Online video distribution and marketing company Rightster has agreed to become the new digital media partner of hockey’s world governing body, the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
The deal will run from this summer through December 2014 and will include Rightster providing live streaming of over 300 matches from various FIH competitions. This content will be hosted and managed on video-sharing website YouTube.
Rightster will also use YouTube to promote and market various other FIH video content, such as highlights, master classes and behind-the-scenes footage.
The company has developed a widget that can be placed on the homepage of each of the 127 national hockey associations, allowing fans to watch live content on the site without having to look elsewhere.
Rightster will distribute video content to over 3,000 syndicated partners via online media destinations, branded portals, social networking sites, connected television and gaming platforms, and specialist blogs. It will also maintain a digital archive of all events.
Rightster chief executive, Charlie Muirhead, said: “Through this partnership Rightster will provide the technical tools and audience development expertise to give FIH control and transparency over their digital distribution. These are two crucial factors for sports federations today as they manage the complexity of a media landscape crowded with digital opportunities and risks.”
The first FIH event to be included in the new partnership will be the Hockey World League semi-finals in Rotterdam, Netherlands beginning on June 13.