It would have a chance to draw if people could get to know the players, and things in the game besides goalscoring. Violence draws a big hit is going to catch your attention almost as much as a goal.
NY Post Larry Brooks: ESPN blocks NHL Ads
- Thread starter rekrul
- Start date
That's the problem man, not that many people care to know the players. I remember in the late 90s all those nike commercials with the goalie talking about players who schooled him. That's marketing personalities... but not that many people cared back then, and it's probably even worse now after the lockout. If you enjoy hockey, just enjoy it. If you are looking for a sport that has mass culture appeal then you're watching the wrong sport.
DrVanntastic
Registered User
ESPN has the segment on sc called Barry's best. Best Hits, best goals andbest saves. They're showing the violence, but everybody tunes out of that part of the show. The NHL also needs to start allowing the hits too. I saw a beautifully delivered hip check not to long ago that was called a penalty (I think roughing). The NHLhas to take some of the responsibility for their product not getting good ratings. Their own marketing campaigns have been very, VERY lackluster. Point I'm getting at, is that the NHL needs to get all of its own problems taken care of before it will start drawing again. They really need to start pushing this Ovechkin vs. Crosby thing. This should be doing for hockey what Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson did for the NBA.
VS offered 400 million for Thursday night NFL games, the NFL decided to air them on the NFL network instead. They also tried to get MLB's Wednesday and Sunday games, but couldn't get the deal done. They also failed to get NASCAR. The NHL is the only legitimate sport they have, the next biggest things they run are NCAA Mountain West Basketball and the National Lacrosse League.
OLN/VS is a joke. Its not even on my cable system, and a lot of cable systems don't carry it. Most that do, that aren't Comcast, have it on a digital or premium tier. They're just not in nearly the amount of households that ESPN is. A lot of people have never even heard of this network.
Right now, the NHL is being branded and associated with the likes of bull riding, hunting, extreme sports, and truck racing. Much of the public has begun to regard the NHL as a joke comparable to those. They need to be on a major cable network with the market penetration of an ESPN. Hell, ECW Wrestling on the SciFi Channel is available in more households than the NHL is.
VS could've become a major network if they secured deals with the NFL, MLB, and NBA. They didn't get it done. The NHL isn't enough to propel them out of obscurity, and VS isn't enough to propel the NHL out of obscurity. They need to be back on ESPN, or a major network like TNT, FX, The Weather Channel, or Comedy Central. At least there wouldn't be major markets completely shut out from playoff coverage like LA was last year, if they were on The Weather Channel.
Jazz
Registered User
I don't mean to turn this into a different topic, but it will be hard to push the Ovechkin vs Crosby thing when these players (and other star players) do NOT EVEN PLAY IN 33% of the league's cities.....ESPN has the segment on sc called Barry's best. Best Hits, best goals andbest saves. They're showing the violence, but everybody tunes out of that part of the show. The NHL also needs to start allowing the hits too. I saw a beautifully delivered hip check not to long ago that was called a penalty (I think roughing). The NHLhas to take some of the responsibility for their product not getting good ratings. Their own marketing campaigns have been very, VERY lackluster. Point I'm getting at, is that the NHL needs to get all of its own problems taken care of before it will start drawing again. They really need to start pushing this Ovechkin vs. Crosby thing. This should be doing for hockey what Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson did for the NBA.
Having this absurd schedule is not the way to market your stars. Imagine if the NBA had Bird, Magic, Jordan, LeBron only playing in half their markets once every 3 years..... stupid.
It is the thinking of those who advocate something like this schedule (among league management and fans) who will keep the league reaching it's potential.
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ESPN has the segment on sc called Barry's best. Best Hits, best goals andbest saves. They're showing the violence, but everybody tunes out of that part of the show. The NHL also needs to start allowing the hits too. I saw a beautifully delivered hip check not to long ago that was called a penalty (I think roughing). The NHLhas to take some of the responsibility for their product not getting good ratings. Their own marketing campaigns have been very, VERY lackluster. Point I'm getting at, is that the NHL needs to get all of its own problems taken care of before it will start drawing again. They really need to start pushing this Ovechkin vs. Crosby thing. This should be doing for hockey what Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson did for the NBA.
It's hard to push Crosby vs. Ovechkin when both of their teams suck. Bird vs. Magic became a rivalry because both the Lakers and the Celtics were were good and met in the finals a bunch of times. Playoffs are what build rivalries both team wise and player wise. Pittsburgh is at least on the road to being more competitive and a playoff team. However the Caps owner only cares about the bottom line and won't spend to give Ovechkin that supporting cast he needs.
They are in the buisness to promote the programming it airs, which at the time included NHL hockey. Don't get me wrong I think the NHL has horrendous marketing people and they temseleves have doen little to promote that game. But ESPN did not give the league that "promotion" that people think the ling would get if it went back to ESPN. I also don't think VS. is the answer either.
Exactly.
Of course the league could and should do a much better job in showcasing itself, but ESPN had no interest in promoting its own programing for pete's sake- how utterly ridiculous is that.
Meichel Kane
My Name Is
- Jun 6, 2006
- 11,033
- 348
Sportscenter Rundown:
NFL games, analyses, and previews (add in “booyahâ€s when necessary)
10 minute breakdown by Sean Salisbury why Eli Manning has been struggling (“He needs to throw the ball better.â€)
NBA game highlights, consisting of all dunks (“Did you see that 6’ 11†guy reach up and put that ball in the hoop? Incredible!â€)
The Kobe Beane Bryant Segment
The Emotional Story of the Week Segment
Why NASCAR is awesome
What2Watch4 (whatever is on ESPN or ESPN2)
Barry’s Best
Top Plays (4 dunks, 4 football highlights, 1 joke, 1 awkwardly placed hockey highlight)
--------------------------------
As you can plainly see, there is no room for hockey
NFL games, analyses, and previews (add in “booyahâ€s when necessary)
10 minute breakdown by Sean Salisbury why Eli Manning has been struggling (“He needs to throw the ball better.â€)
NBA game highlights, consisting of all dunks (“Did you see that 6’ 11†guy reach up and put that ball in the hoop? Incredible!â€)
The Kobe Beane Bryant Segment
The Emotional Story of the Week Segment
Why NASCAR is awesome
What2Watch4 (whatever is on ESPN or ESPN2)
Barry’s Best
Top Plays (4 dunks, 4 football highlights, 1 joke, 1 awkwardly placed hockey highlight)
--------------------------------
As you can plainly see, there is no room for hockey
The response was that ESPN does care about the NHL and that they hope the sport can grow without ESPN and get more appealing (I think it has since the lockout) and come back to the network in the future. The speaker in this meetnig compared the NHL to NASCAR and how it used to be on ESPN then left and now ESPN is getting it back. He also said there are talks with the NHL ongoing.
Jumptheshark
Rebooting myself
ESPN lossed money on hockey and they figure that since they do not carry it anymore--it is not a real sport and there for if they ignore it--the resy of America will ingore it.
Motown Beatdown
Need a slump buster
Maybe it's a DirecTV thing, but i just watched a commercial for NHL Center Ice while watching Monday Night Football on ESPN.
Motown Beatdown
Need a slump buster
Couldn't it be a little deeper though?. Maybe ESPN/ABC got tired of hearing the NHL tell them and us the fans how the game was gonna change for the better for years after years with nothing chaging what so ever. And the NHL finally lived up to their word after they signing with OLN and competitor of ESPN. So maybe they have a little right to be miffed at the NHL after losing all that money with them.
spamojones
Registered User
The FSN option is intriguing. Their regional baseball coverage is outstanding. I just wish RSN picked up even MORE of their feeds.
I don't know a lot about FSN other than what I've picked up from its MLB coverage, but you have to wonder about its potential. Fox News is almost on the same level as CNN correct? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it is also really popular in the south because of its right wing, conservative views (at least that's what I've gleaned from paying attention to the Presidential elections). If the NHL were to explore FSN, and it's audience is indeed in the south and other "non-traditional" hockey markets, then there is a great opportunity for further exposure, and the expansion of their fan base. Although I'd love to see a couple of teams come back up to Winnipeg and Quebec, the markets are in the south and southwest...maybe by switching to FSN they'll tap into these markets even more?
I don't know a lot about FSN other than what I've picked up from its MLB coverage, but you have to wonder about its potential. Fox News is almost on the same level as CNN correct? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it is also really popular in the south because of its right wing, conservative views (at least that's what I've gleaned from paying attention to the Presidential elections). If the NHL were to explore FSN, and it's audience is indeed in the south and other "non-traditional" hockey markets, then there is a great opportunity for further exposure, and the expansion of their fan base. Although I'd love to see a couple of teams come back up to Winnipeg and Quebec, the markets are in the south and southwest...maybe by switching to FSN they'll tap into these markets even more?
ESPN doesn't promote sports, they air the higest bidders. It's actually a real shame because ESPN destroys the sports it takes in except for the ones that appear on network television. Football is so heavily promoted on the networks that it does not matter what ESPN does. MLB and the NBA have also been on other stations (WGR,TNT, etc.). As for the NHL and tennis they get virtually no ratings. There is no promotion and the coverage is the worst of all of the networks each has appeared on. Getting out of the ESPN deal was a good move.
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Amateur Hour
Registered User
Those commercials were the best... I still look them up sometimes on YouTube for a good laugh.
"WEAK GLOVE HAND!!"
"I'm not picking up Swedish people. They remind me of Mats Sundin."
"Go away Maple Leafs! You're the worst leafs on earth!"
"Your mother wears red army boots!"
Enjoy...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ytG2X_93JlQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzz0Blc8x_M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dePo3zU8OMc&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u88WdovasU0&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi8dezWpCvc&NR
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