Two-time Stanley Cup finalists, The Buffalo Sabres, are stalwarts of the U.S. National Hockey League (NHL). Boasting one of the largest and most vociferous fan bases in the league, the New York team competes in the Atlantic Division against the mighty Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings.
The Sabres’ production team manages a popular daily talk show called ‘The Instigators’ as well as pre and post-game shows featuring expert opinion, interviews and match action. Creating and publishing engaging content for fans to enjoy online had been very slow using traditional on-premise editing systems. The production team was keen to adopt a faster, more agile solution that would dramatically reduce the time taken to deliver Sabres content to fans online.
“Before the introduction of Blackbird, the process of creating and delivering content had been very time intensive. We used to spend hours re-exporting long files.” – JJ Territo, Producer, Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres chose Blackbird after evaluating a range of systems. Accessing the platform through any browser, the production team use Blackbird to rapidly clip, edit and publish short and longer-form content throughout the week. Video clips and crafted highlights are seamlessly delivered to www.nhl.com/sabres and the club’s social media channels Twitter, Facebook and YouTube – all in broadcast quality video.
In social posts, clubs, players and fans can be tagged to drive reach and engagement. Content is monetized through the easy inclusion of sponsor advertising and branding, and the promotion of premium services.
“Blackbird was a huge game changer for us. With Blackbird everything is instantaneous and so quick. It is a lot more productive than what we were doing in the past and the most efficient workflow I’ve ever seen.” – JJ Territo, Producer, Buffalo Sabres