Who will get television broadcast rights for Vegas' NHL games?
- Thread starter paul-laus
- Start date
BattleBorn
50% to winning as many division titles as Toronto
I'm hoping for Root Sports. Set up a network here in Vegas, share with the Jazz in Utah and the intermountain west, and get some Vegas hockey exposure to the Pacific Northwest.
That's my perfect scenario for the regional sports network.
GKG18
Expansion Fan
Fox Sports is bidding. Though it wouldn't surprise me if a new regional was created to carry VGK and UNLV games and Raiders content. Maybe Cox, who is the local cable monopoly EEEEERRRRRR carrier will create one similar to the one they have in San Diego.
How about instead of just a regional sports network, we have a general interest network dedicated to all things Nevada? In addition to airing Golden Knights games and related programming, it would air other Nevada-centric programs, including syndicated shows like Bonanza, CSI, and Las Vegas (along with a fair share of original non-sports programs). There should be a cable channel like this in every state.
VanIslander
A 19-year ATDer on HfBoards
So how does Center Ice work when you live in your teams region?
When I lived in Indianapolis, Hawks games were blacked out but I didn't care as they were opposite conference to the Sens, so that's 1 game a year that got blacked out.
Am I going to have to get cable here because that would blow.
When I lived in Indianapolis, Hawks games were blacked out but I didn't care as they were opposite conference to the Sens, so that's 1 game a year that got blacked out.
Am I going to have to get cable here because that would blow.
Yes, you will have to get cable (or resort to nefarious means). Every Vegas game will be blacked out for you. And not just blacked out while it is live, blacked out for 48 freaking hours. Center Ice blackout policies are ridiculous. I was hoping when they went to the same company that handles MLB package that the blackouts would lift after a couple of hours like they do with baseball, but no, still 48 hours from the completion of the game.
nobody important
the pessimist returns
Vacheron
Registered User
- Dec 11, 2016
- 355
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Ginormousthumbs
Registered User
They'll be blacked out on Center Ice but should be available to watch on the local Fox Sports or Root or whatever they're going to do
ronthemailman
Registered User
Especially for Season #1, they have to be on an outlet that both cable and satellite get...that goes for radio too. It has to be free (part of the basic subscription package) of any medium...can't just be Cox or Directv or Dish...critical for building fan base
Even though its a little worrying that Cox has these shows on, I think the NHL will be very opposed to a Cox type network. It has to be a regional sports network because I believe there will be very real interest in seeing the team's games nationwide on Center Ice. All the media types back East are going to howl with protest if it ends up like the disaster that was the Padres only for cable subscribers in a couple of cities and no way to watch them elsewhere. Further problem for Cox is that San Diego is officially Ducks territory so I don't think Cox could cut a deal to show their games anywhere but Las Vegas. That spells ratings disaster and would really upset a lot of NHL folks.
All that being said I just can't see Fox Sports not getting these rights. Shuffle around the lineups on their two existing networks already being carried locally and call it a day. No one else really makes sense because there is too much restricted content any more to have a network that ends up blacking out most of the events that give them reason to exist. If you live in the Bay Area for example and the Kings (NBA) game comes on Comcast, you get 3 hours of unwatchable stuff like greatest moments videos filmed in the 1990s. And vice versa if you live in Sacramento and the Warriors come on. The rules are very strict for NHL and NBA, not so much for MLB. Can't show a Suns or Jazz game here and soon the Kings and Ducks will be blocked as well. Hard to build a new network under those conditions.
All that being said I just can't see Fox Sports not getting these rights. Shuffle around the lineups on their two existing networks already being carried locally and call it a day. No one else really makes sense because there is too much restricted content any more to have a network that ends up blacking out most of the events that give them reason to exist. If you live in the Bay Area for example and the Kings (NBA) game comes on Comcast, you get 3 hours of unwatchable stuff like greatest moments videos filmed in the 1990s. And vice versa if you live in Sacramento and the Warriors come on. The rules are very strict for NHL and NBA, not so much for MLB. Can't show a Suns or Jazz game here and soon the Kings and Ducks will be blocked as well. Hard to build a new network under those conditions.
Doesn't work like that. Raiders "content" is obviously not part of a RSN and if they wanted stuff like Raiders Weekly and the coaches shows they would have to win bidding against a lot of local channel suitors, as these are often the winners to local NFL team rights. UNLV is part of a conference so they have to follow their broadcasts, which these days are mostly on networks other than regional networks such as CBSSN. The only realistic play they could make is if an MLS team came to town, then you could bare bones together an offering which wouldn't make much money, but at least could stay on the air.
BattleBorn
50% to winning as many division titles as Toronto
Last I heard was a few weeks ago and it was the standard "we're still working on it" thing. I imagine the potential bidders are looking to wait on the Raiders to see what type of content they can expect football-wise.
Meaning that could create a Knights/Raiders network if the Raiders are here or just rebrand a Fox Sports type thing as Fox Sports Las Vegas and rebroadcast general sports programs with a few hours a day of Knights programming if the Raiders don't come and they won't need to put in the infrastructure investment a local studio/hard core network would require with an NFL team.
Meaning that could create a Knights/Raiders network if the Raiders are here or just rebrand a Fox Sports type thing as Fox Sports Las Vegas and rebroadcast general sports programs with a few hours a day of Knights programming if the Raiders don't come and they won't need to put in the infrastructure investment a local studio/hard core network would require with an NFL team.
paul-laus
Registered User
- Jun 20, 2007
- 474
- 65
It seems as though people are pretty confident that it will be a regional Fox Sports network acquiring the rights to the games. I suppose COX, Root Sports and others would be a long shot at this point. Could Comcast make a move on the market?
BattleBorn
50% to winning as many division titles as Toronto
I'm still holding out hope for Root to make a move so we can hook the Knights up with Utah, Montana, and the PacNW.
mouser
Business of Hockey
CBS has the AFC, and Fox the NFC. So one would expect 12 games on CBS and 4 on Fox each year on average. With 1-2 of those games moved to NBC or ESPN. And those are all broadcast networks of course, you wouldn't see a regular season football game on a regional sports network.
BattleBorn
50% to winning as many division titles as Toronto
Understood. I'm talking more about the local coverage of the team practices, preseason games, constant talk. If we've got the Raiders I imagine they've instantly got another hour or so of original content available every day and a ton of original programming (pregame, postgame, etc) during the season.
SwordofStMichael
Registered User
- Apr 4, 2013
- 387
- 4
Doesn't necessarily have to be the case, for example here in Pittsburgh RootSports doesn't have any original local sports shows. One would think with three major league teams that are doing fairly well and are hugely popular in town, nationwide for Steelers & Penguins, they would have such a show.
At best there is a 30 minute pregame show for Pens and Pirates but that focuses almost exclusively on the upcoming broadcast for the team playing.
There used to be an awesome show ten years ago but the Pirates abysmal failure for twenty years caused RootSports and it's previous incarnations (FoxSports, etc...) to lose so much money they basically cut everything but game broadcasts.
GKG18
Expansion Fan
Bubolz glossed over this in his latest interview:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/kerry-...raiders-in-vegas-puck-daddy-qa-213814896.html
Interesting that he mentions Sinclair, which If I'm not mistaken, is the local CBS affiliate. He also mentions Comcast, which does not have a presence in Las Vegas, and Direct TV, a wholesale distributor. From this quote I we can glean the following:
Fox Sports is the only candidate to produce the games, with Sinclair maybe setting up to do a few non FSN or NBCN games. You figure that of the 82 games, NBCN will take maybe 1 or 2, FSN 70-75 and sinclair the remainder of "who cares affairs" (eg- when Carolina, Tampa Bay or Nashville come to town).
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/kerry-...raiders-in-vegas-puck-daddy-qa-213814896.html
Interesting that he mentions Sinclair, which If I'm not mistaken, is the local CBS affiliate. He also mentions Comcast, which does not have a presence in Las Vegas, and Direct TV, a wholesale distributor. From this quote I we can glean the following:
Fox Sports is the only candidate to produce the games, with Sinclair maybe setting up to do a few non FSN or NBCN games. You figure that of the 82 games, NBCN will take maybe 1 or 2, FSN 70-75 and sinclair the remainder of "who cares affairs" (eg- when Carolina, Tampa Bay or Nashville come to town).
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It doesn't matter who the local network is, they can still be featured on Root in other markets as long as they are deemed the team's territory. It doesn't mean they have to be Root in Las Vegas to be on Root in Utah.
Local TV makes sense for a small part of the schedule. The local channel will become a stronger supporter on the team when it comes to the sports news segments and coaches shows and the like. Only hard part is to get them to preempt network programming, but if the schedule is light they can pick out dead spots like weekend games after football ends.
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