MTH Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 (edited) Last season NBC noted that the ratings for the NHL were the lowest ever for NBC. NHL has a new TV (media) contract this year. Ratings so far are extremely bad. How bad? From Twitter @NhlRatings 'NHL TV Buzz' Quote Phillip Wu @phillip_wu Nov 11 Replying to @phillip_wu and @NhlRatings Make that three weeks in a row: Wed Nov 10 -Wild @ Coyotes (TNT) 234,000 (0.06) Wed Nov 10 - NHL on TNT Pre-Game 285,000 (0.08) AEW wrestling (avg. 910,000 viewers) preceded the NHL pre-game all three weeks, so some of the pre-game viewers were almost certainly AEW leftovers. The NHL is in bad shape. In Canada, much the same: Quote NHL TV Buzz Retweeted Adam Seaborn @AHBSeaborn · Nov 22 More Canadiens under 35 watched the Qatar GP on TSN than Leafs/Islanders on Sportsnet Ontario Here are the latest ratings: Quote Adam Seaborn @AHBSeaborn · Nov 29 Sports TV Ratings November 26th: HOCKEY - TOR/SJ: 551k (SNO) CURLING - THCT Prime: 356k (TSN) BASKETBALL - Raps/Pacers: 326k (TSN) CURLING - THCT Early: 299k (TSN) CURLING - THCT Daytime: 222k (TSN) HOCKEY - VAN/COL: 158k (SN Pac) HOCKEY - WIN/MIN: 122k (TSN3) HOCKEY - PIT/NYI: 106k (SN) HOCKEY - NY/BOS: 92k (SN) HOCKEY - OTT/ANA: 76k (TSN5) Where does the league go from here? It's trending in a bad way. I have my reasons why I don't watch. My kids don't care about the NHL. I think Bettman will finally get the axe (hopefully). Edited February 8, 2023 by MTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTH Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 Here's a post regarding the end of NHL and NBC time: Austin Karp @AustinKarp · May 14 NHL games averaged 391,000 viewers for 2020-21 across NBC/NBCSN/digital. Lowest yet under rights deal that began before 2011-12. Just below 398K last season and 424K in 2018-19. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coopaloop1234 Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 2 minutes ago, MTH said: Last season NBC noted that the ratings for the NHL were the lowest ever for NBC. NHL has a new TV (media) contract this year. Ratings so far are extremely bad. How bad? From Twitter @NhlRatings 'NHL TV Buzz' The NHL is in bad shape. In Canada, much the same: Here are the latest ratings: Where does the league go from here? It's trending in a bad way. I have my reasons why I don't watch. My kids don't care about the NHL. I think Bettman will finally get the axe (hopefully). I'm confused here. NBC, who no longer has the majority rights is complaining about low viewership as well as they're comparing the ratings for a provincial only channel for a single team Vs a nationally broadcasted channel. Seems reactionary? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.YOUNGoalie13 Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 Well it doesn’t help that almost every team only uses local channels. I can literally only watch blackhawks games but I can turn any NBA or NFL game on any given night. The NHL isn’t accessible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTH Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 I think without nationwide interest in the league, you won't see much for nationwide broadcasts. The NBA is huge, so they can play any game nationwide without fear of nobody watching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTH Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 38 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said: I'm confused here. NBC, who no longer has the majority rights is complaining about low viewership as well as they're comparing the ratings for a provincial only channel for a single team Vs a nationally broadcasted channel. Seems reactionary? NBC put out their NHL numbers at the end of last season when they still had the NHL games. I think they were trying to low ball the NHL more for a new deal. But the fact was that ratings were declining while on NBC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teezle Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 I haven't seen many nationally televised games on the new cable channels that picked it up. Aside from the game where they had Gretzky et al commentating at the start of the season, I also can't think of any games on TNT that were shown in primetime hours? I just looked through all the promotional emails sent to me about it, and it comes out to one game a week, all starting at 10 PM EST with mostly bad teams. Who wouldn't want to stay up until 1 AM to catch the Wild play at Arizona?? Garbage games in a garbage time slot - who could have predicted no one would watch? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creasecollector Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 The NHL has to market their talent better. Entice people to get involved in the game, then you'll build passionate fans who can tune into a late game. And those blackouts aren't helping either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coopaloop1234 Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 What they need to do is bring back the good ol time violence. Today's NHL is so dull. People are afraid to make large hits now a days, you can't have a proper fight, every offside now needs to be reviewed. Christ, coaches can't even disagree with the refs anymore because god fucking forbid they hold them and the league accountable for awful calls / game management. It's too commercialized. I'd happily watch Junior A or AHL over any NHL games. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillyGrips13 Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 Pretty sure TV ratings for all sports are down. Nowadays people have way more viewing options and viewing platforms. This is likely an “Old man yelling at clouds” thread. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scythe Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 NBC's games were always the same 4 or 5 teams every time they would show one unless it was a playoff game. Wierd how probably the best sport on the planet gets the least viewership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fullright Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 The game itself seems to me to be pretty good. The guys in the Show have amazing skills and the lack of the old clutch and grab of anything that moves lets them show their skills. The broadcasts, however, suck and there's no continuity of the schedule. The few times I've seen a game on TNT the highlight for me was 99 in the studio between periods. Otherwise,the schedule is all over the place. Here, Foley is in his last year and the Blackhawks have had guest play by play and color commentators who are awful. They've also had more than a handful of games on streaming platforms for which I refuse to fork out the money. Thank heavens I get the NHL Network on Comcast (about the only channel I really watch) although I can do without that Elliot Friedman character who seems to know oh so much and seems overly concerned with his newest hairstyle. NBC got tedious esp with the repeat of the teams shown and McGuire's adoration of the Pens and Crosby. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTH Posted December 4, 2021 Author Share Posted December 4, 2021 I think I'm on the side of the game is boring. The NHL is overflowing with the greatest skilled players they ever had. Because of that, there aren't guys that are on that next level. They are all on that level for the most part. The stars don't shine as much as they used to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insertnamehere Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 1 hour ago, MTH said: I think I'm on the side of the game is boring. The NHL is overflowing with the greatest skilled players they ever had. Because of that, there aren't guys that are on that next level. They are all on that level for the most part. The stars don't shine as much as they used to. There are so few mistakes made. In my opinion, this is one reason why junior hockey is more fun to watch. Errors lead to exciting chances. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillyGrips13 Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Everyone seems to have different opinions on the state of the game. I find that talent is so good throughout all positions. All players regardless of position can skate and handle the puck extremely well. Everyone has a great shot. Wrist and snap-shots are as hard as most slap-shots from previous eras. Some of this is due to stick technology. Fitter athletes and better technique are the other contributing factors. Offense is more dynamic than in previous eras. Goaltenders are better than ever across the board. The position is taught as a science now and done so at a younger age. The athletes playing the position are on average taller than ever with longer limbs. People keep saying that goalie gear is too big, yet since 2005 they’ve been making it smaller again and again. A 6’4” man is going to look bigger than a 5’10” man every day of the week. Especially when everyone has excellent stance discipline (no double-coverage, no bad glove positioning and no bad stick positioning.) Lateral movement and recovery ability is unprecedented. The main negative is modern defending is chaotic and inconsistent. The main methods of defending are chasing the puck around, swiping at the puck on an attacker’s stick and shot blocking. This leads to attackers dangling through defenders, attackers without the puck being left wide open in scoring areas and tips and screens by defending players that lead to goals against. Next time you see a highlight reel goal, look at what the defending players are doing. More often than not they are covering space, watching the puck move around and flailing in vain at it all while flopping around in front of their goalie. I can’t believe no coach has tried to install more of a man-marking system of defending. Then again most hockey coaches are dumb as a bag of rocks. They just get hired because they yell loud, chew gum, wear a suit and put gel in their hair. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scythe Posted December 5, 2021 Share Posted December 5, 2021 (edited) Great post above ^ ... I still like watching pro. What gets me in the highlight reels is that everybody is a sniper now and the amount of lucky redirects in front of the net is ridiculous. I almost hate how all positions are scientifically thought and played out. I've had thoughts about the NHL secretly testing different rubber compounds to see which formula works best with new sling shot stick technology .. NHL pucks sure seem bouncy these days. Oh and I hate the helmet ads Edited December 5, 2021 by Scythe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estogoalie Posted December 5, 2021 Share Posted December 5, 2021 I think ratings on all pro sports (NBA, NHL, etc.) dropped significantly in the last couple of years. With COVID, there were alot of empty arenas. Sports bars were also closed or restricted. So the socializing aspect was gone. Watching sports is more fun if you share it with a group. What fun is yelling "Islanders suck" if there's no Islander fans around to hear it? Then there's all the "social justice" activism, which really politicized things and turned off alot of fans. Watching sports is also an escape, we get enough politics shoved at us everywhere we go, alot of people don't want it shoved at them while watching a game too. Well, I'm sure there's 50% of the viewers who do like it, but then there's the 50% of viewers who don't... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTH Posted December 6, 2021 Author Share Posted December 6, 2021 I think it's more 90/10 with those that don't want it and those that do. I was watching the NFL yesterday and the corn ball announcer was spending a whole quarter talking about how the players has their spikes for their own causes. Then was telling stories about the causes and the players... Kill me. Could you imagine Summerall and Madden having to talk about all the social crap? I just want to watch the game! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTH Posted December 6, 2021 Author Share Posted December 6, 2021 Is Buffalo really only getting around 8000 fans per game this year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coopaloop1234 Posted December 6, 2021 Share Posted December 6, 2021 6 minutes ago, MTH said: Is Buffalo really only getting around 8000 fans per game this year? 1. Border crossing is still a massive pain, so they're not getting their usual influx of Canadians at games. 2. Can you blame Buffalo fans for not wanting to go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnyman666 Posted December 6, 2021 Share Posted December 6, 2021 31 minutes ago, MTH said: I think it's more 90/10 with those that don't want it and those that do. I was watching the NFL yesterday and the corn ball announcer was spending a whole quarter talking about how the players has their spikes for their own causes. Then was telling stories about the causes and the players... Kill me. Could you imagine Summerall and Madden having to talk about all the social crap? I just want to watch the game! I refuse to watch the Nasty Foot Lickers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTH Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 (edited) Curious/ scared what the ratings were for the Winter Classic the other day. Late game, non interesting matchup nationwide, oh and on TBS or TNT... I DVR'd it. Watched the opening and first period only. Beautiful looking game. NO HELMET ADS. Have to think they will be bad. "The Predators-Stars NHL Winter Classic averaged a 1.15 rating and 1.96 million viewers on NBC, marking the lowest rating and viewership in the history of the game (dates back to 2008)." per spots media watch website. Edited January 4, 2022 by MTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnyman666 Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 5 minutes ago, MTH said: Curious/ scared what the ratings were for the Winter Classic the other day. Late game, non interesting matchup nationwide, oh and on TBS or TNT... I DVR'd it. Watched the opening and first period only. But the 10 goals was Bettman’s wet dream! I wonder what the story on Binnington wearing his regular gear was all about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTH Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 I guess playing well. Or he just saw the 'get new retro pads for one game' thing as tired as it is by now. Eye black? At night? Why? Stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnyman666 Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 13 minutes ago, MTH said: I guess playing well. Or he just saw the 'get new retro pads for one game' thing as tired as it is by now. Eye black? At night? Why? Stop. Silliness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
![THE GOAL[ie] NET[work]](http://content.invisioncic.com/r274873/monthly_2018_03/logo-02.png.d6f61971ea123d3bfb039f976a1ffe77.png){kind=logo}
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.