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

[FakenHaken]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Well as of right now that's speculation as it remains to be seen how much money is left over after spending a massive wad of Rogers money on the rights alone. As of right now all we have to go on is the current shoddy product and hiring policies of finding talent on the cheap.

Goodness sakes EE Rogers isn't going to cash strand themselves either. You don't pay a few billion dollars to acquire the rights to an asset, and then do nothing with it. If they do that the money you get from advertising diminishes and then you can't even begin to fund the asset any longer.

I guess your hypothesis is as right, right now as anyone else's. I just have a hard time believing that someone buys the rights to something and then does nothing with it to improve it at all. It would be akin to buying a building for $5 Billion with good stable tenants, but then not doing any building upgrades just simply cleaning it and hoping the tenants stay there.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by FakenHaken

Goodness sakes EE Rogers isn't going to cash strand themselves either. You don't pay a few billion dollars to acquire the rights to an asset, and then do nothing with it. If they do that the money you get from advertising diminishes and then you can't even begin to fund the asset any longer.

I guess your hypothesis is as right, right now as anyone else's. I just have a hard time believing that someone buys the rights to something and then does nothing with it to improve it at all. It would be akin to buying a building for $5 Billion with good stable tenants, but then not doing any building upgrades just simply cleaning it and hoping the tenants stay there.

I'm sure they are going to attempt to improve things but they have a long way to go and their current talent is vastly inferior to HNIC and TSN. Time will tell how successful they are with luring talent and I'm sure some from HNIC and TSN will join them so odds are there will be some improvement. Maybe in a few years it will be great but that's hard to imagine given the current state of RSN broadcasts. Maybe it ends up more of the same and we end up accepting it out of no other choices. At the end of the day we really won't have an alternative whether this "new and improved" RSN is good, mediocre, or as bad as it is now. That's why I hate the deal.

[Burner]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Well as of right now that's speculation as it remains to be seen how much money is left over after spending a massive wad of Rogers money on the rights alone. As of right now all we have to go on is the current shoddy product and hiring policies of finding talent on the cheap.

for a regional broadcast.....

watch the TSN regional ones and its not that different..

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

You know a lot more about the behind the scenes stuff than me so just wondering if you think HNIC next year will look like it has this year or do you think it will folow the SN format?

I think it will be pretty close to a SN telecast.

The people I have talked to have said that their expectation is HNIC will look closer to a CBC telecast than a SN telecast and also that the games on City/Sportsnet will be revamped as well. Still a lot of work to do as they plan everything out, of course.

[hwy19man]

Originally Posted by MissTeeks

Lebrun staying with TSN as well:

Darren Dreger‏@DarrenDreger7m
Happy to report @Real_ESPNLeBrun has agreed to terms with TSN and will remain an integral part of our hockey department for years to come.

Content agreement with ESPN extended for TSN and RDS
http://bellmediapr.ca/Network/TSN/Press/TSN-Dec17-2013

[browna]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I'm sure they are going to attempt to improve things but they have a long way to go and their current talent is vastly inferior to HNIC and TSN. Time will tell how successful they are with luring talent and I'm sure some from HNIC and TSN will join them so odds are there will be some improvement. Maybe in a few years it will be great but that's hard to imagine given the current state of RSN broadcasts. Maybe it ends up more of the same and we end up accepting it out of no other choices. At the end of the day we really won't have an alternative whether this "new and improved" RSN is good, mediocre, or as bad as it is now. That's why I hate the deal.

While the "only as strong as your weakest link" argument can apply,I recall for some reason watching the Canucks feed when Vancouver played the Flames last year, and the difference in production value between Snet West and Snet Pacific was huge.

Shorthouse 100x better then Kerr, but they used their host 10x better then they used Millions with an actual legit panel between periods and before and after the game, not forcing Flames fans into a panel out east that really was paying lip service to the Flames. In addition, different/more camera and replay angles then the sister station had and just an overall much more polished feel.
Clearly Rogers had more money invested in the Snet Pacific broadcast, and that, along with the talent upgrade (which is pretty much bottom of the NHL in regards to the PBP) made the broadcast much better.

So, if they can pay that sort of attention to all their regional broadcasts, it will be fine.

Things seem significantly worse for us Flames fans right now, seeing Rogers spend the bare minimum to get the Flames (and Oilers) games to air, including forced to to listen to Kerr try to "learn" PBP on the go, and clearly an overall B rate production crew. But with a little bit of resources, and a bit more "care" by Rogers, there is hope.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

I for one hope that Kerr does a lot of the national broadcasts. It seems only fair to subject the rest of Canada to what we have listened to the last few seasons

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Originally Posted by browna

While the "only as strong as your weakest link" argument can apply,I recall for some reason watching the Canucks feed when Vancouver played the Flames last year, and the difference in production value between Snet West and Snet Pacific was huge.

Shorthouse 100x better then Kerr, but they used their host 10x better then they used Millions with an actual legit panel between periods and before and after the game, not forcing Flames fans into a panel out east that really was paying lip service to the Flames. In addition, different/more camera and replay angles then the sister station had and just an overall much more polished feel.
Clearly Rogers had more money invested in the Snet Pacific broadcast, and that, along with the talent upgrade (which is pretty much bottom of the NHL in regards to the PBP) made the broadcast much better.

So, if they can pay that sort of attention to all their regional broadcasts, it will be fine.

Things seem significantly worse for us Flames fans right now, seeing Rogers spend the bare minimum to get the Flames (and Oilers) games to air, including forced to to listen to Kerr try to "learn" PBP on the go, and clearly an overall B rate production crew. But with a little bit of resources, and a bit more "care" by Rogers, there is hope.

Agreed totally. Sportsnet pacific broadcast of canucks games are superior to sportsnet west for flames or oilers.

Even the weekly canucks TV weekly show is pretty well done. Not sure if they still have that Larry Day hosted Flames TV show on SNW, but that was appalling. A couple locker room clips and a weak panel discussing flames and NHL topics and it was just so ordinary. Canucks TV weekly has some decent features and private interviews.

Point being here, sportsnet pacific spends a lot more cash than west and the product is way better.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by VANFLAMESFAN

Agreed totally. Sportsnet pacific broadcast of canucks games are superior to sportsnet west for flames or oilers.

Even the weekly canucks TV weekly show is pretty well done. Not sure if they still have that Larry Day hosted Flames TV show on SNW, but that was appalling. A couple locker room clips and a weak panel discussing flames and NHL topics and it was just so ordinary. Canucks TV weekly has some decent features and private interviews.

Point being here, sportsnet pacific spends a lot more cash than west and the product is way better.

Agreed. I hate the nucks, but they have good coverage here

[skeena1]

Originally Posted by browna

While the "only as strong as your weakest link" argument can apply,I recall for some reason watching the Canucks feed when Vancouver played the Flames last year, and the difference in production value between Snet West and Snet Pacific was huge.

Shorthouse 100x better then Kerr, but they used their host 10x better then they used Millions with an actual legit panel between periods and before and after the game, not forcing Flames fans into a panel out east that really was paying lip service to the Flames. In addition, different/more camera and replay angles then the sister station had and just an overall much more polished feel.
Clearly Rogers had more money invested in the Snet Pacific broadcast, and that, along with the talent upgrade (which is pretty much bottom of the NHL in regards to the PBP) made the broadcast much better.

So, if they can pay that sort of attention to all their regional broadcasts, it will be fine.

Things seem significantly worse for us Flames fans right now, seeing Rogers spend the bare minimum to get the Flames (and Oilers) games to air, including forced to to listen to Kerr try to "learn" PBP on the go, and clearly an overall B rate production crew. But with a little bit of resources, and a bit more "care" by Rogers, there is hope.

It is one of the sad realities of TV, especially sports: More money buys you a better show. Lesser talents, in front of and behind the cameras tend to get stuck in smaller markets. That said, I am sure there are many great people working on both Oilers and Flames but in=f the "resources" aren't there, it can be a losing battle.

[Tsawwassen]

Originally Posted by VANFLAMESFAN

Agreed totally. Sportsnet pacific broadcast of canucks games are superior to sportsnet west for flames or oilers.

Even the weekly canucks TV weekly show is pretty well done. Not sure if they still have that Larry Day hosted Flames TV show on SNW, but that was appalling. A couple locker room clips and a weak panel discussing flames and NHL topics and it was just so ordinary. Canucks TV weekly has some decent features and private interviews.

Point being here, sportsnet pacific spends a lot more cash than west and the product is way better.

From I've heard from Senators fans, Sportsnet East could also improve. Then there's Sportsnet Ontario with the Leafs, they spend the money and it is a decent presentation. It sounds like a tie between SN Ont and SN Pac. Next would be SNEast, then SNWest.

[Tsawwassen]

Well, it's going to be a bidding war for the Senators regional rights. Bruce Garrioch mentions it on his twitter. https://twitter.com/SunGarrioch/status/412647080922853376

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by superfarmer

If he goes national I will eat a dumpster hookers pubes

he's already gone national, he did tennis last summer

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by FakenHaken

You don't pay a few billion dollars to acquire the rights to an asset, and then do nothing with it. If they do that the money you get from advertising diminishes and then you can't even begin to fund the asset any longer.

Isn't the whole point of getting a monopoly to cut down on costs in the long-term by rubbing out the competition?

Originally Posted by skeena1

It is one of the sad realities of TV, especially sports: More money buys you a better show. Lesser talents, in front of and behind the cameras tend to get stuck in smaller markets. That said, I am sure there are many great people working on both Oilers and Flames but in=f the "resources" aren't there, it can be a losing battle.

True. Which is why the Sportsnet move is not good for the Flames. With everything moving to a regional model, the Flames will be on fewer national broadcasts. And national broadcasts are the ones with high production values.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

True. Which is why the Sportsnet move is not good for the Flames. With everything moving to a regional model, the Flames will be on fewer national broadcasts. And national broadcasts are the ones with high production values.

The Flames will actually be on more national broadcasts. Canadian teams will be compensated for losing regional broadcasts.

But make no mistake, when you see how ambitious Sportsnet's schedule is -- particularly on Saturdays -- they're going to have to invest heavily to ensure that they reach a high standard of quality across the high number of games they'll be carrying.

Being able to hire the CBC production staff will help a lot.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by hwy19man

Content agreement with ESPN extended for TSN and RDS
http://bellmediapr.ca/Network/TSN/Press/TSN-Dec17-2013

And this is exactly why TSN will be just fine. Unless Sportsnet plans to show hockey 24/7, they need to fill the rest of the time. And this is where TSN totally crushes them. Yes when hockey is on Sportsnet will be the choice. The other 70% of available TV time? TSN still holds a massive edge. Plus you gotta figure TSN will try and poach some of Sportsnet's other properties (namely getting full EPL rights).

[sureLoss]

TSN to broadcast all Vancouver Whitecaps games:
http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1282...inning-in-2014

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

TSN to broadcast all Vancouver Whitecaps games:
http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1282...inning-in-2014

This is where TSN is going to pick up the slack, and as an MLS/Whitecaps fan, I welcome it. TSN/RDS/CTV also have the rights to the next two World Cups (after this year's) and the 2015 Women's World Cup which Canada is hosting. These are big draws for sure.

Obviously hockey is the "big one" in Canada, but there are plenty of sports that can attract a good audience. Even the niche sports like Australian Football - bring it on. That stuff is awesome. One game a week is not doing that sport justice.

[Joborule]

And TSN might be able to pick up regional deals for every team except the Alberta one's. They'll be alright.

It's us in Alberta that gets screwed since all hockey games will be on Sportsnet. No more quality broadcasts if they're going to favour their production to larger markets.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

The whole contracting out thing is blown out of proportion. For most of the 80s and early 90s, CBC contracted out the production of HNIC to Molstar Communications (the same group that did Flames broadcasts on 2&7).

and even now both TSN and Sportsnet use Dome Productions for their national broadcasts of Junior and NHL games