OT: NHL no longer on ESPN?

KeithK · September 05, 2005, 02:08:10 PM

I find it really funny that poker tournaments get higher viewing than any sport, let alone hockey. But apparently they do, for now anyway. I suspect that the poker craze will run its course and Tv ratings will plummet in time. Not that ESPN will necessarily regret their hockey decision - random college squeakball games will probably continue to draw better than NHL.

Tub(a) · September 05, 2005, 05:13:04 PM

[Q]KeithK Wrote:

I find it really funny that poker tournaments get higher viewing than any sport, let alone hockey. But apparently they do, for now anyway. I suspect that the poker craze will run its course and Tv ratings will plummet in time. Not that ESPN will necessarily regret their hockey decision - random college squeakball games will probably continue to draw better than NHL.[/q]

They are probably cheaper to produce too.

ugarte · September 09, 2005, 06:15:03 PM

[Q]Al DeFlorio Wrote:"ESPN, long its TV home, has declined to broadcast the [NHL] season since discovering that some of last year's replacement programming--college basketball and a poker drama--earned higher ratings than hockey."[/q]

[Q]KeithK Wrote:I find it really funny that poker tournaments get higher viewing than any sport, let alone hockey...[/q]

I could deal with poker tournaments getting a higher rating than hockey. I'm a poker player and a poker-on-TV addict. But what they were talking about appears to be "Tilt," which was completely unwatchable.

If Tilt is scoring higher ratings than hockey we may not see the NHL on OLN for very long.

ben03 · September 12, 2005, 06:29:35 PM

reactions? thoughts? comments?
http://www.nhl.com/news/2005/09/234088.html

Anne 85 · September 12, 2005, 06:39:14 PM

I think Joel and the 'bots could generate a GREAT episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 using this video.

Drew · September 13, 2005, 09:08:21 AM

The NHL annouced a ten year $100,000,000 contract with XM Satellite radio today.

Josh '99 · September 13, 2005, 05:38:52 PM

The need to turn the gain way up on their audio. I had to turn all my stuff all the way up just to hear it.

The music sounded like the stuff that NFL Films rejected.

A lot of the stuff that they're billing as "new rules" seems like it's just a stricter interpretation of interference and holding, not really anything new at all. The question, as usual, remains, will they actually call any of this stuff more strictly beyond the first two weeks of the season?