ÖEHV and Morawa Digital turn the living room into an Ice Rink

By combining the technical know-how of the Morawa Digital team with the ÖEHV and all its sporting expertise, a benchmark is being set in the digitalisation of sport in Austria.

Whatever the game, wherever you are, you will not miss a puck drop, a wrist shot or a goal. Tailored offers will appeal to all fans, ice hockey enthusiasts and, above all, sports fans. Game highlights will also be made available on demand.

The ÖEHV’s stated aim is to professionalise ice hockey in Austria through this initiative, open up new sources of revenue for the regional associations, arena operators and, above all, clubs, as well as making ice hockey more accessible. The site will launch on 5 September, with the live game premiere following a day later with Austria vs. South Korea at the U18 Women’s World Championship in Radenthein.

Ten leagues and all national teams

An initial survey actively involved the community and generated interesting insights: almost 85% of respondents stated that they would like to see more regional games on TV or via stream. This request is gladly being met. From the beginning of September, games from all leagues organised by the ÖEHV will be available live online. Specifically, these are the following leagues in the 2022/23 season:

Men: Ö Eishockey Liga, U20, U18i, U17, U15, U13
Women: EWHL, ÖSM, DEBL, DEBL2
This will be supplemented by games involving Austria’s senior and junior national ice hockey teams on home soil that are not broadcast on free-to-air TV.

Initially, games will be made accessible through the sale of game passes. The price per game will initially be €8,90, with 25% going directly to the home club and 25% benefiting Austrian youth ice hockey. In addition, new advertising space will be created and made available to clubs for marketing.

Thanks to the cooperation between ÖEHV and MoDi, clubs will not only gain new sources of revenue, but also unprecedented opportunities in training management and optimisation, game analysis, statistics, content generation for their own digital channels and much more.

To implement this project, up to 100 ice rinks and ice surfaces have been and are being equipped with AI cameras.

Klaus Hartmann, ÖEHV President: “I am very proud that, through perfect cooperation with Morawa Digital, we have succeeded so quickly in developing our own OTT (Over-the-top content) platform for the transmission of video and audio content via internet connections for all ice hockey enthusiasts. Among other things, we established ÖEHV Marketing GmbH for this forward-looking digitalisation project. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of this streaming offensive and I am already looking forward to the first exciting game broadcasts.”

Bernhard Friedrich, Managing Director of the ÖEHV: “We are hugely looking forward to the imminent launch of our live ice hockey platform today, 5 September. Clubs, ice hockey fans, relatives and friends of the players are intended to be the major beneficiaries of this initiative. Our goal was clear from the outset: to professionalise ice hockey, make it more accessible and open up new sources of revenue for clubs. It is extremely pleasing that we have found the right partner in MoDi for this digitalisation offensive in Austrian ice hockey.”

Wolfgang Rick, CEO Morawa: “The total investment in ice hockey over the coming years amounts to €2,7 million. But digitalisation is about expanding the value chain. For ice hockey as a whole and its partners, an indirect return on investment by a factor of 10 should be possible. In addition, the sporting opportunities offered by better analysis, data and insights at a standardised level will provide major competitive advantages in the future.”

DI (FH) Martin Vejvar - Head Data Engineer, Morawa Digital: “This project in Austria and Germany is the largest digitalisation project in sport in Central Europe. In addition to analysable live data, clubs are also provided with exciting game breakdowns of their matches. Morawa Analytics goes one step further: by the 23/24 season at the latest, the density of data should be sufficient to provide coaches directly with valuable insights, particularly in amateur hockey. Based on data analysed using sports science methods, these offer approaches to solutions and suggestions for ongoing training.”

Rainer Partl, Tyrolean regional association president: “As the driving force behind this digitalisation initiative and spokesperson for the regional association presidents, I see great potential here for ice hockey and for more connected work within the Austrian ice hockey family.”