HNIC facing uncertain future

[LadyStanley]

http://spectorshockey.net/wordpress/2011/07/17/hnic-could-face-uncertain-future/

Despite the rise of the cable sports networks, Hockey Night in Canada continued to have strong ratings in recent years, especially in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but there are some troubling factors which could have an impact upon upon the show’s long-term future.

Gone are the days when major league baseball, Canadian pro football and the Summer and Winter Olympics Games were the domain of CBC. While the network offers up soccer coverage, including that of the FIFA World Cup, the loss of those other sports have raised questions in recent years over the future of the network’s sports coverage.

While CBC’s current contract with the NHL lasts until the end of the 2013-14 season, it is expected CTV could make a serious push for the exclusive broadcast rights of Canadian-based NHL teams, which would then be televised on TSN.

In 2007, CBC successfully outbid CTV for full broadcast rights of all Canadian NHL teams , but the market has changed since then, and CBC could find it very difficult in three years time to top CTV.

The aging of Hockey Night’s top on-screen personalities could also become a potential problem.

Click to read more...

 

[mattsyuk]

being a Red Wings fan....it doesn't bother me too much, since I don't get the opportunity to watch HNIC that much anyway, especially if the Wings are playing on Saturday nights.

as a Canadian though, it would definitely be a sad thing to see no more Hockey Night in Canada...the Stanley Cup has traditionally been handed out on the network and I have seen the Wings raise the Stanley Cup on four different occassions while watching CBC's HNIC Playoff Coverage...let's just all hope it doesn't come down to this

 

[FakeKidPoker*]

TSN has some of the worst coverage around

Let's hope CBC and Sportsnet do a joint venture and land the rights.

 

[Confucius]

It would be a shame for the smaller communities scattered throughout the country where cable is not available. I guess there is the satellite option but the age of free OTA telecasts would be gone.

 

[AndersUlfBobby]

HNIC is an institution in country and the CBC will do whatever it takes to continue the legacy. Viewership is through the roof and the numbers are too good for bureaucrats to turn their back on the only cash cow that the CBC has. I wouldn't be too concerned.

 

[Jonas1235]

The NHL is the only entity that has say on who broadcasts their rights. Why would they take a "hometown discount" when dealing with hundreds of millions of dollars?

The current package that CBC has, which is over 80 games, is probably worth at least $200 million a season. They are currently paying around $100 million. Which is probably the max that they could ever offer.

I don't think 30 NHL teams are going to say no to another $100 million a season.

 

[wjhl2009fan]

HNIC is an institution in country and the CBC will do whatever it takes to continue the legacy. Viewership is through the roof and the numbers are too good for bureaucrats to turn their back on the only cash cow that the CBC has. I wouldn't be too concerned.

The thing is it looks like cbc is going to have 5% of its budget cut this year now will they have more cut next year then more the year after if they were to it may be hard fro them to out bid the like of ctv etc.

 

[Critical Mass]

It would be a shame for the smaller communities scattered throughout the country where cable is not available. I guess there is the satellite option but the age of free OTA telecasts would be gone.

Canada's broadcasters are going digital on 31 Aug 2011. There won't be anymore over-the-air local tv.

 

[Killion]

I guess there is the satellite option but the age of free OTA telecasts would be gone.

It is gone HH. Effective August 31st OTA will no longer be available as all of the stations, CBC included, go digital. You'll need a satellite to pick up anything at all. Or is that what your trying to say?.

 

[Confucius]

Canada's broadcasters are going digital on 31 Aug 2011. There won't be anymore over-the-air local tv.

You can get digital OTA for free. I have cable but I also have a channel master antenna. I get about 25 channels over the air for free, one of which is CBC HD, which they claim is clearer than cable HD. To be honest, I can't tell the difference, but it has something to do with over the air HD being a raw feed.

 

[Koss]

The NHL is the only entity that has say on who broadcasts their rights. Why would they take a "hometown discount" when dealing with hundreds of millions of dollars?

The current package that CBC has, which is over 80 games, is probably worth at least $200 million a season. They are currently paying around $100 million. Which is probably the max that they could ever offer.

I don't think 30 NHL teams are going to say no to another $100 million a season.

CBC and HNiC built the NHL

 

[Nalens Oga]

If they don't retain rights then the cost of watching hockey for Canadians just went up.

 

[King Woodballs]

I have been saying for years that I hope CBC loses HNIC.... then the CBC can fold and not cost me millions upon millions a year from my taxes.
Good riddance I say.

 

[ShameOnYouZidlicky]

TSN has some of the worst coverage around

Let's hope CBC and Sportsnet do a joint venture and land the rights.

I'd puke.

 

[Jonas1235]

CBC and HNiC built the NHL

I would say that the NHL's product and stars built the CBC.

Did Turner Broadcasting make the WCW what it was as well?

 

[Ernie]

I would say that the NHL's product and stars built the CBC.

Did Turner Broadcasting make the WCW what it was as well?

Hockey on Saturday is a CBC brand. No question that the CBC has been a huge reason hockey is as popular as it is in Canada. It goes into every home.

Giving the rights to TSN would really dilute that brand. Kind of like when TSN sniped the rights to the "HNIC song." Just wasn't the same. I can see the NHL giving TSN a few more playoff games but they'd be stupid to break up a partnership that has done extremely well for the NHL for 80 years.

Don't discredit the idea that a network can create buzz around an event. The World Juniors are a big deal in Canada because TSN has put a lot of effort into covering them and got people hooked during a slow TV time over Christmas. They developed the property and now are reaping the rewards.

 

[taunting canadian]

The thing is it looks like cbc is going to have 5% of its budget cut this year now will they have more cut next year then more the year after if they were to it may be hard fro them to out bid the like of ctv etc.

If your budget is getting cut, the last thing you'd want to do is get rid of a profitable program. But I guess since this is government we're talking about, that kind of decision making wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility.

It would also be possible for CTV to bid so high that it's no longer profitable - but that wouldn't be a very sensible thing for a for-profit enterprise to do either. In some cases, it can make sense to do this (kill a competitor so that next time the bidding will be easier), but it would be exceedingly difficult to "kill" the CBC. They're very likely to be there the next time the contract comes up, so CTV making an exorbitant bid would simply be throwing away money.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Not really surpsied to see people wishing the CBC dead. This is the same Canada which gets high rating for American Idol among other thing and laughs at Canadian TV in general.

 

[wjhl2009fan]

If your budget is getting cut, the last thing you'd want to do is get rid of a profitable program. But I guess since this is government we're talking about, that kind of decision making wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility.

It would also be possible for CTV to bid so high that it's no longer profitable - but that wouldn't be a very sensible thing for a for-profit enterprise to do either. In some cases, it can make sense to do this (kill a competitor so that next time the bidding will be easier), but it would be exceedingly difficult to "kill" the CBC. They're very likely to be there the next time the contract comes up, so CTV making an exorbitant bid would simply be throwing away money.

As much as some may want cbc gone it won't happen its alwas going to be around will it be its same format maybe not its poissible it may have to go with a much smaller budget.As for ctv the thing is they could go big and offer huge money will it be profitable maybe no but its possible it could do very well just think of a a double header every saturday on tsn.

 

[Jumptheshark]

what some people forget is that a few years ago a government report suggested that the CBC should step away from covering so much sports

 

[discostu]

Any time this topic comes up, I find a lot of the argument for CBC to retain the rights is that HNIC is a money-maker for them, and they need to keep it for that reason. I've always had a tough time with this argument, because CBC doesn't provide any detailed financial information for any of us to validate it, and, of the information that is presented in their public statements, I find it very hard to believe that they are making money on it.

-The deal that CBC last signed was rumoured to be about $100M a year. Their total revenue advertising last year across all lines of business was just over $300M. That means to just cover the broadcast rights, they need HNIC to represent about one-third of all their broadcast revenue, when it makes up maybe 5% of their schedule at most. That's before you factor in the costs associated with the broadcast (production costs, Cherry's suits, etc.), and, before you factor HNIC's share of general corporate costs. When you factor those things in, you're probably requiring about 50% of all revenue to go to HNIC to cover expenditures just to break-even.

-If somehow HNIC is really generating that much of their revenue, then, you'd expect to see a huge drop-off if they ever didn't have it on their schedule. Luckily for us, we have such a period with the lockout. Strangely enough, there was actually no drop in revenue during that period.


We (the public) will never get the real story of what's happening on their own books, but, for CBC to get permission to make the type of bid to retain the rights next time, they'll need to make the business case to the politicians and senior bureaucrats, and from what I can see, I don't think there's a strong case to be made.

 

[Fakey123]

At least if HNIC goes under, I won't have to listen to any more of Ron Maclean's stupid god damn poems every Saturday night.

 

[JUMBOcanuck]

At least if HNIC goes under, I won't have to listen to any more of Ron Maclean's stupid god damn poems every Saturday night.

I'm sure he'll find a job somewhere...Leafs TV maybe?

 

[LadyStanley]

Mod note: No politics please.

Keep the topic focused on HNIC.

 

[Warden of the North]

At least if HNIC goes under, I won't have to listen to any more of Ron Maclean's stupid god damn poems every Saturday night.

Dont kid yourself. If HNiC goes under on CBC, TSN will be knocking on both Ron and Don's doors the very next day offering them jobs.