How big an effect is Connor McDavid having on Oilers TV ratings?

[The Big Unit]

Maybe this thread is a bit premature. Obviously people paying more attention to the Oilers this season. But how much have the ratings improved due to McDavid's addition to the team; and how much better are the ratings for the opposing team when they play us now?

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[Gunnersaurus Rex]

I maybe watched a total of 2 games last year if you added up all the minutes. This year I have watched every game, start to finish.

I'd say McJesus has had an effect....

 

[JBell84]

I used to participate in HF daily, watch every game, follow the Barons, buy jerseys... you name it.

I watched a total of 7 games the last 3 seasons - I've already watched more games than that this season.

I can't speak to any real numbers, but I think it's obvious that his impact is broad and significant.

 

[HallOfGreatness4]

I paid for center Ice bc of him

 

[KCC]

I also paid for GCL just to watch him (refuse to watch Sportsnet). Regardless, I paid just to watch him and it has been money well spent. This entire young season in general has been great. So many unexpected things have happened.

 

[T-Funk]

I'm going to games this year. I've almost been to as many games this season as I was at last season already.

 

[FDBluth]

I don't know if they track internet viewership somehow but I'm watching basically every McDav....err...Oliers game through the Sportsnet website. Every one that isn't on that ******** SN Oilers channel, anyway.

 

[HallOfGreatness4]

I also paid for GCL just to watch him (refuse to watch Sportsnet). Regardless, I paid just to watch him and it has been money well spent. This entire young season in general has been great. So many unexpected things have happened.

Except the losses still piling up

 

[redgrant]

I watch every game this year and I bet there are plenty like me.

 

[ahawowow]

I've been following the team much closer, but I'd attribute that as much to the housecleaning in management as I would McDavid.

 

[Da McBomb]

I think I've watched more Oilers hockey in this one month than I did all of last season. I've been creeping other team's 'Out of Town' threads and I can say confidently that theres been ALOT of Oiler and McDavid talk on there.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

I don't think the ratings have gone up much but that has more to do with piss poor marketing on the part of the NHL and the various stations.

I mean McDavid has one NBCSN appearance and that's when we play the Sabres. Hmmm...

 

[Faelko]

I started watching every game I could last year and rarely made it to the 3rd period before shutting it off. I watch the whole game now (time permitting).

 

[Connor McOilers]

Not enough to have even half of our games on standard cable so far... I guess the baseball playoffs have had an impact on that, but I've just got Sportsnet West, Sportsbet 1, and the usual cbc channels and I've been streaming way too many games.

 

[McXLNC97]

How long is the deal for the regional games on Sportsnet? You would have to think TSN would be lined up to drop some big $ to acquire the regional rights once the contract is up.

 

[5 14 6 1]

Considering so many games have been relegated to Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet Oilers I'm not so sure. All I know is I watch every game start to finish now. I tuned out after about 15 games last year.

One would think we would get better coverage on mainline channels, but Sportsnet is placing priority on the MLB playoffs, which I suppose is ok.

 

[RCee]

I'm watching every Oilers game because of McDavid. I didn't in years past. That's saying something.

 

[Hynh]

How long is the deal for the regional games on Sportsnet? You would have to think TSN would be lined up to drop some big $ to acquire the regional rights once the contract is up.

Through the 2019-20 season I think. Too bad, I'd love to trade Principe for McKenzie.

 

[SullivanT]

Well the ratings/specs on my tv weren't good enough. He moves so fast it left a ghost trail behind him flying down the ice. So I say negitive
Seriously though I've watched or attend almost ever game for as long as I can remember. I know truck loads of people though that wouldn't join me at the games or watch the games because this club has been so bad for so long. Now they all watch every game. So I'm saying he has to have a significant effect.

 

[dssource]

Not really sure why so many are against Sportsnet carrying the Oiler games. I've watched plenty of games on TSN and they are terrible. Not sure how much the coverage of a local game vs national would change things. When Sportsnet signed that mega deal with the Oilers it made me very happy NOT to have to watch games on TSN anymore.

Back on track. Over the year's past I've watched games and skip every non-playing moment, even in between whistles. This year I only skip commercials, even have been watching the intermission analysis that's how much more I'm into these games. And everytime McDavid gets the pcuk and does something special, I start to giggle and think "this is almost unfair".

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

I bought gamecenter because of them. Usually I turn off a game like the washington one when they are playing Oilers hockey, but I'm afraid to turn the games off now because I'll miss McDavid magic.

 

[The Big Unit]

I don't think the ratings have gone up much but that has more to do with piss poor marketing on the part of the NHL and the various stations.

I mean McDavid has one NBCSN appearance and that's when we play the Sabres. Hmmm...

John Buccigross had a segment on ESPN where he actually discussed this point. Basically he said it's cuz the Oilers are a smaller market Canadian team so nobody in the US will care but the ratings should be gigantic in Canada for nationally broadcast games. However, the Oilers are on regional TV all the time in the US and part of the point of this thread was to know how much McDavid's presence on the Oilers motivates the fans of our opponents to watch the Oilers cuz of McDavid too.