The NHL and ESPN+ produced a fun broadcast on Saturday that earned the league and network some rave reviews.
The Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins played on Saturday afternoon, but the broadcast was far more different than usual. As we learned earlier this week, it’s being done through virtual reality. ESPN and Disney teamed together for this special edition of NHL coverage to help promote its popular cartoon series, Big City Greens.
From just one look at it through the NHL’s X account, the broadcast vastly differs from your typical sports broadcast. It’s animated, goofy, and, most importantly, fun.
Watch what happens when the puck hits the net. It goes off its moorings, a vibrant effect pops off, and then, finally, a disco ball appears!
https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1766579594386186530
Viewers at home were impressed by the broadcast, which is clearly designed to encourage more kids to watch sports.
Absolutely brilliant way for ESPN to get kids into sports, and in this case hockey#bigcitygreens pic.twitter.com/11Xl8e9FsI
— Jeremy Louis (@JeremyLevine92) March 9, 2024
This kid is around 2 teams @FlaPanthers & @TBLightning but wants to watch his hometown @NHLBruins #BigCityGreens @NHL @DisneyXD @NurseBrennaM pic.twitter.com/0IJuCvtz8Q
— Catie Johnson (@sportocatie) March 9, 2024
The best thing the @NHL does. The kids are so into it, they’ll be talking about it for weeks. #bigcitygreens pic.twitter.com/1xSFk0C95a
— KC (@kcash22) March 9, 2024
Saturday’s broadcast featured a humorous graphic comparing TD Garden to the Times Circle location, where the game was held inside the virtual reality realm.
https://twitter.com/DreWithESPN/status/1766563606739435533
Last year’s inaugural broadcast posted similarly great reviews, so the outpouring of responses here isn’t surprising. Disney and Nickelodeon are doing their lion’s share to try and help get the next generation involved with sports.
(Which may someday have us asking: When will Cartoon Network-Charles Barkley collaborate?)
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022