Playoff TV Ratings down a "shocking" 61% in Canada

[To Be Quite Honest]

This playoff season is the McPoyle playoff season...

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Lol see this is why everyone hates sportsnet. Blues/Hawks period ends and they give us two morons doing the nightly recap and to rub salt in the wound the entire 3 game highlight package last maybe 90s. They showed 1 goal from each game and nothing else. Total joke.

[Mr.Coffee]

wrong thread.

Nobody should be shocked ratings are down. Stupid article.

[hurtin_albertan]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Man I couldn't agree more with this. The old HNIC during the season got me so pumped for the upcoming double headers because they did an excellent job building it up, coupled with their iconic jingle, original segments and interesting personalities. When playoffs rolled around, it was like Saturday HNIC every night!

These days, I think we all agree, SNet is just atrocious. They basically can't do anything right. Except Ball, Hrudey & Hextall, and that is depressing and saddening.

This is exactly how I feel. I used to look forward to the doubleheader on HNIC literally every Saturday. It didn't matter if it was the crappy Leafs getting blown out first and the even crappier Oilers embarrassing themselves after, just the way CBC and especially Ron McLean set it up made it feel so important. The drama was front and center no matter what.

When it came time for the playoffs, just a whole new level of excitement. I always looked forward to seeing which draws CBC got once the matchups were set. We like to give Hughson a rough time around here but I think he's a good game caller and looked forward to his series. Then you had TSN with Cuthbert and Miller on a couple of big matchups as well. Maybe you didn't have access to every first round series but you knew you had at least 4 high quality matchups with solid crew working them. Now you've got a guy who used to be a CFL show host, a guy who had to resort to Europe, an 82 year old who's years past his best before date, and mostly awful regional homerism. FOR THE FRIGGIN PLAYOFFS.

That big exciting feeling is just so lacking now with SN at the helm. It's like their MO is "we'll show you all the games ever but we spent so much on locking down your remote control that we'll scrape the bottom of the pit to make it happen". It's all just so diluted now.

[d_phaneuf]

double OT elimination game

no post game coverage

did they send the panel guys home during OT?

[indes]

Sportsnet is spread way too thin and I think that's the problem. It seems every time I tune in for highlights it's all baseball or basketball. No time to promote with all the stuff they try to cover.

[hwy19man]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

double OT elimination game

no post game coverage

did they send the panel guys home during OT?

Well said, that was a terrible and pathetic way to end the evening. Let the complaints begin and the pre-emptive verbal strikes will be directed at Sportsnet tomorrow.

[calgarywinning]

Regardless of coverage, the hockey has been very exciting to watch. Some great series. Always love returning to a true overtime period of hockey and then double OT. Love the intensity.

[hwy19man]

Originally Posted by hurtin_albertan

This is exactly how I feel. I used to look forward to the doubleheader on HNIC literally every Saturday. It didn't matter if it was the crappy Leafs getting blown out first and the even crappier Oilers embarrassing themselves after, just the way CBC and especially Ron McLean set it up made it feel so important. The drama was front and center no matter what.

When it came time for the playoffs, just a whole new level of excitement. I always looked forward to seeing which draws CBC got once the matchups were set. We like to give Hughson a rough time around here but I think he's a good game caller and looked forward to his series. Then you had TSN with Cuthbert and Miller on a couple of big matchups as well. Maybe you didn't have access to every first round series but you knew you had at least 4 high quality matchups with solid crew working them. Now you've got a guy who used to be a CFL show host, a guy who had to resort to Europe, an 82 year old who's years past his best before date, and mostly awful regional homerism. FOR THE FRIGGIN PLAYOFFS.

That big exciting feeling is just so lacking now with SN at the helm. It's like their MO is "we'll show you all the games ever but we spent so much on locking down your remote control that we'll scrape the bottom of the pit to make it happen". It's all just so diluted now.

It did matter that the stinkin' Leafs were on all the time at the expense of better games with other canadian teams involved. The lack of having two HNIC games at 2000h Mountain was another problem the CBC never cared to fix. Overall, I agree that Ron MacLean did an excellent job previewing the games.

The CBC and TSN combined did have all eight series in the first round nationally televised. Dave Randorf, the former CFL host, did play-by-play NHL and World Championship games for TSN. Paul Romanuk, before he lived in the United Kingdom, also did play-by-play NHL games for TSN. I agree with your opinion on Bob Cole although I have heard on sports radio that some people have said Cole did a decent job with the Red Wings-Lightning series. The regional commentators being simulcast has been a poor choice made by Sportsnet. This option was seldom used when TSN would show playoff games, the ESPN or NBCSN (formerly OLN and Versus) feeds were simulcast instead.

[Erick Estrada]

I really hate how they don't show all the goals scored in their game highlights during period intermissions. Sure it's nice to see the winning goal but in this day and age we are accustomed to seeing all the goals in the highlights to see how the game built up to the winning goal. Someone needs to tell RSN that it's 2016 not 1986 where you would happily wait until 11:30 on 2&7 to maybe get a single goal highlight from a Flames vs Nordiques game in Quebec.

[Vinny01]

I have not watched one game in its entirety so far. Catching a period here or there but I am ready for the offseason to hit full swing.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

I have not watched one game in its entirety so far. Catching a period here or there but I am ready for the offseason to hit full swing.

Same I mostly have been catching third periods in close games, otherwise not watching much.

[Toonage]

Wait, so after the game they just went to Sportsnet Central and that was it? I thought when that started they would go back to the panel at the game but didn't stay up to watch. Wow, that is bad.

[OffsideSpecialist]

Originally Posted by Toonage

Wait, so after the game they just went to Sportsnet Central and that was it? I thought when that started they would go back to the panel at the game but didn't stay up to watch. Wow, that is bad.

Not only that, but they cut Darren Pang off mid-sentence while the teams were just starting to leave the benches in order to rush to Sportsnet Central.

[Coach]

Not that I don't agree, but why do you guys want them going back to the panel? Everyone seems to hate the commentary for the most part (myself included), why do you want another 20 minutes of them chatting about the game you just watched?

Personally I wish they would do away with commentary all together. I don't need anyone to tell me about the game I just watched.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

At least when TSN used to do it, it was because they immediately did highlights for all the games then went to the panel and post game interviews.

[Flashpoint]

Who has cable anymore? I'm sure there are a lot of people like that in that 60%.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

Who has cable anymore? I'm sure there are a lot of people like that in that 60%.

Believe it or not the majority of Canadians still have cable.

[Flashpoint]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Believe it or not the majority of Canadians still have cable.

Same people with landlines I suppose.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

Same people with landlines I suppose.

And that figure constitutes a lot of Canadians.