HOCKEY
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AI on Ice: How HockeyAllsvenskan Doubled Fan Reach with Automated, Platform-Tailored Content
Summary
Hockey is the second most-followed sport in Sweden behind football, and HockeyAllsvenskan is the highly entertaining second-division league, consisting of 14 teams and a 52-game regular season followed by playoffs and finals.
Away from the action on the ice HockeyAllsvenskan’s digital team looks to outperform the competition when it comes to capturing fans’ attention on social media and building long-term fandom.
Since 2022, HockeyAllsvenskan has used WSC Sports’ AI platform to automatically create content to serve different fan types across multiple platforms, ultimately bringing fans closer to the action, players and teams than ever before. As a result, they’ve seen an exponential increase in interactions with fans on social media and a 25% uptick in attendance at live games.
KEY RESULTS
- 50K new social media followers
- 2x double the number of fans reached on social media
- 8.4% average social media engagement - the highest among similar sports organizations in Sweden
These results are from the 2023-24 season, during which HockeyAllsvenskan created more than 33,000 videos, 92% of these were created automatically.
The Challenge
Creating Content for Different Fan Types
HockeyAllsvenskan’s ultimate goal is clear: fill arenas. To do that, their marketing effort is designed to increase awareness and interest around the league. Their main tool to do it is content. Executing their content strategy effectively relies on creating different types of content for fans with vastly different preferences when it comes to what they want to watch.
Highlights of great goals and saves might satisfy casual or even potential fans, but the team also features behind-the-scenes footage, in-depth player interviews, and funny reels to build more meaningful relationships with its most loyal followers.
Optimizing for Multiple Platforms
Beyond tailoring content for different audiences, the team at HockeyAllsvenskan knows that creating great content means that it must also be optimized for its final destination.
With well-followed accounts on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, the team needed a solution to quickly create content in different aspect ratios to serve fans on multiple platforms.
They also needed the flexibility to create ad hoc content and make sure they never miss an opportunity to share incredible moments from live games.
The Solution
Using AI to Create Content at Speed and Scale
To streamline their marketing effort, HockeyAllsvenskan uses WSC Sports to automate over 90% of the content they create. The team set up 160 automated rules to create highlight packages of plays like top hits, goals, saves, assists, and much more.
Once created, the videos are shared on social media for fans to enjoy; and also with the teams so they can amplify noise around the league on their own social accounts. There’s also a real-time feed of all game highlights, instantly clipped, tagged, and star-rated, so they can quickly be shared on social media during live games.
Tailoring Videos for Every Platform
Part of the challenge is each platform has its own set of technical requirements. To eliminate what used to take hours of manual cropping and editing work, HockeyAllsvenskan’s marketing team uses WSC Sports’ Magicrop solution to automatically crop and publish videos in 1:1, 9:16, and 4:5 ratios.
During the 2023-24 season, the majority of videos created (some 21,000) required cropping—and 98% were cropped automatically. The time saved allowed the team to quickly publish to platforms that require vertical and square videos, like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.
The increase in the amount of content being created and published has led to more fans being exposed to what’s happening around the league, and more exposure and value for the league’s advertising partners via branded/sponsored content.
Takeaways
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Driving Fandom on Social Media
During the 2023-24 season, HockeyAllsvenskan substantially increased their content output on social media. This new presence helped them reach over 9 million unique accounts and gain 52,000 new followers.
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Fail Fast & Double-Down on What Works
Part of HockeyAllsvenskan’s marketing ethos is being bold and courageous with their content decisions. Introducing AI to their workflow allowed them to scale their output and create content for platforms that they were not yet utilizing, such as YouTube, where they received nearly one million views in just six months.
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Increased Attendance & Revenue
Innovation, understanding their audience, and a relentless pursuit to elevate the league’s status have resulted in higher attendances. In 2023, average attendance was up 24.6% and is poised to increase in the years to come.
