By Phillip Garrett -
Naturally, people expect an article about the Minnesota Wild from Hockey Wilderness’ writers. However, today, I would like to discuss a topic outside of the Wild that I think is very important as it affects not only hockey fans but the sport as a whole.
On the very popular social media site YouTube, there is an ever-growing community of hockey content creators (Eck, Hockey Psychology, OhNyquist, Jonathan Hawkey, and many more) I and thousands of other NHL fans have been following for years. These content creators specialize in creating quick, easy-to-digest news and commentary about what has been happening around the NHL multiple times a week. Over the past few years, their dedication has successfully created an ever-growing community of hockey fans on YouTube.
The point of discussion today is not the channels themselves, per se, but their future. Over the last week, many NHL content creators on YouTube have been demonetized. For those who don’t know what that means, demonetization is when a YouTuber can no longer make money from ad revenue on their videos.
This can range from one video to the entire channel, which is a big deal for creators since YouTube and its content are likely a big part of how they make money. With their content being demonetized, they are working hours creating these videos just for them not to see a single penny. That can be extremely disheartening and will likely lead to these channels no longer creating content. There are many reasons why demonetization can happen, and if you want to learn more, this article goes more in-depth on the issue.
However, today, I want to discuss getting demonetized due to copyright.
When someone on YouTube uses intellectual property that is not theirs, the YouTube automated algorithm or the original copyright owner will often create a “copyright claim.” That’s usually not the end of the world for the creator since it allows them to fix the issue by removing the section that breaks YouTube's copyright policy and reverses demonetization. However, this has not been the case for many NHL YouTubers. Their entire videos are being claimed, leaving the creators with no option but to lose the money.
Don’t get me wrong; YouTube’s policy and demonetization are good in the abstract. YouTube has them to keep the site safe and ensure that creators aren’t stealing other people's content. This policy sounds like it prioritizes creators and their rights, but there have been many controversies over how YouTube handles copyright and demonetization over the company's 19 years of operation.
That said, I am not a YouTuber and don’t have the experience to discuss the nuances of the copyright policy and what is fair use. However, I know there has been a history of abuse from other creators and companies using YouTube’s copyright system to claim others' content, even if it falls under fair use. This type of abuse of this system is what many NHL YouTubers claim is happening from the NHL and not by an automated program.
Since the YouTubers have been vocal about their issues with the NHL, Vancouver Canucks writer Noah Strang has reported that the issue affecting the YouTubers was a glitch in the automated system, which has been resolved.
On the other hand, channels like Eck are still saying their videos are being claimed. I don’t know whether the NHL is targeting YouTubers or not. Instead, I want to shine a light on the situation and help these hard-working creators. So, I recommend you check out the videos below that explain what is happening by a couple of the NHL channels themselves for more information.
Eck: The NHL is killing this channel. Sad News. & Update on my Fight against the NHL…
The Entertainment Guy: A Discussion on Copyright
These NHL channels have been a huge boon for the game, especially for the younger community of hockey fans, including myself. That’s why I am writing to you today as a hockey fan and would like to share my testimony about the importance of these channels.
None of you readers know this, but I am a Wild fan who lives in Dallas. Much of my family is from Minnesota, so my father ensured that I was raised right and turned on every Wild and Vikings game while I was growing up. That’s why I grew to love the game of hockey, and especially the Minnesota Wild.
The Vikings and Wild have been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember. That said, there aren’t many opportunities to play the game of hockey in Texas. So, growing up, I never got to learn how to skate or feel what it was like to play on a hockey team (no schools play hockey here). My lack of personal experience with hockey eventually led to a three- to four-year falling out with the sport once I got to high school. I started to care about other things and other sports, which, looking back, I can’t imagine ever doing again.
This is a drawn-out way of saying that I had forgotten the game and no longer had the time or energy to pursue watching hockey on my own. However, roughly three years ago, I stumbled upon a channel called The Hockey Guy (I highly recommend you check out his videos).
The video that caught my attention discussed the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts. I clicked on the video because Parise was my idol growing up. It was at that moment I started to care again. I started to keep up with the league and the Wild again and tuned into the Wild’s 2021-22 season opener (the first game I had seen in a long time). I almost haven’t missed a game yet.
Since then, I have subscribed to numerous hockey channels like Eck, Hockey Psychology, OhNyquist, and Jonathan Hawkey, to name a few. These channels fueled my love for what I consider the best sport on the planet, so much so that I learned how to skate, play hockey weekly, and even eventually applied to write for a hockey website myself. I attribute where I am today and my love for the game to these channels, and I know I’m not the only one, which is why I am so passionate about helping these channels.
There is a considerable market for NHL content on YouTube since the league rarely invests in social media. So, people stepped up and have brought thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people back to the game of hockey, including myself.
So, whether or not the NHL is doing this on purpose, please head over to these channels I have linked to and show them your support. My love and understanding of the game have only grown since joining the hockey YouTube community, and the same could happen for you. The larger these channels grow, the larger the NHL fanbase becomes, and that’s a great thing in my book.
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