[News] Sportsnet signs 12 year $5.2 billion for NHL CDN Broadcast rights.

[Tailgator]

Listening to Millard on the radio on the way home, and he acknowledged they have a lot of work to do and that this is going to be a huge responsibility. Also said tsn has done a great job and SN will have to kick things up quite a few notches to get to a standard worthy of a national broadcaster.

Should be interesting to see anyway. I hope it's not just words......

[calgaryred]

Originally Posted by -TC-

TSN doesn't offer me much. Other than what, 5 games a year? And the eastern bias actually really bugs me, that may be petty but I don't care much about the leafs...that is to say I don't care as much as they do... and the programming supports that bias. And that's fine, it's their programming and they are selling to their audience...which is to say the east. That's not me.

SN on the other hand, is that eager-to-please kid. Who isn't the most skilled on your team, but he pays attention, he works hard in practice, and he really gives a ####...I'm going to give that kid as many minutes as I can, where I can, because he earned all of them...

While the quality of the broadcast and the broadcasters isn't as high on SN as it is on TSN, they have one thing that gives me reason to watch...coverage, specifically regional coverage that allows me to watch the Flames...and if they aren't on, the oilers or the canucks, on almost every night they play.

TSN has never offered me that, and for that reason alone I choose to support the SN decision. They were good to me, even when what they were offering wasn't so good at least they made it available to me.

ahh this is a business and the money is out east, if you think the Leafs and east bias will change with SN you will be mistaken.




Posted from Calgarypuck.com App for Android

[Tailgator]

Originally Posted by calgaryred

ahh this is a business and the money is out east, if you think the Leafs and east bias will change with SN you will be mistaken.




Posted from Calgarypuck.com App for Android

Difference being SN is already broadcasting the Flames regionally here......

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by calgaryred

ahh this is a business and the money is out east, if you think the Leafs and east bias will change with SN you will be mistaken.

It'll actually be worse, since Sportsnet is going to take a fair deal of Leafs broadcasts away from CBC. But from TC's perspective, the ability to catch SNW regional games is a huge boon to him, as he will be able to catch the Flames for far less than the cost of Centre Ice.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I always skip RSN intermissions. In fact I usually skip HNIC intermissions. The only time I ever tune into intermissions is when it's a TSN broadcast. They are just more informed and interesting usually than the rejects on RSN and I'm sorry but P.J. Stock to me means turn the channel as fast as possible.

I realize that the bottom line is that it's all about money but did Bettman or anyone in the NHL actually do any studying to see what Canadian fans think of RSN's coverage? If they did they would have realized that as a whole most hockey fans hate it. I got a boatload of texts from friends (mostly Oilers fans unfortunately) yesterday that were pretty upset with this. They all can't stand Principe and Debrusk in particular.

It's just kind of shocking to me that a sports league as big as the NHL would just take the money and give exclusive rights to what is clearly the least popular option hockey broadcaster in the country by a significant margin.

Half of the teams in the U.S. are on shaky financial ground. The money they get from this deal will make a big difference to their bottom line. It really is all about the money. If Al Jazeera had put in the top bid, Bettman would be beaming at the press conference and praising the NHL's new partner.

[chummer]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

I think that the end result will be improved quality across the board for Sportsnet, for both their regional and national telecasts.

Even if nobody at TSN moves across, CBC has a lot of very capable graphic designers, producers and on-air talent. They're all out of work at CBC because they are getting zero revenue. I think a lot of those people at CBC are going to be moving over and will go a long way to improving Sportsnet's production.

Chris Cuthbert and Gord Miller are the only two that I care about.

[868904]

One thing I'm not going to miss is TSN causing me to miss the first period of Flames games because the early game goes too long. If TSN can't make the timing work, they shouldn't committ to a game and black the game out on centre ice. It seems I miss a lot of first periods of Flames games if it's on TSN.

I'd rather they not take the Flames game so I can watch it on centreice.

[Sainters7]

Pretty surprised how many people are excited about this, for me this is terrible news. I've been counting down the years until CTV/TSN inevitably (so I thought) took over as the main provider for NHL, and then the exact opposite happened. I really don't see how Sportsnet being our country's main hockey provider is anything but scary. For Flames fans I don't think this needs explaining..

I feel really bad for James Duthie, Bob McKenzie & the rest of the panel, the best NHL panel in this country and it isn't close. If CBC or Sportsnet is smart, they'll scoop them up ASAP, they're worlds better than Ron MacLean (2013 edition) and his crew of flunkies. Used to love that guy but he's every bit as grumpy as Cherry these days. Getting old

[GirlySports]

This tsn broadcast has been an embarrasment.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

This tsn broadcast has been an embarrasment.

mailing in the last few months of the relationship, a valid tactic

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Why not?

I don't prefer That's Hockey over Hockeycentral because TSN has the broadcast rights. I prefer it because TSN has on-air talent that is far more intelligent and engaging. Iff they managed to retain some of that talent - i.e.: Duthie and McKenzie - then for news coverage, they'll still be ahead of Rogers. That is a big question, however, as there can be very little doubt that some of TSN's talent is going to cross the street.

Naturally because Sportsnet (theoretically) will grab some of TSN's talent, which would improve their own production, as well Sportsnet will get hockey content ratings simply because it's produce from the company that actually shows NHL hockey, all the time. That's Hockey may be better now, but will Hockeycentral improve to a good enough point that people watch that more in the future? Because following Hockeycentral, the national/regional hockey game will follow next.

Sportsnet has the advantage of people watching their other programs since it's the home of NHL content.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Half of the teams in the U.S. are on shaky financial ground. The money they get from this deal will make a big difference to their bottom line. It really is all about the money. If Al Jazeera had put in the top bid, Bettman would be beaming at the press conference and praising the NHL's new partner.

But won't they have to plow half the new money into higher salaries? The bottom line might not move much?

[Sainters7]

If next season Mark Lee has a job and Chris Cuthbert doesn't, I don't want to live on this planet anymore


Posted from Calgarypuck.com App for Android

[Vinny01]

Will Cuthburt want to stay with TSN and continue to call CFL? Can he work for both networks?

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

If next season Mark Lee has a job and Chris Cuthbert doesn't, I don't want to live on this planet anymore


Posted from Calgarypuck.com App for Android

[Ped]

Originally Posted by Tsawwassen

Here's a current example of how TSN doesn't care about Wed. hockey and Wednesday is here.

http://bellmediapr.ca/Network/TSN/Press/Alfies-Return-to-Ottawa-Headlines-the-NHL-ON-TSN-This-Week

From the link,

SCOTIABANK WEDNESDAY NIGHT HOCKEY doubleheader:
Toronto @ Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 7:30 p.m. ET on TSN; Gord Miller (play-by-play) and Ray Ferraro (analyst)

• In-game: The Scotiabank Wednesday Night Quiz with host James Duthie, Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie, and analysts Aaron Ward and Paul Maurice. Plus, Hockey Insider Darren Dreger appears in the second intermission.

Chicago @ Calgary on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 10 p.m. ET on TSN; Chris Cuthbert (play-by-play) and Mike Johnson (analyst)

• In-game: Panel with host James Duthie, Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie, and analysts Aaron Ward and Paul Maurice

• Ottawa @ Washington on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. ET on TSN2

Notice how there is no mention of the commentators for the Senators game. I have a feeling that TSN2 is going to use the Capitals feed for this game. Joe Benanti is awful. This happened with some Oilers and Sens games in the past. TSN, the stupid network and good riddance to TSN.

TSN is showing 3 different games on Wednesday night and you take that to mean they don't care about Wednesday night hockey because they use another feed for one of the three games?

[Burner]

I think its going to be really interesting once the Blue Jays start playing baseball. How will NHL playoffs and baseball coverage coexist - not to mention World Series etc.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Burner

I think its going to be really interesting once the Blue Jays start playing baseball. How will NHL playoffs and baseball coverage coexist - not to mention World Series etc.

Only days it's an issue would be Saturdays. Then it's a daytime matinee anyways

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Burner

I think its going to be really interesting once the Blue Jays start playing baseball. How will NHL playoffs and baseball coverage coexist - not to mention World Series etc.

I don't remember where I read it this morning, but I saw a quote from one of the Rogers bigwigs saying that they might use their new partnership with CBC to offload some Jays games to them. They might also move some baseball games to City.

The only real logjam will be in the first round of the NHL playoffs, when they'll have to fit 8 series onto 4 channels, plus air the Jays games. Even then, because of the staggered schedule, they should be able to make everything fit unless they end up with a night where there are 6 games scheduled that all overlap with each other, or something stupid like that.

One of the good things about Rogers controlling everything is that it should put an end to the silly turf wars that we see between CBC and TSN where one series can only air on one network even if there are conflicts on that network and none on the other. This will allow them flexibility to move series to different channels if conflicts arise.


When it's time for the baseball playoffs, I don't think they schedule too many overlapping games anyway, so they'll still have plenty of channels available to show some early season hockey.

[Tsawwassen]

Originally Posted by Ped

TSN is showing 3 different games on Wednesday night and you take that to mean they don't care about Wednesday night hockey because they use another feed for one of the three games?

This is only the 2nd time this season on a Wed. that TSN and TSN2 have shown 3 games on their "signature night." There will be a 3rd Wednesday this happens later in the season. The TSN Jets crew was in New Jersey working the Jets-Devils game and the Habs crew was in Buffalo for the Habs-Sabres game. Still, TSN does have spare PBP commentators and analysts to call games. A canadian NHL team having their game simulcasted in Canada with an american feed is wrong. Just like ESPN and TSN use for their segments, C'mon man and you can't do that! Do you think TSN2 would do that for a Leafs, Habs, or Canucks game?