
New York Islanders Augment HomeIce Digital Experience With Virtual Watch Parties Powered by BlueJeans by Verizon, the platform is connecting fans around the globe By Kristian Hern ndez, Associate Editor
Wednesday, June 22, 2022 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The New York Islanders have a deep connection with fans that extends throughout Metro New York. If you include the team's new venue, there's a lot of buzz surrounding the NHL franchise, and that's why the club is pushing a new capability for its HomeIce digital platform: virtual watch parties via BlueJeans by Verizon that feature domestic and international Isles fans.
It's all about keeping our community engaged, says Ryan Halkett, SVP, event presentation and production experiences, New York Islanders. Wherever they are in the world, our fans have the opportunity to celebrate with each other and feel like they're a part of game day with us.
Born Out of the Pandemic: A New Form of Entertainment Needing a way to entertain fans after the National Hockey League returned from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, clubs resorted to virtual applications developed to keep friends and families in touch while in isolation. HomeTurf, a second-screen platform that replicates the in-venue show and is deployed by many professional teams, was rebranded as HomeIce by the Islanders. Introduced during the 2020-21 NHL regular season within the New York Islanders app, the digital environment features such elements as videoboard prompts, fan trivia, poll questions, chances to win prizes, hype videos, and other forms of content, live statistics, and analytics.
One of the functions that made this activation a success with fans is the ability to chat with other fans. During a period when going to bars and large-scale gatherings wasn't possible, participating in a live chat satisfied the need for community in the best possible way. Although it was a viable solution from the start, Halkett and his production team wanted to push the platform even further by leveraging the relationship of a trusted partner.
The New York Islanders' HomeIce platform debuted during the 2020 COVID-impacted regular season.
We asked ourselves how to extend our reach further and bring our fanbase closer, he says. That's when Verizon came on with us to talk about this technology.
In the effort to improve the platform, real-time video was added along with a live chat. Launched on April 28 vs. the Washington Capitals and used for the season finale on April 29 vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning, the feature enables fans to create their own watch-party rooms and share the experience with friends.
Even though it debuted at the end of the season, the timing of the integration was deliberate. It was important for us and Verizon to get it launched this year, Halkett explains. We wanted to get the awareness of fans now, so we can really lean into it as we head into next year.
Game-Day Workflows: Crew Handles Two Productions at Once One challenge for the team is carrying out two simultaneous operations: the game-day atmosphere is produced both at UBS Arena and for the virtual HomeIce show. So as not to compromise either effort, the crew pre-packages the second-screen experience.
HomeIce allows fans to chat together in real time during any home game.
From a production perspective, the hardest challenge was the timing associated with HomeIce. Says Halkett, We needed to figure out when to start the application: whether to start it 30 minutes before or right at game time.
In juggling both responsibilities, the in-house production team sets a predestined run of show for HomeIce and handles the impromptu changes of the in-person event.
Since our lead producers run the show, says Fritz Stillings, game presentation coordinator, New York Islanders, I'll touch base with them on what we want to run and compile these new elements. I'll also send them what we're doing in the arena, so they can line [their show] up at the exact same time.
Full Slate of Programming: Inside the Improved HomeIce Platform Two seasons ago, HomeIce was operational for both home and away games, which required the production team to be available for all 82 games on the schedule. Last year, though, the app was used for the 41 home games. A smaller number of shows means that each virtual show can be filled with a higher quality of material. Now with the inclusion of video, alumni and franchise legends like four-time Stanley Cup champion Butch Goring are able to join in on the fun. Working closely with the team's community-relations staff, the game-presentation department is able to align these icons with specific games on the schedule.
Leading up to this game, says Stillings, we would tease and promote it by creating content like trivia questions around that specific alumnus. The fans absolutely loved it, and they thought it was really cool to be able to chat with him.
Since the April 28 game vs. Washington, HomeIce has featured the ability to host watch parties with friends and family.
Last season's theme nights garnered a lot of attention - 3,000 users interacted during Nickelodeon Day on March 19 vs. the Dallas Stars - but HomeIce has been used even by fans in the stands at UBS Arena. Ultimately, that was the goal for this application when it was conceived.
We started to see people use it inside of the arena to create their own small gatherings, says Halkett. We'd see people comment what section they were in on the live chat, and it turned into a hangout that was exclusively made through HomeIce.
Deepening the Connection: Celebrating the 50th-Anniversary Season Aside from the home games designated as special occasions, an average of 400-500 fans used the second-screen portal throughout the 2021-22 season. Many teams
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
18/07/2025
Blanche Barton, Peter Gilmore, Scott Cummings, Sundance Institute Director of Programming Kim Yutani, and Peggy Nadramia throwing horns. (Stephen Lovekin/Shutte...
18/07/2025
By Jessica Herndon
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Fest...
18/07/2025
BOSTON Sports network NESN today relaunched the NESN 360 app with a redesigned user experience and upgrades....
18/07/2025
Berklee Singers Wow the Competition on Netflixs Building the Band Netflixs new music competition show features two Berklee artists looking to make their pop b...
18/07/2025
As the House of Representatives voted early Friday morning to eliminate federal funding for public broadcasting, advocates warned that the elimination of $1 bil...
18/07/2025
DENVER Imagine Communications has announced that it is deepening its commitment to the North American sports and live events market with investments in its prod...
18/07/2025
LOS GATOS, Calif. Netflix once again reported strong financial growth, with revenue increasing 16% year-over-year to $11.079 billion in Q2 2025 as net income s...
18/07/2025
Live from the 153rd Open Championship: SMT Enhances Video Board Experience; Enab...
18/07/2025
ShotTracker's Davyeon Ross on Revolutionizing Basketball On the Court and ...
18/07/2025
Home Pitch: How the Danish League Brought Its Live Match Production In-House Matchday Production produced 800+ matches across Denmark in its first year By Geor...
18/07/2025
Live From the 153rd Open Championship: EMG Debuts Spidercam for Golf, Expands Su...
18/07/2025
Usyk vs Dubois II: Bringing the fight to life with state of the art cameras and ...
18/07/2025
Usyk vs Dubois II: DAZN's head of boxing Chris Glanville talks helicopters, ...
18/07/2025
Live From the 153rd Open Championship: NBC Expands Unilateral Effort; Shared Stu...
18/07/2025
Warner Bros. Discovery's Anne Graham on Training New Professionals to Ensure...
18/07/2025
Live From the 153rd Open Championship: How R&A Spidercam Became a Reality for Go...
18/07/2025
ESPN Bulks Up Onsite Studios, Cameras, Player Mics for WNBA All-Star Weekend Besides the game, four studio shows will be produced onsite By Jason Dachman, Edit...
18/07/2025
Friday 18 July 2025
Credit: Marc Sethi
The Sky Arts Awards will return on 16 September, once again taking place at the iconic Roundhouse in London. Produced b...
18/07/2025
This month, players can dive into special crossover events featuring SpongeBob SquarePants in Snake.io+ and Crossy Road Castle, available exclusively on Apple A...
18/07/2025
Up for the Match brings the fun, the passion-and a bit of Riverdance- tomorrow n...
17/07/2025
Blanche Barton, Peter Gilmore, Scott Cummings, Sundance Institute Director of Programming Kim Yutani, and Peggy Nadramia throwing horns. (Stephen Lovekin/Shutte...
17/07/2025
Spotify's goal with audiobooks is to help grow the publishing industry and create the best possible experience for booklovers, which is why we're launch...
17/07/2025
An advanced large solid rocket motor hot fire test conducted at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, site....
17/07/2025
L3Harris payloads and components have been on board every U.S. GPS satellite-more than 70 missions since the 1970s. Our technology is at the core of GPS availab...
17/07/2025
L3Harris' pack of launched effects is comprised of multi-role vehicles that ...
17/07/2025
NEW YORK - July 17, 2025 - Gracenote, the content data business unit of Nielsen, has announced the appointment of Ryan Moore to the new role of Chief Business O...
17/07/2025
READING, Pa. Network technology startup Miri Technologies has added David Cohen as vice president, business development. He'll be tasked with expanding the ...
17/07/2025
Berklee Wins CASE Award for Standout Digital Campaign The Alumni Affairs team's Variations Signature Series earned recognition for offering an authentic p...
17/07/2025
Early Thursday morning, the U.S. Senate voted to cut federal funding for PBS and NPR in a bill that also included cuts for foreign aid. In a 51-48 vote, the act...
17/07/2025
GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland Pavilions across IBC2025 (12 15 September, RAI Amsterdam) feature a remarkable 34 companies, each providing unique, innovativ...
17/07/2025
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers today introduced its Content Provenance and Authenticity (CPA) in Media Study Group (S...
17/07/2025
NEW YORK Despite widespread concerns about a soft advertising market, NBCUniversal said it closed its 2025-26 upfront negotiation cycle with a record ad sales v...
17/07/2025
NEW YORK Television advertising remains an effective means to market and influence younger baby boomer and Generation X consumers approaching retirement age, ac...
17/07/2025
ALLENTOWN, Pa. & JERSEY CITY, N.J. Service Electric Cable TV and OpenVault have announced that the operator is deploying the OpenVault Proactive Network Manage...
17/07/2025
WASHINGTON Following up on his first major policy speech just two ago, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr is promising to buck the usual summ...
17/07/2025
Luxembourg, 14 July 2025 - SES received the final regulatory approvals for the SES-Intelsat transaction, including the US Federal Communications Commission.
O...
17/07/2025
Berklee Alumni Nominated for 2025 Emmy Awards Twenty-seven Berklee alumni received nominations across categories in sound mixing, sound editing, and compositi...
17/07/2025
Back to All News
What We Watched the First Half of 2025
Entertainment
17 July 2025
Global
Link copied to clipboard
Today, we're sharing our latest Eng...
17/07/2025
Cast your vote in 2 categories for Ivory 3 American Concert DIvory 3 American Concert D is in the 2025 MIDI Innovation Awards and we are honored to be nominated...
17/07/2025
SVG Sit-Down: OpenDrives' Sean Lee, Michael Wilsker, and Jason Matousek on E...
17/07/2025
Oracle's Geoff Tognetti on Staying Ahead of the AI Curve Through Further Ado...
17/07/2025
NBA's Summer League Is a Hot Bed of AI, Immersive Innovation Testing Audio mixing, intelligent camera framing are among AI-driven efforts By Ken Kerschbaum...
17/07/2025
SVG's TranSPORT Conference Returns to NYC on Oct. 21; Register Today! By SVG Staff
Thursday, July 17, 2025 - 8:29 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
St...
17/07/2025
Gravity Media chosen as group name for merged OB business By George Bevir
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 - 11:30
Print This Story
Gravity Media executive chairm...
17/07/2025
SES Closes Deal to Acquire Intelsat, Creating New Giant in Satellite Connectivit...
17/07/2025
How MLB Pulled Off That Unforgettable Hank Aaron Tribute at the All-Star Game Vintage content, state-of-the-art projection/processing combine in marvelous mile...
17/07/2025
Wuppertal July 17, 2025
Riedel Communications Powers Handa Opera on Sydney Har...