Last year the NHL on Versus decided to shut the Kings out from any type of national coverage, and once again, they decided to keep it as minimal as possible for this So Cal team. Hey, I love minimalism and everything, but only for my living spaces and furniture within. When it comes to hockey, I want more Kings exposure during more hours of the day.
For the 09-10 season, Versus decided showing one game involving the Kings was enough, but it's blatantly obvious as to why this game was chosen. If it's not obvious, then you need to open your eyes or just have me spell it out for you. This one Kings game was chosen because it was against the Chicago Blackhawks rather than any sort of potential the Kings merit.
Seriously, folks; what Kings game is going to get the most national draw possible? A game against a team that has been put through the hype ringer and drawn as thinly as possible. Yes, people can easily just get the Center Ice package to watch all things Kings, but my point here is not that. It's the fact that this team is, once again, attempting to get out of the usually damp and dusty cellar but are being stunted by a league that views this team as the red-headed step child. I really don't think giving them some national coverage it's that difficult. Why can't Versus just show a hockey double header every night of the season? I really don't think that channel is making its money through bull riding. Ultimate fighting, yes; bull riding, no.
X-posted to A Queen Among Kings
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Versus Frustrates Me
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The Ladies and Jonathan Toews
Three of our ladies, Elise, Amy and Monique got the chance to participate in a conference call with Chicago Blackhawks Captain Jonathan Toews last week along with some other Versus Bloggers. The audio clip of the interview can be found here for your listening pleasure.
Way to go Ladies! And thanks to Versus and Mr. Toews for the opportunity. The HLOGgers are also part of this year's Versus Blogger Insider where we'll be contributing to the game previews for the games that will be on Versus that week. Check out the entries here.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Thanks, NHL and Versus
The NHL and Versus released the schedule today of what games will be aired on the Bull-riding channel. Puck Daddy does an excellent job of breaking down the schedule in terms of how many times a team is shown for next season. How many of you are surprised that the Kings are shown ZERO TIMES?
No one? That’s what I thought.
I really don’t like to bag on other markets/cities outside of the Pacific Division because I have mad respect for everyone. But Buffalo? 9 times?? REALLY? 7 times for Boston?? St. Louis 5 times???
In the Pacific Division only the Dallas Stars get a bit of love by having 4 games aired nationally. The rest?
San Jose – 3
Phoenix – 1
Anaheim – 1
Los Angeles – 0
Zero. ZERO! Oh my god, really? Look, I’m not whining and complaining about this because I’ll be able to watch almost all of the games myself. What I’m angry about is the fact that the NHL and Versus are essentially telling hockey fans that the Kings, Flames, and Oilers are not relevant. I find it hard to believe that they wouldn’t air ANY games from 2 of the 6 Canadian teams. I know that the eastern teams are the big hockey markets that draw in the biggest numbers, but how does that create exposure for other teams? In a league where certain markets aren’t perceived as being relevant, the NHL and Versus have made it clear that they think so as well.
x-posted on A Queen Among Kings
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Eastern Migration
I bumped into this post over at Battle of California earlier today and it got me thinking. Despite that whole growing up with the Leafs thing, I consider myself very much a Western Conference fan first and foremost - that isn't to say I don't care at all about the East, but I certainly would have been just as miffed if this had happened to, say, a Wings game because VS wanted me to see no one but the Penguins (no offense, Elly/ie and Teka!) during the two and a half hours they were playing.
The same thing happened earlier in the year when a Wings/Ducks game going to a shootout resulted in the first seven or eight minutes of the following Dallas game not being shown, so the "VS has a stupid crappy EC bias" argument doesn't really hold up, but it still left me curious about the VS schedule in general.
Last season, which was before I moved past the stone age and found myself the joys of Centre Ice, it felt like every non-Wings (and therefore televised by VS) game I watched was an EC match-up. I lost track of how many times I saw the Pens and the Capitals go at it again, but I chalked it up to my bias rearing its ugly head and not VS'. Still, I was prompted to go look up just what the numbers were, and there results were interesting.
Over the course of the season, VS' current schedule lists 56 NHL games in which the teams are already set (one other is still TBA). Of these:
- 34 are EC match-ups
- 19 are WC match-ups
- 3 involve one team from each conference (Pittsburgh/Minnesota, Detroit/Montreal, and Carolina/Nashville).
- 9 times: Pittsburgh
- 8 times: Colorado, Philadelphia
- 7 times: Buffalo, Detroit, NY Rangers
- 6 times: Boston
- 5 times: Carolina, Montreal, NY Islanders
- 4 times: Atlanta, Dallas, Washington
- 3 times: Anaheim, Minnesota, New Jersey, St. Louis, Toronto
- 2 times: Chicago, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Vancouver
- 1 time: Calgary, Columbus, Edmonton, Florida, LA, Nashville, Ottawa, Phoenix
(And you know, I understand Detroit being so high up there, considering the turn out the Wings get in arenas across the country has led to things like the Coyotes jacking up prices when we're in town, but...Colorado? Really?) Read More......
Monday, April 16, 2007
I'm no marketing expert, but...
So there is a huge Stanley Cup Playoffs on Versus ad featuring Sidney Crosby...on the back cover of this week's issue of The Hockey News. Now call me crazy, but if I get The Hockey News, I already know that the playoffs are underway. A similar television campaign featuring Cindy and the boys is airing during the playoff games. Again, if I am watching a playoff game, you probably don't need to tell me that it is NHL playoff time.
Shouldn't these ads be in a non-hockey related media? I checked my latest issue of ESPN the Magazine (sorry to kill so many trees, but I got this sub as a freebie last year) hoping maybe there would at least be a Crosby ad in there, but nope, no such luck.
At first I was annoyed that the NHL was focusing on Cindy and the Penguins as though they are in the Finals already, but I understand that getting the Cindy name out there is critical to opening up the sport to new fans. But if you are going to promote Cindy and the boys, wouldn't it be a better idea to do it in some non-hockey related media?
Just saying....
