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Donnie Hockey
(Loves To Post!)
USA
1514 Posts |
 Posted - 05/19/2010 : 1:03:32 PM
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By reaching the conference finals for the first time in 17 years, the Montreal Canadiens might also upset the league's playoff ratings in a pivotal year for its TV potential.
The NHL's cable TV deal with Versus runs through next season, meaning these playoffs will produce the freshest ratings for any new TV negotiations which might lead to ESPN coming back to air games. Coverage on Versus, now in about 75 million households, has shown promise: Playoff viewership through Monday is up 29% from last year to 760,655 viewers per game and up 27% over ESPN/ESPN's coverage of the first rounds in 2004, when it last covered the league.
But in upsetting Pittsburgh and Washington, the Canadiens knocked out two solid U.S. markets and two of the biggest NHL stars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. And robs the NHL of home-market fans: Canadian viewers don't count in U.S. TV ratings.
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www.twitter.com/donhelbig |
Edited by - Donnie Hockey on 05/19/2010 1:04:30 PM |
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dtwells
(The Next Level!)
270 Posts |
Posted - 05/19/2010 : 1:43:03 PM
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| From what an ESPN columnist said on a radio podcast, ESPN has been trying to get the NHL but apparently Bettman or possibly others have some sort of vendetta against them and doesnt want them to get it. Hopefully ESPN get its, even if its a split partnership with NBC or Fox or whoever. Get it on a real channel with more coverage/options. |
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Donnie Hockey
(Loves To Post!)
USA
1514 Posts |
Posted - 05/19/2010 : 1:57:00 PM
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| Versus does a great job with its hockey coverage. If the NHL were back on ESPN, it's highly doubtful it would lead to people in places like Corbin, KY, Beckley, WV and Chattanooga, TN watching it. The people that want to watch the NHL can across the country through Versus or CenterIce. |
www.twitter.com/donhelbig |
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