Report finds NHL generated $3.22B in Sponsor Media Value, up 12% YoY
SANTA MONICA, Calif.--As marketers finalize sports budgets for the upcoming hockey season, Relo Metrics, an AI-powered sports sponsorship analytics platform and a division of GumGum, today announced the release of its 2025-26 NHL Sponsorship Report. Ahead of the new season, the report serves as a manual, telling marketers where, when, and how to invest in hockey this season.
The report found that the league generated $3.22B in Sponsor Media Value (SMV) across broadcast and social last season, up 12% YoY. The bigger picture for marketers, however, is where and how that value is distributed across digital and physical inventory.
The report highlights several entry points for new brands looking to buy into this next hockey season. In the 2025-2026 season, the NHL offered 49 different broadcast placements, spanning a wide range of visibility and value from entry-level to premium opportunities. At the top, digitally inserted inventory accounts for 41% of broadcast value and digitally enhanced dasher boards were the most valuable single broadcast placement type during the regular season.
“There are several ways for brands to connect with hockey fans,” said Ryan Meizinger, Director of Insights and Strategic Services at Relo Metrics. “With the sport booming in popularity right now, it’s about marketers understanding and capitalizing on the differences in value between broadcast and social, regular season and postseason. Those that come in with a clear objective will get a much higher return on investment.”
The variety creates different opportunities depending on a brand’s goals. National marketers can utilize digital inventory to appear across markets without a physical footprint, while regional companies can own physical assets to build a presence around their home team.
On social media, players own the value. Through uniform and helmet placements, players acted as skating billboards, generating $153 SMV per exposure on social media, compared to just $53 on board and ice. The top 10% of NHL posts drove 70% of social media value, suggesting that content quality and algorithmic reach matter as much as placement itself.
At both international and regional scale, the biggest upside for marketers may come later in the season. Nearly half of the total $3.22B SMV came from the Stanley Cup Playoffs alone, not including the 82-game regular season. Local markets such as Carolina, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay saw per-game broadcast sponsorship value increase by more than 12x during the playoffs. Marketers that are able to lock in their spot before a playoff run are rewarded tenfold.
The full 2025-2026 NHL Sponsorship Report is available from Relo Metrics HERE.
About Relo Metrics
Relo Metrics, a division of GumGum, is an AI-powered sponsorship analytics company transforming how brands, teams, and agencies measure sponsorship effectiveness across live sports and entertainment. By combining computer vision, machine learning, and real-time analytics, Relo Metrics delivers precise, automated insights that drive higher ROI and better decision-making in sports sponsorships. For more information, visit www.relometrics.com