ESPNInsider Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Not sure if you guys saw this but the NHL will be shown on Comcast for the next several years. Games will be shown on OLN and other regional comcast channels. Games will also be offered "On-Demand" for Comcast subscribers. The first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals will be on OLN before moving over to NBC. Some think that Comcast is trying to become a viable competitor for ESPN. ESPN says that they did not pick up the offer from the NHL because they did not think the price fit the product. With the NHL out for a year, ESPN had shows like "Bowling Night" and "Stump the Schwab" and the ratings were comparible for much cheaper. What do you guys think of having the NHL on OLN? Is the cable in GF Comcast? Do you think ESPN will cover more college hockey now? Just some thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZSIOUX Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 espn will not cover more college hockey, thats why they have espnu...the sad thing is, the lower level shows on espn out draw the nhl like you state. they have to prove that the product will be much better and more exciting to get a major deal again in a few years!! comcast will never even come close to competing with espn, thats a joke, fox is the closest thing and they are a joke to espn as well....the OLN is best know for showing lance riding through the alps, this is not a ideal network deal but i guess you have to start somewhere when your starting from scratch.. Not sure if you guys saw this but the NHL will be shown on Comcast for the next several years. Games will be shown on OLN and other regional comcast channels. Games will also be offered "On-Demand" for Comcast subscribers. The first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals will be on OLN before moving over to NBC. Some think that Comcast is trying to become a viable competitor for ESPN. ESPN says that they did not pick up the offer from the NHL because they did not think the price fit the product. With the NHL out for a year, ESPN had shows like "Bowling Night" and "Stump the Schwab" and the ratings were comparible for much cheaper. What do you guys think of having the NHL on OLN? Is the cable in GF Comcast? Do you think ESPN will cover more college hockey now? Just some thoughts. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MafiaMan Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 I loved hockey on ESPN and will miss Gary Thorne, John Buccicross, and Barry "Mullet" Melrose. However, I concur with AZSIOUX. It's gotta start somewhere and if it means me paying a few more on my cable bill, I'll do it. Maybe I can talk Comcast in Mpls/St Paul into ditching Oxygen and WE and lowering my bill. That would be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZSIOUX Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 long time mafiman!! whats up......... I loved hockey on ESPN and will miss Gary Thorne, John Buccicross, and Barry "Mullet" Melrose. However, I concur with AZSIOUX. It's gotta start somewhere and if it means me paying a few more on my cable bill, I'll do it. Maybe I can talk Comcast in Mpls/St Paul into ditching Oxygen and WE and lowering my bill. That would be great. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MafiaMan Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 long time mafiman!! whats up......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwing77 Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Oxygen, IIRC, is owned and operated by Oprah Winfrey's company. GOod luck getting that off the air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JESUS,family,rutgers Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 There are public interest groups around the country trying to get cable companies to offer "a la carte" pricing and channel lineups. Many people do not want stations like E,Bravo, and others coming into their home and they do want their monthly payments going to those channels. Basically, you would pay a certain flat fee per month and then pay for the channels you want. I heard a report on the radio about this and they said they think this is coming within a couple years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ESPNInsider Posted August 18, 2005 Author Share Posted August 18, 2005 There are public interest groups around the country trying to get cable companies to offer "a la carte" pricing and channel lineups. Many people do not want stations like E,Bravo, and others coming into their home and they do want their monthly payments going to those channels. Basically, you would pay a certain flat fee per month and then pay for the channels you want. I heard a report on the radio about this and they said they think this is coming within a couple years. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You know, I've thought a lot about that in the past. The only problem will be the packaging then that companies like Disney will do. They will make you buy the entire Disney Co. package just to get ESPN. Soon all the smaller channels will have to sell out to big companies or they will be purchased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JESUS,family,rutgers Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Hello espn, It might be different in the Midwest, but here in New Jersey the cable companies have a monopoly. Each individual town grants a license to a cable company(usually for five to ten years). It doesn't happen a lot but every so often, residents of certain towns complain so much about the cable company that they do not have their license renewed. We have eight million people in a very small state and very high income state(except for me). Since, the population density is so high here the cable companies spend a lot less on new lines and structures. I would say the average person here spends between $50-75 a month right now. While the cable company would prefer that to say someone like me who would request a lot less channels and maybe pay only $25-30, that is still better than zero. Also the cable companies do not want to lose the people who also get computer service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprig Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Games will be shown on OLN <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Does OLN=Outdoor Life Network? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MafiaMan Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Does OLN=Outdoor Life Network? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yep. I just realized I don't have Comcast...I have Time Warner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ESPNInsider Posted August 18, 2005 Author Share Posted August 18, 2005 Hello espn, It might be different in the Midwest, but here in New Jersey the cable companies have a monopoly. Each individual town grants a license to a cable company(usually for five to ten years). It doesn't happen a lot but every so often, residents of certain towns complain so much about the cable company that they do not have their license renewed. We have eight million people in a very small state and very high income state(except for me). Since, the population density is so high here the cable companies spend a lot less on new lines and structures. I would say the average person here spends between $50-75 a month right now. While the cable company would prefer that to say someone like me who would request a lot less channels and maybe pay only $25-30, that is still better than zero. Also the cable companies do not want to lose the people who also get computer service. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That is the same way it is here. Each neighborhood has a certain cable company that you have to use if you live there. Why is that? Why can't we have choices? Of course here I only pay $49.99 a month for Digital cable and High Speed internet, so that is a pretty good deal. What I'm trying to say would be the problem with the ala carte would be the fight that would be put up by the smaller channels. They would eventually have to sell out to larger companies i.e. Disney to stay on the air. Soon there would probably be a few umbrella companies owning most of the stations and you would need to buy most of them anyway. My dream would be to have ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, all the Fox Sports Nets, Comedy Central, MTV, all the HBO's, WGN, FOOD Network, and Sunshine Sports for about $15 a month. Now that would be a dream deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NDFAN Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 It's not on my cable line up, which is bad news for me I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Yep. I just realized I don't have Comcast...I have Time Warner. I have Time Warner too, but I get OLN. Maybe they can get Paul Sherwin and Phil Liggett to do the hockey pbp and commentary and listen to some liggettisms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ESPNInsider Posted August 18, 2005 Author Share Posted August 18, 2005 When John Buccigras came on the Sportscenter 30 @ 30 last night during the baseball game he seemed so sad. I wonder if any of those guys will leave ESPN now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoteauRinkRat Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Maybe they can get Paul Sherwin and Phil Liggett to do the hockey pbp and commentary and listen to some liggettisms. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That is funny stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MafiaMan Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 I have Time Warner too, but I get OLN. Maybe they can get Paul Sherwin and Phil Liggett to do the hockey pbp and commentary and listen to some liggettisms. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I checked the line-up on the web-site, but didn't see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagard Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 I checked the line-up on the web-site, but didn't see it. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Don't worry. I think Comcast is trying to buy up the Twin Cities area, so it's just a matter of time before your under their umbrella. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottM Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Even though Comcast owns OLN, it seems to intent on leveraging the network beyond its own cable systems. I found it here on a non-Comcast system, but I think I have to upgrade to another digital tier so I can get Channel 458 or whatever. Before I do that, I want to see if they'll actually show more than a game a week. Besides, I think it's good for the NHL to get away from ESPN, as they did nothing to support/promote the sport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ESPNInsider Posted August 18, 2005 Author Share Posted August 18, 2005 Now I wonder if ESPN will show even less highlights then before. Before they had a stake in doing some promotion of the sports, now they have none. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodakvindy Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 I'm stoked. I get both OLN and CBC on basic cable. Hopefully OLN will get Canadian camera guys that actually know how to shoot a hockey game. I'm sure they will poach some guys from ESPN in much the way that most of the CBS guys went to FOX when CBS lost the NFC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gophers fan Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 the Minnesota Wild is trying to get Gary Thorne to be there play by play man for tv this year. not sure if that will happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MafiaMan Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 the Minnesota Wild is trying to get Gary Thorne to be there play by play man for tv this year. not sure if that will happen. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I have always enjoyed Gary Thorne. You can tell he is genuinely excited about the game. I love hearing him yell "SCORE! SCORE! SCORE!" after a particularly big goal. Of course, I also liked Darren Pang and his "jumpin' joseph!" that he yelled during a Red Wings/Suckalanche game a few years back when Patrick Roy and Chris Osgood had a smackdown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 That is funny stuff. I wasn't sure if anyone would get that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bincitysioux Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 Sounds like the comcast deal requires them to bring the NHL Network from Canada into the U.S., so that will be kinda neat. I wonder why Directv doesn't carry TSN on their sportspak? That would certainly help promote the sport if it were available in the States. I wonder when pricing for NHL Center Ice will be announced, I'll bet it will be a bargain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.