NHL TV ratings are down across the board on average for Rogers

[Igster]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

I think some fans project how they are feeling onto all fans.
Your interest level could be declining as you grow older - life gets busier, and more complicated. Sports becomes a distraction but far less important.
In short - you are old.

I'm old and still love hockey and the Flames, so there's that.

[カナダ人です]

Originally Posted by BACKCHECK!!!

I was watching a game probably 10 years ago, and there was a technical glitch on the broadcast.

There was no PBP, no commentary, just rink noise. This went on for most of a period before they fixed it.

Best hockey broadcast I've ever seen. If it was an option, I'd watch all the games that way (unless I'm there in person).

Actually I seem to remember something similar happening with HNiC. I think there was some job action or something and the on-air talent wasn't available for the broadcasts. However, HNiC broadcast the games anyway with just the rink noises. I agree, it was pretty cool!

Anyway else remember this? I may have the details incorrect...

[GirlySports]

Gamecenter is the problem. Its crappy and has restrictions.

Baseball is a regional sports. Im sure if you like the Diamondbacks and live in LA you cant get FXAZ.

But if you buy mlb.tv you can watch absolutely any game.

I echo the rest here. Hockey is really watered down. Its no longer appointment viewing.

[Jordan!]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I echo the rest here. Hockey is really watered down. Its no longer appointment viewing.

This, and I did mean there is more parity than ever. Not sure why I wrote less. There's no David v. Goliath anymore in the NHL.

I think Sports as a whole will have serious issues in the future, NFL not included. It's too easy to check in on games on the go these days while doing other things and spending money doing something else.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

This, and I did mean there is more parity than ever. Not sure why I wrote less. There's no David v. Goliath anymore in the NHL.

I think Sports as a whole will have serious issues in the future, NFL not included. It's too easy to check in on games on the go these days while doing other things and spending money doing something else.

I think you are confusing watering down with oversaturation of the product. Only a decade ago you maybe 1/4 of the games available on TV as we do today. Now we get every single Flames and Oilers game televised in Calgary. That's 164 games right there for only the two Alberta teams. Throw in all the Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday national games and there's games on every night and on a lot of nights multiple games. Fans can only tune into so much before they start being choosier about the games they watch.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I think you are confusing watering down with oversaturation of the product. Only a decade ago you maybe 1/4 of the games available on TV as we do today. Now we get every single Flames and Oilers game televised in Calgary. That's 164 games right there for only the two Alberta teams. Throw in all the Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday national games and there's games on every night and on a lot of nights multiple games. Fans can only tune into so much before they start being choosier about the games they watch.

I think the shift has been to regional viewing. You nailed it on the head, every game is on tv. So 20 years ago, you might get one Flames game (local team) a week. Now you can watch all 82 games. With a PVR you can easily view when you have the time. So if you are devoting 82 nights to watching regular season hockey are you really interested in watching additional games? Some will, most will not. When I hear things like the tv ratings for the World Series are way down. Yet tv ratings for baseball are way up, shows that people are watching their favorite, local teams instead of watching the national broadcasts. If your team doesn't make the post season, you probably quit watching.

[GirlySports]

yup, nfl is the only national viewing sport because all their games are on the national package.

and sunday ticket is awesome.

Hockey is chasing the national US tv deal when it no longer exists. NY Rangers get good ratings on MSN but then you put them on NBC Saturday afternoon and it draws flies
In 2016, blackouts and restrictions are ridiculous.

[Enoch Root]

You guys all talk like the game is dying on the vine.

And yet revenues go up every year.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

yup, nfl is the only national viewing sport because all their games are on the national package.

and sunday ticket is awesome.

Hockey is chasing the national US tv deal when it no longer exists. NY Rangers get good ratings on MSN but then you put them on NBC Saturday afternoon and it draws flies
In 2016, blackouts and restrictions are ridiculous.

You certainly have an odd perspective. The NFL is the most watered down and over saturated sport out there. NHL is miles better when it comes to viewing experience.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

yup, nfl is the only national viewing sport because all their games are on the national package.

and sunday ticket is awesome.

Hockey is chasing the national US tv deal when it no longer exists. NY Rangers get good ratings on MSN but then you put them on NBC Saturday afternoon and it draws flies
In 2016, blackouts and restrictions are ridiculous.

The NFL Sunday ticket is a one day a week thing and for the price you pay you better get all 14-16 games. NHL has never done well in the US nationally so I don't understand what you are getting at here. As a big NFL fan I can say that the sheer amount of commercials is starting to become a real issue. I get Sunday ticket and there's times where you are lucky to get a game that's not into commercial. Very frustrating and it's the worst when a team scores because after the conversion it goes to commercial, then back on air for the kickoff and then immediately back to commercial. If the ensuing drive ends in a 3 and out then you get a commercial right after the punt. We are talking about four full commercial slots in a span of less than 12-15 minutes which is absolutely brutal. IMO the NFL is milking the cow too much here and it's starting to wear thin on fans.

[postman56]

ROGERS MESSED UP !!
I can't seem to find HNIC to watch on my apple pc unless I pirate the stream.. I cant watch it on xbox one, I don't have an apple device and no im not watching it on my phone thru rogers…EVER!!

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by heep223

You certainly have an odd perspective. The NFL is the most watered down and over saturated sport out there. NHL is miles better when it comes to viewing experience.

NFL is just slicker on tv. They promote their stars and you will definitely see the star QBs perform. NHL isn't a great tv sport, it's awesome in person.

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

The NFL Sunday ticket is a one day a week thing and for the price you pay you better get all 14-16 games. NHL has never done well in the US nationally so I don't understand what you are getting at here. As a big NFL fan I can say that the sheer amount of commercials is starting to become a real issue. I get Sunday ticket and there's times where you are lucky to get a game that's not into commercial. Very frustrating and it's the worst when a team scores because after the conversion it goes to commercial, then back on air for the kickoff and then immediately back to commercial. If the ensuing drive ends in a 3 and out then you get a commercial right after the punt. We are talking about four full commercial slots in a span of less than 12-15 minutes which is absolutely brutal. IMO the NFL is milking the cow too much here and it's starting to wear thin on fans.

The NHL continues to dream nationally when really it should be concentrating regionally.

NFL still is appointment viewing in prime time. There is nothing wrong with commercials. To use an extreme hockey example, would you rather watch Johnny Gaudreau play for 25 minutes with less commercials or 35 minutes with more commercials?

[jayswin]

I'll echo what others have stated - games just don't seem to have a whole lot going on anymore. Obviously the NHL, like every sports league has been getting more and more systematic as the years go by, but now a days it's just so robotic.

The funny thing, the skill of the players has never looked better. Amazing dangles, super fast passing plays, flashy PP's, but it all equates to a whole lot of no real emotional action, as team defense and goaltending is just simply too good now.

Amazing dangle, sick drop pass.....shot block. Guy comes flying down the wing, beats the defender wide, takes a wicked wrist shot going top shelf......huge ass goalie has every inch of the net covered.

The product is just so blah these days, and I can't quite put my finger on it, other than what I explained above. Maybe that's enough to kill it for me, as I certainly can't sit through most games not involving the Flames anymore. Combined with the broadcast stuff I mentioned earlier I just don't get excited.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

The NFL Sunday ticket is a one day a week thing and for the price you pay you better get all 14-16 games. NHL has never done well in the US nationally so I don't understand what you are getting at here. As a big NFL fan I can say that the sheer amount of commercials is starting to become a real issue. I get Sunday ticket and there's times where you are lucky to get a game that's not into commercial. Very frustrating and it's the worst when a team scores because after the conversion it goes to commercial, then back on air for the kickoff and then immediately back to commercial. If the ensuing drive ends in a 3 and out then you get a commercial right after the punt. We are talking about four full commercial slots in a span of less than 12-15 minutes which is absolutely brutal. IMO the NFL is milking the cow too much here and it's starting to wear thin on fans.

I have not intentionally watched a single minute of NFL this season (other than when it's been on in the background at a pub), and I used to be a pretty avid fan that caught most games. I just don't think the product is very good, largely because of the commercials between extra point and kickoff, and then again between kickoff and start of a drive. A game shouldn't take 3.5 hrs+. Adding in the moral and ethical questions of abusive athletes and concussions, and I simply don't feel interested in feeding the beast anymore.

It won't happen quickly, but I'm sure I won't be the only one to feel this way.

[Resolute 14]

The inevitable happened, and layoffs hit Rogers Sportsnet yesterday:

http://torontosportsmedia.com/sports...continue/20626

Of note about ratings:

How bad is it?

Well consider that Calgary Flames games dipped to sub 100k household numbers I’m told. The Vancouver Canucks are in the 300k and under range. Toronto? The numbers are beyond weak. Leafs vs. Minnesota brought in 379k, that’s not a good sign.

HNIC? Well the first games should be around 2 million. Now? barely hitting the 1 million mark.

Again, I don’t think this has much to do with Sportsnet or the product they are creating.

The buds on TSN last week pulled in around 500k.

I tweeted how brutal the trade deadline numbers were last week, the lower of the 2 stations pulled in 79k.

Here’s my conclusion, Bettman Inc. has been solely focused on the health of and potential to grow the game in the USA that the audience has started to fizzle in Canada. They’ve taken their eye off the puck.

I think that blogger is way off base in believing that Rogers is losing viewers through no fault of its own though.

[Looch City]

"Again, I don’t think this has much to do with Sportsnet or the product they are creating."

Uhh...

[SuperMatt18]

Canadian NHL teams rank 20, 22, 23, 27, 28 , 29, & 30th in the league, with most of them eliminated from playoff contention by the all-star break.

Not sure why they expect people to be watching teams that really just aren't any good at hockey this year.

Combine that with a product from Rogers Sportsnet that just isn't that good and you have your answer.

[calgaryblood]

I've never been less interested in hockey outside Calgary then I am this season. TSN and CBC used to make games interesting.

SN has ruined hockey for me outside of the Flames.

[calgaryblood]

Strombopolis or however you spell it is one of the main reasons I don't tune into HNIC unless the Flames are playing.

Just awful by SN hiring that tool.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Canadian NHL teams rank 20, 22, 23, 27, 28 , 29, & 30th in the league, with most of them eliminated from playoff contention by the all-star break.

Not sure why they expect people to be watching teams that really just aren't any good at hockey this year.

Combine that with a product from Rogers Sportsnet that just isn't that good and you have your answer.

This. The Canadian teams blow. The hardcores are watching, the semi-interested fan is doing something else.