Why Is No One Watching The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals?

[TMC]

http://deadspin.com/5916086/why-is-no-one-watching-the-stanley-cup-finals

It's not news that Stanley Cup Finals ratings are utterly abysmal, but
here we are talking about them again because it's another year and the
NHL has decided to hold another annual round of playoffs. Hooray for
us, because the hockey has been really great! But not so good for NBC,
which saw Games 1 and 2, broadcast on the mothership and not the
impossible-to-find-on-your-dial Versus NBC Sports Network, suffer
hilariously low ratings. Some 66 TV shows scored higher ratings last
week than either game. (If anyone has actually seen Dogs in the City,
Swamp People, and/or Mountain Men, and there are millions of you, now
I'm curious what I'm missing.)

http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2012/6/4/3062059/stanley-cup-ratings-drop-nothing-to-do-with-self-promotion-by-stars

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/66-shows-that-had-better-ratings-than-the-first-tw

And as Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl pointed out today, even the
Brazil-Mexico friendly on Sunday drew some 3.3 million viewers on
Univision, 800,000 more than Game 2 of the Devils and Kings the day
before on NBC. And though it may seem like this narrative turns up
every year, the 2011 Finals were actually pretty popular. A closely
contested series, between teams representing the LA and New York media
markets, that can't muster up better numbers than Pawn Stars or
Cartoon Network airings of Family Guy should scare the fuck out of the
NHL and NBC. Maybe we'll find out if it actually does.

http://hfboards.hockeysfuture.com/showthread.php?t=977773&page=27

http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2012/6/5/3066201/stanley-cup-finals-tv-ratings-game-3-sees-more-low-numbers

http://www.sbnation.com/2012/6/5/3065767/stanley-cup-finals-tv-ratings-kings-vs-devils-game-2-hits-another

http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2012/6/4/3062059/stanley-cup-ratings-drop-nothing-to-do-with-self-promotion-by-stars

http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2012/6/3/3060770/stanley-cup-finals-tv-ratings-game-2-initially-down-further-from-game

http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2012/6/1/3056191/big-hockey-markets-tuning-out-to-blame-for-game-1s-low-ratings

http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2012/5/31/3055539/stanley-cup-finals-tv-ratings-game-1-hits-a-five-year-finals-low

http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2012/5/31/3054936/stanley-cup-finals-tv-ratings-game-1-devils-kings

http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2012/5/31/3054281/stanley-cup-finals-tv-ratings-devils-kings-game-1

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/category/nhl/

[Obveeus]

"TMC" <tmc...@gmail.com> wrote:

> not so good for NBC,
> which saw Games 1 and 2, broadcast on the mothership and not the
> impossible-to-find-on-your-dial Versus NBC Sports Network, suffer
> hilariously low ratings.

I think this statement answers the question in the subject header. Hockey,
like Indycar, took money in exchange for relegating themselves to a
non-entity cable channel for most of the season. The results of these deals
is that the longterm popularity of the sport is damaged by the lack of
availability to the masses.

[Ant]

I wanted to watch the games on Monday night, but nooooo! Stupid NBC. I
don't have cable and satellite services! :(

On 6/6/2012 12:30 AM PT, TMC typed:

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[Mason Barge]

In my case, I get the games; I'm just not interested in two artificial US
teams playing, especially when one of them is the LA Kings. If it was the
Rangers vs. another team from the far north US, it might be different.

[BTR1701]

In article <30uus7tm2mb42c6h0...@4ax.com>,

Mason Barge <mason...@gmail.com> wrote:

> In my case, I get the games; I'm just not interested in two
> artificial US teams playing

How are the teams artificial?

[David]

On Jun 6, 8:07 am, "Obveeus" <Obve...@aol.com> wrote:

But last year's Stanley Cup finals set ratings records. It's all about
the teams.

[Obveeus]

I don't buy that as the total excuse. both of these teams have drawn fans
to the playoffs before. I think the larger problem is that hockey has spent
another full year out of the public eye.

[Keith Keller]

[removing wholly irrelevant group]

On 2012-06-06, Obveeus <Obv...@aol.com> wrote:
>
> I think this statement answers the question in the subject header. Hockey,
> like Indycar, took money in exchange for relegating themselves to a
> non-entity cable channel for most of the season. The results of these deals
> is that the longterm popularity of the sport is damaged by the lack of
> availability to the masses.

In the case of the NHL, the only other option was not having a national
US contract at all. Disney/ABC/ESPN wouldn't have taken the NHL back,
or if they did, the NHL would be on at 4am on ESPN12.

--keith

--
kkeller...@wombat.san-francisco.ca.us
(try just my userid to email me)
AOLSFAQ=http://www.therockgarden.ca/aolsfaq.txt
see X- headers for PGP signature information

[David]

On Jun 6, 2:19 pm, "Obveeus" <Obve...@aol.com> wrote:

Versus has been airing hockey since 2005. It's improbable that it only
became a problem this season.

[Obveeus]

When versus became NBC Sports it took a 10%-20% hit in the ratings pretty
much across the board.

[Mason Barge]

They actually create androids to play. Wayne Gretzky had a secret brain
operation.

[Bud Fox]

Artifical teams? One of those teams has been with the NHL since 67,
no?

[peterpuck16w]

That's right. And the Devils franchise has been around since 1974.

[Remysun]

On Jun 7, 9:33 am, Bud Fox <ThisSpaceForR...@mail.com> wrote:

But it took Gretzky in '88 to get them any attention.

[Charles Dewgall]

93 you dolt.

[Remysun]

August 9, 1988, asswipe. I was up in Gladwin when I saw the news about
the trade.

[Charles Dewgall]

> the trade.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

they didn't pay any attention in 88, it took 93 for them to notice
they had a hockey team. And wash that mouth out with soap.

[Remysun]

On Jun 7, 11:45 pm, Charles Dewgall <ThisSpaceForR...@mail.com> wrote:

> they didn't pay any attention in 88, it took 93 for them to notice
> they had a hockey team.   And wash that mouth out with soap.

It was national news when the trade happened, a day of mourning in
Canada, and you started it, dolt.

[Charles Dewgall]

they should have been celebrating in the streets if that was the case,
since The Great One was moving to a bigger stage.