Does NBC get to decide what time playoff games start?

[LeafsNation75]

For tomorrow's Game 6 between Toronto and Boston in the United States it's being broadcast the main NBC network and is scheduled to start at 3:00 PM EST. I'm wondering since the game is being played in Toronto how come Rogers didn't get the choice and say they wanted it to start at 7:00 PM EST? I would have thought when a Canadian team is playing as the home team and in this case it's Toronto, that Rogers would have the final say in what time the game starts.

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[IU Hawks fan]

Doesn't matter who the home team is. Jets are the road team tonight and that game is in the regular HNIC slot, so clearly Rogers had input.

There's 2 games tomorrow, 1 east 1 west. Having 1 during the day and 1 night game is logical, rather than having the 2nd game at 10ET. I've seen almost none of the SJ/VGK series due to the late starts.

 

[Fenway]

NBC's contract with the NHL requires a 3 PM ET game on 4/21 on the mothership (if possible )

Pittsburgh/Islanders were penciled in for that slot but of course, that series ended earlier than most thought.

NBC now gets the game on a channel they own in Boston as well and NESN is knocked out.

 

[rojac]

Also, I’m not sure that a 3pm Leafs game is any less profitable for Rogers than a 7 pm game.

 

[GordonGraham]

Even if the canadian networks pay a ton more money than Nbc , this being the Nhl of course all the power belongs to the US based channel

 

[New User Name]

Ridiculous.

Leafs play night games. I have no problem with Bruins or any American team scheduling all their home games at whatever time they want.

But a broadcaster, and not even a good one at that can dictate the time of the game for a team not in their country is absolutely f***ing wrong.

Good thing I don't own the Leafs. I'd tell bettman to f*** himself.

bettman says jump and Canadian owners and broadcasters say how high.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Ridiculous.

Leafs play night games. I have no problem with Bruins or any American team scheduling all their home games at whatever time they want.

But a broadcaster, and not even a good one at that can dictate the time of the game for a team not in their country is absolutely ****ing wrong.

Good thing I don't own the Leafs. I'd tell bettman to **** himself.

bettman says jump and Canadian owners and broadcasters say how high.

Oh cry me a river.

 

[voyageur]

I remember the decisive game of Montreal-Philly in Montreal being played as an afternoon game, of which the Flyers had played a bunch during the year. Make no mistake Canadians pay the big bucks, but the big decisions are made out of New York.

 

[Reality Check]

Television rules all.

/Thread

 

[LadyStanley]

Before Avs bounced Calgary, I was hearing times ranging from 2pm to 7pm PT for the SJS-VGK game.

4pm PT start means that you can go out to dinner after game (with no OT).

 

[rojac]

Ridiculous.

Leafs play night games. I have no problem with Bruins or any American team scheduling all their home games at whatever time they want.

But a broadcaster, and not even a good one at that can dictate the time of the game for a team not in their country is absolutely ****ing wrong.

Good thing I don't own the Leafs. I'd tell bettman to **** himself.

bettman says jump and Canadian owners and broadcasters say how high.

It’s always so funny to see the stupid things that fans get upset over.

 

[FMichael]

Wonder what the next TV deal will have for us American viewers?

Rumor has it ESPN wants to get back into the game (they did some great things for the game - ESPN2 for example showed a poop-ton of games)...Then in the early 2000's you could tell ESPN was less than thrilled with the NHL, and shortly parted ways after the lockout of 2004/2005.

I will give credit for what NBC/VERSUS/OLN/etc did when the league resumed play in the fall of 2005.

 

[unknownbrother]

Ridiculous.

Leafs play night games. I have no problem with Bruins or any American team scheduling all their home games at whatever time they want.

But a broadcaster, and not even a good one at that can dictate the time of the game for a team not in their country is absolutely ****ing wrong.

Good thing I don't own the Leafs. I'd tell bettman to **** himself.

bettman says jump and Canadian owners and broadcasters say how high.

Yes because CBC putting the Jets game in St Louis at the HNiC time slot and pushing back the Capitals-Hurricanes game back an hour from what would be their regular east coast time slot didn't happen last night. Let's just pretend it's a one way street of anti-Canadian bias.

Canadian hockey fans are worse than English football fans. No tin foil hats needed this side of the Atlantic.

 

[Gold Standard]

Actually, looking forward to some afternoon Leafs action with my Easter turkey dinner. I just hope the tryptophan doesn't kick in until after the game is over. If there's OT, I'll probably snooze through it.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Also, I’m not sure that a 3pm Leafs game is any less profitable for Rogers than a 7 pm game.

Its friggin Sunday. Am I living in an alternate timeline where Canadians work on Sunday?

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

There was to be four games scheduled on Sunday at 3, 6, 8, 10 Eastern Time. But Tampa loses in four,,,now down to three, Calgary loses in five, now down to two team on Sunday
NBC wants a 3 PM game....well it ain't going to be Vegas/Sharks....so it's the Eastern Conference game. So be it.

Would prefer a evening game as traditional hockey fan. But Raptors play at 7PM....So if follow the two Toronto teams, it all works out.

 

[Bookie21]

There is always lots of give and take with the TV partners. Winnipeg getting the HNIC slot last night when the game was in St Louis was one instance. The Boston vs Toronto game was always being played Easter Sunday, the game time was up in the air. I'm pretty sure it makes no difference to Rogers' bottom line playing it in the afternoon

 

[Reality Check]

Wonder what the next TV deal will have for us American viewers?

Rumor has it ESPN wants to get back into the game (they did some great things for the game - ESPN2 for example showed a poop-ton of games)...Then in the early 2000's you could tell ESPN was less than thrilled with the NHL, and shortly parted ways after the lockout of 2004/2005.

I will give credit for what NBC/VERSUS/OLN/etc did when the league resumed play in the fall of 2005.

That's because ABC/ESPN landed the rights to NBA coverage from NBC in 2003. Sorry NHL...but I would drop them like a bad habit too

NBC had nothing but Notre Dame college football. They really had no alternative and time to fill. Thankfully for them they were able to land Sunday Night Football. Which has expanded to a couple of playoff games per season.

ESPN+ has carried hockey games throughout the year. If they could work out a deal to carry a limit number of games or playoff games on ESPN/2 it certainly couldn't hurt.

 

[Brodie]

Boy am I glad for the Toronto Maple Leafs are not owned by some of the posters in this thread. Because I'm pretty sure that the actual owners care alot more about making money than petty nationalistic squabbles about TV scheduling

 

[Pilky01]

3 pm Sunday is a great time for puck drop.

 

[LadyStanley]

Wonder what the next TV deal will have for us American viewers?

Rumor has it ESPN wants to get back into the game (they did some great things for the game - ESPN2 for example showed a poop-ton of games)...Then in the early 2000's you could tell ESPN was less than thrilled with the NHL, and shortly parted ways after the lockout of 2004/2005.

I will give credit for what NBC/VERSUS/OLN/etc did when the league resumed play in the fall of 2005.

"ESPN" coverage devolved from ABC/ESPN to primarily ESPN2 games. They also did a 30 minute/week show hosted by Dan Moriarity (now doing voice over work for the Sharks among other things). And they rarely covered hockey with more than 2 minute recap of entire league in SportsCenter. (Now, I haven't watched SC in a long time, so don't know how much they emphasize the sport now.)

I'd be willing to listen to ESPN/ABC (or Fox or CBS) offers, but it's hard to compare the coverage the NHL gets with NBC (NBCSN, plus their other networks to cover all the games during playoffs).

 

[tony d]

I don't mind afternoon hockey particularly on a holiday weekend, this is no big deal.

 

[canuckster19]

I think a lot of it has to do with wanting to give European fans decent start times as well.

 

[awfulwaffle]

So you would prefer the western conference game start at noon in their time zone?

 

[LeafsNation75]

So you would prefer the western conference game start at noon in their time zone?

This was a regular season game but on December 31, 2017 when the Leafs played the Golden Knights in Las Vegas it was on a Sunday and the game started at 3:30 PM EST/12:30 PM PST.