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dwkdnvr said:Some quick thoughts:
- IMHO, it's clear that Comcast is looking to transition OLN from what it is now to something more broadly sports oriented. Complaining that the NHL is now on the 'rodeo network' misses much of the point, since the NHL will be a key part of their re-branding away from rodeo/hunting/fishing.
- Getting away from ESPN is IMHO a good thing. ESPN is increasingly less about *showing* sports and more about sports as an avenue to advance ones ego - it's all about spouting strong opinions, focussing on 'bad boy' players and scandals, bragging rights in fantasy leagues etc. It's patently clear that the ESPN viewers couldn't care less about hockey, and that probably won't change any time soon, so staying slavishly beholden to them is a losing proposition.
- A new Comcast net will initially attract more open minded/curious viewers looking for an alternative to ESPN, and thus might be a more receptive audience than we'd find on a more established station
- HD MUST be a big part of the equation. IMHO this is so important that if the only way the NHL gets widespread HD coverage is to go with ESPN, it may be worth it just for that.
Okay, maybe not the most coherent collection of thoughts, but I think this may be a good thing overall.
Solid post.
Hate to say it but the absolute key to this deal would be if Comcast lands the NFL package. The encouraging thing is they have the deep pockets to do it. Then I would agree that there would be some major NFL/NHL cross promotion going on.
I know locally here in C-bus we get OLN and both INHD channels in the Time Warner Cable package.