NHL back on NBC next season.

[BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan]

NBC announced Wednesday that it has exercised its option to carry the National Hockey League next season, including 10 "Sunday Game of the Week" broadcasts and up to 15 playoff games.

Regular-season ratings for the NHL "Sunday Game of the Week" on NBC were up 11 percent over last year. In the key Men 18-49 demo coveted by advertisers, ratings increased by 33 percent, the league said.

There had been speculation that NBC may pass on the option, opening a window for ESPN to grab the package.


http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2008/04/21/daily24.html?surround=lfn

[OpIv37]

meh- what they really need to do is ditch VS and find a network that's willing to actually devote time to the sport. I really hate the VS approach: "we'll show NHL games nationally as long as they don't interfere with MMA fights between two no-names or professional bull riding."

[Myers57]

i just don't like the Vs. presentation of hockey games in the first place. I hate their excessively large graphics, their cliche dumb blonde chick interviewer, and their dumbed down intermission report staff.

thank god time warner in Buffalo carries CBC so I wacth hockey night in canada if i have a choice between the two networks

[Dr. Lecter]

I miss CBC with my dish.

I have to get an antenna.....

[SabreEleven]

NBC isn't the reason the NHL isn't on ESPN, it is because it is on VS.

[Philagape]

i just don't like the Vs. presentation of hockey games in the first place. I hate their excessively large graphics, their cliche dumb blonde chick interviewer, and their dumbed down intermission report staff.

Not to mention the interviews DURING PLAY that take up a quarter of the screen. That's the worst abomination since the glowing puck.

[RockStar36]

Does anybody know when the VS contract is up?

I'd be interested to know because I think ESPN would consider picking up NHL hockey again. I've seen more interest this season/post-season than I've seen previously.

[SabreEleven]

Not to mention the interviews DURING PLAY that take up a quarter of the screen. That's the worst abomination since the glowing puck.

That pisses me off to no end. I wanna see Fox do a in game interview like that during a NFL game...Never happen...Vs is disrepecting the NHL.

[BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan]

Does anybody know when the VS contract is up?

I'd be interested to know because I think ESPN would consider picking up NHL hockey again. I've seen more interest this season/post-season than I've seen previously.

On January 28, 2008, Versus and the NHL extended the deal through the 2010-11 season. Versus has continually shown to be one of the most disappointing and ridiculous networks on television by not cutting back to certain games during intermissions and only providing partial coverage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versus_%28TV_channel%29#Ice_hockey

[SabreEleven]

Bettman is a ****ing idiot.

[BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan]

http://www.olntv.com/images/Emrick133x200.jpg

Loooooong :drive: (doc's famous saying) :rolleyes:

[OpIv37]

That pisses me off to no end. I wanna see Fox do a in game interview like that during a NFL game...Never happen...Vs is disrepecting the NHL.

fox wouldn't but ESPN would. Remember when they were showing Bruschi's wife and telling the story about his 8 doctors for the 30th time while crucial plays were happening on the field? God forbid they let something as trivial as THE ACTUAL GAME interrupt their human interest story.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

And they wonder why nobody cares about the NHL... fourth place NBC and then Versus, which isn't even in the top 50.

[JD]

NBC isn't the reason the NHL isn't on ESPN, it is because it is on VS.
The reason the NHL is not on ESPN is because ESPN's old owner hated hockey and Gary Bettman soured the relationship between the two because he wanted more games to be played.

Thats the reason.

BUT, ESPN has a new owner who is quite the hockey fan. He is the reason there are now more hockey highlights on Sportscenter and there is a rumor that both the NHL and ESPN are going through negotiations to have hockey back on ESPN & ESPN2 by the start of the 2009 season.

Games on both NBC and ESPN would really, REALLY help this sport gain the attention that it deserves.

Hockey is the greatest sport on earth.

[JD]

NHL, Versus extend TV contract by 3 years

Jan 22, 8:55 pm EST

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NEW YORK (AP)—Versus has picked up an option to televise NHL games for three more years.

“We’re very pleased to continue our association with them,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote in an e-mail Tuesday.

Terms of the deal were not immediately available.

The cable network, formerly known as OLN, began televising NHL games during the 2005-06 season. It paid $65 million for the first year, $70 million for the second, and exercised a $72.5 million option for this season.

Ratings for NHL games on Versus are up this season. Through 29 games, average viewership has increased 34 percent from 195,666 to 261,760. Versus is airing 57 regular-season games this season.


One big area I think the NHL is over looking is hotels/motels/inns etc... what do most make sure they carry?? ESP ****ING N! not V ****IN S!

Idiots.

[Myers57]

haha on the Colbert Report during his show introduction he said he was having a sports segment, "but don't worry, no hockey"