Quote:
Originally Posted by HOOT
If it truly had a chance to be successful one of the big 4 sports leagues would already be doing it. There's a reason that no sports league offers free streaming and it's because it wouldn't lead to more profits, it would just be more headaches and more cost to them to run those feeds. Right now all 4 leagues have a product that is excellent value for those who pay for it and the only good argument is that it would lead to less piracy, but no way it would lead to more profits. Unless you can show me how they can make the same figures from banner ads as they do from their subscribers the argument has no legs.
The NHL is a business and businesses don't suceed by giving away their product for free and that's what your asking them to do under the assumption it would bring this big mass of fans to the NHL, it won't.
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I definitely agree that NHL is a business and businesses don't succeed by giving away their products for free. But I doubt that the game center plays a massive role in their revenue. Their first and foremost goal is to sell tickets to the games. They also generate revenue from selling merchandises.
To me, providing free and limited streams on their site is more of a "sample" they give out at a grocery store. You try it and if you like it, upgrade to the full package. A casual fan may start to watch these free stream and their interest in hockey may grow which can benefit the league. In my opinion, game center lite or whatever they may provide for free is not their main product.