It was a big trade deadline for The Nation Network and Daily Faceoff
By baggedmilk
1 month agoCan I take a minute to talk about what we do a little bit? Is that cool? I just think that what our team across The Nation Network did over the last two weeks leading up to the trade deadline was pretty fantastic, and I wanted to share a few numbers. It actually blows my mind a little bit when I think about how far we’ve come since it all started in the back of a tire shop.
Last week was a very busy week for all of us around here. In the bloggin’ business, the trade deadline is basically Christmas, and our team at the network put out a tonne of content in the weeks leading up to the NHL’s big trading day. We had countless articles, podcasts, shows, memes, and, over the last three years, the Daily Faceoff Live Trade Deadline Special. And this year, it was the biggest it’s ever been, and there’s been nothing cooler to me than watching it all grow over the past decade.
Behind the scenes at Nation HQ and for all of our staff across the country, the trade deadline is an all-hands-on-deck situation where we all come together to do everything possible to bring you hockey coverage that’s done our way. We have people who cover teams as fans, we have pros like Frank Seravalli who are as dialled in as it gets in this world, we have people making graphics en masse, and we have a team of wonderful people who care a whole lot about keeping you in the loop regardless of what medium resonates best.
Last week was crazy for Oilersnation despite having only a few moves actually go down. We wrote dozens of articles about what happened and didn’t happen, brought in hundreds of thousands of visitors, and spoke to Nation Citizens in countries all over the world. We were all happy or mad together. It was awesome. And when the day was all done and the trades had all wrapped, it was fun to hang around the office and go over all of the content that everyone made.
That’s when the numbers started coming in…
The Nation Network & Daily Faceoff Generate Record Engagement During 2024 NHL Trade Deadline
The Nation Network (“TNN”) and Daily Faceoff (“DFO”) experienced record engagement during the 2024 National Hockey League (“NHL”) Trade Deadline. During the week leading up to the NHL’s marquee mid-season event, TNN’s premier lineup of NHL insiders, writers, and broadcasters, led by Frank Seravalli, served fans exclusive coverage of all trade-related rumours and developments from around the league.Highlighted and anchored by DFO’s five-hour live special on March 8th, TNN delivered fans non-stop content geared toward the day’s biggest storylines and hottest rumblings, all the while amplifying its commercial partners across its suite of digital sports media channels. DFO’s 2024 Trade Deadline Show – streamed live on YouTube, Twitter (X), Facebook and Instagram – increased viewership 65% over its 2023 NHL Trade Deadline Show. When accounting for TNN’s entire catalogue of programming to air on March 8th, it amassed over 170,000 live podcast and video views across six shows – Daily Faceoff Live Trade Deadline Special, Oilersnation Everyday, Leafs Morning Take, Coming In Hot, Barn Burner, Sekeres & Price and Canucks Conversation. Additionally, as a continuation of TNN’s efforts to expand the reach of its offerings, DFO’s 2024 Trade Deadline Show was syndicated on Anthem Sports & Entertainment’s specialty television channel, Game+.Bolstering this breadth of video distribution, TNN’s portfolio of websites attracted 2 million unique users and generated in excess of 11.6 million pageviews in the days leading up to the deadline, peaking with more than 1.4 million pageviews on March 8th.DFO’s YouTube channel continues to experience strong growth and momentum amongst young, digitally native audiences. Between March 1st – March 8th, DFO’s YouTube channel engaged an audience comprised of 55% adults between the ages of 18-44. During the same period, DFO produced video content with over 30,000 hours of watch time on YouTube.Reaching fans where, how, and when they want while facilitating authentic interactions with top-tier sponsors is core to TNN’s content strategy. TNN has made direct sales and partnerships – on both a regional and national level – a key focus for its video-podcast segment. By leveraging an omnichannel footprint, TNN activates both endemic and non-endemic partners across video, podcast, social media, and through live events and merchandise. During the 2024 Trade Deadline, TNN amplified key partners such as Tim Horton’s, DoorDash, Wendy’s, Betano, and Fountain Tire.
When I read something like the statement above that was prepared at our parent company’s headquarters in Toronto, I can’t help but think back to my first trade deadline with the company. Back in 2014, there were three of us sitting in the back of a Fountain Tire, writing and posting on social media as much as we could to satisfy the demand that was coming into the website. It’s funny to think of how small the company was then even though we thought we were the biggest website in the world. We were basically Google, in our minds.
These days, there’s a literal team of people across the continent that work on all kinds of shows and projects outside of Oilersnation, and it blows my mind every time I look at the scope of what this original website has become. Honestly, I never saw it coming. When I first got involved with this site back in 2008, imagining the live streams and shows we do now would have basically seemed like witchcraft. Then again, I guess we’ve come a long way since Wanye was drawing on pictures in MS Paint.
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