Saturday's NHL on NBC fiasco

[Elliotte Friedman]

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?

 

[spnited]

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.

 

[beefncheddar]

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.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

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 ****up by the peacock network.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

Never knew there was a problem.

 

[suburbanite]

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 ****up by the peacock network.

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

 

[Double J]

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 ****up by the peacock network.

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. Un****ingforgivable.

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 ****ing freight??

 

[slappy4428]

Elliotte, the ****up 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 **** off in its desire to have a Canadian team play a Saturday night game in the first round. It ****s over the network that cares and gets ****ed by the network that doesn't care.

 

[SoSueMe]

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?

 

[Elliotte Friedman]

Dave Hodge.

I remember it like it was yesterday

 

[PCLoadLetter]

Elliotte, the ****up 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.

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 bull**** 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 **** 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.

 

[BYH]

Never knew there was a problem.

You and 99.9999 percent of America.

 

[Freelance Hack]

Heard this tidbit on the local radio this afternoon.

NBC's Preakness ratings were down about 5 percent from last year. Baltimore (obviously) was the No. 1 market . Louisville (another duh) was No. 2.

The sports announcer said very matter of factly that Buffalo was the No. 3 market. Somehow, I don't think they were watching for the race.

 

[SoSueMe]

Dave Hodge.

I remember it like it was yesterday

Yes, Hodge.

Sorry, my mistake. And, sorry, I'm not old enough to remember seeing it live. I was 10. :)

 

[Oz]

They should have just put the game on Hockey Night Canada or whatever it's called there. At least you know the people who carry the game actually care for it.

 

[Double J]

Oh, CBC had it on. But, because of NBC's insistence for an afternoon game, we couldn't actually have Hockey NIGHT in Canada on Saturday. It's only been a Canadian tradition for 70 ****ing years or so.

Imagine the NFL being told, "oh, btw, your Monday night game? We'd actually like you to start it at 2 p.m. instead." You can guess the response. The NHL should've given NBC the same response - NBC not showing the game at all couldn't possibly have been worse than what happened on Saturday.

As I said on the playoff thread, the NHL whored itself out in the hope of landing a few thousand more American fans, but it probably alienated tens of thousands more Canadian fans in the process, even without the overtime fiasco. Elliotte, can you tell us CBC's recent ratings for Saturday afternoon games as compared to traditional Saturday night games?

 

[Freelance Hack]

Here's a thought for NBC: What the hell else are you going to show on Saturday nights? You know what its schedule consists of right now? Law & Order series' repeats. NBC abandoned Saturday evenings a long time ago, there's no reason why the network should have put hockey on at any time prior to the Preakness.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

Here's a thought for NBC: What the hell else are you going to show on Saturday nights? You know what its schedule consists of right now? Law & Order series' repeats. NBC abandoned Saturday evenings a long time ago, there's no reason why the network should have put hockey on at any time prior to the Preakness.

Umm... no.

I don't have the national numbers, but here are the Saturday overnights from my city (top 15 market with an NHL franchise):

Law & Order SVU: 5.6, #1 in its time slot

Law & Order: 7.3, #1 in its time slot

Preakness: 4.9, #1 in its time slot with a number more than 3 times higher than #2. It peaked at a 6.3 for the actual race.

Buffalo vs Ottawa: 1.6, #2 behind the Yankee/Red Sox game, roughly tied with the AT&T Classic. At one point it was only .2 better than the WNBA game. And two competing network affiliates were in paid programming for much of that time.

When NBC switched from hockey to the Preakness prerace coverage its ratings doubled almost instantly, 90 minutes before the race.

Again, I like hockey. I used to have season tickets to an NHL team. But any network executive who suggests putting the NHL in prime time will be fired on the spot, and for good reason.

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

Imagine the NFL being told, "oh, btw, your Monday night game? We'd actually like you to start it at 2 p.m. instead."

The Seahawks opened the season against Cleveland on a Monday afternoon (Labor Day) in 1984. The Cowboys and Rams opened on MNF that night.

 

[Double J]

Imagine the NFL being told, "oh, btw, your Monday night game? We'd actually like you to start it at 2 p.m. instead."

The Seahawks opened the season against Cleveland on a Monday afternoon (Labor Day) in 1984. The Cowboys and Rams opened on MNF that night.

Okay, what I meant was, imagine the NFL being told its couldn't televise its Monday night game at the regular time because it was being moved to the afternoon to satisfy the network.