NewarkDevil5 Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 I'm of the opinion that the NHL would do well to start a national cable channel of just hockey. It certainly has enough programming and the access to financial backing to pull it off. I'd definitely spring for a channel that was pure hockey 24-7 and showed an equal number of games of every team in the NHL during the year. Midday programming could include AHL games, NHL Classic games, Hockey news that day, College hockey and some Major Junior games too. ESPN does a terrible job with hockey as we all know and has no real vested interest in promoting the sport. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDF Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 I was thinking the same thing....And I would love that. GO DEVILS!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smelly Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 They already have one (the NHL Network), but it is only available in Canada. Sports Business Weekly reported last week that the NHL is considering bringing it into the US after the ESPN deal expires, but has been advised to think long and hard before proceeding. League networks like NFL and NBA get their money by generating subscriber fees, but many analysts believe that, given hockey's position as the no. 4 (maybe 5 now, after NASCAR), they may not have the pull to get enough systems to carry it at a price per subscriber that would make it financially viable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewarkDevil5 Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 They could certainly pull it off in the northern half of the country. Places New England, the Midatlantic states (NY, NJ, PA and maybe MD) and areas of the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest. Hockey has its pockets of viability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsrule33 Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 I have NHL Network and it is pretty good. Each night there is a show called NHL on the Fly which goes for 4 hours or so and shows highlights and from each game with analysis plus shows all the games for a bit. Pretty good. The channel itself has a lot of NHL movies like Second Heavan and such and classic games along with diffeent series' like Legends of Hockey and Cool Shots and going behind the scenes with a player and stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msweet Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 It would probably be blacked out in NJ anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nieda Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 i love the nhl network!!! I lvie in canada, so i have the same thing as DR33, and when i can't watch the devils games or when i'm home sick or something, my TV is put to that channel. its pretty much my only source of devils hockey, atleast when they talk about the dev...meh... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepperkorn Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 It would probably be blacked out in NJ anyway what are you, ME? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas0nMacIsaac Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 They should ditch the NHL Network and start up the Hockey Channel (like Golf Channel) and show some College, CHL, European, AHL and NHL games. I really would like to see the RSL playoffs and some key CHL games involving Crosby. My ideas are usually bashed so meh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyFan42 Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 They should ditch the NHL Network and start up the Hockey Channel (like Golf Channel) and show some College, CHL, European, AHL and NHL games. I really would like to see the RSL playoffs and some key CHL games involving Crosby. My ideas are usually bashed so meh. Yes, they are. But why ditch the NHL Network? Couldn't they just add the programming without starting fresh? Or do you mean ditch the name? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfsharkalligatorhalfman Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 well the NHL channel would have programming targeted arround the National Hockey League not Hockey in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisg19 Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 The NHL Channel was supposed to be coming to Center Ice Package subscribers last year on Direct TV. Obviously it never happened and I called an NHL executive in New York at the start of this season, to inquire. He said he was hopeful the channel would debut sometiume this season, but they were having some licensing problems. Not sure where it stands now, but it was supposed to run daily until 6PM on the Center Ice channels. I have the guy I spoke withs number at work, maybe it's time for another phone call. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewarkDevil5 Posted December 17, 2003 Author Share Posted December 17, 2003 *whines* I wanna get NHL Network! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbdf Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 Good read on the sportsbus article smelly They should have started showing it over the centerice package last year, in order to have any chance of sufficient time to get it publicized and by next year, after not renewing espn's deal, they would have (hopefully) had enough interest to get it added to the major cable outlets. Basically, a cable company has to know that X number of subscribers are going to pony up $18 a month EXTRA for such a channel (there is no way they would have gotten onto a basic cable channel, simply not popular enough) to make it worthwhile for the cable company to designate a channel, reprogram some billing info etc. With many hockey fans being casual watchers who don't pick up on the sport until January or February each year, that means cable companies would be looking at about 4 to 5 months at $18 a pop and the number of people willing to order would have to be really big to get them to do that. Unfortunately, even in the northeast, I don't think our numbers would support it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nieuwy25 Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 Why not just add it to the "sports package" channels that most companies offer. I already get the Golf Channel, Speed Channel, NFL Channel and a bunch of others I don't really care about. But the package itself is worth it at only about $13/month more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbdf Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 in most of nj, espn, espn2, golf, espnclassic, yes network (yankees/nets) msg (rangers/knicks) and speed vision are included in basic cable, fox sports new york (devils, isles, mets) is an additional $16 (?) a month. Considering the problems Yes network coming into the system caused, my guess is that anything more would have to be a pay as you go channel (like fox sports new york). And for that, the league would have to prove it made economic sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisg19 Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 (edited) Just spoke to a representative at the NHL, and they are still working at getting the NHL channel onto Direct TV / Center Ice. He said honestly this year it won't happen, but they were working hard on it, and are optimistic for next season, but could offer no promises. So Maybe next year...... Chris Edited December 17, 2003 by chrisg19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JunkYardDog Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 A 24 hour hockey channel is a great idea but, as others have pointed out, the interest in the sport needs to increase. The NHL is not going to suddenly increase their marketing budget ten fold so it is up to the individual fan to take on the task. It starts with decent media coverage of our local team, the Devils. How many fans take the time to write, E-mail, fax or telephone their newspaper when there is lousy coverage of the Devils, especially The Record? How many demand better AHL, ECHL, college and high school stats? Hockey, at the high school level, is growing extremely quickly in New Jersey and new rinks are opening annually. Demand better newspaper coverage on all levels of hockey. Complain to WABC 770 AM radio, and the Devils organization, that the pregame and postgame shows are woefully inadequate. The Devils have won 3 Stanley Cups in the past nine years (and are the defending champions) but you would barely know it based on the coverage the team receives from the media. I can still remember how wild Denver and Dallas went after those teams won the Cup. The media coverage was outstanding and the fans rallied around their teams. Interest will grow with improved coverage and that will in turn lead to better marketing. The time is now as our days grow shorter. We have a generation of children reaching their adult years who have grown up as Devil fans. Their fathers, grandfathers, uncles, etc., may be Ranger, Islander, Flyer fans but this new group of adults with earning power and some $ in their pockets need to be tapped into. The Devils organization is sadly on the fringe and the days continue to grow shorter. Make a difference-you as the individual fan is capable of this task. Support the New Jersey Devils. Support hockey.....the coolest game on earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepperkorn Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 in most of nj, espn, espn2, golf, espnclassic, yes network (yankees/nets) msg (rangers/knicks) and speed vision are included in basic cable, fox sports new york (devils, isles, mets) is an additional $16 (?) a month. Considering the problems Yes network coming into the system caused, my guess is that anything more would have to be a pay as you go channel (like fox sports new york). And for that, the league would have to prove it made economic sense. SIDEBAR: Can you stand I won't spring for basic? I just get YES, FSNY & MSG for $5/mo I'm pathetic! But on Cablevision IO BASIC basic you don't get CNN, or the Weather channel or any of that! You have to buy the basic FAMILY package for $55 then I'd have to pay the additional $5 for the sports channels Can you take it??? but I do get all sorts of weird Discovery channels (thus Animal Jam) and all these special History channels and Fox Movie channel which is so bad it's good! So $25/mo I get most hockey games and Animal Jam so I'm set. like anyone cares... ANYHOW -- I also agree with JYD above! We have to sort of be a little vocal about what we want. and we should all want ALL HOCKEY! my sister gets tons of it down south. she gets Highschool hockey even! but I think it's all mostly PA. Jersey is a strange state... it's got a weird identity. i feel sorry for us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbdf Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 comcast (monmouth) basic includes oln, yes, msg, espn, 2, golf, classic - about $15 more buys you basic digital package-adds on speed vision espn news, all those discovery channels and a bunch of encore, lovestories, western etc movie channels and the pay per view on demand catalogue (rent the movie for the day through the box, can pause/stop/ff/rw etc for abotu $4 a movie), then $19 a month adds on FSNY, $10 gets you an hd converter if you have hdtv, that gets you espn, abc, cbs and pbs in hd, but NOT the msg or fsny hd broadcasts - they don't get offered at all, then of course there's a ton of movie channel packages (hbo, starz, tmc etc) in the digital channels, figure about $20 a month for any of them though. One day we'll be able to put an antenna on our roofs again and get all this stuff for free. Or someone will hack it up onto the net and we'll get it that way. I don't think they even offer a $25 package. I think they start around $50 for basic. At one point I was around $125 a month (not inlcuding the center ice deal), had about 250 channels and I still couldn't find anything worth watching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 Hey DR33 or Niedermayer_fan: How much is the NHL network here in Canada? I've always skipped by the specialty channels, although NHL, ESPN Classic Canada, and the Documentry channel have all peaked my interested at different points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammyk Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 comcast (monmouth) basic includes oln, yes, msg, espn, 2, golf, classic - about $15 more buys you basic digital package-adds on speed vision espn news, all those discovery channels and a bunch of encore, lovestories, western etc movie channels and the pay per view on demand catalogue (rent the movie for the day through the box, can pause/stop/ff/rw etc for abotu $4 a movie), then $19 a month adds on FSNY, $10 gets you an hd converter if you have hdtv, that gets you espn, abc, cbs and pbs in hd, but NOT the msg or fsny hd broadcasts. If you have digital cable, FSNY isn't $19. It's around $7. HDTV runs $15 just for installation of a new HD box, but the service itself is free. Did they lower the install fee? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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