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NBC Sees Highest Rated Game 2 for Stanley Cup Finals

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 01:14:42 +0000

NBC Sports’ coverage of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final earned the best overnight rating (4.1 rating and 7 share) for a Game 2 on record (NHL overnight data prior to 1975 is unavailable) and was up 21 percent over last year (3.4, Game 2, Detroit vs. Pittsburgh). The broadcast peaked at a 4.7/8 from 10:30-11 p.m. ET. The Chicago market delivered a 25.1/39, while Philadelphia earned an 18.5/29.

The Stanley Cup Final on NBC again won the night, as it did Saturday for Game 1, finishing No. 1 in primetime (2.4, Adults 18-49).

“These historic viewership numbers are the result of compelling stories and great play on the ice, two markets on fire for their teams, terrific coverage by our North American television partners, and a season’s worth of unprecedented fan engagement on multiple platforms across North America,” said NHL COO John Collins.

Last night’s milestone comes on the heels of healthy ratings for Game 1, which earned the best overnight rating for a Game 1 in 11 years. The 2.8 overnight rating and 6 share was the highest since 1999 (Buffalo vs. Dallas, 3.7 on Fox).

Canada also scored big during Game 1 of the Final with CBC achieving an average audience of 3.16 million, an 83-percent increase from Game 1 in 2009. NBC’s two-game average overnight rating is a 3.5, the best for the first two games of a Stanley Cup Final in 11 years (3.8 on Fox in 1999, Buffalo vs. Dallas) and up 17 percent over last year (3.0).

Top 10 Markets for First Two Games on NBC
1. Chicago – 21.0
2. Philadelphia – 15.9
3. Buffalo – 8.8
4. Pittsburgh – 4.5
5. Indianapolis – 4.0
6. Detroit – 3.8
7. Ft. Myers – 3.5
8. Las Vegas – 3.3
T9. Orlando – 3.2
T9. Columbus – 3.2
T9. St. Louis – 3.2

NON-NHL MARKETS SHOWING HUGE INCREASES

Three non-NHL markets have shown triple digit rating increases for the first two games of the Final led by Seattle, which has seen a remarkable 213 percent rise. Kansas City (+140%) and Memphis (+120) have also earned substantial gains.

DIGITAL STRATEGY PAYS DIVIDENDS

The NHL is engaging and connecting with more fans than ever on its digital platforms and the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs has continued that trend. Some highlights:

• For the first three days of the Stanley Cup Final, page views are up 77 percent over last year and video starts are up 185 percent
• For the first 48 days of the playoffs, video starts on NHL.com are up 148 percent over last year
• Unique visitors to NHL.com are up 28 percent
• Page views are up 50 percent
• Mobile page views are up 182 percent
• April was the most trafficked month in the history of NHL.com in terms of unique visitors surpassing 17 million
• NHL.com ranked as the number two site in terms of percentage change in unique
visitors from March to April according to comScore.

TV MILESTONES IN THE 2010 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

• VERSUS' coverage of the first two rounds of 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs was the mostwatched first two rounds on cable on record with an average of 775,000 viewers for the 54 telecasts (Stanley Cup Playoff cable viewership became available by Nielsen for the 1994 playoffs)
• NBC and VERSUS have combined for the most-watched first two rounds since 1997 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2)
• Game 1 of the Blackhawks-Sharks series on NBC earned an 11.2 rating in Chicago, beating the Cubs, White Sox and Boston-Orlando broadcasts combined
• On Thursday April 22, the Blackhawks, with 278,000 viewers in Chicago, prevailed over some tough local competition: Bulls (255,000 viewers, playoff game against Cleveland and LeBron James), NFL Draft (138,000) and the Chicago Cubs vs. NY Mets (137,000 viewers)
• The Flyers Game 7 victory over the Bruins was the most watched Flyers game in Comcast SportsNet history with an 11.7 rating and 345,000 households, topping the previous record set two days earlier.
• CBC’s coverage of Game 7 between the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins drew an average audience of 4.24 million viewers, ranking as the sixth largest Stanley Cup Playoff audience in CBC history.
• On French language RDS, the Canadiens-Penguins Game 7 was the most-viewed NHL telecast in the network’s history with 2.69 million viewers.
• The game also scored on FSN Pittsburgh averaging a 26.4 HH rating, the highest-rated game ever on the network. At one point 43 percent of all households in the Pittsburgh DMA were tuned into FSN.
• There were three major Boston-area sports events televised on May 7 and Game 4 of the Bruins-Flyers series scored the best numbers, earning an 8.3 local Nielsen rating (328,000 viewers) on Versus in the Boston metered market besting the Yankees-Red Sox matchup on NESN, which earned a 6.3 local rating (223,000 viewers) to finish in second, while Game Three of the Cavaliers-Celtics NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals earned a 4.1 local rating (142,000 viewers) on ESPN.
• TSN's audience of 2.8 million for the Washington-Montreal Game 7 was the highest audience ever recorded for an NHL game on TSN and was the most-watched program on Canadian television Wednesday night in all key demographics.
• The Montreal-Washington series ranks as the most-watched playoff series ever on TSN (any round) with an average audience of 1.8 million viewers over seven games.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NHL’S RECORD-BREAKING BUSINESS SUCCESS IN 2009-10

• Corporate sponsorship was up 20 percent
• New League partners this season include Geico, Starwood Hotels, Enterprise Rent-ACar, LG Electronics and Hershey’s Canada
• Ad spending on NHL® media increased by 37 percent over last season
• NHL.com ad revenue is up 50 percent over last year
• Revenue from big event platforms, led by the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic®, are up 22 percent over last season
• Unique visitors to NHL.com surpassed last year’s record by 32 percent
• NHL Game Center Live™ subscriptions were up 25 percent
• NHL Network subscribers have increased by 104 percent
• Sales at SHOP.NHL.com were up 12 percent from last year’s record
• Viewership for NBC’s Game of the Week telecasts were up 13 percent
• Ratings for exclusive telecasts on Versus were up 20 percent
• NHL Mobile™ reached 1.6 million page views, an increase of 233 percent over last season

Source: Nielsen Media Research US and Nielsen Media Research Canada / BBM

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Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, as well as a contributor to the Forbes SportsMoney blog. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).

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Bruins Draws 10.3 Rating for Game 6 in Boston Market

Thu, 13 May 2010 20:36:50 +0000

New England Sports Network (NESN) earned a 10.3 household rating in the Boston DMA for last night’s Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal against the Philadelphia Flyers. This is the third highest Bruins game rating in NESN’s 26 year history covering the team behind only last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinal Game 7 (14.2) and the 2004 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Game 7 (11.2)

NESN’s ratings in the key demographic categories are also impressive, including a 10.8 for Men 25-54 and an 8.0 for Adults 25-54. The Men 25-54 demo rating was #1 in the Boston DMA on Tuesday night while the Adults 25-54 demo rating was second in the market only to American Idol.

NESN will deliver regionally exclusive coverage of game 7 from TD Garden on Friday, May 14 at 7:00 PM. Jack Edwards (play-by-play) and Andy Brickley (color analyst) will handle the call with Naoko Funayama serving as NESN’s rinkside reporter. NESN’s coverage begins at 6:30 PM with a WB Mason Bruins Face-Off LIVE hosted by Kathryn Tappen who will be joined by Bruins studio analyst Gord Kluzak.

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Viewership, Revenues up for 2010 NHL Playoffs

Tue, 04 May 2010 13:32:26 +0000

USA Today is reporting that U.S. viewership of the 2010 NHL playoffs is up a whopping 24 percent, making the number the largest average audience in the past 10 years. In addition, the NHL noted that corporate sponsorship is up 20 percent and that ad spending on NHL media increased by 37 percent over last season.

The first round of the 2010 playoffs have seen some compelling games and apparently the viewers across North American have taken notice. “The first round of the playoffs was dramatic and exciting, and our passionate fans consumed the game on television, online and in arena in a big way,” said NHL Chief Operating Officer John Collins. “Fans are enjoying the playoffs and we are now uniquely positioned to engage and serve them in ways we never have before, especially through our digital platforms.”

TSN viewership exhibited the greatest gains in comparison to last year, averaging 1.07 million viewers for the first round of the playoffs. This is an 89 percent increase over 2009. The positive news was not limited to television. Over 17 million unique visitors logged onto NHL.com in April, thus becoming the most-trafficked month in the history of NHL.com.

Although these robust ratings and revenues are encouraging, the NHL is hoping that the early departure of the Washington Capitals and the Phoenix Coyotes from the 2010 playoffs will not slow down this year’s encouraging ratings.

The loss of the Caps hurts. Washington D.C. is reasserting itself as a major hockey television market due to the exciting play of young players like Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Semyon Varlamov.

The Coyotes are the feel-good story of the 2009-2010 season. The franchise, a symbol of the NHL’s attempts at growing the game by bringing hockey to non-traditional markets, has seldom been competitive since relocating from Winnipeg to Arizona. The team’s turnaround this year was unforeseeable, as almost one year ago the franchise was concluding another subpar season and on the brink of filing for bankruptcy protection. Now the team has a new owner, the NHL, and is poised to challenge the Western Conference elite for supremacy.

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Jeff Levine is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is a sports attorney, and the Executive Director of One Sports and Entertainment, International.

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NESN Earns Record Regular Season Rating for Bruins-Penguins Game

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:02:17 +0000

Last night’s Bruins-Penguins game garnered a 6.2 household rating which is the highest rated regular season game in NESN’s history.

NESN’s highest rated Bruins game ever was a 14.2 rating for game 7 of last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinal against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Bruins next two games are against the two teams that are trailing them in the Eastern Conference standings with a game against the New York Rangers on Sunday on NBC and a game against the Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday night, with coverage beginning at 6:30 PM on NESN.

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DirecTV and VERSUS Reach Agreement. VERSUS Back on Satcaster

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:55:25 +0000

DirecTV and VERSUS have settled
their dispute that lastest from
August till today

THIS IS BREAKING NEWS...

DIRECTV and Comcast have reached an agreement to return VERSUS to the DIRECTV programming lineup today. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

As of publication, the channel had return to DirecTV's channel listing on 603.

VERSUS will return to the same DIRECTV programming packages it was in at the end of August 2009 showing cycling content.

"We are pleased that both sides were able to work out a satisfactory deal to bring this programming back to our customers," said Derek Chang, executive vice president, Content Strategy and Development, DIRECTV.

"We're excited that we were able to come to a fair agreement that puts VERSUS back in millions of homes with DIRECTV in time for our busy spring programming schedule," said Jamie Davis, president of VERSUS. "We look forward to super-serving these fans with NHL regular-season and playoff coverage, our first live UFC event and much more."

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REVIEW: NHL GameCenter Live Best in Class for Streaming Sports Online

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:20:13 +0000

4 on the Floor: NHL's GameCenter Live allows
you to watch up to 4 games at once, plus much,
much more (select image to see in larger view)

It’s a great time to be a sports fan these days. Between HD, mobile, and the internet, fans of every stripe can get their fix.

Of course, there can be option overload. Between league-owned networks, and out-of-market television packages, the problem could be, “Where to choose?”

For anyone looking to augment their NHL viewing options, or get started, the league’s GameCenter Live package should be worth considering. The online streaming package for out-of-market games has just about everything a fan could want if they find watching video online as an option over television, or a service that can get them watching games when a television set isn’t available, with one major exception we will get to in a bit.

Seeing Is Believing

Our review of GCL was done on a Dell Inspiron 1750 2.10GHz Dual Core system laptop running Windows 7 with 4 Gigs of RAM, a 17” monitor running at 1600x900, running WiFi over DSL. We used Mozilla’s Firefox as the browser. By default, video streaming runs at 1600Kbps, with the user being able to select lower bit rates (400Kbps, 800Kbps). We installed the NeuLion Plug-In that is an option for GCL that allows for adaptive bit rates – the system automatically detects and adjusts the bit rate depending on the connection speed.

With the ability to stream up to four games simultaneously, we were pleasantly surprised to find no buffering issues. Clicking between each pane switched audio for that given game seamlessly. For those that want to keep track of multiple games, the ability to watch four games is a key selling point of the package. (Select image in the upper right to see example).

DVR-Like

"Ice Tracker" in GameCenter Live is one of several
widgets that make the streaming video
package a winner

New for this year in GameCenter Live is the ability to use the system’s “DVR-like” functions. Becoming standard fare for streaming packages, users can pause, rewind, go back to “Live”, or use the handy “Go Back 10 Seconds” button.

Widgets ‘R Us

GameCenter Live’s biggest strength is the use of widgets. Once launched, the user has the ability to watch up to four games at once, by clicking from the schedule bar above the viewing field, or by clicking on a game, and dragging and dropping it into place. This is also handy for stats for a particular game you happen to be viewing. Caps playing the Bruins? Click on the stats tab for which team you want to view, and drag the transparent menu anywhere on the viewing screen, including over the action. Want to watch a game in full view, but want to check another game using Picture in Picture, there’s a small widget for that in which you can place it where ever you like.

Other great widget features include Play-By-Play, a chat window, and our favorite, the Ice Tracker which allows you to see where shots, goals, hits, penalties, occurred for the entire game, by period, for both, or each team. Mousing over a marker on Ice Tracker gives you details (see image)

Give Me The Time(line)

There’s nothing worse than watching a game, forgetting to put it on pause, walking away and coming back only to find that you missed a shot on or goal. One of GCL’s best features is a timeline with markers showing when the period ended, shots on goal, and goals. Clicking on the markers gives you several seconds leading up to the action in question. When getting into archived games, this function can act as your “highlight reel”.

Got the time? GameCenter Live's timeline bar
allows you to click right to where the action
happens (click to see in detail)

(select the image to see in detail)

Popout Fizzles

The only glitch we found in GameCenter Live revolved around its ability to have a “popout” window. Clicking on the “popout” button opens a mini-window that can be set in the corner of your screen to allow you to check a single game, but not have it consume a sizeable part of your screen’s real estate. We tried using this function several times, only to have it lock the browser up. This was distracting, but not a deal killer – the functionality seems a nice to have, rather than a core piece – after a couple of crashes, we simply left the “popout” testing alone, and soon forgot about it.

Time Machine (Archives)

Fall asleep on the couch, and only have a few minutes before you have to dash off to work? If you’re a NHL GameCenter Live subscriber, you can watch a 10 to 12 minute version of the game the next morning at 8am ET. And, you can watch archived games 48 hours after the games are broadcast with no blackouts. For those that live on the East Coast and are looking to see what they might have missed for Left Coast games, a great way to keep up with the action.

One of the coolest content related pieces for this year’s GCL is the ability to see a collection of select games from 1970 thru 2009 that have been selected by the NHL’s Editorial Staff.

Conclusion: Get It, But Let the Buyer Beware (Blackouts)

As online streaming sports applications go, GameCenter Live is the best one out there. It pulled out all the stops in terms of functionality, and with the exception of one hiccup, was robust enough to give a great viewing experience.

But, before you plunk down $119 (US), GCL’s biggest issue may have nothing to do with the application, at all, but rather the NHL’s television blackout policy. Depending on your location, and national broadcasts, getting “up to 40 games a week” may fall more on the side of well under, rather than reaching that nice sounding “40 games” plateau.

Since GCL looks for where your computer’s IP address is located, your blackouts become tied to that location. But, the NHL doesn’t provide a zip code locator where you could enter in your location to see where you are currently blacked out, and to-date, no enterprising individuals have created a blackout map, such as is the case for Major League Baseball (see MLB’s blackout map). This is the biggest issue surrounding GCL, and it's most glaring weakness.

There’s nothing worse than purchasing something great, which GameCenter Live is, only to find that the games you want to see are caught up in the Blackout Blues. If you live in a location where blackouts are not an issue, such as we are, then purchasing GCL should be a no brainer. For the rest of those considering, since the NHL doesn't have the information, we suggest scouring the web throughly for information that will help you make the proper decision on your purchase. Below are the NHL’s blackout restrictions pulled from their GameCenter Live FAQ. Consider reading closely before purchasing:

When am I blacked out on NHL GAMECENTER LIVE?

Generally, you are blacked out of games on NHL GAMECENTER Live based on a number of factors, including:

1. Your local team is televising on a local over-the-air station and you are located within that station’s signal.
2. Your local team is televising on a local regional sports network and your cable or satellite system falls within the distribution for that local regional sports network (regardless of whether your cable or satellite system actually carries that regional sports network.)
3. There is no local television coverage of your local team.
4. The game is being televised nationally – In the U.S. this includes NBC, Versus, and the NHL Network. In Canada this includes CBC, TSN, and the NHL Network.

What if all the games I’m trying view are blacked out?

This means our system cannot identify your IP address as a valid IP address. Hotels, Universities or Colleges, using a company VPN could be connecting to proxy servers that make it difficult to locate what TV territory you are located in.

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Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

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Blackhawks Seeing Record Television Ratings

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:29:27 +0000

About a year ago, SportsBusiness Journal reported that the Chicago Blackhawks local TV ratings were up 72.6 percent from the previous year. In 2008-’09, the Blackhawks averaged a 1.07 rating. So far this season, they have already set NHL viewing records on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. December 9, the Blackhawks overtime victory against the New York Rangers drew a 3.03, setting the record. December 23, they broke it again posting a 3.27 in a 3-0 victory against the Boston Bruins.

Comcast SportsNet isn’t the only place the Blackhawks are setting records. WGN-TV announced Dec. 21 that Chicago’s 3-0 victory against the Detroit Red Wings brought in a 4.1 household rating, surpassing their previous 3.3 high. WGN reported its ratings are up 47 percent overall from last season and up 111 percent in adults 25-54.

If you are wondering, the top local TV rating last season was the Buffalo Sabres, blowing away the rest of the league with an 8.87. The next highest was the Penguins with a 6.14. This season, two teams who scored in the 2’s in ratings in 2008-’09 will be facing off in the Winter Classic. Last season the Winter Classic drew 4.4 million viewers, making it the most-viewed NHL regular season game in history.

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National Hockey League Unveils NHL VideoCenter

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:14:48 +0000

The National Hockey League (NHL) today unveiled NHL VideoCenter (http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/), the League’s new streaming video player that features new channels of content, significant enhancements to the user experience, and enables fans to easily share NHL video on the most popular social media Web sites.

With an enhanced user interface and expanded programming based on analytic insights into fan demand, NHL VideoCenter was developed in coordination with the NHL’s strategic technology partner NeuLion, the leading developer of IPTV solutions for content partners such as the NHL, NFL and more than 200 Colleges. NHL VideoCenter upgrades and replaces NHL Network Online, the League’s groundbreaking video environment that was launched with NeuLion in April, 2008.

“NHL.com is the first place fans look to see the best game highlights, live and feature videos, and original programming focused on the NHL,” said Andre Mika, NHL Senior Vice President for Creative. “NHL VideoCenter expands the volume of video content offered on NHL.com, and greatly enhances and streamlines the user interface, creating the Web’s best destination for NHL video.”

The new features and enhancements give NHL fans even more video content to choose from. It allows them fans to find, and interact with, NHL video more quickly, more easily and more often, as well as share that experience with online communities all over the Web. Among the new and enhanced features include:

High-definition viewing experience
Three new channels of content − NHL Shootout Channel, featuring all NHL game shootouts in their entirety; NHL Press Room, featuring live coverage of press conferences and other breaking news; and NHL Library, which gives fans a selection of classic and archived videos
Click-to-share with popular social media sites such as Twitter and Digg, and the ability to share full videos that play in-line on Facebook
Expanded screen size
Faster page loading
Better and expanded search results
Streamlined, more consumable game highlights

“The must-have trend for 2010 is HD and the new NHL VideoCenter brings that HD experience to the fan. Interactivity, syndication features and multi-device delivery allows the NHL to reach fans anywhere at anytime and build a deeper relationship with them,” said Chris Wagner, EVP and Co-Founder of NeuLion.

As a result of these consumer-facing improvements that drive more fan interaction and engagement with NHL video, NHL VideoCenter will also deliver greater value to NHL partners that advertise within videos or via banner ads.

“Integrating with NHL video online is among our most important advertising activations with the National Hockey League,” said Tom Peyton, Sr. Manager, National Advertising American Honda Motor Company. “We feel that the high level of fan engagement on NHL VideoCenter makes it a great environment for targeted Honda Brand marketing."

Source: National Hockey League

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Caps, Flyers Game Pushes VERSUS Ratings to Highest Point Since '05

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:42:26 +0000

VERSUS announced the Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers game Tuesday night drew its highest ratings since the NHL joined the network in 2005. The 0.6 edged the previous high which was opening night of this season when the Capitals vs. Boston Bruins got a 0.5. VERSUS says ratings are up 33 percent from last season. The high ratings come despite DirecTV no longer carrying VERSUS due to a contract dispute.

VERSUS deal includes 54 or more NHL games each season as well as coverage of Stanley Cup Playoff games. The network will carry games 2 and 3 of the Stanley Cup this season. In January of 2008, the NHL and VERSUS reached an extension of their contract to keep the NHL on VERSUS at least through 2011. This season, the network paid $72.5 million and will pay inflationary costs in the future.

See more on the ongoing battle between DirecTV and VERSUS see the following:

VERSUS Network President Takes Battle with DirecTV to the Airwaves

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VERSUS Network President Takes Battle with DirecTV to the Airwaves

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:41:21 +0000

The battle between DirecTV
and VERSUScontinues, even
as ratings for the NHL are
up on the network

President of the Versus network Jamie Davis said on the NHL Live radio show that ratings are up 30 percent. But, Davis wasn’t on the show to talk about a ratings boost, he was on to talk about a dispute between Versus and DirecTV.

Davis claimed that DirecTV was insisting on a clause to take Versus away from 6 million existing subscribers, then offer the Versus network for an additional fee. DirecTV accused Versus of asking for a 20 percent increase.

"We have an offer to them on the table which is for not one extra penny than what they were paying before, and we're not asking for any extra money or extra distribution," Davis said. "We just wanted to continue on a status-quo deal with no strings attached and they have rejected that."

Davis’s claim that Versus didn’t want more money may contradict a statement by Comcast, who owns Versus. Comcast said in a statement, “Versus offered DirecTV a fair and reasonable offer to carry the network at the market price. We hope DirecTV will make the right decision for their customers and put Versus back on the air."

That’s not what DirecTV says. A statement released by DirecTV after dropping Versus said “Comcast, which owns Versus, has forced us to take down the channel because we will not submit to their unfair and outrageous demands.”

Davis implied in his interview that the two sides could still come to an agreement. "The two sides are talking, that's good news," he said. "If there was no dialogue, that would be really, really bad."

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NESN Sees Highest Rated BruinsSeason Opener Broadcast in 25 Years

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:04:40 +0000

NESN earned a 3.9 HH rating in the Boston DMA for Saturday’s Bruins – Hurricanes game, the network’s highest rated Bruins season opening broadcast in 25 years of covering the team. NESN’s 3.9 rating was also the highest average household rating recorded in the Boston DMA during the game’s 7:00 PM to10:00 PM window, besting all other broadcast and cable networks.

“Bruins fans have picked up right where they left off after a record setting 2008-2009 season,” said Sean McGrail , NESN President and CEO. “We are delighted to start the season with another strong rating, demonstrating that Bruins fans are excited that hockey is back in season here in Boston .”

NESN’s Bruins pre-game show WB Mason Bruins Faceoff LIVE also reached a major benchmark on Saturday. The season-opening edition generated a 1.1 HH rating in Boston and was seen in 28,000 homes, more than any Bruins pre-game show during the 2008-2009 season.

The network’s previous high rating for a season opening broadcast came on January 23, 1995 when the network earned a 3.8 rating for its first broadcast of that lockout shortened season.

Source: NESN

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NHL Network Releases U.S. 2009-10 Live NHL Regular-Season Schedule

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:45:53 +0000

The following is the NHL Network's U.S. 2009-10 Live NHL regular-season schedule, as released by the National Hockey League

Day	Date	Away	Home	Time (ET)
Fri.	Oct. 2	NY Rangers	Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.
Sat.	Oct. 3	Chicago	Florida	Noon
Sat.	Oct. 3	St. Louis	Detroit	3 p.m.
Sat.	Oct. 3	Toronto	Washington	7 p.m.
Sat.	Oct. 3	Calgary	Edmonton	10 p.m.
Wed.	Oct. 7	Phoenix	Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.
Thurs.	Oct. 8	Chicago	Detroit	7:30 p.m.
Sat.	Oct. 10	Pittsburgh	Toronto	7 p.m.
Wed.	Oct. 14	Pittsburgh	Carolina	7 p.m.
Thurs.	Oct. 15	San Jose	Washington	7 p.m.
Sat.	Oct. 17	NY Rangers	Toronto	7 p.m.
Wed.	Oct. 21	Vancouver	Chicago	8:30 p.m.
Thurs.	Oct. 22	Boston	Philadelphia	7 p.m.
Sat.	Oct. 24	NY Rangers	Montreal	7 p.m.
Wed.	Oct. 28	Los Angeles	San Jose	10:30 p.m.
Thurs.	Oct. 29	Washington	Atlanta	7 p.m.
Sat.	Oct. 31	Toronto	Montreal	7 p.m.
Wed.	Nov. 4	San Jose	Columbus	7 p.m.
Thurs.	Nov. 5	Nashville	Anaheim	10 p.m.
Sat.	Nov. 7	Detroit	Toronto	7 p.m.
Wed.	Nov. 11	NY Islanders	Washington	7 p.m.
Thurs.	Nov. 12	New Jersey	Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.
Sat.	Nov. 14	Calgary	Toronto	7 p.m.
Wed.	Nov. 18	Dallas	Detroit	7:30 p.m.
Fri.	Nov. 20	Philadelphia	San Jose	10 p.m.
Sat.	Nov. 21	Washington	Toronto	7 p.m.
Sat.	Nov. 28	Washington	Montreal	7 p.m.
Wed.	Dec. 2	Vancouver	New Jersey	7 p.m.

Source: National Hockey League

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NHL Gets Started On ESPN America, ESPN, ESPN360.com

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:26:30 +0000

A new National Hockey League (NHL) season begins on Thursday 1st October live at midnight on ESPN America and for the first time in the UK in high definition on new channel ESPN HD when the Montreal Canadiens visit the Toronto Maple Leafs.

This is the first of over 300 live and as-live NHL games to feature on ESPN’s UK television channels during the 2009/10 season, including the four-game CompuWare NHL Premiere games in Stockholm and Helsinki. ESPN America, ESPN and ESPN HD will show the best of the regular season, play-offs and Stanley Cup Final games, as part of their most comprehensive coverage of the world’s premier ice hockey league in the UK ever. In addition, over 1,000 games a season – around 40 games a week – will be available to watch online via subscription at ESPN360.com, either live or on-demand.

This season’s CompuWare NHL Premiere games in Europe come from Stockholm with Detroit Red Wings facing St Louis Blues and Helsinki with Chicago Blackhawks against Florida Panthers. ESPN America will broadcast live double headers on both Friday 2nd October and Saturday 3rd October from 5pm. After the games end in Europe, the NHL heads back to North America where every team will aim to make it to the play-offs and a chance of winning the championship.

Earlier this year, the Pittsburgh Penguins lifted the Stanley Cup for the third time in their history after a tense series that ended 4-3 against the Detroit Red Wings and both those teams are expected to be there or thereabouts come the end of the season. With at least seven games a week shown on ESPN America, ESPN, ESPN HD and ESPN360.com throughout the season, there will be more than enough NHL to satisfy even the most hungry hockey fans. The live action will be accompanied by nightly coverage with NHL On The Fly on ESPN America, the NHL Network’s signature show bringing fans NHL highlights from all the games that night insuring viewers will always be up-to-date on all the latest action from around the league.

Jeroen Oerlemans, ESPN, Vice President, TV Channels Europe, Middle East and Africa commented: “We are very proud to broadcast the NHL Premiere games live from the Globe Arena in Sweden and Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, the home country of several high profile NHL players. With a big expat community in the UK, we know that fans will also appreciate our authentic coverage for the 300 other games which come directly from the arenas in the US and Canada. We also hope that once sports fans see the quality of our programming from the NHL and other North-American leagues, they will regularly tune into ESPN America, ESPN (HD) and ESPN360.com.”

Select Read More to see ESPN's NHL schedule in the US and International channels such as Sky and Virgin Media

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Washington Capitals to Televise All 82 Games for 2009-10 Season

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:24:22 +0000

The Washington Capitals will have all of their 82 regular-season games televised during the 2009-10 season, the team announced today in conjunction with its broadcast partner, Comcast SportsNet. Comcast SportsNet will televise 75 games, with 49 games available in high definition.

Coverage plans include 62 games on Comcast SportsNet and 12 games on CSN+. Comcast SportsNet will open its coverage with Washington’s first home game of the year on Saturday, Oct. 3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Verizon Center at 7 p.m. The game will be complimented by extensive pre- and postgame coverage on the network.

Joe Beninati and former Capital Craig Laughlin return to provide play-by-play and color commentary, respectively, on the local broadcasts, with Al Koken reporting rinkside. Lisa Hillary will also join the broadcast as a reporter.

CSN+ is widely carried by cable and satellite carriers throughout the Comcast SportsNet viewing area. The channel position for CSN+ varies by provider, but all channels are listed on www.csnwashington.com. One game will be carried on The Comcast Network, which is also available to cable and satellite providers in the area.

Versus will broadcast seven games nationally, including Washington’s season opening game on Thursday, Oct. 1 against the Boston Bruins. Versus will also broadcast on Oct. 6 and Oct. 27 vs. Philadelphia, Nov. 17 at N.Y. Rangers, March 8 vs. Dallas and April 5 vs. Boston. On April 6 when Washington plays at Pittsburgh, Versus will broadcast nationally, while CSN will broadcast locally.

(NOTE: Versus is currently not being carried by DirecTV. See here for more details)

Select Read More to see the complete Capitals broadcast schedule for 2009-10 season

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VERSUS in Danger of Being Dropped from DirecTV on Tues.

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:20:58 +0000

DirecTV is threatening to drop VERSUS
from the channel line-up on Sept 1 (Tues)
when their contract exprires.

VERSUS, who has the exclusive cable rights to the National Hockey League, as well as the IndyCar Series and collegiate sports featuring teams from conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12, Mountain West and Ivy League, is in danger of being dropped by satcaster DirecTV, the largest satellite television provider in the US, when their contract expires this coming Tuesday, Sept. 1. The channel is looking for an increase in rate fees, while DirecTV is looking to keep rates where they currently are. DirecTV has been running a ticker on VERSUS letting viewers know of the provider's intent to drop VERSUS should a deal not be brokered by the deadline.

“Since our last deal with DirecTV, VERSUS has added many marquee properties and has become the fastest growing sports cable network in the country,” VERSUS said in a statement. “Despite this tremendous momentum, we are offering DirecTV the ability to carry VERSUS the same way it does today at the market price for the network. We continue to talk and are hopeful that we will reach an agreement.”

VERSUS is owned by Comcast, the nation’s largest cable provider.

Reached for comment, DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer noted that efforts continue to reach a deal before the Tuesday deadline, but made it clear, a rate increase is not favored.

“We are continuing to try and negotiate a fair deal, but we intend to hold the line on our programming costs and protect our customers against unwarranted price increases that may result from Comcast’s demands that we believe are discriminatory and unrealistic given current market realities.”

VERSUS enters the 2009/10 NHL regular season claiming that they are seeing double-digit ratings and viewership growth last year. VERSUS reports that the network saw a 27-percent growth in viewership for the playoffs overall after seeing viewership jump more than 20-percent during the regular season as compared to the year prior. Games 3 and 4 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final were the highest-rated and most-watched telecasts in network history. VERSUS also noted that those games were the most watched Final round on cable since 2002. Additionally, VERSUS aired the highest-rated Conference Semifinal and Conference Final rounds on cable in more than a decade.

DirecTV counters that those ratings are not as significant as they seem.

“Versus' overall ratings are poor and have not increased nearly enough to justify what we're paying now, let alone the significant fee hike Comcast is demanding,” said Mercer. “And ratings increases, such as they are, off a low base are not necessarily that meaningful.”

DirecTV cites Nielsen Media Research data showing VERSUS is only averaging 3,000 more viewers at any given time in 2008-2009 compared to 2006-2007, when they rebranded from Outdoor Life Network (OLN). For DirecTV’s selection of channels, DTV claims VERUS ranked 61st among 74 English ad supported cable nets in the DirecTV universe.

For fans of the NHL, they may not see a need to panic, should negotiations not yield a new agreement for carriage of VERUS on DirecTV by Tuesday. The first scheduled game for the network is opening night on Oct 1 with the Capitals visiting the Bruins. All told, VERSUS has a slate of 54 regular season games, as well as Stanley Cup playoff games, and Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

The real pain inflicted for sports fans may be those that are interested in college football games carried on VERSUS. The network has confirmed several Mountain West and Ivy League conference games including Texas at Wyoming on Sept. 12 (3:30 PM ET), Florida State at BYU on Sept. 19 (7:00 PM ET), and Cornell at Yale on Sept 26 (12:00 PM).

As to whether a deal will be brokered in time, sources indicate that tensions are high in the negotiations. But, as one close to the activity said, they believed a deal would be reached by the 11th hour. “VERSUS has made considerable in-roads over the last year,” the source said. “But, at the end of the day, VERSUS needs to continue to grow their footprint, and cannot do so without DirecTV.”

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