US Networks turn down World Cup broadcasts

[bigd]

An article in my local paper today said that the IIHF offered up the World championships to be broadcast in the USA for free and the TV networks turned them down. After a year of not watching NHL hockey the Networks can't even sell airtime to the next best thing, the World Championships loaded with NHL players representing their countries. Their killing our game as the days pass by with with no new contract. The worst thing that can happen is sports fans forgetting about hockey!

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[Thornton97]

Same article was in the USA today. I almost spit up my sandwich when I read "offered for free but there were no takers."

Absolutely ridiculous. It's not even like the games are in prime time either--they are in the afternoon/morning over here in the states.

 

[mr gib]

i think the networks and media are - sending a message

 

[FLYLine27*]

i think the networks and media are - sending a message

Yes they are....that they dont care about the limited hockey fans in the US.

ITS ALL ABOUT MONEY In AMERICA! God forbit they make 50 Million a year by airing the Hockey World Cup instead of making 50.5 million!

 

[Victory Ali*]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

This is ****ed, I'm an American in a non-hockey market with no NHL team near me. If the American networks give up on hockey I guess the only hockey I'll ever be able to see will be the once a week HNIC broadcasts... well good job NHL and NHLPA... you just ****ed one of your fans out of viewing your product.

 

[Robert Paulson*]

wtf mate.

 

[rekrul]

you have got to be kidding me, I officialy hate my own country's taste in entertainment, and accept every insult about how stupid our culture is. Has anyone noticed what has been on in place of stanley cup action? College baseball, bowling, volleyball, soccer and the espn barf fest of gameshows? and of course everyones fav poker ( yak!) they showed a movie last night, a really bad old one 'days of thunder' IN PRIMETIME!

500 channels so I can see women's lacross but not top level international hockey?

 

[19nazzy]

Its times like these that make me even prouder to be a Canadian.

 

[ALF AmericanLionsFan]

Sad sad sad

 

[missK]

We've already been discussing this at the World Championships forum for a couple days......don't get me started again!

WC Forum

 

[jcpenny]

you have got to be kidding me, I officialy hate my own country's taste in entertainment, and accept every insult about how stupid our culture is. Has anyone noticed what has been on in place of stanley cup action? College baseball, bowling, volleyball, soccer and the espn barf fest of gameshows? and of course everyones fav poker ( yak!) they showed a movie last night, a really bad old one 'days of thunder' IN PRIMETIME!

500 channels so I can see women's lacross but not top level international hockey?

It's that abundance of poker on TV that kills me. Its not even a sport god dammit!

 

[Sotnos]

Its times like these that make me even prouder to be a Canadian.

The US networks make a financial decision...and that makes you proud to be a Canadian?

OK

 

[19nazzy]

The US networks make a financial decision...and that makes you proud to be a Canadian?

OK

Financial decision?
They didn't accept it for free.
All Profit and they declined. That's sad.

 

[joepeps]

Financial decision?
They didn't accept it for free.
All Profit and they declined. That's sad.

I must agree... they probablly would have paid for water polo before accepting a free hockey contract...

edit: forgot to add in mr. banana

 

[WC Handy*]

Financial decision?
They didn't accept it for free.
All Profit and they declined. That's sad.

There are most costs in broadcasting hockey than the rights to the broadcast itself. ESPN would have either had to send out their own crew... broadcasters, cameramen, producers, etc. Or they would have had to pay someone else for their feed. If they felt it would be profitable, they would have taken the deal.

 

[alecfromtherock]

you have got to be kidding me, I officialy hate my own country's taste in entertainment, and accept every insult about how stupid our culture is. Has anyone noticed what has been on in place of stanley cup action? College baseball, bowling, volleyball, soccer and the espn barf fest of gameshows? and of course everyones fav poker ( yak!) they showed a movie last night, a really bad old one 'days of thunder' IN PRIMETIME!

500 channels so I can see women's lacross but not top level international hockey?

Baseball is America’s pass-time and will be watched even at the Sandlot level.

Even with steroids running repent in the MLB hokey is still rated lower then lawn bowling or other esoteric sports(and yes poker on a sports network does not make sense)

If Canadians found the NHL dull last season, whom have a supposed understanding of the game, what are the Americans going to think?

Hockey does not have the ‘Shoot Em’ Up’ kind of excitement that Americans like in their sports.

Find out how much it would cost to have a satellite channel that is dedicated only to hockey in the USA and charge the Americans interested X dollars a year for the channel.

 

[TexSen]

No reason to get up in arms over this.

It's simply collusion on the part of broadcasters to send a message to the NHL that any forthcoming tv contracts will be done on the broadcaster's terms this time around instead of the NHL.

By saying "no" to the WC (which involves NHLers), despite it being offered for free, the broadcasters are saying to the NHL, "look, we were offered WC games for free but turned them down because we don't think the audience is big enough to turn enough of a profit, so NHL, let's talk a new broadcasting deal on our terms...." etc. etc. etc.

It's just a bit of business maneouvering, that's all.

Sucks to be us fans stuck in the middle of it, but that's life.

 

[LordHelmet]

I've heard the exact opposite of this - that the IIHF was charging outreageous amounts to televise the WC's... ???

 

[Kritter471]

I've heard something somewhat similar, but with notable difference.

I heard the IIHF offered the games free if all the games were picked up (so 40 games meaning... 120ish hours of programming). The US networks were interested in just the US games and the medal rounds (about 30 hours of programing, I would guess), which the IIHF offered at exhorbatant prices.

I can't blame networks for turning it down if they would have been forced to show three Germany-Kazakhstans and Latvia-Slovenias for every game that would have had a chance to draw a significant audience.

 

[Drury_Sakic]

There are most costs in broadcasting hockey than the rights to the broadcast itself. ESPN would have either had to send out their own crew... broadcasters, cameramen, producers, etc. Or they would have had to pay someone else for their feed. If they felt it would be profitable, they would have taken the deal.

I think they would have made a profit... I mean.... if they would have picked up even just the US and Canada games in the actual tourny...

I mean..... send your B crew to do those games, perhaps sending Gary and Bill for the final if its US and Canada...

Hell.... They likely could have gotten teh feed that mediazone is doing for super cheap, and just had our guys do commentary from the states...You cannot tell me that they would not have made MAD profit off of that?

Its protest man... ESPN(who is realisticly the only network other than NBC set to do hockey) did not want to play into the players hand... they want an NHL deal..

 

[dolfanar]

I wonder what networks around the world who actually had to pay for broadcast rights are thinking right now?

For the last time, the NHL is a marginalized minor league niche sport in the US. Everyone needs to get over that fact and move on to how the NHL can maximize revenue, maintain it's core fanbase while growing atleast a little bit. BTW, part of "maintaining it's core fanbase" includes being a bit kinder to it's Canadian fans.

 

[CREW99AW]

An article in my local paper today said that the IIHF offered up the World championships to be broadcast in the USA for free and the TV networks turned them down. After a year of not watching NHL hockey the Networks can't even sell airtime to the next best thing, the World Championships loaded with NHL players representing their countries. Their killing our game as the days pass by with with no new contract. The worst thing that can happen is sports fans forgetting about hockey!

I believe it was offered to ESPN for free and ESPN passed.

but John Davidson and Larry Brooks both report MSG and Fox Sports wanted to buy the rights to the US games,but the IIHF said they'd have to buy the entire package.

Espn's coverage would have been national,while MSG and Fox Sports coverage would have been regional.If the IIHF really wanted US fans to see these games,they'd have let MSG and Fox Sports buy the US games.

 

[TexSen]

What cracks me up today is that ESPN had "Pro Bowling's Skills Competition" on. I actually watched as pro bowlers showed of their skills at throwing three balls with one hand, throwing two balls with two hands etc. etc.

And no, I am serious. These were actual "skills" on display.

 

[Hecht]

not to nitpick but could the originator of the thread change the title to "World Championships" instead of "World Cup". Had to do a double take on that one.

 

[mytor4*]

what cracked me up is that you watched it and than told everyone you did. haha