NHL goes prime time tonight

Wrigley · Jun 10, 2006

Some book should offer a betting line on how the NHL will fare tonight against its prime time competition. They rate each hour of programing from 8-9, 9-10 and 10-11 eastern time. Hopefully for the NHL sake it wont finish last in all 3 hour blocks.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>All times ET
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD><TD class=PTGHourBox colSpan=2>8:00 PM
</TD><TD class=PTGHourBox colSpan=2>9:00 PM
</TD><TD class=PTGHourBox colSpan=2>10:00 PM
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=PTGNetworkBox align=middle width="4%">

ABC
</TD><TD class=PTGProgramBox width="64%" colSpan=4>Toy Story 2
</TD><TD class=PTGProgramBox width="32%" colSpan=2>The Evidence
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=PTGNetworkBox align=middle width="4%">

CBS
</TD><TD class=PTGProgramBox width="32%" colSpan=2>NCIS
</TD><TD class=PTGProgramBox width="32%" colSpan=2>Cold Case
</TD><TD class=PTGProgramBox width="32%" colSpan=2>48 Hours Mystery
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=PTGNetworkBox align=middle width="4%">

FOX
</TD><TD class=PTGProgramBox width="16%">Cops
</TD><TD class=PTGProgramBox width="16%">Cops
</TD><TD class=PTGProgramBox width="32%" colSpan=2>America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back
</TD><TD class=PTGProgramBox width="32%" colSpan=2>Local Programming
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=PTGNetworkBox align=middle width="4%">

NBC
</TD><TD class=PTGProgramBox width="96%" colSpan=6>NHL Hockey
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Fishhead · Jun 10, 2006

Interesting proposal Wrigley.

winkyduck · Jun 10, 2006

we might see TV history tonite

this could be the LOWEST EVER rated prime time show in history. i am so fortunate to know i will be a part of history

i LOVE hockey and especially the SC playoffs and have watched a ton of games and will watch tonite, too

docmercer · Jun 10, 2006

It's obvious from the lack of action in the NHL forum that hockey is not a huge draw (in the forum or here in the US).

Yet there is this bizarre obsession over TV ratings. Attendance is up and more teams are profitable (and therefore stable) than MLB.

Just don't quite get why it matters to folks in here if someone would rather watch bowling than hockey.

dr03 · Jun 10, 2006

i bet you hockey finishes last. if womens softball can beat the stanley cup those shows will certainly be able to

Wrigley · Jun 10, 2006

ktvvegas said:
It's obvious from the lack of action in the NHL forum that hockey is not a huge draw (in the forum or here in the US).

Yet there is this bizarre obsession over TV ratings. Attendance is up and more teams are profitable (and therefore stable) than MLB.

Just don't quite get why it matters to folks in here if someone would rather watch bowling than hockey.

It is important to the league ratings equal revenue the more people that watch the more they get for commercial time.

If they could get a TV audience it would help when the networks and cable stations bid on their product. I cant see the NHL being on CBS,NBC,ABC or FOX in the future.

This was in USA Today

NHL Game 3 could bottom out TV ratings
Updated 6/8/2006
USA TODAY

History might be in the making: NBC's Game 3 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday night just might produce the lowest broadcast network prime-time rating ever.

Reasons include: the series having a Canadian team - Edmonton - and our neighbors to the north aren't counted in U.S. ratings; the other team - Raleigh, N.C.-based Carolina - is in a midsized Southern city; neither team is a big brand name; and Saturday is TV's least-watched night.

More broadly, Game 3 might set an all-time TV low because it's a hockey game. The NHL drew minuscule ratings on ABC and ESPN in 2004, then defrosted an entire season before coming back to get even lower ratings this season on NBC and OLN - whose rating for Game 2 of the finals was out-rated by a rained-out baseball game on ESPN that never started.

NBC, carrying remaining Cup games, insists it makes money on the NHL. It doesn't pay a rights fee, and its production costs are covered by ad revenues. But NBC Sports President Ken Schanzer is non-committal when asked if the NHL makes a bigger profit than NBC parent General Electric does when it sells a dozen refrigerators: "I'm not going to give you an idea."

For perspective on NBC's game Saturday possibly going under 1.3%, consider ABC's World Cup soccer ratings. Its 1998 Brazil at France final drew 5.7%. Its 2002 Germany-Brazil final in Japan, starting at 6:30 a.m. ET, drew 2.5%. ABC's recent national spelling bee, won by an eighth-grader nailing Ursprache drew 5.9%

Still, Schanzer lauds the "radical changes" in NHL rules and says "we continue to think hockey is a premium-brand sport. We're enthusiastic about going forward." When it comes to the NHL setting TV ratings records, there's always next year.

dr03 · Jun 10, 2006

i wish they would never have come back from the lock out. this league is an embarrasment. half the players names you cant even pronounce, they do a crap job of marketing, and it gets absolutely no press. perfect example, espn was covering nba hours after the 1st game, nhl was covered maybe 30 minutes and then they moved on. plus more people wanted the league not to come back then people who wanted it to come back.

Wrigley · Jun 10, 2006

dr03 said:
i wish they would never have come back from the lock out. this league is an embarrasment. half the players names you cant even pronounce, they do a crap job of marketing, and it gets absolutely no press. perfect example, espn was covering nba hours after the 1st game, nhl was covered maybe 30 minutes and then they moved on. plus more people wanted the league not to come back then people who wanted it to come back.

Womens softball, Bowling and reruns of the 2005 WSOP always beat out the NHL when going head to head with them.

The move to OLN was a big mistake.

docmercer · Jun 10, 2006

Wrigley said:
It is important to the league ratings equal revenue the more people that watch the more they get for commercial time.

If they could get a TV audience it would help when the networks and cable stations bid on their product. I cant see the NHL being on CBS,NBC,ABC or FOX in the future.
.

Like I said, the league MUST try and get on TV, but doesn't HAVE to be on TV in order to be profitable. Of course they won't want to admit they are a distant 4th or worse amongst professional team sports on TV, but it will not be the demise of the league.

My post was more just a curious observation of the constant obsession with TV ratings as a guide to whether or not a league is a success. The league somehow manages to still pay it's stars 6+ million a year without a national TV deal.

Chump change to some I suppose, but true fans hate the whoring that comes about when catering to national networks (putting games on in the afternoon for example).

If the league is viable where it is, I could care less if it gets a network deal.

docmercer · Jun 10, 2006

Wrigley said:
Womens softball, Bowling and reruns of the 2005 WSOP always beat out the NHL when going head to head with them.

The move to OLN was a big mistake.

ESPN wanted out because of the labor dispute. The only option was OLN. Which part of that was a mistake (that the NHL could control?)

dr03 · Jun 10, 2006

heres another thing i found. the NBA finals game 1 got an impressive 9.3 rating, while the nhl stanley cups had lower ratings then the rained out boston/yanks game which they didn't even play.

dr03 · Jun 10, 2006

It needs a network deal to be considered a legitamite sport that Americans talk about. Why do I care about hockey when I have to pay extra money to subscribe to OLN to watch 1-3 games a week. The strike changed the NHL from a respectable league to a circus side show.

docmercer · Jun 10, 2006

dr03 said:
i wish they would never have come back from the lock out. this league is an embarrasment. half the players names you cant even pronounce, they do a crap job of marketing, and it gets absolutely no press. perfect example, espn was covering nba hours after the 1st game, nhl was covered maybe 30 minutes and then they moved on. plus more people wanted the league not to come back then people who wanted it to come back.

So your ignorance (inability to pronounce names) is a reason to fold a sport that played to 95% full stadiums this year?

It's not on national TV (outside of a few playoff games) and it doesn't get press...and you hate the new league, how does this even affect you? Why do you even care to post about something you dislike?

Better yet - how would you fix the game (if you're a fan)

Wrigley · Jun 10, 2006

ktvvegas said:
ESPN wanted out because of the labor dispute. The only option was OLN. Which part of that was a mistake (that the NHL could control?)

ESPN was willing to make a new del with them for much less money and they went to OLN but could of stayed on ESPN and ESPN2

docmercer · Jun 10, 2006

Wrigley said:
ESPN was willing to make a new del with them for much less money and they went to OLN but could of stayed on ESPN and ESPN2

Not true. ESPN did not offer less money. ESPN offered to negotiate again once the league was back on ice. They eventually offered a 1/3 split of revenues derived from advertising (essentially a co-signment deal). When they couldn't agree on terms, league went with OLN.

Wrigley · Jun 10, 2006

dr03 said:
heres another thing i found. the NBA finals game 1 got an impressive 9.3 rating, while the nhl stanley cups had lower ratings then the rained out boston/yanks game which they didn't even play.

The NHL would love those numbers tonight

The NBA won the 8pm hour with the pre game show
came in 2nd at the 9pm hour losing to CSI
Came in 2nd in the 10pm hour losing to without a trace

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/ratings/zap-ratings060806,0,2515595.story
CBS Blocks ABC's Shot Thursday

NBA Finals get off to slow start; 'Windfall' OK for NBC

Zap2It.com

June 9 2006

Fast National ratings for Thursday, June 8, 2006

8pm hour
The pregame show "NBA Nation" scored a 4.7/9 for ABC at 8 p.m., narrowly winning the hour over CBS' "Gameshow Marathon," 4.6/8 (CBS had a small lead in total viewers). An hour of "My Name Is Earl" was third for NBC at 4.3/8. FOX was fourth with a repeat of "So You Think You Can Dance." The WB's "Smallville" rerun, 1.6/3, topped UPN's "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Love, Inc."

9pm hour
CBS took over the lead at 9 p.m. with a "CSI" rerun, 8.3/14. Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat posted a 6.3/10, edging a new "So You Think You Can Dance," 6.2/10, on FOX. Two more episodes of "Earl" averaged 4.1/7 for NBC. "Supernatural" kept The WB in fifth, ahead of "Eve" and "Cuts" on UPN.

10pm hour
"Without a Trace" finished CBS' night with a 7.8/13 at 10 p.m. ABC's NBA coverage improved to 6.9/12. The premiere of "Windfall" on NBC delivered a 5.8/10.

Ratings information is taken from fast national data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change, especially in the case of live telecasts. <SCRIPT src="/central/javascript/mtrx/s_code.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>

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dr03 · Jun 10, 2006

Better yet - how would you fix the game (if you're a fan)[/quote]

To make this a top sport again I need to develop some household names. Everyone knows Lebron, Manning, Jeter. I would recommend that they market Iginla because he is one of the top players and could get minorities more interested in the game seeing a minority being marketed. They need to do something to make the game more American then European, I dont know what that is, but the way it's played now the american public has no interest. I would get a network deal with a channel like USA that has good viewership and that everyone has, if they have cable/satellite.

Wrigley · Jun 10, 2006

ktvvegas said:
Not true. ESPN did not offer less money. ESPN offered to negotiate again once the league was back on ice. They eventually offered a 1/3 split of revenues derived from advertising (essentially a co-signment deal). When they couldn't agree on terms, league went with OLN.

Like I said ESPN offered them a new deal, Like you said a 1/3 split of revenue which was less then the guaranteed money they had recevied in the past.

So the NHL could of stayed on ESPN with this deal

docmercer · Jun 10, 2006

dr03 said:
Better yet - how would you fix the game (if you're a fan)

To make this a top sport again I need to develop some household names. Everyone knows Lebron, Manning, Jeter. I would recommend that they market Iginla because he is one of the top players and could get minorities more interested in the game seeing a minority being marketed. They need to do something to make the game more American then European, I dont know what that is, but the way it's played now the american public has no interest. I would get a network deal with a channel like USA that has good viewership and that everyone has, if they cable/satellite.[/quote]

If you were USA (and saw the ESPN/ESPN2 numbers from 2004) or OLN numbers would you give up repeats of Monk for the NHL?

The NHL had steady ads in the fall on NBC of which Iginla was one of the main focus athletes. (The ones that chick who protested the Masters got all mad about)

Make the game more American? So a million breaks in play like NFL or a 3.5 hour snoozefest like MLB? They've increased scoring and cut down on the time of the games. Maybe they could make it more like the NBA has become?

FYI - OLN reaches 64 million households with projections in the next 3 years to reach 75 million. USA reaches 80 million households. With ratings at or below 1.0, would it really make that much of a difference?

Maybe it's just the fact that people don't grow up playing or watching it (except in a few Northern states). It's a novelty in places like Carolina while they win, then in 5 years they'll be shopping the team out to Porland or Vegas.

The league did the right thing. It's viable and enteraining for those who go to the games or want to watch it on tv. Bettman won't ever admit they are happy being where they are -- but if you sold out 95% of your games and had all but 2 team show good profits, you'd be happy. I guess if you could get someone to turn off softball or nascar and watch you'd be happier, but you're still happy.

docmercer · Jun 10, 2006

Wrigley said:
Like I said ESPN offered them a new deal, Like you said a 1/3 split of revenue which was less then the guaranteed money they had recevied in the past.

So the NHL could of stayed on ESPN with this deal

ESPN would not even tender an actual offer until mid October when the league was already under way. Too much of a risk (according to the NHL) of having no deal at all.