The following is the January 8 press release from FIH. This is a monumental and highly commendable step forward to growing hockey internationally. As such it should be made aware to all hockey administrators, players and followers globally and not just reaching the few. Hence the reason for Go Hockey News reproducing and making comments after.
FIH press release
On 10 January, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) launched “FIH.live”, a global broadcast platform for hockey which will enable everyone to generate and share hockey video content from anywhere in the world. It will also give access to the FIH competitions live.
This platform will help FIH to engage more with the global hockey community, hockey fans and anyone who hasn’t had the chance to discover the sport yet. Furthermore, “FIH.live” will connect fans, players, players’ families, friends, coaches and officials. It will be provided to all National Associations for all their own competitions and matches.
Users will have the opportunity to access content, share content on social media and follow their favourite entities – including associations, domestic competitions, clubs, individual teams and players. They will enjoy a fully interactive experience, including scrolling the interactive match timeline, watching specific match actions, reviewing statistics and chatting during the live match.
Applying an “athlete first” concept, the platform will give players the chance to create their own digital hockey profile and control their own content.
In 2019, all FIH competitions will be available live on “FIH.live” in every market where a broadcaster will not be showing the match. This includes the inaugural FIH Pro League, which will kick-off on 19 January, the FIH Series Finals and the Olympic qualifiers. The future of “FIH.live” will integrate the most updated technology as it evolves. It will be driven by Artificial Intelligence, machine learning and data. Automatic filming and automatic video tagging have already been introduced. The content generated will enable to gather key data, currently missing, which shall help the development of the game.
To create and launch “FIH.live”, FIH has engaged on a cooperation with mycujoo, an innovative company empowering federations, leagues and clubs to easily livestream their competitions and matches. FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “FIH.live is a great opportunity for the global hockey community to engage with current fans as well as with people who are yet to become fans. It will also boost the production of user generated content and bring hockey games live to many more fans in a simple way. I’m really happy that we will benefit from mycujoo’s expertise and creativity to help us achieving these goals.” Pedro Presa, CEO and founder of mycujoo, stated: “Hockey is a global sport and represents a massive community. With FIH.live, FIH and mycujoo will harness the power of the sport, the power of these communities to bring more content and value to hockey players and fans worldwide. And we will do it in a ground breaking joint venture. We are delighted to have found a trusting partner with a genuine vision and appetite for innovation.”
Go Hockey News Comments
As it states above this is power awaiting to be unleashed. Video content is now the crux of digital marketing. It has allowed digital video content producers to share, inform, promote, sell, and communicate to global audiences generally or to specifically targeted audience for defined purposes. When you can target the entire hockey fraternity and others through a common global broadcast platform you, as it says above, build connections and reduce walls. Viewers benefit of course by watching an array of games in different parts of the world. Hockey educators can relish at having a resource and tool to learn and share. However, wait for it, hockey now has the ability to monetise digital video content in a more focused manner. Meaning…. More opportunites to generate an income stream. Providing this is done with a ‘top to bottom’ approach by FIH where educating video content publishers and hockey administrators is done using a carefully contructed ‘common’ user manual. We can come together as one now but need to go into it as one together with purpose and action.Lets all hope it will be this.
Source: FIH news
I hope this is a move towards the removal of blocking action when video is produced for coaching purposes, for both players and umpires, on YouTube and other social media.
It has not been made clear what the position is when live hockey matches are broadcast by a sponsor or other entity in a particular area.