So for the first time, I believe ever, every NHL playoff game will be nationally broadcast in the US. As a hockey fan I think it is the greatest thing that's ever happened, but in a country where hockey is considered a 4th sport, it was a gutsy move by NBC. My first guess would be the lack of NBA playoff overlap, but it also could be a set part of NBC's new exclusive American deal with the NHL.
Early ratings are showing the move as a success, as first round ratings are higher than last years', as high as 77% up when looking at individual games with comparable coverage. I know its been great for me, being able to watch a lot more games, and not having to do so online on illegal sites, but I think it will be a great help for the growth of the game. The NHL and NBC have really taken advantage of the spotlight opportunity afforded them. The NBA is having a ton of problems, and no playoffs at the moment, baseball is in the beginning stages of the season and isn't of that much interest to many people at the moment and the NFL has nothing happening besides the draft at present. The NHL has one of its first opportunities to be the star and the network and league are exploiting that. Maximum exposure and prime TV slots will help bring hockey to a broader audience and I think grow the sport.
This isn't necessarily an exclusively marketing topic, but how do you think the potential growth of hockey could affect the other major leagues and their advertising revenue streams? Might any major companies jump ship from other sports or shift advertising funds to the NHL?
I know NBC purchased versus which bought rights to NHL playoffs a few years ago, however Versus in my opinion did a bad job showing the games. They did not properly advertise the games and really weren't a very established channel to be playing NHL playoff games. I think the NBC move is great for the NHL and they will continue to see increased viewers as the playoff rounds get deeper in the next few weeks. The channels HD ability is also a big difference when viewing hockey.
ReplyDeleteI think hockey might be able to pull in some more sponsors for next year, especially due to the additional airtime the NHL playoffs have been receiving. It will be interesting to see if there will be a shift in coverage or viewing as the NBA playoff kickoff in the weeks to come. I am in support of the increase in coverage for the NHL playoff games. I am not a die-hard hockey fan, but I support the bruins, and hockey is 10x better than watching basketball.
ReplyDeleteI don't think other sports will necessarily lose fans but I think a way for these channels to avoid these types of problems is to invest in the NHL network so the NHL network can become a part of basic cable. This way they will be able to keep showing the sports they want to, and they will potentially make money off the NHL network depending on the viewing rates.
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