I just got off the phone with a representative from Versus and asked her which game they would be showing tonight in my local market. (I am in North West Ohio, about 120 miles south Detroit but don't get FSD)
The whole nation will be watching Pittsburgh Vs Montreal and the San Jose /Wings game will be JIP (Joined in Progress).
If you take a look at the versus schedule (Above link) you will see that not a single Penguins game is JIP.
With curiosity, I asked the young lady what drives their viewing schedule and was shocked by her response....."The NHL tell us which games to air and that all Penguins games are to be shown live"
I am from the Detroit area and work away from home in Ohio. I am almost 300 miles from Pittsburgh but that doesn't seem to matter. If you live in California and don't get the local feed and are hoping to watch the game on Versus, you are screwed too and will be watching CINDY FREAKIN CROSBY because Uncle Gary has sooooo much invested in him. Suprise, suprise if they win the cup again
It's all about marketing, unfortunately. I think since the Pens are the defending champions, they will probably get more coverage and media attention. And, yes, Cindy Crosby is also a major factor too.
It's not about the quality of hockey apparently. A SJ-Detroit game is always entertaining and some really good hockey is played each time. But of course Versus people couldn't judge what a good hockey game is, if it were biting it on it's ass.
This is also ridiculous and flies in the face of their entire 'keep the Wings in the West to boost expansion.' We've got arguably two of the best teams in the NHL-- yes, I think both are better than the Pens -- facing off in the playoffs. There are more Wings fans spread around the country than Pens fans. It would be a huge boost to the California market, you know, build on having a CA team in a great position to win the Cup, etc.
Not that I agree with the league's motives for expanding, etc., but now that they've done it, they honestly should be pushing more of the Western teams than the East. East is already saturated. Or at least show the Pens to the NE contingent and the Wings-Sharks to the rest of the country.
Maybe but chances are bigger that someone who normally doesn't give a damn about hockey who isn't from SJ or Detroit will tune in if "that Crosby guy" is playing.
Maybe but chances are bigger that someone who normally doesn't give a damn about hockey who isn't from SJ or Detroit will tune in if "that Crosby guy" is playing.
I doubt it. That's what they want to happen, but I don't think that is what happens in reality. I'll check the ratings threads to see how much out-of-market interest there is in Sid in Western markets.
This is also ridiculous and flies in the face of their entire 'keep the Wings in the West to boost expansion.' We've got arguably two of the best teams in the NHL-- yes, I think both are better than the Pens -- facing off in the playoffs. There are more Wings fans spread around the country than Pens fans. It would be a huge boost to the California market, you know, build on having a CA team in a great position to win the Cup, etc.
Not that I agree with the league's motives for expanding, etc., but now that they've done it, they honestly should be pushing more of the Western teams than the East. East is already saturated. Or at least show the Pens to the NE contingent and the Wings-Sharks to the rest of the country.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMoreYouKnow
Maybe but chances are bigger that someone who normally doesn't give a damn about hockey who isn't from SJ or Detroit will tune in if "that Crosby guy" is playing.
This crap really pisses me off. Fugu makes a great point as I am exactly what he's talking about... I grew up in the SF Bay Area and I've been a Red Wings fan for most of my life due to the lack of an NHL team here (The Seals were barely NHL). In any case, once the Sharks arrived, I always viewed them as my #2 team since they were local. However, over a lot of years of embarrassing my son by wearing my Bob Probert jersey to the Wings @ Sharks games, and getting to know the Sharks players, I finally discovered that I'd become more of a Sharks fan than a Red Wings fan, and bought Sharks season tickets. This is exactly what the NHL needs to do in the expansion areas. Instead, they'll show Cindy getting shutdown by the Habs!!
This crap really pisses me off. Fugu makes a great point as I am exactly what he's talking about... I grew up in the SF Bay Area and I've been a Red Wings fan for most of my life due to the lack of an NHL team here (The Seals were barely NHL). In any case, once the Sharks arrived, I always viewed them as my #2 team since they were local. However, over a lot of years of embarrassing my son by wearing my Bob Probert jersey to the Wings @ Sharks games, and getting to know the Sharks players, I finally discovered that I'd become more of a Sharks fan than a Red Wings fan, and bought Sharks season tickets. This is exactly what the NHL needs to do in the expansion areas. Instead, they'll show Cindy getting shutdown by the Habs!!
Show us the local and regional teams!!
I applaud your ownership of a Bob Probert jersey, but I find your newfound rooting interest treasonous.
no surprise. the wings and their fans are always getting jiped by the the nhl. game 2 had the best ratings of any conference semi final game in 10 years
It's all about marketing, unfortunately. I think since the Pens are the defending champions, they will probably get more coverage and media attention. And, yes, Cindy Crosby is also a major factor too.
It's not about the quality of hockey apparently. A SJ-Detroit game is always entertaining and some really good hockey is played each time. But of course Versus people couldn't judge what a good hockey game is, if it were biting it on it's ass.
but remember year before last when we were defending champions, the Wings were given short shrift even then, with games JIP and Pittsburgh being shown over the Wings on the same night, so I don't buy the "well, they're the champs and to the victors go the spoils" argument.
And don't forget the NHLN off season commercial that actually had Pitt. winning it 2 years ago when Detroit did. Is that what you'd call a freudian slip?
sorry, but I thinks it's abundantly clear that the NHL has a vested interest in Cindy and Pitt. , the NHL has basically become the NBA.
What make the most sense is that Pittsburgh games start earlier than games in Detroit. If VS wants to maximize coverage, they will start at the earliest and end at the latest, which is what they are doing. I definitely think that they should at least show the sharks games during intermissions instead of game-breaks, but i dont see them doing it.
What make the most sense is that Pittsburgh games start earlier than games in Detroit. If VS wants to maximize coverage, they will start at the earliest and end at the latest, which is what they are doing. I definitely think that they should at least show the sharks games during intermissions instead of game-breaks, but i dont see them doing it.
Assuming Crosby would draw higher ratings than the Wings in areas outside of Pittsburgh...VS might cover for a longer period but they might have more people watching if their coverage was better tailored to different areas of the country.
Assuming Crosby would draw higher ratings than the Wings in areas outside of Pittsburgh...VS might cover for a longer period but they might have more people watching if their coverage was better tailored to different areas of the country.
That's just it though. The Wings are a bigger draw nationally:
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Per Nielsen live-plus-same-day ratings data, Versus on May 2 served up its most-watched Conference Semis telecast since it became an NHL partner, as Game 2 of the San Jose Sharks-Detroit Red Wings series drew 1.77 million viewers.
The Sharks on Saturday beat the Central Division runners-up 4-3 to take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series, in a game that delivered the biggest audience for a second-round contest since the Avalanche and Red Wings battled in front of 1.93 million ESPN viewers on May 1, 2000.
Also posting big numbers for Versus was the April 29 Sharks-Wings opener, which drew 1.45 million viewers.
The network’s first-round coverage averaged 595,000 viewers, making it the most-watched Conference Quarterfinals lineup since 2001.
But, hey, if they want to be stupid, it is their league after all.
if the NHL really cared about ratings they wouldn't have moved up last years finals and played them on a Friday and Saturday night, these are easily the 2 worst nights for TV viewership.
contrast that with teh NBA which played it's opening Finals game on a Thursday, normal rules would dictate one non-travel day off and then resume the series. However, because that would've been a Saturday (worst TV ratings day overall) they played game 2 on Sunday -- much better ratings day.
the league says they care about ratings and broadening the game but when push comes to shove they certainly have shown on more than one occation that pimp-ing Cindy and Pitt. is far more important.
What make the most sense is that Pittsburgh games start earlier than games in Detroit. If VS wants to maximize coverage, they will start at the earliest and end at the latest, which is what they are doing. I definitely think that they should at least show the sharks games during intermissions instead of game-breaks, but i dont see them doing it.
why doesn't the league take the initiative and schedule the Wings series differently so it can show the leagues best rated team on complete game schedules? Although a bit unconventional they could've staggered the games by an additional day to ensure full coverage of the WC's cash cow.
heck, this is yet another argument for Detroit being in the EAST anyway, something the organization has come out made very clear to the NHL it would like.
so Detroit has to spend more money on travel, more wear and tear, it's fans have to watch reg. season games and playoff games start after 10pm and they help sell a ton of tix for many WC teams (see: PHX doubling Wings game prices) and this is the thanks they get from the league?
and like I said before, nobody has come back and talked about the secondary schedule the Wings got 2 years ago, in deference to Pitt, when they were defending champs.
defending champs or not, better ratings makers or not the NHL has shown if will do anything to push and promote Sidney crosby and Pitt. After all this time it can't be denied.
