The Swedish Women’s Hockey League (SDHL), the world’s leading women’s ice hockey competition, today announced a partnership with WSC Sports, the global leader in AI sports video technology, to grow the profile of women’s hockey using WSC Sports’ platform.
With the popularity of the sport on the rise, the move comes as a strategic one. It will enable the SDHL to scale its content production and distribution to show off the elite level of play to a rapidly growing global fanbase. All future games will be analyzed and indexed as the action unfolds on the ice by WSC Sports’ proprietary machine learning algorithms. Both short and long form video content featuring attention-grabbing moments will then be automatically created and instantly shared across the league’s social media and web-based channels.
“We’re thrilled to partner with WSC Sports and use their robust AI technology to bring the best moments, and the most exciting plays from our league to fans everywhere. As the popularity of our sport increases, and we see more and more young girls interested in our league, we view it as our responsibility to deliver the best possible content to them, and WSC Sports’ technology will allow us to do just that.” Angelica Lindeberg, Chief Commercial Angelica Lindeberg, Commercial Chief at SDHL
Because the WSC Sports platform allows content to be created and delivered to fans based on their locale, the SDHL will also share highly-localized footage with clubs to ensure every fan has access to the content that appeals to them most. The content will be posted on social media, across the different clubs’ channels, providing a new way for teams to engage younger audiences, while also generating more exposure and excitement to the game as a whole.
In addition to enhancing the viewing experience for established fans, the partnership will help the SDHL to attract new, and younger audiences. With more young girls starting to participate in hockey at an amateur level, they will have increased access to content that features some of the game’s biggest stars.
“Sweden continues to show the rest of the world how it’s done when it comes to women’s sport, with leagues such as the SDHL showcasing plenty of skill, excitement and entertainment—regardless of gender. Ultimately, it’s the short moments of magic that create lifelong fans, and now these moments will be instantly clipped and shared at scale for new audiences to discover. We’re proud that SDHL will be using WSC Sports’ automated video technology to showcase the standout quality of women’s hockey to the masses,” Ido Ratzon, Business Development for WSC Sports, said.
The SDHL is the latest elite ice hockey division to partner with WSC Sports. With Red Bull Munich in August and HockeyAllsvenskan in September, also deploying the AI-powered platform to share video highlights across their digital properties and on stadium screens during live events.
About SDHL
The Swedish Women’s Hockey League (SDHL), former Riksserien (2008-2016) is the top tier league in women’s ice hockey in Sweden and the world. SDHL considers 10 teams, Luleå in the north to Jönköping in the south. In addition to the top tier Swedish players, the league attracts top players from 10 different countries, making the SDHL one of the toughest women’s hockey leagues in the world.
About WSC Sports
WSC Sports automates the creation and distribution of highlights for over 300 leagues and broadcast partners across the globe, including the NBA, ESPN, YouTubeTV, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A, and DAZN.
Utilizing advanced AI and Machine Learning technologies WSC Sports’ proprietary platform analyzes live sports broadcasts, identifies each and every event that occurs in a game, and in real-time creates and publishes customized short-form videos. This enables sports media rights owners to maximize the use of their content, creating new revenue streams and a personalized fan experience on every platform for every type of fan.
