In the battle of TV deals, NBC stays with the National Hockey League for a record 10 more years which will give the NHL $2 billion. After offers were going back and forth between ESPN, NBC, FOX and Turner Broadcasting, the league's current suitor matched and out-bid ESPN for the television rights, which was announced this past Tuesday. This was the first time ESPN has taken an interest in acquiring both cable and network rights (ABC) to NHL games. But now, ESPN will not have a shot at hockey until 2021.
This new television deal comes with a lot of benefits for the league. NBC and the cable carrier Versus will carry 100 games during the regular season each year, and will broadcast every playoff game nationally. The NHL on NBC will kick off earlier this year. Instead of the Winter Classic being the first game, a game will air on the network on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. NBC will continue to cover the classic on New Years Day, along with games 3-7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Versus, which will be renamed withe the NBC name in the title, will carry several games each week, any Future Heritage Classics, and the NHL Premiere Games in Europe.
After hearing about the inevitable deal early Tuesday morning, I was hoping that the NHL didn't get short-changed by NBC. I was shocked to see the 10 year, $2 Billion deal when I first read the article, I was very surprised by the deal. But as I continued to look at the details, I became more optimistic about the new deal.
Here is one reason I believe it was positive. With Comcast buying the network, the chances of NBC getting another television deal with the NHL went up. If this was the same network being run by Jeff Zucker and General Electric, the deal would have looked bleak.
Let's face it. Since GE took over the network, it slowly went downhill. It's ratings were awful, going from #1 in 2002 to last place by 2008. When the orphaned NHL came out of the lockout and was looking for a TV home, NBC made an offer that many people feel the league took out of desperation. Even Conan O'Brien back in his Late Night years mocked NBC for taking the NHL in. Along with the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), now Versus, sub-par production and criticism of the channels dogged the league and NBC. Although I must say that both NBC and Versus have improved when it comes to broadcasting and producing games.
With Comcast now in control of the network, it opens up a window of opportunity for the NHL and NBC to expand and improve year-by-year in this new deal. Comcast now has control over all of NBC's channels, along with them owning Versus. With the promise of every playoff game, there is a possibility that hockey could be shown on the USA Network, and NBC Universal, two channels that were known for their Olympic Coverage in 2010. With Versus most likely being renamed "NBC Sports Network," it will become a better known channel, and hopefully an easier channel to find on most cable company's listings, an issue the league has dealt with since 2005.
For those of you wondering what ESPN offered the league, get ready to laugh. The Worldwide Leader of Sports offered to broadcast every playoff game, BUT only offered to broadcast one game during the week in the regular season, a terrible deal that even Barry Melrose and Matthew Baranaby, the networks NHL personalities, should be disgusted with. This would put the NHL in the same area with Major League Soccer, a game one time a week on ESPN2. Hopefully the MLS jumps ship and comes to Versus and NBC when their contract expires. Besides, ESPN just likes to cover the NBA and NFL more than anything. Two leagues that could both have lockout years coming up, leaving ESPN with just baseball and its block of shows.
Now, I am optimistic, but I do have some suggestions to make this deal even better and to improve the outreach of the game.
1) Two games on NBC once every other week:
-Being a Penguins fan I can see all 82 games in the regular season, if I didn't have responsibilities. I like seeing my team on NBC, but there needs to be a game with more Western Conference teams. The 12:30pm start is something that makes me mad. What else is NBC showing that is so important. Well the amateur ski jumping, poker tournaments, and the amateur golf that means nothing to me are BORING! A 1pm game and a 4pm game once every other week would be great with the East and West switching one the one game a week cycle. A 1pm game one week, then a 4pm the week following the doubleheader week. Dick Ebersol, are you getting this? I don't care about some gambler from Iowa who can read someone's bluff for 4 minutes. No wonder the network has struggled.
2) More Personalities
Mike Emerick is a legend when it comes to play-by-play in hockey. Although I would encourage NBC and Versus to bring in announcers from other Comcast Sports Network affiliates to do games. They have in the past but they need to have more. When it comes to former players, bring more of them in. I love Jeremy Roenick, but there has to be a group of former players who can analyze. If Charles Barkley can do it on TNT or basketball, anyone can do it.
3) SHOW THE SCORE!!!
NBC never shoes the score before the break. It's not that big of a deal, but nobody in the production studio has ever thought of creating a graphic that gives the score of the game. It's traditional for all sports, what makes NBC's NHL coverage an exception to tradition?
The best of luck to the NHL and NBC in a marriage with this much money, it's worthy of a possible prenup.
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