as an NHL content creator would be viable with such restrictions.

“I can’t pussyfoot around and maybe get videos monetized if I want to upload at the same rate,” the content creator said in the video. “I also don’t want to move around from using footage… for me personally, if I can’t make this content, content which I think is engaging, where the clips add a lot of value, where you can see what I am breaking down, it’s just not worth it. And again, I won’t play around with the NHL’s dumb rules.”

Now, the NHL eventually blamed this on a “setting error”, whatever the hell that means. Given how it seemed that any video that used even a tiny snippet of NHL video content within it was getting this copyright treatment, I suppose perhaps an automated takedown bot may have been accidentally set to take action on any NHL footage it could find. But even if that is indeed the true explanation, meaning all of this was a giant accident, that level of incompetency for a league that desperately needs all the attention and free marketing these YouTubers provide can’t be tolerated.

And won’t be if things don’t start changing, judging by some of the comments from these creators.

“The NHL here, in my honest opinion, is shooting itself in the foot,” EckhartsLadder says in his video. “Us as creators, I think, are doing a great job of marketing the game, of keeping people interested in the game. In the age of blackouts, 82-game seasons, 32 teams, I’ve heard so many times that my viewers, that the viewers of these other channels, rely on our content to keep their interest in the NHL high.”

“This is golden opportunity for the @NHL to work with its creators to grow the game. I hope we can find a solution,” the X account for another popular YouTuber, Hockey Psychology, posted. “Monetization provides incentive for creators. If you want to work in hockey, it’s crucial that you know there’s a future in it. Monetization provides that. Could be an @NHL creators program? Either way, It’s the best sport on earth. Let us help you cover the game @NHL”

It is very clear that there a bunch of truly pissed off NHL content creators out there. And, as several of the comments have stated, the NHL really needs to start reaching out to these folks and begin cultivating relationships with them. This is how interest in sports spread these days. MLB, the NBA, and the NFL all know this. There is content on YouTube and social media for those leagues all the time.

Hockey is a great game. I know that. Perhaps others will know it, too, if the NHL allows the sport this free promotion.

Filed Under: content creators, copyright, copyright claims, demonetization, fans, takedowns, youtubers
Companies: nhl