GDT: Around The League 24/25. Preseason ends, the regular season begins!!

[bellagiobob]

I actually really like the NHL ESPN Frozen Frenzy concept. It's about maximizing brand exposure for a more niche, secondary sport during a lull and window in between the giant sports entertainment competitors, NFL football, MLB World Series, NBA, and college football. It leverages the brand strength and reach of broadcast partner ESPN to promote the NHL and seek to drive attention and viewership beyond its current base of hockey fans.

Big spectacles like Frozen Frenzy and the Stadium Series are critical within the NHL marketing strategy to cut through the clutter of a highly competitive reality as a small player to elevate its brand awareness, increase new eyeballs, and grow revenue. Same with the NHL Global Series initiative extending to become a global brand. None of these initiatives are directed at traditional hockey consumers or markets.

Grow or die.

The concept is good, but it needs a lot of work. Not sure if you watch Red Zone, but it's the gold standard for this type of show. One host that you never see, no analysts, just the host seamlessly providing enough commentary to let you know what's going on, and the highlights and action just flow perfectly. My favorite 6 hours of the week! NHL needs to try this on a Saturday, not on a Tuesday, and needs to be done in both Canada and the US, big fail to only have it in the US. Looks like numbers were terrible, not surprising for the date they chose.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Appreciate the explanation but a cost benefit analysis should be done in what the NET advantage is of doing what the NHL is doing having 16 games on one night and 1 or nothing the next. Any negligible increase in views doing this, and perhaps growing viewership has the flipside COST in losing viewers who every 2nd night find that no NHL is on and just stop watching and start watching something else.

As an entertainment business strategy its inane to LIMIT your product in prime time hours. To only be available 3-4 nights instead of 7. That this makes any sort of sense to the NHL is arguably why the NHL is so poor at marketing and growing game. They are not even good at strategies to retain viewership. Its a strange approach to favor non viewers over established viewers. It seems this is what the NHL is doing as I stare at no, or just 1 game games on multiple nights a week.

The measures would include additional publicity generated in established and new media sources. There is also significant value in drawing attention, eyeballs, and new prospective customer segments to your niche sport within a rare dead air night in the highly busy, lucrative fall time that includes NFL football, MLB World Series/playoffs, NBA regular season start, and college football. (And those are just the major North American competitors).

The risk is minimal with an establish customer base whose usage pattern is often focused deeply on one team or deep, passionate fans that are little risk to lose over a content gap of 1 nightly game before and after the big promotion. There's also quite likely established die-hards who like the full day binge of hockey watching and teams they might not care for or see out otherwise.

This is a strategic marketing bet to future potential and growth to elbow a critical tiny window of exclusive profile across a deeply competitive market with bigger, more established competitors. The NHL is in fact 'growing' the game with record revenue and among its marketing strategies one can include expansion, big spectacle events like Frozen Friendly and Stadium Series, and global outreach to established hockey countries and barren ones with prospective new audiences. The disgusting gambling relationships also reflect the proven correlation between watching sports content and gambling.

NHL marketing is quite far reaching and more sophisticated as some might think. It's just not pointed at the established customer base which is already bought in and leveraged with its offerings whether viewing, attending, and/or buying shit.

 

[Drivesaitl]

The measures would include additional publicity generated in established and new media sources. There is also significant value in drawing attention, eyeballs, and new prospective customer segments to your niche sport within a rare dead air night in the highly busy, lucrative fall time that includes NFL football, MLB World Series/playoffs, NBA regular season start, and college football. (And those are just the major North American competitors).

The risk is minimal with an establish customer base whose usage pattern is often focused deeply on one team or deep, passionate fans that are little risk to lose over a content gap of 1 nightly game before and after the big promotion. There's also quite likely established die-hards who like the full day binge of hockey watching and teams they might not care for or see out otherwise.

This is a strategic marketing bet to future potential and growth to elbow a critical tiny window of exclusive profile across a deeply competitive market with bigger, more established competitors. The NHL is in fact 'growing' the game with record revenue and among its marketing strategies one can include expansion, big spectacle events like Frozen Friendly and Stadium Series, and global outreach to established hockey countries and barren ones with prospective new audiences. The disgusting gambling relationships also reflect the proven correlation between watching sports content and gambling.

NHL marketing is quite far reaching and more sophisticated as some might think. It's just not pointed at the established customer base which is already bought in and leveraged with its offerings whether viewing, attending, and/or buying shit.

The risk isn't minimal and the loss of viewership is real. I'm a lifetime NHL fan and yet of course I don't watch NHL when only one game of zero interest to me is on. The net effect of all this is now I watch around 3 nights a week instead of more regularly. Thus my viewership declines. On a whole Canadian and established market viewership of course declines when no games are on.

Ratings is about putting out product every night in primetime and having viewers.

Any of these past and current strategies haven't amounted to pile of rubble in terms of growing viewers.

The NHL Is also growing viewers because Canada now has +40M people, US hockey markets have also increased in population, and now there are 32 teams, the biggest reason for the increased views.

A competent business plan controls its own product and makes its own rules to best gain market share. The NHL is forever being left at the altar after countless attempts to court specific broadcaster favor who inevitably just cut them out on a whim. This has been occurring for the last 70 yrs in the US.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

The concept is good, but it needs a lot of work. Not sure if you watch Red Zone, but it's the gold standard for this type of show. One host that you never see, no analysts, just the host seamlessly providing enough commentary to let you know what's going on, and the highlights and action just flow perfectly. My favorite 6 hours of the week! NHL needs to try this on a Saturday, not on a Tuesday, and needs to be done in both Canada and the US, big fail to only have it in the US. Looks like numbers were terrible, not surprising for the date they chose.

I don't watch Red Zone but not surprised the NFL gets it right. They are the model sports industry that others draw upon in basically every aspect. I watched the Amazon hockey series which was massively hyped for its access and found it okay but largely superficial. Heard that had draw on similar programs for car racing and other sports.

The NHL is like a minnow to other major sports. Not disrespecting but it's fighting to move beyond a niche sport that was once very regional based. Its growth potential is within the U.S. market with deeply established competitors for eyeballs, impressions, and share of wallet.

Ironic that one of their great successes came out of the innovations of a small market Canadian one with the Heritage Classic morphing into the Stadium Series which resonates well to American consumer appetites for BIG events.

The NHL has a long way to go. Unfortunately the direction its going is away from what I personally love(d) about the game.

 

[Gordy Elbows]

Without realizing it, I’ve found myself developing a dislike for Rick Tocchet’s public persona. When he coached in Arizona, no media was interested in the team or him, so we didn’t have to deal with him.
Now that he’s coaching the “vaunted Canucks”, he seems to think he’s been given a public mandate to:
. educate all listeners with his sage wisdom regarding hockey, and
. lecture referees about the rules regarding penalties, face offs, etc. during the games.
What a load of egotistical crap!

Anyway, would much rather listen to Knoblauch!

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

The risk isn't minimal and the loss of viewership is real. I'm a lifetime NHL fan and yet of course I don't watch NHL when only one game of zero interest to me is on. The net effect of all this is now I watch around 3 nights a week instead of more regularly. Thus my viewership declines. On a whole Canadian and established market viewership of course declines when no games are on.

Ratings is about putting out product every night in primetime and having viewers.

Any of these past and current strategies haven't amounted to pile of rubble in terms of growing viewers.

The NHL Is also growing viewers because Canada now has +40M people, US hockey markets have also increased in population, and now there are 32 teams, the biggest reason for the increased views.

A competent business plan controls its own product and makes its own rules to best gain market share. The NHL is forever being left at the altar after countless attempts to court specific broadcaster favor who inevitably just cut them out on a whim. This has been occurring for the last 70 yrs in the US.

It's not really my position to defend. I'm suggesting there is a strong, coherent business rationale and strategy underpinning it. Personalizing to your situation doesn't give us any insight if you are unique or represent a viable risk of core audience loss.

The NHL is about profit motivation for a cartel of business owners. They are following a growth strategy that's moving to where the money and opportunity space is and away from the core foundation. Servicing deep committed Canadian customers is a secondary consideration to building and growing the latent profit potential in a 346 million population base to our South.

 

[Drivesaitl]

It's not really my position to defend. I'm suggesting there is a strong, coherent business rationale and strategy underpinning it. Personalizing to your situation doesn't give us any insight if you are unique or represent a viable risk of core audience loss.

The NHL is about profit motivation for a cartel of business owners. They are following a growth strategy that's moving to where the money and opportunity space is and away from the core foundation. Servicing deep committed Canadian customers is a secondary consideration to building and growing the latent profit potential in a 346 million population base to our South.

I was using my situation just to denote typical day in the life viewing. It stands to reason that a League product that broadcasts a multitude of games just 3-4 nights a week is losing marketshare the 3 -4 nights they have one or zero games on. How are you, or the NHL not following the magnitude of that loss?

Trust me any of these networks the NHL is cavorting with and taking advice from will leave them standing. They always have and always will. You'd figure at some time in a century of broadcasting the NHL might figure out its more sensible to make their own decisions. Not to curry random favor of the whims of US broadcasters. The list of these instances that have died on the vine are endless.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

I was using my situation just to denote typical day in the life viewing. It stands to reason that a League product that broadcasts a multitude of games just 3-4 nights a week is losing marketshare the 3 -4 nights they have one or zero games on. How are you, or the NHL not following the magnitude of that loss?

Trust me any of these networks the NHL is cavorting with and taking advice from will leave them standing. They always have and always will. You'd figure at some time in a century of broadcasting the NHL might figure out its more sensible to make their own decisions. Not to curry random favor of the whims of US broadcasters. The list of these instances that have died on the vine are endless.

The situation is one night with no full blackouts surrounding it. Again I don't know what an average customer's viewing habits are or threshold for disruption for 'expected' content access.

The NHL is likely to always be challenged with broadcast contracts. They are a small player in the scheme of things. They also chase the money too so move off of partners as well. Ultimately the NHL is setting its direction through expansion and broadcasting prioritizing to the growth potential available to it in the big, lucrative market to our South. The revenue increases across the board including franchise fees for non-hockey markets suggest it is working. Are they losing their soul with this ... for me I'd say yes. But it's business, the product just happens to be a game played on ice.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Without realizing it, I’ve found myself developing a dislike for Rick Tocchet’s public persona. When he coached in Arizona, no media was interested in the team or him, so we didn’t have to deal with him.
Now that he’s coaching the “vaunted Canucks”, he seems to think he’s been given a public mandate to:
. educate all listeners with his sage wisdom regarding hockey, and
. lecture referees about the rules regarding penalties, face offs, etc. during the games.
What a load of egotistical crap!

Anyway, would much rather listen to Knoblauch!

Anybody that was tied up in the gambling on games fiasco in Arizona shouldn't be allowed anyhere in the game after that, nonetheless coaching it. Both gretz and Tocchet showed alarming judgement that perhaps demonstrates how accepted and pervasive gambling on sports has become. With Gretz unironically continuing to be a spokesperson for sport betting and tarnishing his rep further.

But yeah. Tochet sure likes to milk calls. Can't stand him.

 

[K1984]

Without realizing it, I’ve found myself developing a dislike for Rick Tocchet’s public persona. When he coached in Arizona, no media was interested in the team or him, so we didn’t have to deal with him.
Now that he’s coaching the “vaunted Canucks”, he seems to think he’s been given a public mandate to:
. educate all listeners with his sage wisdom regarding hockey, and
. lecture referees about the rules regarding penalties, face offs, etc. during the games.
What a load of egotistical crap!

Anyway, would much rather listen to Knoblauch!

He also annoys me, but I'll give him credit for knowing how to play the media, his mentally handicapped fan base, and the league/officials.

The out of left field framing of the Oilers as divers before the series started was a stroke of genius to be honest. It acts as a mind f*** for the terrible NHL referees. Did Pettersson just dive? He couldn't have because Tocchet says he hates diving....McDavid was just tripped, but was it a dive? Do we call it?

Just enough to plant the seed of doubt in their dumb heads.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1849240257213960459

And it’s only gonna get worse.