Key Takeaways:
- Mega events often create spikes in international interest, but sustained fandom depends on always-on storytelling that keeps the sport culturally relevant.
- Short-form, market-specific content helps sports leagues turn casual international viewers into consistent fans and drive viewership.
- AI-powered content creation platforms enable rights holders to scale multilingual, personalized storytelling across channels without increasing operational complexity.
One day into the conference finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the National Hockey League (NHL) was named League of the Year at the 2026 Sports Business Awards. It was the first time the NHL won the award since 2014. And the timing was not a coincidence.
More than anything else, 2026 marks the return of NHL players to the Olympic stage at the Milano Cortina Games, 12 years after their last appearance in the 2014 Sochi Games. The return had an immediate impact. “Bringing back international play, it’s taken our popularity to another level,” said Steve Mayer, NHL President of content & events. “Not only among our fans, but sports fans.”
The numbers bear this out:
- Following the Milano Cortina Games, broadcasts of regular-season games averaged 453,000 viewers, up 47% from the average in the second half of the 2024/5 season.
- The post-Olympic ratings bump helped propel the NHL to its best regular-season average viewership since 2012-13, with an average television audience of 546,000 viewers, a 23% increase over last season.
- In the first round of the playoffs, ESPN averaged 1.2 million viewers per game, up 69% from last season.
- The second round of the playoffs saw ESPN’s average audience jump to 2.2 million viewers per game, up 76% from 2025. .
- Across North America, through the second round, the Stanley Cup playoffs averaged 3.3 million viewers, marking the highest total North American viewership through two rounds on record.
Building a Worldwide Audience
For as much as the Olympics provided momentum for the NHL in North America, the league sees even bigger opportunities abroad. “We’re focused on what we can be doing to grow the game on a worldwide basis,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. “That’s becoming an increasing priority for us because we believe we’re the most international, certainly with our player composition, of the four major sports in North America.”
To capitalize on its international makeup, the NHL announced the return of the World Cup of Hockey. Previously held in 1996, 2004, and 2016, the next World Cup, organized by the league and the players’ association (NHLPA), is set to take place in 2028, establishing a calendar of biennial global competition.
Until then, the goal is to convert fleeting international fandom into sustained TV viewership. With roughly 30% of the league’s players coming from Europe, much of the effort is focused on the Old Continent. Regular-season games in Europe, played under the banner of the “NHL Global Series,” date back to 1997 – and though the league has traditionally targeted Nordic countries, where hockey is already a popular sport, it is starting to expand its European footprint.
The NHL isn’t only meeting European fans where they are physically; it also makes a point of speaking their language. After adding a Spanish edition of NHL.com in 2019, the league has seven non-English versions of its website. In addition, the NHL has a partnership with global sports marketing agency IMG, which manages 28 international social media channels for the league across eight markets.
Driving Tune-In Through Short-Form Content
The league’s most successful international channel is NHL Europe on TikTok. Active since 2022, the NHL’s European account has recently reached some impressive milestones, including
- Breaking past the 1 billion views barrier
- Averaging 1.16 million views per video in the 2025-6 season
- Surpassing 2 million followers, more than any other equivalent account in North American sports.
Using TikTok as a short-form, discovery-first channel has proved effective. “Where it’s (TikTok) been really beneficial is in supporting our broadcasters in each of the markets,” said Jaka Lednik, SVP of international strategy at the NHL. “We’re able to drive tune-in and make sure that people are aware of what’s happening on our partners’ channels.”
One of the ways the NHL ensures fans are aware of what’s happening is by using AI to generate localized highlight shows. The way it works is simple. AI generates the core show, then adapts it with localized voiceovers and tailored storylines. German fans, for example, get a version that showcases players like Leon Draisaitl, while fans in Sweden watch a show that prominently features the likes of William Nylander and Filip Forsberg.
Scaling Global Storytelling With AI
The NHL’s recent momentum shows how global events can supercharge international interest. But sustaining that attention requires far more than periodic marquee tournaments. To build lasting fandom abroad, leagues need a continuous stream of short-form storytelling that speaks to fans in their own language, highlights the players they care about most, and keeps the sport culturally relevant between tentpole moments.
Executing that strategy consistently in multiple markets requires the right technology. AI-powered content creation platforms enable rights holders to instantly generate highlights, adapt narratives for different audiences, localize commentary, and distribute multi-format assets at scale across every platform.
That kind of always-on global storytelling has helped the NHL turn the Milano Cortina buzz into year-round engagement, and sets it up to collect a few more League of the Year trophies along the way, even in seasons without the Olympic spotlight.
Actionable Insights:
- Treat major events as discovery moments and maintain momentum afterward with always-on short-form storytelling.
- Localize highlights around national stars to make international audiences feel personally connected to your league.
- Build content workflows that quickly adapt highlights for different markets, platforms, and fan interests.
