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Saturday's NHL on NBC fiasco

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Elliotte Friedman, May 21, 2007.

  1. Elliotte Friedman

    Elliotte Friedman Moderator Staff Member

    Apparently, the NHL is trying to determine what went wrong Saturday afternoon on the switchover from NBC to Versus. (Yes, it's stupid that it even had to happen at all, but let's forget that for a second.)

    Was Versus late to the start of overtime in any of your markets? And, did anyone miss the OT goal?
     
  2. spnited

    spnited Active Member

    Halfd of the US or more can't get versus on basic cable, it's a pay tier. Some places can't get it at all.
     
  3. beefncheddar

    beefncheddar Guest

    I was at work, so I was a little slow on the switch. But I had the end of the intermission and the full OT on Versus here.
     
  4. 2muchcoffeeman

    2muchcoffeeman Well-Known Member

    I don't think either of the places I hung out at Saturday is signed up for either satellite or digital cable, which is where Versus is here. I would think that no more than a handful of cable systems have the network as part of their expanded basic tier with ESPN.

    NBC should have moved the pre-Preakness schlock to CNBC or MSNBC. Complete fuckup by the peacock network.
     
  5. Simon_Cowbell

    Simon_Cowbell Active Member

    Never knew there was a problem.
     
  6. suburbanite

    suburbanite Active Member

    Which, of course, was also the 'Heidi' network. :D
     
  7. Double J

    Double J Active Member

    To be honest, this was not NBC's fault - the network had an obligation to the Preakness, whether it was pre-race coverage or whatever. NBC was counting on a lot of coin from the race and associated programming, but would get nothing from a commercial-free hockey overtime.

    This was entirely the NHL's fault for agreeing to NBC's demands, such as the start time of the game, and for not ensuring complete coverage of the game from start to finish. Bettman and/or his minions dropped the ball here. Unfuckingforgivable.

    If this is what pro hockey has to put up with in order to be broadcast on American networks, screw American networks. Hey, NHL, how about some loyalty to the fans in the stands and the ones who tune in on Canadian stations - you know, the ones who are paying the fucking freight??
     
  8. slappy4428

    slappy4428 Active Member

    Elliotte, the fuckup wasn't in the switch, it was the fact that there was a switch in the first place.
    You dont leave an overtime game for pre-coverage of anything.
    This is coming from the same league that told CBC to piss off in its desire to have a Canadian team play a Saturday night game in the first round. It fucks over the network that cares and gets fucked by the network that doesn't care.
     
  9. SoSueMe

    SoSueMe Active Member

    Elliotte, this reminds of when the CBC cut from hockey curling (or vice versa?) and I think it was Hughson that got fired for saying something on air and throwing his pencil.

    Anyone else remember this?
     
  10. Elliotte Friedman

    Elliotte Friedman Moderator Staff Member

    Dave Hodge.

    I remember it like it was yesterday
     
  11. PCLoadLetter

    PCLoadLetter Well-Known Member

    As a former die-hard hockey fan, I certainly agree. I watched the overtime on Versus and skipped the race.

    However, to quote Bobbie Fleckman, "money talks and bullshit walks."

    There is some level of interest in the second leg of the Triple Crown.

    Thanks to the self-immolation of the NHL there is almost no American interest in the Stanley Cup playoffs anymore. The NHL successfully destroyed most of its fan base and its entire national profile because the owners couldn't trust themselves not to pay out more money than they earn. If you fuck up that badly, you get to beg for scraps for a while. The NHL doesn't have the viewership to dictate anything to any network bigger than Versus. If NBC asked for a tie-in to "E-R," the league would have smiled, nodded, and told the Sabres to wear lab coats.
     
  12. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    You and 99.9999 percent of America.
     
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