Shoalts: Rogers fears it overbid for NHL rights. Using cost-cutting measures

[BigRed]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Brutal Rogers. What a terrible company.

100%. I have several friends who work there in the publishing division and the way employees are treated , and haphazardly dismissed to pinch pennies, is completely bush. Easily one of the worst employers in Canada .

[Erick Estrada]

It was a stunning announcement the day it was announced for a reason. It's almost like that crazy person at an auction that is so hell bent on winning they toss out an insane bid without realizing the cost implications until the aftermath. With most of the talent staying at TSN maybe they knew something we didn't as I'm sure TSN was having a difficult time figuring out Rogers could pull that off. All I know is that I am not willing to supplement their moronic television deal by paying higher rates for what was already a substandard product.

We tolerate the local Rogers Flames broadcasts because we love the Flames and would watch a crappy internet feed if that's all that was available but at least a few nights a week a Canadian hockey fan could look forward to a few professionally done hockey broadcasts by TSN and HNIC. Not only has Rogers and the NHL robbed us of TSN and HNIC's quality presentations we may be faced in the future with paying higher rates for a product most of us hated but tolerated to get our Flames fix. This is dark times for Canadian hockey fans. Dark times indeed but that's greed for you.

On one hand I can understand the NHL selling out their fans the minute they saw that offer which likely blew them away but shouldn't they have at least done some background checking to ensure that Rogers was able to back their offer up with a solid product after handing over that fortune?

[CliffFletcher]

12. Frickin'. Years.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

12. Frickin'. Years.

[Peanut]

What % shareholder of Rogers is Murray Edwards? That rich ####### ruins everything.

[nik-]

Rogers after sobering up:



Bettman laughing all the way to the bank:



Canadian NHL viewers for the next 12 years:

[Vulcan]

Oh crap and people complained about CBC.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

On one hand I can understand the NHL selling out their fans the minute they saw that offer which likely blew them away but shouldn't they have at least done some background checking to ensure that Rogers was able to back their offer up with a solid product after handing over that fortune?

This. In most mature companies they do due diligence to ensure that company promising to basically do the work for free won't deliver garbage. Better to pay a bit more for quality product.

However, hey probably thought name brand was credence enough. Add in Canadians would watch basically anything with the word hockey on it, and it is low risk from the NHL perspective I guess.

I would love to see the wording in that contract however. There must be some wording in there for minimum quality level you would think. However, how do you qualify that? As long as there is a guy with a pulse reading off a card, behind a desk? I am sure there is a bit of trust there from the NHL that may come back and bite them. Most likely we see the same broadcasts not upgraded for the next 12 years, bare minimum investment everywhere.

NHL just better hope it doesn't get so bad Canadian's start tuning out on them.

[CliffFletcher]

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

It was a stunning announcement the day it was announced for a reason. It's almost like that crazy person at an auction that is so hell bent on winning they toss out an insane bid without realizing the cost implications until the aftermath. With most of the talent staying at TSN maybe they knew something we didn't as I'm sure TSN was having a difficult time figuring out Rogers could pull that off. All I know is that I am not willing to supplement their moronic television deal by paying higher rates for what was already a substandard product.

We tolerate the local Rogers Flames broadcasts because we love the Flames and would watch a crappy internet feed if that's all that was available but at least a few nights a week a Canadian hockey fan could look forward to a few professionally done hockey broadcasts by TSN and HNIC. Not only has Rogers and the NHL robbed us of TSN and HNIC's quality presentations we may be faced in the future with paying higher rates for a product most of us hated but tolerated to get our Flames fix. This is dark times for Canadian hockey fans. Dark times indeed but that's greed for you.

On one hand I can understand the NHL selling out their fans the minute they saw that offer which likely blew them away but shouldn't they have at least done some background checking to ensure that Rogers was able to back their offer up with a solid product after handing over that fortune?

Rogers couldn't even get through the press conference without technical difficulties.

I wonder if there's some sort of quality clause in the contract (lol, I laughed out loud even as I typed it)

It would be awesome if the NHL could cut the deal short on that clownshoe network if they continue with their weak ass product.

[dustyanddaflames]

I'm hoping they'll sell the Blue Jays

[liamenator]

Keith Pelley is an idiot.

[btimbit]

They're the Oilers of broadcasting. Just absolute garbage. Never assume it'll be anything else until it's proven. Anytime there's a possibility of turning things around, they manage to screw it up.

[browna]

While I don't disagree with the worst managed/silmy large company in Canada is Rogers, and the way they've neutered the Blue Jays this year (in so far as making a big splash last year (much like getting the NHL rights) but then not loosening the purse strings to help the team compete at the trade deadline this year when they are real close to getting over the hump), has me worried there are direct parallels, but there a couple things to keep in mind here.

1)Shoalts works for The G&M, which is partially owned by BCE who of course owns TSN as well, so there's some potential bias there, and it's all "rumor" and "word is".

2)Outside of them cutting back cameras or using a single mic, or reverting back to SD cameras and firing most of the decent on air talent that we're used to (ie Hrudey, Friedman, Hughson, Millions etc) what "production" values are we worried about?

I personally don't care about the talking heads between intermissions, either the blowhards like Kypreos and McLean on Snet, idiocy and dumbness with Healy and Weekes on CBC, and and TSN had as arrogant a bunch as there was. The good peices/stories in the past were done mostly by the CBC (moreso than the other 2 networks), and some of those staffers are sticking around.

Yes they have to upgrade some of the technical aspects of the broadcast, but I suspect they will do that as those are marginal upgrades. They have a wealth of on air talent to choose from, a guy like Hrudey dropping down to the Flames (probably) is proof of that, and that's the single biggest variable that I care about when watching games. If it was Lee and Hrudey on the mic, many of the other technical issues (I still think they delayed the video to the audio to help Kerr out) would be less bothersome last year, and I think those would be simple fixes.

So let's give the benefit of the doubt, at least for the Flames games....the on air talent is 90% of the production value game in and game out (for me anyways), and if that talent is there calling a great game, it makes a huge difference in watching a game, and assuming the basic technical aspects are still there, watching all the Flames games on TV will be much more enjoyable than the last few years with Kerr.

[Vulcan]

On one hand I can understand the NHL selling out their fans the minute they saw that offer which likely blew them away but shouldn't they have at least done some background checking to ensure that Rogers was able to back their offer up with a solid product after handing over that fortune?

This is Bettman we're talking about. How has he done on vetting some of his prize future owners?

[Matty81]

The only thing that saved their ass this year was CBC airing their games for free. Otherwise their ratings would have plunged off a cliff. Why the hell CBC is doing that is beyond me...

Once the games are exclusively on sports channels hockey is no longer going to be head and shoulders the premier sport in Canada within a decade.

Especially combined with the ridiculous ticket prices; in an effort to squeeze every last dime out of their customers the NHL is kneecapping itself by making the product less accessible.

[wwkayaker]

I will reserve judgement until I see the product.

[Buck Murdock]

I'm sure they'll figure it out. A few more franchises may help. Seattle, Quebec City, 2nd Toronto perhaps..?

[DOOM]

What garbage

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

This is Bettman we're talking about. How has he done on vetting some of his prize future owners?

You can't argue that Gary's been good for business as far as the owners are concerned. The owners are all patting him on the back for this deal as has been said it's win-win for them as while Canadian viewers will be inconvenienced we will still tune in. I certainly don't expect a reduction in viewership but problem for Rogers is that they are paying so much money for the rights you would think the status quo of current viewership and advertising will not be enough. They will need more. More viewers to attract more advertising.

It's hard to be overly critical of a product we haven't seen yet on the national level so maybe they will surprise us. That said as the article says the only way they can make money to supplement the deal is through advertising and subscribers and IMO those are both probably pretty tapped out and if they find after a couple of years they can't turn a profit then what happens staring at another 10 years of making little to no money or worse lose money? This could blow up in their faces as they may have bit off more than they could chew with this unprecedented Canadian television deal.