Stadium Digital Acquired By Canadian Soccer Business

admin September 21, 2018 No Comments Uncategorised

TORONTO (September 21 2018) – Canadian Soccer Business (CSB) has acquired Stadium Digital – a full service digital media company and Canada’s leading fan engagement platform provider. This acquisition accelerates the roll-out of Canadian Soccer Business’ media and partnership strategy for Canada Soccer and the Canadian Premier League – Canada’s highly-anticipated professional soccer league set to debut in April 2019.

The Stadium Digital team will now deliver all fan-facing digital technology and content for the Canadian Premier League including all league, club, mobile and venue platforms. The group will also be responsible for delivering CSB’s distribution strategy of live content.

“Our launch of the Canadian Premier League is timed perfectly with the maturity of mobile technology as fans’ preference for interacting with leagues and clubs,” said David Clanachan, Commissioner, Canadian Premier League, and Chairman of Canadian Soccer Business. “By acquiring Stadium Digital we now have the intellectual property and experience to deliver on our mobile-first mandate, while taking advantage of the rapidly changing landscape of live content delivery and consumption patterns of the sports audience”

Stadium Digital launched in 2014 with a mission to bring world-class fan engagement platforms to Canada’s top sports properties. The company has successful long-term partnerships with more than 80 of Canada’s top professional leagues, teams and national federations. The company is widely acclaimed for its award-winning All Access and ShowDown loyalty and engagement programs along with delivering national web networks for national and provincial associations.

The entirety of Stadium Digital’s team will join CSB, including President Mark Silver, who will now also become Chief Digital Officer of CSB

Silver is amongst the most recognized digital executives in Canada, having previously led digital for Bell Media’s TSN and for Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium during the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games. He also oversaw operations for the ground-breaking and award-winning digital coverage during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. In 2013, Silver was named “5 to Watch” in Canadian Sports Business by George Brown College. Silver regularly presents at industry panels on digital integration in sports.

About the Canadian Premier League
Canadian Premier League (CPL) is Canada’s domestic men’s professional soccer league set to debut in April 2019. Playing in world-class and unique venues, the CPL will bring professional soccer to communities across our great country.

About Canadian Soccer Business
Canadian Soccer Business (CSB) represents a suite of top-tier national assets that comprise the backbone of soccer in Canada. This includes representation for all corporate partnerships and broadcast rights related to Canada Soccer’s core assets including its national teams, along with all rights associated with the CPL – Canada’s professional men’s soccer league set to debut coast-to-coast in 2019.

Contact
For additional information, please contact:
Micki Benedetti
Communications for Canadian Soccer Business
micki.benedetti@canpl.ca
905.466.2575

Stadium Digital and Smooth Commerce Partner to Power Personalized Mobile Apps For Sports Properties

admin June 27, 2018 No Comments Media Coverage, Press Release, Sports Tech

Stadium Digital and Smooth Commerce Partner to Power Personalized Mobile Apps For Sports Properties

– Leading fan engagement and mobile commerce platform providers deliver cross-device loyalty and purchase fan experience –
– Hamilton Tiger-Cats launch Ticats All Access app on new platform –

TORONTO (June 27, 2018) – Stadium Digital, Canada’s leading fan engagement platform provider, and Smooth Commerce, a leading turnkey commerce, mobile app and marketing platform provider, have entered into a multi-year strategic partnership to power apps for sports properties and facilities. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL) are the first to launch on the combined platform with the Ticats All Access App for iOS and Android. The personalized app experience delivers the most relevant features to fans based on their location and the game status.

“Our new app demonstrates the ongoing commitment we’ve made to provide our fans with one of the best overall entertainment experiences in North America,” said Matt Afinec, President & COO, Hamilton Tiger-Cats Football Club. “We launched the Ticats All Access loyalty program with Stadium Digital for the 2015 season and continue to innovate it with the addition of the Smooth Commerce platform to drive deeper engagement and value for the CFL’s best fans and partners.”

The Ticats All Access app demonstrates the best of what the loyalty program has to offer, plus native mobile app features to enable a more seamless user experience, including:

Loyalty card – an all-in-one Season Seat Holder card for merchandise and concession discounts, points accumulation and reward dollars
Single sign-on – a ubiquitous, personalized content experience across devices
Geo-fencing – exclusive content and special offers while fans are at Tim Hortons Field, plus bonus points for using the app while at home games
Game stats – follow all games live and in real-time within the app

The Ticats All Access app also rewards fans for concession and merchandise purchases and digital engagement before, during and after games. That includes entering contests, watching highlights, playing fantasy games, using the Tim Hortons Field Wi-Fi, and participating in sponsor promotions.

Fans receive “yards” throughout the season that can be redeemed for unique experiences and products such as road trips, visits with players and alumni, and signed merchandise.

New for 2018, season seat holders enrolled in Ticats All Access can access the Pre-game Sideline Experience, bringing them as close as you can get to the action without wearing shoulder pads or a helmet. All members will also receive exclusive viewing of post-game interviews with Head Coach June Jones and Tiger-Cats players immediately after the final whistle. The post-game live stream will feature a variety of interviews, first-takes and analysis from coaches and players before they speak to the media.

“It’s been our privilege over the years to support the Tiger-Cats digital transformation into one of Canada’s leading digital sports team properties,” said Mark Silver, President of Stadium Digital. “The partnership with Smooth Commerce is the culmination of our learning with the Tiger-Cats, to combine the best of our technology with a world-class mobile commerce solution that is deeply integrated into venue technology and point of sales systems.”

“We are pleased to be working with Stadium Digital to deliver a best-in-class experience for Hamilton Tiger-Cats fans,” said Brian Deck, CEO of Smooth Commerce. “This is a significant milestone for Smooth Commerce. We are now bringing the power of our platform to professional sports.”

The Ticats All Access app will add additional features during the season:

Order Ahead – Preorder and prepay for concessions at designated pickup counters
MyTix Account Manager – Season seat holder access to their TicketMaster account

About Stadium Digital
Stadium Digital specializes in the creation and management of content and technology to deliver products in the areas of sponsorship, fan engagement, ticketing and e-commerce. The company supports sports properties and their partners realize the full potential of their brand and content rights. Its clients include the CHL, WHL, QMJHL, OHL and all 60 teams, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, NBA Canada, Toronto Marlies, Belleville Senators, Canadian Premier League and all clubs, Cycling Sports Group (Cannondale), Golf Canada and provincial associations, Racquetball Canada and the Greater Toronto Hockey League.

For more about Stadium Digital, please visit StadiumDigital.com.

About Smooth Commerce
Smooth Commerce builds branded native mobile apps powered by a robust customer activation platform – encompassing mobile payment, order ahead, loyalty, offers and engagement while allowing organizations the ability to access real-time analytics and ensure their digital mobile marketing initiatives are achieving the desired results.

For more about Smooth Commerce, please visit Smooth.tech.

For additional information, please contact:
Greg McIsaac
Junction Communications
greg@junctioncommunications.ca
416-458-3591

Stadium Digital Is Changing Sports Organizations’ View on Digital and the Role of Video in Fan Engagement

admin October 23, 2017 No Comments Media Coverage, Sports Tech

Embracing sweeping technological change across an entire sports organization has proved difficult in an ecosystem notorious for its siloes and internal politics. One of the teams that has adjusted to this new environment is the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL. As part of the move to a new stadium in 2014-15, the Tiger-Cats completely reimagined their fan-facing product in everything from marketing to content to ticketing, with a focus on developing robust, individualized relationships with fans.

Click here to read the full article.

Belleville Senators Partner with Stadium Digital to Launch New Digital Platforms

admin October 2, 2017 No Comments Uncategorised

Belleville, ON (October 2, 2017) – The Belleville Senators announced today that they have partnered with Canada’s leading fan engagement platform provider, Stadium Digital, to officially launch its new digital platform, BellevilleSens.com.

As the digital home for the team’s historic inaugural 2017-18 American Hockey League season, the site is the go-to destination for Senators fans. The platform features a dynamic content hub to share Senators news, stats, ticket offers, information and highlights. The site is fully optimized for all platforms.

BellevilleSens.com also features original content showcasing elite players and introduces the next generation of Senators stars. Fans will also now be able to join Belleville Insiders, the best way to follow the team. Members will receive first access to news and information including exclusive content, special team and sponsors offers and community events.

“We are delighted to officially launch our digital home and share all of the excitement of our inaugural season with fans around the hockey world,” said Rob Mullowney, Belleville Senators Chief Operating Officer. “With Stadium Digital’s dynamic platform, we are able to connect with our fans, partners and sponsors in an impactful way.”

Fully designed and managed by Stadium Digital, the infrastructure is hosted on the Microsoft Azure Cloud Platform and allows for a streamlined interface for users across all devices. Highlights of the new digital network include:

Mobile first content hub user experience
Deep statistics integration for roster, schedule and live scoring data provided by Hockey Tech
Ad supported video player and platform integration
National and local sponsorship opportunities

“This is an exciting new era for professional hockey in the Bay of Quinte,” said Mark Silver, President of Stadium Digital. “It has been wonderful working with such an energetic team to create a platform to serve passionate Senators fans and build a closer connection with the team both on and off the ice.”

This is the second AHL team to launch with Stadium Digital, following the Toronto Marlies last season. Stadium Digital has confirmed that they are actively engaging other AHL teams to expand their industry-leading infrastructure across the league.

The Sens begin their inaugural season October 6^th with a trip to Laval, Quebec. After a nine-game road trip to start the season, Belleville’s home-opener at the renovated Yardmen Arena will take place November 1^st against the Syracuse Crunch.

About the Belleville Senators

The Belleville Senators are an American Hockey League franchise set for their inaugural season in 2017-2018. The team serves as the primary professional development affiliate of the Ottawa Senators in the National Hockey League. Upon their relocation to the Bay of Quinte area, the team will play its home games in the newly renovated Yardmen Arena. You can follow the Belleville Senators on their official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages via @BellevilleSens or visit us at BellevilleSens.com for more information.

About Stadium Digital
Stadium Digital specializes in the creation and management of content and technology to deliver products in the areas of sponsorship, fan engagement, ticketing and e-commerce. The company supports sports properties and their partners realize the full potential of their brand and content rights. Its client include the CHL, WHL, QMJHL, OHL and all 60 teams, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Toronto Argonauts, Toronto Marlies, Belleville Senators, Cycling Sports Group (Cannondale), Toronto Rock, Golf Canada, Canada Snowboard and the Greater Toronto Hockey League. For more about Stadium Digital, please visit StadiumDigital.com.

For additional information, please contact
Greg McIsaac Communications
gregmcisaac@yahoo.ca
416-458-3591

Verizon Digital Media Services’ Uplynk Video Streaming service now powers OTT for Stadium Digital

admin August 31, 2017 No Comments Press Release, Sports Tech

Verizon Digital Media Services, part of Oath, today announced that its Uplynk Video Streaming service has been integrated into Canadian sports technology leader Stadium Digital‘s All Access Platform – a proprietary digital loyalty and fan engagement platform. By supporting the streaming of live and VOD sporting events, game day highlights and other on-demand content, Uplynk allows Stadium Digital to ensure that its customers – a growing array of sports associations, leagues and teams across Canada – can use high quality video content to enhance their connection with sports fans and partners.

Click here to read the Oath press release.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers Launch Fan Zone Engagement and Loyalty Program

admin July 1, 2017 No Comments Uncategorised

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers confirmed today they have partnered with leading fan engagement platform provider Stadium Digital, to launch a new fan engagement and loyalty program Blue Bombers Fan Zone.

The Blue Bombers will leverage Stadium Digital’s industry-leading All Access platform to better connect with fans throughout the season.

“Expanding our digital reach is a key component to our overall growth plans,” says Wade Miller, President and CEO of the Winnipeg Football Club. “We are looking forward to working with the team at Stadium Digital on innovative ways to engage and reward our amazing fans. ”

Blue Bombers Fan Zone is designed to reward fans for their digital interactions with the team across various platforms. Fans can accumulate “Yards” throughout the season that can be redeemed for unique experiences and products such as road trips, visits with players and alumni, or signed jerseys and helmets.

Ways to Accumulate Yards

Registering with Blue Bombers Fan Zone
Connecting a MyBombers account
Enjoying Bombers content – video highlights/reading articles on BlueBombers.com
Playing Gameday Predictor fantasy
Logging on to Investors Group Field WiFi
Purchasing merchandise at the Bomber Store

Stadium Digital has launched similar programs for other teams in the CFL, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2015 and the Toronto Argonauts in 2016. The company is currently in discussions with other teams and leagues to extend their All Access platform to new partners.

Golf Canada Taps Stadium Digital to Launch New National and Provincial Engagement Platform

admin March 27, 2017 No Comments Media Coverage, Press Release, Sports Tech

Golf Canada, along with leading fan engagement company Stadium Digital, today announced the re-launch of golfcanada.ca.

The new platform introduces the roll out of a responsive national website network across Canada’s provincial golf associations, beginning with albertagolf.org. The digital home for the national sport federation is the go-to destination for millions of Canadian golfers and 1,400-member golf clubs across the country.

Developed and powered by Canadian sports technology leader, Stadium Digital, the bilingual platform features a dynamic new content hub to share Canadian golf news, information and highlights of Golf Canada’s slate of championships, programs and services for golfers and member clubs. The sites also feature original content to showcase the next generation of Canadian rising stars as well as informative articles for golf enthusiasts from coast to coast.

“The launch of our new bilingual digital network is an important evolution in golfer engagement for Golf Canada and our provincial associations, allowing us to go well beyond our previous capabilities,” said Golf Canada Interim CEO Jeff Thompson. “Stadium Digital’s network infrastructure platform gives us the much-needed scale so we can connect with our golfers, fans, partners and sponsors in a much more meaningful way.”

The digital network development was supported in part by a grant through the Canadian Olympic Committee’s (COC) National Sport Federation (NSF) Enhancement Fund. The program was devised to assist NSFs in the creation of efficiencies and enhancements that could benefit other sport federations.

“We are thrilled to see Golf Canada develop this innovative digital network to engage with golf enthusiasts across Canada,” says Chris Overholt, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Olympic Committee. “The insights learned through this initiative can now be shared with other national sport federations who look to build their own platforms. This is a great example of how sport organizations can work together to strengthen the system as a whole”.

The infrastructure, hosted on the Microsoft Azure Cloud Platform, allows for a streamlined interface for users across devices. While all Golf Canada digital content lives on a single network managed by Stadium Digital, the infrastructure allows provincial golf associations to customize the look of their sites and develop their own unique content and sponsorship opportunities to serve local golfers and clubs.

Highlights of the new digital network include:

New content hub and video player with full integration of on-demand video
Standardized look for teams and championships
Content sharing across all provincial golf associations
Improved member and golf club services
New national and local sponsorship opportunities
Bilingual engagement
Improved discovery of original content – video, photos and stories
Enhanced navigation capabilities

“This is an exciting new era for golf in Canada with so many dynamic young players and a growing number of members and marquee events,” said Mark Silver, President of Stadium Digital. “It has been wonderful working with the team at Golf Canada and the provincial golf associations to develop a new platform and content hub to serve golf lovers and fuel Canada’s passion for golf for years to come.”

Stadium Digital has confirmed that work is already underway to build other Canadian provincial golf associations into the platform and that they are ultimately planning to extend the model to other national sports associations.

CHL and Stadium Digital Launch New Engagement Program for CHL Playoffs

admin March 23, 2017 No Comments Press Release, Sports Tech

CHL Fanbase offers special rewards for fans along with
new interactive CHL Playoff Predictor Game

Toronto, (March 21, 2017) – The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) kicks off the start of the OHL, WHL and QMJHL playoffs today with the launch of CHL Fanbase – the league’s new digital fan engagement platform. Developed by leading fan engagement company, Stadium Digital, the platform awards points to fans who engage with the CHL’s Playoff Predictor game and gives exclusive access to contests, promotions and events.

The highlight of the platform launch is the new CHL Predictor game which allows fans to predict the results of OHL, WHL and QMJHL playoff series. Participants all have a chance to win a trip to the Mastercard Memorial Cup.

“Whether it’s entering a contest, predicting a playoff winner or engaging in partner promotions, CHL Fanbase is an incredible way for us to thank our loyal fans for their ongoing support and engagement,” says Mark Dickie, Senior Manager of Digital, CHL. “Playoffs are the best time of the season. As we lead up to the Mastercard Memorial Cup, we can’t wait to have fans join in on CHL Predictor and guess the outcomes for what are sure to be some compelling series.”

“CHL Fanbase is natural digital extension of our services for the CHL, enabling the league to connect with fans on a whole new level,” says Mark Silver, President of Stadium Digital. “Using our proprietary engagement platform not only allows the CHL to recognize and reward its fans, it also empowers the league and teams to track behavioral fan data and ultimately help the CHL to develop custom promotions, programs and other partner initiatives that drive further engagement.”

CHL Fanbase marks Stadium Digital first league-wide fan engagement loyalty platform. The company has successful launched similar team platforms for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Toronto Argonauts.

About the Canadian Hockey League
The Canadian Hockey League is the world’s largest development hockey league with 52 Canadian and eight American teams participating in the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League. CHL players graduate from high school at a rate higher than the Canadian national average. More than nine million fans annually attend CHL games during the regular season, playoffs and at the Mastercard Memorial Cup. The CHL is the number one supplier of talent to the National Hockey League (NHL) and U Sports.

Stadium Digital Powers New Interactive Engagement Platform for Canadian Hockey League and CIBC

admin February 14, 2017 No Comments Press Release, Sports Tech

Stadium Digital launched a new interactive video engagement platform today for the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and their league partner CIBC.

CIBC Showdown showcases the best video content from the CHL and delivers it to hockey fans in a new interactive environment.

Available across all online and mobile platforms, CIBC Showdown features a custom-built digital video player and content hub that allows hockey fans to vote on a weekly selection of top highlights from the OHL, WHL and QMJHL. Fans can share their favorite CHL highlights with friends and family across their own social platforms using the tag #CIBCShowdown.

“With hundreds of awe-inspiring goals, saves and great plays happening across our leagues every week, CIBC ShowDown will be a go-to destination for our fans to vote on the week’s most amazing moments and share some incredible hockey highlights across their social group,” says Mark Dickie, Senior Manager of Digital, CHL. “CIBC’s commitment to the CHL and junior hockey has been outstanding, we are thrilled to have them join us in celebrating the league and engaging with our fans on such a dynamic new digital platform.”

Stadium Digital launched a similar video engagement platform for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The team’s popular Play of the Year has been a go-to destination for Tiger-Cats fans to vote on the team’s top plays from the past season.

“Sports leagues and teams all possess an incredible archive of relevant and compelling content – and most of it rarely ever gets seen outside of a brief hit on some highlight show,” says Mark Silver, President of Stadium Digital. “The ShowDown and Play of the Year platforms give our partners an opportunity to repurpose their very best content allowing fans and sponsors to engage in a dynamic way.”

Stadium Digital is currently in discussion with other teams and leagues to extend the ShowDown and Play of the Year platforms to new partners.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats Score With Data-Driven Marketing

admin January 24, 2017 No Comments Media Coverage, Sports Tech

The IEG Sponsorship Report takes a look at how the Hamilton Ticats in partnership with Stadium Digital transformed the world of sponsorship through its data-driven platform; All Access.

Click here to read the full article

Five Examples Of How The Ticats Integrate Sponsors Into The All Access Program

Niagara College—Gameday Predictor Niagara College sponsors a fantasy game for each home and away game called Gameday Predicator. The sponsorship affords branding on all marketing and promotions including All Access, in-stadium video boards, Ticats TV Live panel, gameday and social.
Fifty-six percent of weekly active members participated in the Gameday Predicator in 2016, with 55 percent playing more than once throughout the season.
The team branded the Wi-Fi login page in Tim Hortons Field with the Niagara College logo; the first 200 fans who signed in to the All Access program while connected to the Wi-Fi received an Alex and Ani bracelet.

WeatherTech—Great Labor Day Giveaway Fans who entered the stadium received a lanyard and ticket sleeve containing information about the contest and directions on how to enter.

Via Rail—Ride the Rails Contest The rail service ran two contests within the All Access program in 2016 that sent two fans on the road with the team to Montreal and Ottawa. The winners received accommodations, game tickets and, obviously, train tickets.

Lou’s Barbeque Co.—Cub Club Ticats Cub Club (kids club) signup occurred through All Access. Parents first became members of the program and then signed up their children. The data captured was used to target family ticketing offers while simplifying the overall sign-up experience.

RedTag.ca—Redemption for Contest Entries Fans were able to redeem their “yards” for contest entries to win a vacation package courtesy of the travel agency.

Click here to read the original article

Author: admin