UPDATE 5/23 - Golden Knights select ROOT/AT&T Sports for local TV

[nickp91]

Dean Brown for TV play-by-play announcer of Vegas Golden Knights

 

[Elephant Igloo]

That's one way to punch up one of the smallest television markets in American sports, give them like the entire Western United States.

 

[BattleBorn]

That's one way to punch up one of the smallest television markets in American sports, give them like the entire Western United States.

To be fair, the states they assigned to the Knights are some of the most sparsely populated places in the country, so it's a lot of space but not so much in the way of people. After everything's said and done the Knights will have around 9 million people in the area. We've got the Jello Belt on lockdown, though.

 

[Elephant Igloo]

Yeah, Jello Belt, I was gonna say, they basically got the entirety of Mormon Country: Nevada, Utah, Idaho.

The Jets still have the biggest footprint -- Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Thunder Bay and points west, the NWT, and Nunavut -- but even less population than the Golden Knights have.

 

[blues10]

Yeah, Jello Belt, I was gonna say, they basically got the entirety of Mormon Country: Nevada, Utah, Idaho.

The Jets still have the biggest footprint -- Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Thunder Bay and points west, the NWT, and Nunavut -- but even less population than the Golden Knights have.

Saskatchewan, Nunavut and NWT gets the Oilers, Flames and Jets regional games.

Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers:
Any Calgary Flames or Edmonton Oilers games on Sportsnet West or the Sportsnet ONE companion channels Sportsnet Flames and Sportsnet Oilers can only be seen in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Note for Manitoba residents: As of the 2011-12 season, NHL blackout restrictions dictate that all Flames and Oilers games on these channels are blacked out for viewers in Manitoba.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/more/frequently-asked-questions/

Here is an older map of how things have been.

http://www.milehighhockey.com/2013/9/30/4784384/graphic-new-2013-nhl-divisions-by-tv-coverage-zone

LV will likely overlap with some other teams regional TV markets.

 

[Elephant Igloo]

Yeah, I know Sask gets the Flames and Oilers, too, but I figured their territory is still smaller in area because Alberta is about the same size as Manitoba but they don't get that big empty chunk of Ontario with Thunder Bay and Kenora.

 

[Brodie]

If Seattle or Portland ends up with a franchise in the next few years, Las Vegas is going to lose almost all of that TV territory.

 

[Jonas1235]

I see them getting a HNIC PBP guy, current or past. An older guy who can move his wife to Vegas and have family come in and visit.

 

[PuckProphet]

They'll makeup the difference at the gate. No problem.

Well then he's a dumbass if he has no other revenue stream. People go to Vegas to do things they can't do else where. Whos to say there wont be a NBA team sometime soon.

He would have been better off dropping his money into a bunch of dollar stores on the west coast, he would have made a much better return.

That's one way to punch up one of the smallest television markets in American sports, give them like the entire Western United States.

the over all strategy is shaping up .... when they use language like " The team of the Rockies" when there is a NHL team called the Rockies lol when they reach into what is it 6 sports markets competing with local teams when they have the lowest ticket prices i ever heard ( ask Confucius how much tickets cost in Toronto) the strategy is clear ....To usurp fans from other established markets to draw in fans that drive more than 2 or 3 hours... they are shooting for the best of both worlds an extremely loyal fan base with a heavy out of towner market ... the local guys dont like hearing it but all these moves point to out of towners ... It really reminds me of the old Cubs days ....with fans coming from WGN pickups all over the country ...Its hard to place why the lovable loser cubs gained so many fans ..my thought is Chicago transplants ....The strategy is great if they win if they put a less than .500 product on the market its going to be tough .. the tickets being 25 35 or 75 well its half what other teams charge .I have a hard time doubting professionals who do studies must be some method

 

[BattleBorn]

the over all strategy is shaping up .... when they use language like " The team of the Rockies" when there is a NHL team called the Rockies lol when they reach into what is it 6 sports markets competing with local teams when they have the lowest ticket prices i ever heard ( ask Confucius how much tickets cost in Toronto) the strategy is clear ....To usurp fans from other established markets to draw in fans that drive more than 2 or 3 hours... they are shooting for the best of both worlds an extremely loyal fan base with a heavy out of towner market ... the local guys dont like hearing it but all these moves point to out of towners ... It really reminds me of the old Cubs days ....with fans coming from WGN pickups all over the country ...Its hard to place why the lovable loser cubs gained so many fans ..my thought is Chicago transplants ....The strategy is great if they win if they put a less than .500 product on the market its going to be tough .. the tickets being 25 35 or 75 well its half what other teams charge .I have a hard time doubting professionals who do studies must be some method

While I'm sure a part of their plan involves out of town fans, that just isn't the bulk of their business plan, at least not yet. They've said over and over that they're a local team and will nurture a real home ice advantage. While having the tourist ticket available will help, and will provide a safety net if things go really poorly the first few years, it's not the goal. I wouldn't be surprised if after a few years they go the Preds route and geo-restrict some ticket sales to maintain the advantage.

Further, comparing any team to Toronto ticket prices is a little unfair. The ticket price ranges in Las Vegas during the ticket drive were pegged to the league average, and with the exception of the P6 section all of them wound up on the upper end of the range they provided during the ticket drive. Single game tickets will cost even more, assuming they're available.

While the whole "team of the Rockies" thing seems a little weird considering we're pretty damn far from the Rockies here in Las Vegas, I'd imagine the real goal is to capitalize the media rights at a level higher than if the Knights were just the team of Nevada. I'm sure the media rights for places like Montana and Wyoming aren't going to bring in huge amounts of money, it's better to have that money than to be stuck on an island here in Nevada. Especially since there will always be an issue with the Sharks in the northern part of the state.

 

[PuckProphet]

While I'm sure a part of their plan involves out of town fans, that just isn't the bulk of their business plan, at least not yet. They've said over and over that they're a local team and will nurture a real home ice advantage. While having the tourist ticket available will help, and will provide a safety net if things go really poorly the first few years, it's not the goal. I wouldn't be surprised if after a few years they go the Preds route and geo-restrict some ticket sales to maintain the advantage.

Further, comparing any team to Toronto ticket prices is a little unfair. The ticket price ranges in Las Vegas during the ticket drive were pegged to the league average, and with the exception of the P6 section all of them wound up on the upper end of the range they provided during the ticket drive. Single game tickets will cost even more, assuming they're available.

While the whole "team of the Rockies" thing seems a little weird considering we're pretty damn far from the Rockies here in Las Vegas, I'd imagine the real goal is to capitalize the media rights at a level higher than if the Knights were just the team of Nevada. I'm sure the media rights for places like Montana and Wyoming aren't going to bring in huge amounts of money, it's better to have that money than to be stuck on an island here in Nevada. Especially since there will always be an issue with the Sharks in the northern part of the state.

hehe i stated Las Vegas people dont like hearing it ... and yea the 16000 100 dollar deposits means a lot ..... here is the thing most NHL teams collect the money in advance and accrue interest on the season ticket money The monthly payment thing drives that down even with the extra 2% ... the what is it 8 to 10k 25 or 35 seats further drives things down I went trolling season ticket holders first guy was in Bullhead AZ 90 minutes away plus local traffic Admittedly people in the West are used to driving more so than the Midwest or East but a 4 hour trip is going to get old ....
bigger point somehow the Las Vegas locals take low ticket cost take out of town fans as an insult when lol when the Las Vegas market is essentially blacked out ( which is another clever move) unless they an extra 9.95 a month.... While i expect the deal to change for probably for 20 or so free tv games the whole strategy is good business unless the local fans stop paying lose interest due to poor performance..
Did you look over the potential expansion list this is a cap squeeze year ... If they a different route go all Russians the team will be very competitive ..
Bottom line while the Las Vegas fans take it as an insult its a best case scenario to have a ticket crunch with people willing to buy on the secondary market ..the danger comes from fall off the danger comes from lack of revenue which i consider a fair assessment and reasonable concern ....the danger comes from it being a gong show

No one is saying Las Vegas fans are not true fans No one is laughing at the Knights Like any other business until the prophecy comes term its all risk management and assessment ....

 

[BattleBorn]

The 16,000 $100 deposits that were going to convert all converted to real tickets months ago, even people on payment plans will be fully paid prior to the first puck dropping and start paying on 18-19 midseason.

There's a lot of issues that may potentially hit Las Vegas, those are worth discussing. The potential for below average ticket prices and empty seats at T-MA are something pretty far down the line. I sincerely doubt any large number of STH are coming from outside of the valley. Bullhead City is pretty far away, and if there's more than 100 season ticket holders in Laughlin/Bullhead City I'll eat my hat.

In summary, we don't take lower ticket prices as an insult here in Las Vegas because anyone who says we have low ticket prices is barking up the wrong tree because it's just not true and ticket prices are above average at worst. We're not approaching Toronto prices or anything (who is?) but Vegas is not going to have a Coke Family Fun Zone schlepping tickets for $30 each including a hotdog and Coke any time soon. Season ticket deposits were pegged to the league's average price and went up from there.

 

[Glacial]

Is there any visual map of Vegas's territory on a NHL territory map yet?

 

[PuckProphet]

The 16,000 $100 deposits that were going to convert all converted to real tickets months ago, even people on payment plans will be fully paid prior to the first puck dropping and start paying on 18-19 midseason.

There's a lot of issues that may potentially hit Las Vegas, those are worth discussing. The potential for below average ticket prices and empty seats at T-MA are something pretty far down the line. I sincerely doubt any large number of STH are coming from outside of the valley. Bullhead City is pretty far away, and if there's more than 100 season ticket holders in Laughlin/Bullhead City I'll eat my hat.

In summary, we don't take lower ticket prices as an insult here in Las Vegas because anyone who says we have low ticket prices is barking up the wrong tree because it's just not true and ticket prices are above average at worst. We're not approaching Toronto prices or anything (who is?) but Vegas is not going to have a Coke Family Fun Zone schlepping tickets for $30 each including a hotdog and Coke any time soon. Season ticket deposits were pegged to the league's average price and went up from there.

I mentioned the ticket prices in the original post as a good thing .... it gives the season ticket holder leverage and flexibility I mentioned out of town fans because its a good thing more so now because of the wide out of state coverage ...I mentioned monthly payments because i read in a Las Vegas publication that april 5th was the deadline but fans would be able to pay monthly until game 41 (that you confirmed)
I read in a Las Vegas publication they sold 16k regular seats out of 17500 with another 2500 in boxes individual tickets and standing room Here is the thing any question of attendance or out of town fans gets met with serious trolling i dont know if its the thousands of comments from the peanut galleries that Las Vegas cannot support a hockey team that drove everyone mad or that attendance concerns is a serious threat ... there is no such thing as to many fans so any type of marketing is a good thing ... Personally i would of dropped the subject as matter of fact just normal discussion but the trolling and need to confront makes me think thou protests to much thus the circle continues ...I state again no one is laughing at the Knights ( well some are making jokes on how long it will take to make the 500 mil back and turn a profit but that not my point) I state again no one considers Las Vegas fans fake fans ... will every season ticket holder attend every game probably not will some drop off probably so You as fans or paid employees got nothing to prove.. Did some buy season tickets as an investment of course every team has those types the tv deal hopefully mitigates that danger Heck the Broncos just pulled all the season tickets of fans who resold 4 or more of games ...
There is no need to defend the success of the team when we will all know by Dec how things are shaping up... its all conjecture and speculation..
besides you already sell the upper level ends for 25 and in a coke and hot dog thats 35 ...no shame in fan deals either ....Difference between you and the Coyotes this is season 1 what season are they on ....while the comparison is the worst case scenario it will take years to play out

 

[Fenway]

The value of this deal is mainly getting ROOT Sports into Nevada and that will make the Jazz a little more valuable if the NBA declares Nevada an open territory and the NHL allows ROOT Northwest to beam the games into Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

Eventually the NHL will get a team in the NW and VGN will lose that territory.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_Sports#Networks


Vegas is a growing but still a relatively small TV market with no other major population centers adjacent except for Salt Lake.

http://www.lyonspr.com/latest-nielsen-dma-rankings/

The multiyear deal was reported Monday by the Review-Journal. Foley would not reveal financial details, but said the arrangement was “in eight figures” and both sides were satisfied.

“It’s a fair and equitable deal,” he said. “It satisfies both parties, and it is what we projected in our operating budget.”

https://www.reviewjournal.com/sport...eal-makes-golden-knights-team-of-the-rockies/

 

[sabresfan65]

besides you already sell the upper level ends for 25 and in a coke and hot dog thats 35

Only the last 3 to 5 rows were 25. Most of the upper ends were 35 and the first 2 rows were like 55 and rows 3-7 were 40 or 45.

 

[powerstuck]

I think the deal is indeed fair. 8 figues means at least $10M which is okay for a team that currently exists on paper. I always said the best for both the team and network was to sign a few years 10-15M deal. See how the market answers and then when new players decide they want part of Vegas TV deal, team gets the upper hand in negotiation.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

If Seattle or Portland ends up with a franchise in the next few years, Las Vegas is going to lose almost all of that TV territory.

Most definitely. Difference is Seattle or Portland would actually draw interest in most of those markets. Honestly the thought of a Vegas team being televised in Montana just makes me laugh, but it is what it is.

Note: I'm not saying anything against Vegas as a hockey market, just saying that nobody in Montana is going to give two ***** about a hockey team that plays a mere 13-20 hour drive away. At least this gives Vegas a chance to steal a few fans that they wouldn't get otherwise, but it's really going to take an (American) northwest team for there to be hockey fans created in some of those places. I met plenty of hockey fans while in Montana...almost all of which, like me, originated in the Rust Belt.

 

[BattleBorn]

Most definitely. Difference is Seattle or Portland would actually draw interest in most of those markets. Honestly the thought of a Vegas team being televised in Montana just makes me laugh, but it is what it is.

Note: I'm not saying anything against Vegas as a hockey market, just saying that nobody in Montana is going to give two ***** about a hockey team that plays a mere 13-20 hour drive away. At least this gives Vegas a chance to steal a few fans that they wouldn't get otherwise, but it's really going to take an (American) northwest team for there to be hockey fans created in some of those places. I met plenty of hockey fans while in Montana...almost all of which, like me, originated in the Rust Belt.

The Montana branch of the BattleBorn family will love watching the Knights on local TV.

I think Montana was just thrown in for Foley, I'm guessing the real target was the Utah/Idaho/Wyoming folks that tend to feel isolated from the northwest, west coast, and Denver. Plus, the LDS angle doesn't hurt at all. Until Salt Lake gets an NHL team (which isn't likely for a while) the Knights have kind of claimed that whole LDS Corridor.

 

[Fenway]

The Montana branch of the BattleBorn family will love watching the Knights on local TV.

I think Montana was just thrown in for Foley, I'm guessing the real target was the Utah/Idaho/Wyoming folks that tend to feel isolated from the northwest, west coast, and Denver. Plus, the LDS angle doesn't hurt at all. Until Salt Lake gets an NHL team (which isn't likely for a while) the Knights have kind of claimed that whole LDS Corridor.

ROOT is paying a little extra to get into the Vegas market and then they will be in place if MLB or the NBA move into Sin City.

Montana is a BIG empty state as I took a train thru it going from Chicago to Seattle. The train follows along with US 2 and for a few hours the only radio we could get came from Saskatchewan. Wyoming is also empty especially after you get out of Cheyenne which tilts towards Denver.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Most of those states are empty. Like there's more people in Brooklyn than in like a handful of those states combined. (Only a mild exaggeration). That's why Vegas is getting so much land. You just need it to accumulate any kind of numbers.

 

[BattleBorn]

ROOT is paying a little extra to get into the Vegas market and then they will be in place if MLB or the NBA move into Sin City.

...

Hopefully they're not counting on the MLB. I've got a feeling we're a million people or so away from that having a chance at success. NBA can stay away as far as I'm concerned, but with the next new arena apparently planning (another) groundbreaking that might come sooner than we expect.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

ROOT is paying a little extra to get into the Vegas market and then they will be in place if MLB or the NBA move into Sin City.

Montana is a BIG empty state as I took a train thru it going from Chicago to Seattle. The train follows along with US 2 and for a few hours the only radio we could get came from Saskatchewan. Wyoming is also empty especially after you get out of Cheyenne which tilts towards Denver.

Montana is a big, empty state...but not as much as Amtrak may have you believe. Amtrak doesn't come close to any of the 'major' cities...Missoula is 2.5-3 hours south of the Whitefish station, which makes it significantly closer than places like Bozeman, Helena, Butte, Billings, etc. to an Amtrak station. Honestly I think it's part of the reason the hockey culture there is almost non-existent, there's very few Montanans that live close enough to Canada for there to be any real amount of cultural cross-over. Unfortunately for the state the only passenger rail skirts the border.

Regardless I don't think Vegas will have any fewer Montana-based fans than the team that held the region's rights when I was living there...the only Avs fan I met in my 6 years in Missoula was born in Fort Collins. It was rather hilarious to me how much most Montanans resented Colorado.

 

[Oilers Propagandist]

But a very fortunate thing for people who watch TSN. The only other person they put on air who comes close to being as bad is Jason Botchford.

Jeff O'Derp is the absolute worst. Gary lawless and bothford suck but O'Derp is in his own galaxy of garbage. Such a loser.

 

[Price is Wright]

ROOT is paying a little extra to get into the Vegas market and then they will be in place if MLB or the NBA move into Sin City.

Montana is a BIG empty state as I took a train thru it going from Chicago to Seattle. The train follows along with US 2 and for a few hours the only radio we could get came from Saskatchewan. Wyoming is also empty especially after you get out of Cheyenne which tilts towards Denver.

I've always joked there's more people eating at a Montana's than living in Montana.