Chicago Blackhawks president John McDonough recently addressed Illinois’ Society for Information Management concerning his plans to integrate technology to help the team and the sport connect with a younger demographic.As reported by Brad Spirrison, McDonough – former president of the Chicago Cubs - revealed his approach to bringing innovation into the business side of sports.
"One of our primary goals is to connect with the younger demographic.We have not had home games televised for decades and have missed out on two generations. If we're going to get those fans back, technology will have to provide an assist."While with the Cubs, McDonough was one of the first, if not the first, to introduce wireless communications between the manager and coaches in the dugout and the coaches and players in the bullpen.
The National Hockey League is the highest professional level of, with the possible exception of baseball, a sport more linked to tradition and heritage than any other.As an entitiy, it has capitalized on the benefits inherent to embracing the legacy of the past, and of fostering a generational connection between fans and players.As with MLB, there is a slice of the consumer base that devours the past as eagerly as it does the present.Of course, that also presents a challenge when attempting to take a collective step forward by changing models for how fans and consumers may enjoy the game.It appears the McDonough has recognized this, as he is starting with simple measures like putting the team back on local television.
Of course, he also has a broader vision for the future:"Inside an arena or ballpark, you get far less information than if you are watching a game at home.Going forward, there will be devices that will allow you to learn where a player is from and see how many goals he had the past year. All this information will be at your fingertips, and what you can see inside a facility will be a lot more like what you can see on television."
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Amp Energy, who was the official sponsor of the NHL's outdoor Winter Classic, debuted the following ad during coverage of the game on New Years's Day. The ad features goalies Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres and Jean-Sebastien of the LA Kings throwing down with the gloves off via "Your Momma is ugly" jokes.
The game that was “classic†in more ways than one, pulled in an impressive 2.6 overnight rating and a 5 share on NBC. To place that in perspective, it was the highest television rating for the NHL since a six-game regional telecast on Fox drew a 3.0 overnight rating and a 7 share on Feb. 3, 1996. As reported by The AP:
"We're delighted by the success of this historic event," NBC Sports president Ken Schanzer said. "The Winter Classic exposed hockey to a larger audience and definitely made new fans of the game."
The Winter Classic ratings also surpassed Wayne Gretzky's final game, which was broadcast on Fox on April 18, 1999, and drew a 2.5/6.
The Buffalo and Pittsburgh markets led the ratings, at 38.2/58 and 17.7/30, respectively. But markets such as Sacramento, Calif., St. Louis and Denver also drew strong ratings, even though the game went up against a number of college football bowl games, including an intriguing Capital One Bowl between Florida and Michigan.
A single national ratings point represents one percent of the total number, or 1,128,000 households for the 2006-07 season. Share is the percentage of television sets in use tuned to the program.
Ratings for the NHL on Versus are up through the first half of the season, posting a 0.3 average household rating over 22 games, an increase from 0.2 on Versus at the same point last season. As reported by the Sports Business Journal:
Versus also posted gains in viewers (up 24 percent), as well as with men ages 18-34 (up 1 percent), 18-49 (up 27 percent) and 25-54 (up 43 percent).
The net’s most-viewed game of the season was the Dec. 11 Flyers-Penguins matchup, which earned a 0.5 national household rating and 445,096 viewers. That game also was Versus’ most-watched NHL regular-season telecast ever.
And, regional coverage is up, as well, for some NHL teams. With Comcast SportsNet Chicago airing some Blackhawks home games, ratings for the team have posted a 0.93 household rating for three telecasts. Last year at this time, the Blackhawks had posted a 45 percent decline in ratings from the year prior.
FSN has seen increases through their regional outlets of 24.7 percent through 258 games. Biggest regional increase? The St. Louis Blues with a 125 percent increase through 16 games on FSN Midwest. The N.Y. Islanders at 176 percent increase over 22 games and New Jersey Devils at a 138 percent increase over the same 22 games round out the top three. Both the Devils and Islanders are on FSNY. The biggest decline? The Phoenix Coyotes on FSN Arizona at -52.1% over 16 games.
Ratings for the NHL on Versus are up through the first half of the season, posting a 0.3 average household rating over 22 games, an increase from 0.2 on Versus at the same point last season. As reported by the Sports Business Journal:
