Hockey Community Boost BBC Viewing Figures - An Open Letter

An open letter from Chief Executive - Nick Pink

I am thrilled to announce that, thanks to your support, we have reached the BBC Sport threshold. The Olympic Qualifiers gained a fantastic total of 634,000 streams. 464,000 streams were accessible through both the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, and the cumulative Red Button total was an additional 170,000.  

Both the Great Britain vs New Zealand (men's) and Great Britain vs Canada (women's) matches reached a peak of 65,400 streams each, which means that the tournament smashed the 50,000 stream threshold set by BBC Sport. Also, the last series of games made it to the top 30 most-read stories on BBC Sport online. The men's final match achieved over 120,000 page views, with 70,000 clicks for the GB vs NZ men's semi-final and 67,000 for the GB women vs Ireland play-off match.

Reaching the BBC Sport threshold is not just a numerical achievement, it signifies the growth and recognition of hockey as a sport that captivates and inspires. Our fantastic sport of hockey has captured the attention of a broader audience, and together, we have achieved a milestone that reflects the dedication and unity of our incredible hockey community.

The BBC Sport team said they are “absolutely delighted with these figures and the overwhelmingly positive response from the audience. All week, we’ve been hearing reports of hockey clubs up and down the country encouraging their members to tune in and to spread the word that these matches were available on the BBC.  I’m sure that this will have played a significant part in the success and would like to thank you and everyone involved at England Hockey for all your help over the last few weeks. Now on to Paris…!”

I want to express my gratitude to you all, as everyone has contributed in some way to this success - your collective efforts have elevated the profile of hockey, making it more visible, accessible, and relevant for all.

It is a moment to celebrate our shared accomplishments and to reflect on the incredible journey that lies ahead not only for our Olympic teams, but the future of hockey in this country.

Thank you for being the driving force behind our success, and here’s to more to come.

Finally, I would just like to wish you a very successful completion of the rest of your season and look forward to seeing you at an event very soon.

Warm regards,

Nick Pink