SBJ: US Annual TV Rights Fees to exceed 200M

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Blackhawkswincup

RIP Fugu
Jun 24, 2007
186,837
20,294
Chicagoland
If NHL goes back to ESPN the league will be screwed

ESPN doesn't give a damn about hockey. They only want to snuff out VS

If NHL goes back to games on ESPN2 expect it to get 2nd rate treatment again and in a few years to have games relegated to ESPN classic
 

Bruins Stooge

Spread Out
Aug 12, 2008
4,667
13
Hartford County CT
While it's true that ESPN may be trying to snuff out versus, the NFL is going into a probable lockout and now there are talks of a probable NBA lockout. This has to be scaring them. Could see NHL taking a main stage for a little.


What scares me is waht would happen when the NFL and/or NBA came back after the possible lockouts, the NHL probably gets the boot.
 

Blackhawkswincup

RIP Fugu
Jun 24, 2007
186,837
20,294
Chicagoland
While it's true that ESPN may be trying to snuff out versus, the NFL is going into a probable lockout and now there are talks of a probable NBA lockout. This has to be scaring them. Could see NHL taking a main stage for a little.


What scares me is waht would happen when the NFL and/or NBA came back after the possible lockouts, the NHL probably gets the boot.

NHL games go to ESPN Classic and ESPN the U to make room for NBA/NFL :nod:
 

SelanneLion*

Guest
Versus sucks so very bad but at least they give a damn about the longterm health of hockey.
 

HabsByTheBay

Registered User
Dec 3, 2010
1,216
22
London
If ESPN outbids Versus they're going to want a return on their investment, so they aren't going to treat it like crap. That's bad for business.

Also, Versus will never beat this:

 

Fugu

Guest


I agree with his assessment that the league should forgo exclusivity and try to branch out a bit. More hockey on several networks seems a smarter strategy to me.

Adding a small package of games on a second cable network in the United States might help the NHL get close to the 200 million dollar mark, and create some viewing opportunities outside of the regular hardcore hockey fan south of the border. Whether it be ESPN or FX (remembering that Fox regional networks produce more hockey in the U.S. than any other group, including Comcast), it might be worth taking a little less on the exclusivity to create long-term stability. Competition on the air is healthy for the networks and for the game. As much as it pains me to say, hockey is not as high in the viewing habits of Americans as we in Canada envision it. Given the right exposure(s), it could be. It will take time, a long time. But it is possible.
 

optimus2861

Registered User
Aug 29, 2005
5,044
531
Bedford NS
I'd much rather be the focal point of Versus/Comcast/NBCU then going back to being an afterthought on ESPN/ABC.
This. It seems safe to say that ESPN is only participating in this because they're a little spooked that they may be facing both NFL and NBA work stoppages and need something to fill in their timeslots. So they'll toss the NHL a bone, only to take it away again once said stoppages are over.

Watching ESPN Sportscenter is a truly painful experience for a hockey fan, but also an informative one, to see just how little ESPN cares about the sport. I don't think having the NHL contract would change that one bit. What Tom Brady wears to court in the NFL anti-trust suit would get more airtime and discussion than an NHL playoff game.
 

Telfo

THRASHERS(and Golden Knights too)
Oct 31, 2008
4,889
4
Atlanta, GA
how about the NHL put games on versus and ESPN. other option being stay on Versus but buy the rights to the ESPN National Hockey Night theme song.
 

ThrasherMinion

Just Chucky
Oct 2, 2006
4,255
0
Ted Turner and TruTV would be awesome for growing the game. Everyone made jokes when Teddy Ballgame first launched the "Superstation". He spun that into TBS, TNT, Sportsouth, and more. The guy knows how to market, and better yet,

his son is part of the Septotard ownership in Atlanta. Maybe it's the start of Daddy taking back the keys to the car from little Beau.
 

Grudy0

Registered User
Mar 16, 2011
1,878
122
Maryland
Ted Turner has been out of the sports and broadcasting business for a while. As a matter of fact, it was AOL Time Warner that owned the Braves, Thrashers and Hawks.

But the broadcasting business now has nothing to do with Ted Turner. Although he is a large shareholer, he was ousted from the board some time ago.
 

danishh

Registered User
Dec 9, 2006
33,018
53
YOW
i'm happy all these bidders are here to drive up the price, but i really hope the end resolution is NBC/Versus. Going to ESPN will put us back years. Sure, we'll be in more houses, but they wont care about the NHL. We'll get one year of glory and then go back to obscurity once the NFL and NBA return.

Tru/Turner - it'll be Versus all over again. The NHL will be used again to build the brand of a fringe channel.

Versus/NBC: we've gone through the growth with them. Vs is a legitimate cable sports network now, and will grow even more with the merger. NBC treated the product well, and now will have an opportunity to pay well for it too.


I hope the NHL isnt shortsighted and sees that more important than the money is how the product will be treated. If we go back to ESPN, 5 years from now Versus will be on life support, truTV may or may not have established themselves through other sports, and there will be only 1 legitimate bidder for the next extension. If we partner with Versus to build another strong cable sports provider, we know that at least two big networks will be bidding on the next contract.
 

chasespace

Registered User
Jul 19, 2010
9,045
18
Gator Nation
Too bad they can't come to a compromise that would work like ESPN getting rights to say Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday night games. Versus/NBC getting rights to Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. And then both networks can show whichever game they want(if they both want the same game they have to bid on it, extra revenue) on Saturday.

Playoffs would be a different monster though
 

sh724

Registered User
Jun 2, 2009
2,823
603
Missouri
I hope the new deal has pretty much every PO game on national tv, I miss Tony Twist being the color guy on some games. ESPN used to have one real announcers and a retired random player to be the color guy with games on both ESPN and ESPN2 pretty much every night during the playoffs
 

blueandgoldguy

Registered User
Oct 8, 2010
5,239
2,467
Greg's River Heights
Not ESPN. NHL was treated like a second-class citizen by them.............well, make that fourth class citizen. Stick with Versus/NBC even if they offer a marginally smaller contract.
 

Spydey629

Registered User
Jan 28, 2005
933
384
Carlisle, PA
Glad to see everyone on here has finally come around to my way of thinking. :sarcasm:

All seriousness aside -- by all means, the NHL needs to stick with NBC/Versus. "Dance with the one that brung ya" sort of reasoning. Versus is growing by leaps and bounds each year, and NBC was behind the origins of the Winter Classic. Versus' ratings and the Classic are a good reason why $200M is being thrown out there.

Collins is smart enough to see the big picture. The League won't make the same mistake twice (i.e. dumping Fox for ESPN in the late 90's)

Although, I would like to see a second bidder get games. Whether it's TruTV, FX, or (gulp) ESPN2. Just having more out there is better for the overall health of the league.
 

Mwd711

Registered User
Jan 20, 2006
624
0
i'm happy all these bidders are here to drive up the price, but i really hope the end resolution is NBC/Versus. Going to ESPN will put us back years. Sure, we'll be in more houses, but they wont care about the NHL. We'll get one year of glory and then go back to obscurity once the NFL and NBA return.

Tru/Turner - it'll be Versus all over again. The NHL will be used again to build the brand of a fringe channel.

Versus/NBC: we've gone through the growth with them. Vs is a legitimate cable sports network now, and will grow even more with the merger. NBC treated the product well, and now will have an opportunity to pay well for it too.


I hope the NHL isnt shortsighted and sees that more important than the money is how the product will be treated. If we go back to ESPN, 5 years from now Versus will be on life support, truTV may or may not have established themselves through other sports, and there will be only 1 legitimate bidder for the next extension. If we partner with Versus to build another strong cable sports provider, we know that at least two big networks will be bidding on the next contract.

How exactly is TruTv obscure? TruTv is one of the Top 15 cable networks for ratings. They are branching out into sports and competition programming as this article shows http://www.mediabistro.com/sportsnewser/trutv-expands-sports-slate_b7518 There is nothing fringe about truTv except that it has lacked sports programming. That's changing with the NCAA's and they clearly want more competition programming like their sister networks TNT and TBS currently have with much success. Here's a couple articles that detail TruTv's ratings growth since they moved to their new format. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118021089?refCatId=14
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/ratings/2010/12/15/trutv-scores-another-record-setting-year-including-first-ever-top-10-finish-among-men-18-49-398300/20101215trutv01/

TruTv isn't a household name, partly because it was known as CourtTv for so many years, but they are a solid performer in cable television. Much more than Versus will ever be unless they pick up some more broadcasting rights. TruTv is in 93 million homes while Versus is in the 70-80 million range. While I think TruTv sounds like an odd choice on paper, I can see the reasoning. TruTv is primarily going after young males, and sports fits right in with that. I don't think I would want them as the primary rights holder for the NHL, but they bring lots to the table because it is a widely viewed network, and cross-promotional possibilities with the other Time Warner channels. TruTv doesn't need the NHL to build up it's brand. It's doing fine, on it's own, something you can't currently say for Versus which is still lacking when it comes to other programming.
 

Duke749

Savannah Ghost Pirates
Apr 6, 2010
47,750
22,632
Canton, Georgia
I think they need to stay with NBC/Versus. Maybe work a deal to do a game of the week or something on ESPN. Even if the NFL and NBA went to a lockout, it won't stay like that forever.
 

Ruckus007

where to?
May 27, 2003
8,023
23
Huntington, WV
How exactly is TruTv obscure? TruTv is one of the Top 15 cable networks for ratings. They are branching out into sports and competition programming as this article shows http://www.mediabistro.com/sportsnewser/trutv-expands-sports-slate_b7518 There is nothing fringe about truTv except that it has lacked sports programming. That's changing with the NCAA's and they clearly want more competition programming like their sister networks TNT and TBS currently have with much success. Here's a couple articles that detail TruTv's ratings growth since they moved to their new format. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118021089?refCatId=14
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/ratings/2010/12/15/trutv-scores-another-record-setting-year-including-first-ever-top-10-finish-among-men-18-49-398300/20101215trutv01/

TruTv isn't a household name, partly because it was known as CourtTv for so many years, but they are a solid performer in cable television. Much more than Versus will ever be unless they pick up some more broadcasting rights. TruTv is in 93 million homes while Versus is in the 70-80 million range. While I think TruTv sounds like an odd choice on paper, I can see the reasoning. TruTv is primarily going after young males, and sports fits right in with that. I don't think I would want them as the primary rights holder for the NHL, but they bring lots to the table because it is a widely viewed network, and cross-promotional possibilities with the other Time Warner channels. TruTv doesn't need the NHL to build up it's brand. It's doing fine, on it's own, something you can't currently say for Versus which is still lacking when it comes to other programming.

During the NCAA tournament I was surprised to see how many households TruTV was in but my question is this... how many households are TruTV-HD (and VersusHD and any others) available to? TruTV-HD wasn't available to me for the "first four" games this year and I have Time Warner (!!). They had to temporarily make the HD feed available throughout the rest of the tournament because this wasn't an isolated occurrence.

Anyway, though I am and will remain a Center Ice subscriber, this TV contract is all about HD games to me. If TruTV-HD isn't as widely available as VersusHD, they're a non-starter for me. JMO.
 
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