One of the things that I don't recall anyone saying in this thread is the equal level of competition and how that translates to view habits.
I am 31 years old and I find myself watching less and less broadcasts of other teams. I recall as a kid loving to cheer for my Flames but I was also drawn other teams just to see an array of talent. Teams like the Penguins had Mario, Jagr and other superstars. The Red Wings teams of the 90's were just loaded with future HOF's. The 4th line was stacked. The Avs for many years were just a powerhouse of players. Several big names played for the Rangers etc.
The point I am trying to make is that in today's cap environment the parity in the league results in 1-3 high-end players or a superstar and the rest is mostly made up of players that are interchangeable with other teams. I find there is very little draw for other teams to force me to make arrangements to watch other games.
If I am home and got nothing else going on I will turn on a Canucks/Jets broadcast or might watch an eastern team or something like that. What I find myself doing less and less is planning my day/night based on the broadcasts of other teams.
Another issue that might be happening is the changing viewing habits. A few people mentioned earlier the type of content they love like 30 for 30, Road to the Winter Classic, behind the scenes type stuff. I love this content myself! I love seeing the guys joking around the locker room, working out in the weight room, having dinner together on the road, the travel and hotels they have on the road. This type of content allows me to envision what being an NHL player is like and allows me to see how cool it is for someone to live out their sports dream.
This type of content though is expensive to product and is easily viewable online, can be PVR'd, ads being forwarded etc. I believe this type of content doesn't attract the same level of revenue ad buys as opposed to live TV sports. Its almost a conundrum. The fans want live tv sports without the ads, the companies and networks want live audiences to show them the high revenue ads, the fans want the quality, expensive content where they can watch a program quicker by going through ads but the Sportsnet and TSN's of the world need revenue to keep the lights on.
Interesting business now and in the future to say the least.
|