Jump to content

NHL's attendance, TV Ratings showing increase


LOTCB

Recommended Posts

wow, glad to see that more people are getting into hockey.

seriously, those are some good numbers. I had no idea this years Winter Classic scored a 4.4 :noclue: I knew it did a strong rating, but not that high. That's great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I beleive the ratings are actually higher on Versus now than they were on ESPN before the lockout. It is a myth that ESPN= ratings. Many sports have seen a decrease in their ratings when switching to ESPN.

yeah but you can't beat the ubiquity. espn is on in every bar remotely interested in sports, every casino television, etc. plus now that hockey is sporta non grata to espn, they mercilessly mock it when they cover it at all.

the problem with espn's coverage of hockey is that they didn't dedicate a night to it - hockey was basically on whenever espn wanted it to be on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yeah but you can't beat the ubiquity. espn is on in every bar remotely interested in sports, every casino television, etc. plus now that hockey is sporta non grata to espn, they mercilessly mock it when they cover it at all.

the problem with espn's coverage of hockey is that they didn't dedicate a night to it - hockey was basically on whenever espn wanted it to be on.

Even when ESPN "covered" hockey they still only mentioned it half heartedly. Getting back on ESPN would be a mistake. ESPN is stuck promoting the NBA because of the incredibly dumb Network contract they signed. The NHL would still be a 5th tier sport. I am glad they are on Versus at least I KNOW when the games are televised and with the NHL Network there is no need to ever watch ESPN (except NFL GAME DAY). Its no surprise that there is growth AFTER leaving ESPN.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yeah but you can't beat the ubiquity. espn is on in every bar remotely interested in sports, every casino television, etc. plus now that hockey is sporta non grata to espn, they mercilessly mock it when they cover it at all.

the problem with espn's coverage of hockey is that they didn't dedicate a night to it - hockey was basically on whenever espn wanted it to be on.

They pretty much mocked it when they were covering it (except for they guys who were doing the game itself) and you never knew when it was going to be on. I can't imagine it would be different now if they took it back because the network (not the people who do the games, but the network) has no respect for the sport or its fans. Unless the sport is actually much stronger before it went back to the netwrok (and, in that case, why would they need to), ESPN will continue to treat it as a joke. If what happens is that you are being mocked while you are being exposed, the exposure doesn't really help you. In this case, "bad publicity" isn't good publicity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another thing too is E$PN Radio. A lot of the hosts they have do not give a rats you know what about the NHL..>Greenberg and Golic...Cownerd, Scott Van Pelt etc...so couple that with the fact E$PN does not cover the events and E$PN considers the NHL a 'dead sport' unless it kisses up more to Crosby, or talks about a fight that went wrong, violence, strikes etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think some of the increase is due to the increase in fighting. This season there is an average of 0.71 fights per game which is 0.12 higher then last year and 0.27 higher then the 06-07 season.

I doubt it. That difference of .12 fights per game means you will see only one more fight per every 8 or 9 games. Do you really think that people are watching hockey more often this season because they will see one more fight per every 8 or 9 games they watch?

Keep revolutionising the game and the audiences will speak for themselves

Yea until we have soccer-sized nets, green ice, delay of game penalties for setting up the breakout behind the net, and a pie-eating contest to determine the Stanley Cup winner if it's tied after 3 rounds of a shootout.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think some of the increase is due to the increase in fighting. This season there is an average of 0.71 fights per game which is 0.12 higher then last year and 0.27 higher then the 06-07 season.

I thought it was because the Devs don't play the trap anymore?

:whistling:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Need the popularity to keep growing, and I think it will. Keep revolutionising the game and the audiences will speak for themselves

You don't need to revolutionize the game, it fine the way it was (less the stupid Marty-Trapiziod rule, initiated by a jealous Bobby Clarke).

The game is great, growth will come at the grass roots level when and kids and their parents get involved in the game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am I the only person who likes that our little sport is a tiny cult community and it keeps out the worthless phony fans of the universe for the most??

Probably :noclue:

No, I love that, it makes us different and I think that's what makes hockey fans in general more passionate about their sport than most other North American sports fans. As long as the NHL is popular enough to sustain itself then that's good enough for me. I'd rather have it the way it is now than turn into a mainstream sport. Another thing to consider is that if popularity increases too much, ticket prices will do the same.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This may sound stupid, but I've seen a lot of the videogame fans beginning to get into hockey because of NHL 09. Two guys on my club were just football fans, and their now finding the sport very exciting to watch. My cousin is also one who is just getting into the sport in his mid 30's. I personally think putting out a top end sports game has really helped bring in new fans.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yea, but those phony fans buy the 3rd jerseys and pay the big money when the team makes the playoffs. The league probably wants more of them!

I care about as much on what the league wants as they care what I want :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think some of the increase is due to the increase in fighting. This season there is an average of 0.71 fights per game which is 0.12 higher then last year and 0.27 higher then the 06-07 season.

Good point...but as we speak the hockey nannies are preparing to convene and further legislate fighting out of the game.

http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/...da-for-nhl-gms/

I want to see fights, I want to see brawls, I want the crunch of bone on bone. I want to see takedowns, I want to see bloody jerseys...I want hockey at its most raw and savage

I know what the idiots are thinking. Slowly but surely we'll chip away at it

First new rule...helmet pops off, fight is over

2nd new rule....you fight twice in a game, you're out

3rd new rule...no takedowns, no leverage moves

Bettman has his fangs out, he has his excuse with the Sanderson tragedy. We'd better watch out!

Edited by '7'
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.