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Post by Anaheim GM on Jun 1, 2004 17:58:28 GMT -5
Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup finals get low ratings
June 1, 2004
NEW YORK (AP) -- Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup finals on ABC between Calgary and Tampa Bay drew two of the lowest overnight ratings since broadcast networks began carrying the NHL finals in 1998.
Saturday's Game 3, won by Calgary 3-0, got a 2.2 rating, the lowest since 1998. Tampa Bay's 1-0 win on Monday got a 2.8, which tied last year's Game 3 between New Jersey and Anaheim for the second-lowest since 1998.
The ratings for the first two games on ESPN were anemic, with Game 1 tying for the lowest-rated finals game on the cable network since 1990.
Overnight ratings measure the 55 largest TV markets in the United States, covering about 70 percent of the country.
This article was taken from Yahoo Sports.......
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Post by Anaheim GM on Jun 1, 2004 18:04:50 GMT -5
Another reason why the NHL marketing department needs the heavy Axe!
I knew it would happen....could see this one coming. Sorry Canada but the US drives ratings, television, and the overall financial climate of the NHL. We're screwing it up by not watching.
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Post by FlyersGM on Jun 1, 2004 20:28:54 GMT -5
Hey I'm watching, and I don't know why other people aren't!!!!!!!!!  Most of my friends are watching. My question is, how accurate can these ratings possibly be, because I've never met anyone in my life with this special nielsen box or whatever it's called. I think this helps the NHL in CBA negotiations and I think the marketing is terrible like you, Mark. I also believe once there are new rules and a new CBA, the NHL will really market it's product as the New and Improved NHL! |
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Post by torontogm on Jun 1, 2004 20:42:59 GMT -5
Hopefully this helps, but I'm not sure how...WTF would you do without NHL?....gulp.  |
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Post by CapitalsGM on Jun 1, 2004 21:49:23 GMT -5
It surprises me. IF there ever was a two Canadian team final (i.e. Toronto and Calgary) the ratings would be through the roof!
Let's face it, the fans here in Canada are crazy; however, there really aren't many homes left for NHL teams to go in Canada. Agree?
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Post by FlyersGM on Jun 1, 2004 21:57:05 GMT -5
It surprises me. IF there ever was a two Canadian team final (i.e. Toronto and Calgary) the ratings would be through the roof! Let's face it, the fans here in Canada are crazy; however, there really aren't many homes left for NHL teams to go in Canada. Agree? I agree. The money is here in America, and not in Canada except for the large markets like Toronto and Montreal. |
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Post by Red Wings GM on Jun 2, 2004 11:43:56 GMT -5
i don't think the ratings would exactly be the roof. remember, there's only 25 million canadians and 300 million americans.
on a side note, the ratings sucking does suck. it's a good series!
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Post by Anaheim GM on Jun 2, 2004 12:11:22 GMT -5
Two Canadian teams in the finals would definently equate to the poorest watched Finals of all time. See what happens when just one Canadian team makes it to the finals?
It is pathetic. I wish I could be optimistic about the entire thing, but it is difficult when the light at the end of the tunnel is EXTREMELY dim.
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Post by thrashersgm on Jun 2, 2004 12:48:29 GMT -5
The NHL ratings are hitting record lows in the US and record highs in Canada. CBC is getting record numbers (Other than 1994 Van-NYR Game 7) for this series. It is sad that the American public does not accept and support the game. Maybe it has something to do with the National coverage by ABC on Saturday afternoons. Hard to get a major audience there. NBC doesn't help in the new agreement.
Future of hockey could be........expansion to Europe. Less US teams. That would equal NHL teams all in healthy markets.
As sad as it is the NHL will hope for another USA-Canada final at the World Cup so that Americans can have another opprotunity to get involved with the sport. But then the labor dispute will hit. Tough times ahead for the NHL.
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Post by torontogm on Jun 2, 2004 13:08:19 GMT -5
The only way I think that a Canadian team would get a high rating is if it is Toronto because they have such a large fan base, that would also have to be added to a bigger team than Tampa though. This is probably the best series in years and no one is watching.
The problem is the US TV rating. As stated CBC is getting record numbers. I really don't think most Americans accept hockey unless its in Detroit, Colorado, Minnesota and Philly.
On a side note, Dave, there is 30 million Canadians opposed to 25 million. ;D
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Post by thrashersgm on Jun 2, 2004 13:26:27 GMT -5
The only way I think that a Canadian team would get a high rating is if it is Toronto because they have such a large fan base, that would also have to be added to a bigger team than Tampa though. This is probably the best series in years and no one is watching. . ;D Toronto would not get good ratings in the US. In Canada they have the largest fan base, but not in the US. They could care less about Toronto. The same way that true Western Canadians feel about Toronto. For the US to have high ratings, they would need a NYR vs. Detroit final. Hockey does not work in the US untill the US can dominate the International scene and get more and more young people playing the sport. It all starts there. It is hard to find *New fans* in the over 30 age. You have to start young and the way to do that is by getting more kids to play the sport. More kids play, more parents get to know the sport. Kids grow up loving the sport, have their own kids. Etc. |
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Post by Anaheim GM on Jun 2, 2004 13:52:30 GMT -5
With 29 major markets being covered one would think that the Americans would somehow find an interest. People that I know that do not enjoy the sport know nearly nothing about it. The rules, the penalties, the offsides, etc. are difficult to understand to average sport fans. In comparison....baseball. A pitcher pitches a ball and a batter tries to hit it over some fencing out in the field. 3 bases, and the rules are extremely simple. Football is pretty much just 22 people smashing into each other trying to get into the endzone. Hockey has offsides, icing, powerplays, penalty kills, two line passes, line changes, etc. It is a much more complicated game. It wasn't until NHL 93 came out for the Sega Genesis that I fully grasped the rules, the players, and the strategies of the game. I always enjoyed watching, listening, etc. to hockey games, however, didn't know completely what was going on (as far as the rules were concerned) until I sat down and played it. Major advantages Hockey has over every other sport: 1. Game speed- The action of the game is a quick, precise, and plentiful. 2. Scoring Quality- When a goal is scored there are very few people that can argue that the celebration, the grace, and the beauty of a goal is not one of the most fantastic scores in all sports. Only rival would be soccer goals. 3. Team Loyalty- I sound like a broken record but players play longer for their team. The minor league system is much better and easier to follow the youth. It's easier to be a fan of a player in the NHL because you've had years to follow and watch. 4. Venue- Hockey arenas allow for up close and personal views, no weather issues, and a party like atmosphere. It is an intimate venue, yet just about everyone who has been to a playoff hockey game comes away going "Wow, I thought the roof was going to come off!" 5. Diversity-I am going to use this as a positive. What other sport, other than European league soccer, can a team feature players from 8 different countries? It is the world's best players playing in one league. 6. Advertising- It is very easy to drop commercials into a hockey game without destroying the "fan momentum" of the game. There are many small breaks that allow for short commercials. This allows networks to put in the same amount of advertisements without throwing two and a half minutes of them at us. It is an advantage.....because it is easy to turn the station during those two minute commercial breaks....we are a lot less likely for 30 seconds or a minute. 7. Longevity- Some players have the ability to play in the league for over 20 years. From the time a player is 18 he has an opportunity to be playing and can continue to play through his early 40's with a high level of competitiveness. This feature alone should hook fans! Somehow it isn't. All of these things are tremendous for a league. I just can't figure out why the American public hasn't fallen in love with this sport by now. The demographic is good, in the US the average person who watches hockey is a white collar, well educated, suburbanite. DO MORE BETTMAN! THE TOOLS ARE THERE. Please feel free to add to the "tools" list, gentlemen. I'd like to see how we could fix the NHL since ratings in the NsHL are through the roof.  |
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Post by FlyersGM on Jun 2, 2004 20:45:15 GMT -5
Mark, I have a good one to add to the list:
Hockey players are the most down to earth players out of all sports especially Football and Baseball. With the exception of the few jerks you'll always find they are usually nice people who embrace the game and the fans without that "look at me" attitude.
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