In the summer of 2020 Wisehockey took a massive step forward in the field of sports analytics. We successfully tested our platform in football, which accelerated adapting the platform for the new sport. At this point Wisehockey became Wisesport: a platform that can bring a new layer to almost any sport.
All hockey fans know that summer is the longest season of the year because it is off-season time. As the fall approached, Wisehockey had an opportunity to showcase what the platform can really do.
Wisehockey Tampere Cup
Tampere, the home of two Liiga teams, Tappara and Ilves, and the first ice hockey arena in Finland, has hosted a pre-season tournament almost every year since 1989. In 2020 Wisehockey received the title of the name sponsor.
Now we were able to bring a new layer to hockey fans’ experience: ice hockey analytics were a significant part of Wisehockey Tampere Cup.
“Until now our automated real-time sports analytics platform has mostly provided features for TV broadcasts, teams and coaching. Now it was time to show the fans in a concrete way how real-time tracking data makes watching hockey more entertaining,” stated Wisehockey CEO Tomi Mikkonen.
What were the new, unique ways of engaging fans with data analytics?
From data points into entertainment
Almost every ice hockey arena today has LED screens around the rink, some even beneath the ice. The LED screens have been used to modernize advertising in games.
For the first time, Wisehockey made it possible to show player statistics in real time on LED screens.
And when we say real time, it really means that: For example, a player shoots a one-timer 138.6 km/h. In seconds, the figure appears on the LED-screens around the rink, showing the game’s hardest shot to the whole audience.
The idea is simple but, until this, there had been few successful adaptations by anyone. Now Wisehockey enabled it in all the games of the weekend! This opens up new possibilities for advertising and sponsorship.
We also sought to renew fan engagement: After a long period when fans were not allowed to games, the Covid-19 situation had eased over the summer, and Wisehockey Tampere Cup was able to bring fans back to the arena following strictly the health guidelines given by the government officials.
During the cup weekend fans could participate in games where they guessed the final momentum score of the winner. Momentum, in short, is a visualized statistic provided by the Wisehockey platform that shows which team is more likely to score the next goal.
Wisehockey Tampere Cup showed in a concrete way what real-time combined with sports analytics can add to the fan experience, including betting and games for the audience. You can read more about the possibilities that data analytics provides for fans!
Looking to the future
The successful cup weekend showed what the Wisehockey platform is capable of and allowed fans to enjoy hockey games after a long and uncertain spring and summer.
When sports return to normal post-Covid-19, digitalizing fans’ arena experience will be one of the most crucial pressure points. Wisehockey is at the forefront of digitalization, providing new possibilities for teams, service providers and sponsors alike.
This is the sixth part of the series. Join us on the journey through the story of fully automated real-time sports analytics!
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
