Quote:
Originally Posted by jayswin
Not that it should constitute shoddy performance for Flames fans but it is worth nothing that since around 2011 or so the Calgary Flames have had some of the lowest TV ratings amongst Canadian teams.
I remember an article at one point showing we were dipping below 100k viewers per game at one point, not sure if that's still the case. We're not the crazy, passionate fan viewers some think we are and that may be in part behind some of the decisions we see - less spent on production, not much if any post game, etc - over other teams (I believe Edmonton outdraws us significantly most years).
Maybe Roger can speak to that a little if he reads this, as most of that is second hand and vague memories of articles on my part.
|
Sportsnet didn't buy Canadian broadcast rights to then play favourites based around viewership. If Flames regional games draw less viewers than Coilers, who have been bottom of the league for years, yet that bottom feeder team has had superior broadcast quality the entire time, I'd believe the quality of presentation from Sportsnet might have something to play into that.
And I don't buy 100K viewers at all unless you are comparing a Tuesday night Flames game vs the Wild for the 3rd time in a month against a Friday night Oilers game against the Penguins. There are more people in Calgary and the Calgary broadcast region than in the Coilers "territory". I'm betting there's less Jets fans in their territory than Flames but I've not seen any issue with TSN's presentation of Jet's games.
Having poor presentation for years with Kerr and Simmer (who I both like but neither were of top quality like other teams got) and not having super homer's like Quinn, Debrusk, Remenda, Garrett and Shorthouse might also play a part in Flames fans not caring to tune into regional games and that again is 100% on Sportsnet. Instead of a circle-jerk panel between periods that the Coilers fans get and eat up like a fat kid on cake we get Eric Francis telling us how smart he is and how stupid we all are. I turn off Sportsnet between periods for reasons like that.
It all comes down to quality of presentation and Sportsnet has shown for years that the Flames (and I've heard the Senators as well) get shafted repeatedly. Poor on-ice performance will also drive fans away when the people bringing you the broadcast keep telling you how bad they are yet for years we've heard just how awesome the Coilers, finishing bottom 10 repeatedly, are. Now we get McDived shoved down our throats like it was some monumental achievement of genius proportions the Coilers got him. Add in their shiny new but full of faults Rogers named arena and here were are, 6 years later, with piss-poor quality from "Canada's Sports Leader". A claim they only have because they grossly overpaid for NHL broadcasting rights in the first place and when you have a near monopoly of a product of course you are the "leader".