Who hates watching the NhL on NBC?

Question

Why is NBC getting games 3-7 when they hardly carry any game sin the reg season and only a few in post season? They dont care about hockey at allthe whole year untill the finals. Thats sounds like a typical Bettman move. I feel bad for Versus since they are so committed the whole season and then they get s**t on!

Answer 1

CBC- HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA= THE BEST

THANK YOU DON CHERRY

Answer 2

I agree, it is silly that NBC gets games 3-7.  If the NHL isnt good enough to carry games 1 & 2 of the stanley cup on your network then dont pick up any of the series.  Either take all the games or take none of them.  I wonder why they dont just take games 4-7, as it seems that the cup clincher is all they really want in this arrangement.  At least back in the day with abc showing the finals, they used an espn crew and espn carried it the whole season.  Only good thing about the arrangement is that people without cable/satelite can see at least some games.  Maybe nbc should use the Versus crew.  That way they could do the games and people without cable could see it.

Answer 3

Anyone who loves hockey hates the coverage by Versus and NBC.  The true masters are CBC (Hockey Night in Canada), then TSN.  Also NBC only broadcasts games towards the end of the season why? Because of money and ratings (to have the rights for the Playoffs and Finals) The average American won't watch the NHL during the regular season, hence in order for NBC to broadcast the playoffs,  they get some of the games "down the stretch" for the race to make the playoffs when it "really matters" for a lot of people with "interest" in the sport. A lot of US fans say/think the regular season is meaningless.  Its especially bad if their team is knocked out of the race or the playoffs Unfortunately thats the way it is and they don't care because if you like hockey and live in the states, you are forced to watch c**p coverage, unless you live in S/E Michigan and other US cities near the Canadian border where you can pick up CBC from Canada. They can get there ratings when you have 2 teams/markets like Detroit and PItt playing for the cup.  If this makes any sense?  It really sucks that this is the way it is because hockey truly is the greatest sport and the fastest sport powered solely by the individual athlete and requires so many different talents and skills. I mean how many people regardless of ability can't run up and down the court and throw a beach ball thru a hoop or throw a ball from point a to point b and swing a bat and get lucky hitting the ball?  Not to bash the other sports, but hockey is by far more intense and entertaining than any of the others and involves so much more skill and hand eye coordination.

Answer 4

dont get me started with versus  

please!!!!!!!!!!!!! MOVE TO ESPN

GO SABRES

Answer 5

me me me.

w/e i watch hockey on good networks, so i can't complain much, so lets not bring in espn cause then i'll just start wilin'

anyways the reason i hear about nbc getting the sc games deal is, and i've heard this from the don bettman himself "nbc has better access to reach all american fans at home than versus, and being on such a huge network is an honour for us". paraphrasing, but he's always said something like that. like it's a win win deal for the nhl, and also for nbc...usually when i see him i just shake my head. i can't complain about him anymore cause now i have to start shitting on the nfl comish.

also about the vs comment. i always thought vs/oln had the ugly step sister complex. i think if bettman could figure out a way to get hockey on espn, he'd cut their deal with cbc. or even if nbc wanted to be the only carrier of hockey, and didn't want cbc to have any sc finals coverage, he'd do that. he comes off like a guy who has no soul.

Answer 6

I really don't care what station it's on - as long as I get to watch it! I just ignore the commentators.

You're one of the first to feel "bad' for VS, most everyone has been raggin' on them.

Answer 7

The goal of moving it to NBC is to increase viewership and hopefully increase the NHL fanbase.  As far as I know the camera crew and announcers will all be the same as the once used during the Versus telecast, there will just be different commercials, sponsors, and a different banner at the top of your screen.  This should not have much of an effect on the game itself, from a viewer standpoint at least.  I don't know if station ownership is the same like it used to be when it was ESPN/ABC doing games, so I cant speak to that portion of the television contract.

Sposed: The reason the ESPN and ABC switch took place for the finals is because both companies are own by Disney and the contract with the NHL worked so that the networks could be switched for large audiences during important games.

Answer 8

The commentators on NBC are the same as the ones on Versus...I personally like the games on NBC because I get that in HD.

And it doesn't matter to me whether or not the station "cares" about hockey.  As long as they broadcast it.  Plus it's a national channel.  A lot of people don't even get Versus, so it's good to put it on a channel everyone can watch.

Answer 9

Keep in mind that NBC's announcing crew is the same crew Versus uses.  

As to why, the contract that NBC negotiated stipulates all of this.  Plus, the NHL wants the Finals on terrestial (over the air) television; the ugly truth is that American audiences do not watch hockey in significant numbers; if it got ratings NBC would be pushing for a package involving more games in a heartbeat.

The broadcast contract was written in consultation with both Versus and NBC.  The NHL is guilty of a lot of things, but over the years they have shown a high level of bias toward protecting their rightsholders (NBC/Versus in the US, CBC/SRC and TSN/RDS in Canada).

Answer 10

I agree, I really don't like it when games are on NBC. I think their commentary for the most part is really lame, it's for dumb people who don't know anything about the game. Mike Emrick is very annoying to me, he words everything like Yoda. I do however like Mike Milbury. I wish they would just keep the whole thing on VS< it's not quite as bad there. But, I guess maybe it is good to get  little more visibility for the game by putting it on national tv.

Answer 11

Any hockey on TV is a good thing. They could show the games on 'oxygen' or 'lifetime' networks and I'd be there.

Your point is well taken, though.

Answer 12

Yeah i really agree i love watching the games on versus!

♥MALKIN!♥

♥Sid the Kid♥

Answer 13

I DO

THE WINTER CLASSIC SUCKED ON NBC

SHOULD OF BEEN ON MSG WHERE IT BELONGS

WITH RICK GENERETTE i no i spelled it wrong

Answer 14

I just hate it because every time I see Mike Milbury, I want to jump through the screen and choke the life out of him. Otherwise, it is not a big deal. Football, basketball, and baseball all broadcast games on different national networks. NBC doesn't carry games until January because they know hockey can't compete in the US with college football and the NFL all weekend long.

If hockey goes back to the Poker Channel, errrr... I mean E "no S"PN, I won't watch.  Versus is getting better and drawing better ratings each season. There ratings are better than ESPN's were despite being in less households.

Answer 15

Don Cherry = CBC hockey night in Canada is the best of all of them!

Answer 16

I hate the NHL on NBC along with NHL on Versus.  The only good announcers on Versus do fishing, but that wouldn't make much sense.  "And Malkin casts the puck at the net, he catches one!!!".  Luckily I live in Pittsburgh where I can mute them out and turn on 105.9.

Answer 17

NBC isn't that bad. It has a great commentary team.

Answer 18

Me I want it to go to ABC/ESPN or FOX they we're fine before NBC I think.

Answer 19

Its called a contract. The NHL has one with Versus and NBC. Versus knew what would happen long before the season started and what will hapen in the season to follow. Its not about Versus getting crapped on, its about the contracts.

Answer 20

Thats why I watch on CBC.

Answer 21

yes it's sad that they can't even swing a deal for the 7 Finals games, they even have their marketing hero beloved Sidney Crosby in there too. I'd watch 2 playoff games a night through the whole thing if I could