NHL, Turner Sports reach 7 year TV deal for games on TNT, TBS

[John Price]

Last comment for now but it's also 2 teams. NBC had multiple teams of 4 max IIRC.

Also could be because of the split in rights.

 

[DaBadGuy7]

Maybe it's just me but the TNT crew excites me more than the ESPN one. The ESPN one is okay but this one has Albert and Edzo as well as a solid analysis panel with Tarik. Also they brought along Brendan Burke.

Does anyone know about Alex Faust? I liked hearing him on the west coast games late at night.

Alex Faust is working for FOX mostly with College Football and Basketball along with his Kings TV work. I’m sure had FOX gotten the B package he would’ve been one of their PxP guys.

 

[jkrdevil]

Last comment for now but it's also 2 teams. NBC had multiple teams of 4 max IIRC.

Also could be because of the split in rights.

Re: Faust (and Forslund in that regard as well) could probably pick up some freelance games come the playoffs as I don’t think 2 crews will cut it for round 1. But these will be their primary game crews.

 

[OG6ix]

I'm glad TNT brought in Biz into their telecast. TNT will probably be better than the ESPN telecasts.

 

[nickp91]

Jennifer Botterill is one of the best on-air analysts in hockey

 

[NextBigThing]

Jennifer Botterill is one of the best on-air analysts in hockey

She might be, but I'm worried she might not have "the look" for national tv.

 

[timorous me]

I wonder if we should read anything into that little message from McHugh. Of course you want to say positive things about your new employers, but I wonder if this suggests even he knew the NBC studio segments were kind of boring and lacking creativity.

 

[Ernie]

She might be, but I'm worried she might not have "the look" for national tv.

that's a terrible thing to say

 

[OG6ix]

I wonder if we should read anything into that little message from McHugh. Of course you want to say positive things about your new employers, but I wonder if this suggests even he knew the NBC studio segments were kind of boring and lacking creativity.

NBC sports telecasts are boring and vanilla. I think their formula is "Professionalism" which has become passe as people want more than just the game.

 

[Fenway]

FWIW both Turner and ESPN will use the same vendor for TV trucks - New Hampshire based Game Creek Video and they have extensive hockey experience doing MSG and NESN games.

I have to assume Forslund will show up somewhere for occasional games and Gary Thorne could show up for some west coast games.

There are some mysteries on crew calls that have been issued and one that leaps out to me is Saturday, December 4th where ESPN apparently is doing Blackhawks at Rangers at 8 PM. That is the weekend of several NCAA football conference championship games so is this an ESPN+ game? The 8 PM start time tells me that isn't the case.

 

[Spydey629]

FWIW both Turner and ESPN will use the same vendor for TV trucks - New Hampshire based Game Creek Video and they have extensive hockey experience doing MSG and NESN games.

I have to assume Forslund will show up somewhere for occasional games and Gary Thorne could show up for some west coast games.

There are some mysteries on crew calls that have been issued and one that leaps out to me is Saturday, December 4th where ESPN apparently is doing Blackhawks at Rangers at 8 PM. That is the weekend of several NCAA football conference championship games so is this an ESPN+ game? The 8 PM start time tells me that isn't the case.

That’s probably correct. There are only two prime time games on Championship Saturday: the Big Ten at 8 on Fox, and whichever game ABC has left. ESPN is wide open at that point.

 

[Fenway]

That’s probably correct. There are only two prime time games on Championship Saturday: the Big Ten at 8 on Fox, and whichever game ABC has left. ESPN is wide open at that point.

That is my thinking as well.

The Winter Classic has proved there is an audience looking for an alternative to college football.

All I know has Disney put out the crew call for that game.

 

[awfulwaffle]

I'm glad TNT brought in Biz into their telecast. TNT will probably be better than the ESPN telecasts.

It's night and day between TNT and ESPN when you are watching basketball. Inside the NBA crew has much more time during halftime, where as ESPN(and someone's timed it - it's out there somewhere), the "analsyts" on ESPN basically had about 30 seconds to say something, and then once they all said something they cut back to commercials. If the TNT setup attempts to mirror what Inside the NBA does, it could be a good thing. The only question is, what will their chemistry be like? That's why Inside the NBA is so great(there's a great youtube video about this), they realize nobody is there to watch them talk basketball for 6 hours. You need to have fun and joke around about things, while still talking about basketball.

(591) Watch Craig Melvin’s Full TODAY Interview With The Hosts Of ‘Inside Of NBA’ | TODAY - YouTube

About 1:40 in.

 

[DaBadGuy7]

That’s probably correct. There are only two prime time games on Championship Saturday: the Big Ten at 8 on Fox, and whichever game ABC has left. ESPN is wide open at that point.

ABC usually airs the ACC Championship at 8 pm opposite the Big Ten Championship game on FOX

 

[Spydey629]

ABC usually airs the ACC Championship at 8 pm opposite the Big Ten Championship game on FOX

Usually. That will depend is Clemson is in this year or not. My point was only that it’ll be the better of the ACC or Big XII title games.

 

[jkrdevil]

I don’t see how there is room on Dec. 4 schedule for an ESPN primetime game. ESPN has rights to the American, ACC and Big XII championship games which are all scheduled the Dec. 4. The American’s game is scheduled for 1 p.m on ABC. ESPN traditionally does not schedule another championship games against the SEC’s at 4. That leaves the ACC and Big XII games at 8 pm one on ABC one on ESPN.

 

[OG6ix]

That is my thinking as well.

The Winter Classic has proved there is an audience looking for an alternative to college football.

All I know has Disney put out the crew call for that game.

Pardon my ignorance but what is a crew call?

 

[Fenway]

Pardon my ignorance but what is a crew call?

Term used to recruit freelancers to bid on working a game

 

[Fenway]

I don’t see how there is room on Dec. 4 schedule for an ESPN primetime game. ESPN has rights to the American, ACC and Big XII championship games which are all scheduled the Dec. 4. The American’s game is scheduled for 1 p.m on ABC. ESPN traditionally does not schedule another championship games against the SEC’s at 4. That leaves the ACC and Big XII games at 8 pm one on ABC one on ESPN.

Which leaves ESPN2 open

 

[jkrdevil]

Which leaves ESPN2 open

correct me if I’m wrong. But I believe based on the press release but the contract only calls for regular season games on ABC, ESPN or ESPN+.

Putting a game up against three college football championship games (Fox has one at that time as well) is rating suicide and would just serve to drag down the averages for the season (especially as espn doesn’t have a lot of games to offset a dud). Also, not sure why ESPN would want to counter program themselves.

Having the game in ESPN+ is a different story as ratings don’t matter for that (let’s be honest only friends and family will be watching games on ESPN+). There is probably a another logistical reason for an 8pm start time vs a 7pm slot.

 

[jkrdevil]

Also ESPN has rights to the Sun Belt Championship game and MAC championship games, so one of those is the ESPN2 slot.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

correct me if I’m wrong. But I believe based on the press release but the contract only calls for regular season games on ABC, ESPN or ESPN+.

Putting a game up against three college football championship games (Fox has one at that time as well) is rating suicide and would just serve to drag down the averages for the season (especially as espn doesn’t have a lot of games to offset a dud). Also, not sure why ESPN would want to counter program themselves.

Having the game in ESPN+ is a different story as ratings don’t matter for that (let’s be honest only friends and family will be watching games on ESPN+). There is probably a another logistical reason for an 8pm start time vs a 7pm slot.

Even if it's on ESPN+, it makes sense to start it during actual primetime and after the SEC title game ends, rather than have potential viewers miss the 1st period.

 

[sh724]

I wonder if we should read anything into that little message from McHugh. Of course you want to say positive things about your new employers, but I wonder if this suggests even he knew the NBC studio segments were kind of boring and lacking creativity.

To me it read like a dig on NBCSN, but i dont know anything so maybe its meaningless

 

[NextBigThing]

Well that's a death timeslot if I've ever seen one. Saturday night is historically the worst for ratings and it would be head to head with 2 mammoth college games. Zero casual sports fans will tune into the hockey game.

 

[Fenway]

The Rangers only have 8 PM starts when TV dictates it.

New York Rangers vs. Chicago Blackhawks Tickets | Madison Square Garden

• ESPN+ will hold rights to 75 exclusive national games per season, which will also be available on Hulu, and will not be carried by any linear television outlets.

• ESPN will hold rights to 25 exclusive national games per season, which can air on either ESPN or ABC.

• ESPN will hold exclusive rights to opening night games, the All-Star Game, and other "special events".

The 75 ESPN+ games are the joker in the deck and are certain to have many rival games to boost sales.

There will be major growing pains especially with sports bars dealing with streaming.