Will ESPN get back in the NHL broadcasting game?

[jstewismybastardson]

I agree ... and wonder where sports viewership/fandom is going to go in the near future ... as an aside, the radio execs across canada were left scratching their heads with the last ratings book that just came out ... the start of the NHL season and across the board, across canada, ratings are down almost 20 % (iirc)

that 20% figure is incorrect lol ... but theyre down across canada and radio execs were left asking if the ppm's changed the way they counted listeners lol

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

as an aside, the radio execs across canada were left scratching their heads with the last ratings book that just came out ... the start of the NHL season and across the board, across canada, ratings are down almost 20 % (iirc)

That is pretty steep. Any ideas why? I expect radio ratings to decline but that's more cliff drop than steady decline.

/Saw your second post but still.

Many people, many people have been wondering just how much faith they should put into Neilsen ratings for a while now too. I'm guessing there's internal data (from streaming networks etc.) that the leagues & networks are using more often now to sell to advertisers that we'll probably never know about.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

That is pretty steep. Any ideas why? I expect radio ratings to decline but that's more cliff drop than steady decline.

/Saw your second post but still.

Many people, many people have been wondering just how much faith they should put into Neilsen ratings for a while now too. I'm guessing there's internal data (from streaming networks etc.) that the leagues & networks are using more often now to sell to advertisers that we'll probably never know about.

from botchford sunday/monday:

First thing, sports radio is freaking hard. It’s niche and it’s hard.

Ratings were down and down across the country.

Theories abound as to why. The Jays sucked. Millennials streamed. Podcasts exploded. Rock stations swallowed up share because of Gord Downie and Tom Petty deaths. I’ve heard it all in reaching out to people in different markets.

But there may be more at play.

The key demo for sports radio is men aged 25-54. If you add up where 650 and 1040 ended this fall ratings book it doesn’t equal where 1040 was a year ago ( Botch says down 25% further in this story that i didnt link ) , and it’s not even close.

That’s not good. It’s also super curious because all the sports stations in the big five Canadian markets, where they use the Portable People Meters to measure ratings, saw a not insignificant decline in reported tuning from this same key demo.

As someone outside BC said to me:
“There’s definitely a modest downward trend for all of sports radio in PPM markets with the meters. Where it isn’t down – diary markets, where you write in what you think you listened to.”

Some have suggested this speaks to a potential change in PPM methodology, and in how ratings are calculated.

It would be reasonable theory to explain what otherwise is pretty inexplicable — why it appears to be happening in all five markets and at the same time.

I couldn’t get anyone in the country to go on the record about it, so, as they say, it is what it is.

Maybe it’s something that is corrected by the spring.

I’d bet there are program directors teaming up, maybe even those from different networks, to try and get this worked out.

But, it’s worth noting, in general all sports radio makes up about 2% of the overall radio share and only a handful of PPMs are out there projecting these ratings at any given time.

Any slight alteration could have a big impact on numbers.

The end result, however, is that this fall book a knee-deep pool got a lot more shallow.

Like, ankle deep.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I'll say this much about sports radio here:

-the Bob McCown show has spent more time in the past month talking about Tiger fucking Woods than they have the Leafs. Their mid-morning guy (Jeff Blair) will talk baseball in the middle of fucking January for 80% of his show because he literally doesn't know anything about any other sport.

-a couple of weeks ago Pierre McGuire was on Michael Landsberg and Todd Shapiro (this is honestly the worst pairing in sports radio history - neither host understands sports at all) where Pierre McGuire was under the impression that Todd was a former NHL player (I can't for the fucking life of me tell you which former NHL Todd he could possibly have been confusing him for) and kept prefacing his answers with things like "you'd remember from your time in the game Todd" or "I know they didn't do things that way back when you were on the ice Todd".

The Oilers were playing the Sabres and PMG insisted, and I guess kudos to Landsberg for at least trying to call him out on this, insisted that there were "many GM's" that had Eichel ranked ahead of McDavid in the 2015 draft. Landsberg literally said "no way. They'd be fired the next day" and still cueball whined that "ohhh no there were lots". Pressed on by Landsberg he finally said "2 or 3".

Forget drawing in new listeners with fucking drivel like that, they're all lucky for the few they're holding onto.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

I'll say this much about sports radio here:

-the Bob McCown show has spent more time in the past month talking about Tiger fucking Woods than they have the Leafs. Their mid-morning guy (Jeff Blair) will talk baseball in the middle of fucking January for 80% of his show because he literally doesn't know anything about any other sport.

-a couple of weeks ago Pierre McGuire was on Michael Landsberg and Todd Shapiro (this is honestly the worst pairing in sports radio history - neither host understands sports at all) where Pierre McGuire was under the impression that Todd was a former NHL player (I can't for the fucking life of me tell you which former NHL Todd he could possibly have been confusing him for) and kept prefacing his answers with things like "you'd remember from your time in the game Todd" or "I know they didn't do things that way back when you were on the ice Todd".

The Oilers were playing the Sabres and PMG insisted, and I guess kudos to Landsberg for at least trying to call him out on this, insisted that there were "many GM's" that had Eichel ranked ahead of McDavid in the 2015 draft. Landsberg literally said "no way. They'd be fired the next day" and still cueball whined that "ohhh no there were lots". Pressed on by Landsberg he finally said "2 or 3".

Forget drawing in new listeners with fucking drivel like that, they're all lucky for the few they're holding onto.

what little TO sports radio Ive listened to or been exposed to is the simulcast stuff on tv and dear god do they take their shows seriously ... not sure if its what the market demands but i need some entertainment goddammit ... far from it for me to say vancouver radio is any better (ie look at the ratings lol) but i think they do a better job, going off topic, entertaining and not taking things so serious ... its been funny watching/listening to Andrew Walker try and fit in to this market ... he had a hot taek about corn that was very manufactured lol ... just trying way too hard

 

[dash]

what little TO sports radio Ive listened to or been exposed to is the simulcast stuff on tv and dear god do they take their shows seriously ... not sure if its what the market demands but i need some entertainment goddammit ... far from it for me to say vancouver radio is any better (ie look at the ratings lol) but i think they do a better job, going off topic, entertaining and not taking things so serious ... its been funny watching/listening to Andrew Walker try and fit in to this market ... he had a hot taek about corn that was very manufactured lol ... just trying way to hard

Just to follow up on this, I tried listening to Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver, but I don't find the hosts of the various shows very engaging. Cybulski's voice doesn't help (like nails on a blackboard), but generally speaking, TSN 1040 just seems to be a lot more entertaining.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Just to follow up on this, I tried listening to Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver, but I don't find the hosts of the various shows very engaging. Cybulski's voice doesn't help (like nails on a blackboard), but generally speaking, TSN 1040 just seems to be a lot more entertaining.

I honestly couldnt believe that 650 didnt have higher ratings in comparison to 1040 after getting the broadcast rights ... but i guess its probably a function of not as many caring about the canucks right now plus the 650 lineup/product is so shitty

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Just to follow up on this, I tried listening to Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver, but I don't find the hosts of the various shows very engaging. Cybulski's voice doesn't help (like nails on a blackboard), but generally speaking, TSN 1040 just seems to be a lot more entertaining.

Cybulski was brutal when he was on the radio here.

what little TO sports radio Ive listened to or been exposed to is the simulcast stuff on tv and dear god do they take their shows seriously ... not sure if its what the market demands but i need some entertainment goddammit ... far from it for me to say vancouver radio is any better (ie look at the ratings lol) but i think they do a better job, going off topic, entertaining and not taking things so serious ... its been funny watching/listening to Andrew Walker try and fit in to this market ... he had a hot taek about corn that was very manufactured lol ... just trying way too hard

The 3 morons on TSN in the PM drive try to keep it light but, like you said with Walker, they seem to try too hard (I mean, 2 of the 3 are Jeff O'Neill and Jamie McLennan so...).

 

[davnlaguna]

It would have been better if Disney had picked up the Spice network and showed live NHL games on there between its other programming but scooping up the regional networks helps out those cord cutters on the watchESPN app I guess.

Disney will probably be able to scoop up a bargain basement price for the next NHL contract after lockout 4.0 now.

Clement Clement, hands of cement.

Is the Spice network a cooking channel? Asking for a friend (comeds)

I would think msnbc or NHL channel will keep the National games.
Disney is not getting FoxSports 1-2 either

 

[forty_three]

All I want is whatever network it's on actually cares about hockey and isn't just using it as filler because they don't have the rights to broadcast anything else. I do not want to tune in and miss a hockey game because fat men are sitting around playing cards or some "video game" contest is going on. Or God help me, those gay men wrestling inside the fence.

NBC got off to a rough start and there are times I want to hit Pierre in the face with a frozen egg, but I think overall they do a good job. Good crossover with NHL network to get in depth info out there.

I do not want to see some bumbling doofus who is all catch phrases trying to push a story about how some player was seen picking his nose on the bench and trying to turn it into some political/entertainment story.




So, no ESPN is what I am saying.

 

[sbb122]

I'll say this much about sports radio here:

-the Bob McCown show has spent more time in the past month talking about Tiger fucking Woods than they have the Leafs. Their mid-morning guy (Jeff Blair) will talk baseball in the middle of fucking January for 80% of his show because he literally doesn't know anything about any other sport.

-a couple of weeks ago Pierre McGuire was on Michael Landsberg and Todd Shapiro (this is honestly the worst pairing in sports radio history - neither host understands sports at all) where Pierre McGuire was under the impression that Todd was a former NHL player (I can't for the fucking life of me tell you which former NHL Todd he could possibly have been confusing him for) and kept prefacing his answers with things like "you'd remember from your time in the game Todd" or "I know they didn't do things that way back when you were on the ice Todd".

The Oilers were playing the Sabres and PMG insisted, and I guess kudos to Landsberg for at least trying to call him out on this, insisted that there were "many GM's" that had Eichel ranked ahead of McDavid in the 2015 draft. Landsberg literally said "no way. They'd be fired the next day" and still cueball whined that "ohhh no there were lots". Pressed on by Landsberg he finally said "2 or 3".

Forget drawing in new listeners with fucking drivel like that, they're all lucky for the few they're holding onto.

My God he is the worst, and for the life of me the only NHL'er i can remember named Todd was Todd Ewen.

 

[dash]

My God he is the worst, and for the life of me the only NHL'er i can remember named Todd was Todd Ewen.

Bertuzzi: It is what it is

 

[Comeds]

Wait a minute, ESPN hosts named in sexual harassment suits?!? Mike Tirico say it ain't so!

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

My God he is the worst, and for the life of me the only NHL'er i can remember named Todd was Todd Ewen.

I was thinking Gill or Marchant but any guys that are in hockey broadcasting today named Todd? Clueless.

 

[forty_three]

See how people with different political views can get along.

My God he is the worst, and for the life of me the only NHL'er i can remember named Todd was Todd Ewen.

Bertuzzi: It is what it is

HOW CAN YOU FORGET TODD FEDORUK?


/easily

 

[elocomotive]

I'm really excited for ESPN to get hockey back. They have partnered with the NHL to create some really cool rule changes as well.