Espn wants NHL deal only on its own terms.

[NYIsles1*]

[url]http://www.nypost.com/sports/23391.htm[/url]

NFL DEAL COULD SQUEEZE NHL

By June 1, ESPN will decide if it will pick up its $60 million option on the NHL. With the NHL devalued after canceling its season, the NFL deal will make ESPN even more likely to force hockey to take the deal it wants.

"Some of those announcements in the next several weeks might be deals we are not doing," Shapiro told NYP TV Sports. "We understand. We fully grasp we cannot acquire every property out there. We are putting our stock in the NFL and we are getting behind that horse. Other horses won't be able to run because of our deal with the NFL. That is the decision we made."

What effect will it have on the NHL?

"We believe that any rebuilding of that property would benefit from having ESPN behind it," Shapiro said. "We would like to do a deal, but that deal needs to be on our terms."

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[chiavsfan]

Yet another dark cloud over the NHL, especially for people in markets like Chicago who want hockey, and can only get it when the Hawks are on the road

 

[Johnnybegood13]

Yet another dark cloud over the NHL, especially for people in markets like Chicago who want hockey, and can only get it when the Hawks are on the road

Possibly ESPN could force the NHL and Wirtz to give up that stance,i know if i was ESPN i wouldn't want a team forcing me out of a market.

 

[CGG]

Honestly, could attendance figures in Chicago actually get any worse if they televised the home games?

 

[MacDaddy TLC*]

Another blow to the revenues. The NBC deal is the new negotiating point. Why would ESPN want to pay anything when NBC got a no cash up front deal?

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Take the deal but make it one year. I truly believe that hockey will go upward in popularity once they get their house in order. There is no place to go but up afterall, but there is a lot of room for growth and the NHL seems finally willing to do whatever it takes to make the sport more palatable and popular . . . ie, more scoring. I would bet dimes to dollars by the second or third year there will be competition, perhaps FOX, others, for the product and the price will shoot up. The demographic for hockey is particularly desirable for advertisers if the NHL can just get those numbers up.

 

[futurcorerock]

So here's my question. With NBC landing ESPN's old package, and ESPN grabbing Monday Night Football... does this change the dynamics of the deals the NHL is seeking. To me, it looks like the suits at NBC are looking to build something big with the acquisition of both NFL and NHL sports.

Anymore, it sounds like ESPN is going to greenlight their option based on humanity rather than profit

 

[Drury_Sakic]

Anymore, it sounds like ESPN is going to greenlight their option based on humanity rather than profit

yes, and no... while they will be doing the NHL a favor for a year or so.. if they pull in a long term(heck even a 3-4 year deal) they will evenutally bank money off the deal.... as was stated before, the NHL will recover.. and thus a cheap TV deal will pay off in teh end..