News Article: Playoff Viewership tanking

[Section 104]

It’s the first time that the four early 1970s expansion teams: Buffalo, Vancouver, Long Island and Calgary are not in the playoffs. No wonder viewership is down.

 

[Quinntessential]

I agree with the playoff matchup format being stale. I'd like to see it switched up somehow with western teams facing eastern teams before the finals.

 

[WPGDEVILS]

illegal streams account for that and more.

Everyone’s does it and it’s way easier

 

[awegrzyn]

Then why is NBA having the best playoff in 25 years, it seem that your reply is what you think and belive, and thats ok
but its not objective facts

Different Viewers. Easier to fool.

Is NBA hard to find on a TV? Do you have to wake up 4am as a kid and pay thousands to play?

 

[x Tame Impala]

Is there access I’m not seeing via the NHL app or NHL channel?

WTF am I not able to simply buy a 2 month subscription and watch all of these games on my phone or smart tv?

 

[hockeyFan029]

It's no surprise NHL TV ratings are plummeting. The league has a serious star power problem—not because there aren't talented players, but because the NHL goes out of its way to hide them. Star players get targeted in the playoffs with cheap shots, and the league shrugs. For instance, in last nights playoff game, Brandon Hagel delivered an interference hit on Aleksander Barkov, who left the game injured.

On top of that, any sign of personality or individuality gets stamped out. Compare that to the NBA, or global soccer—those leagues protect their stars and promote their personalities. The NHL does the opposite, and then wonders why no one outside the hardcore fanbase is watching.

 

[Minnewildsota]

Yes because no one can watch it. Streaming is the number one way people watch entertainment now and almost none of these games are streaming.

It’s incredibly how incompetent the league can be. You have people who want to watch and can’t.

I tried to watch the Wild game last night and couldn’t. I have FanDuel and ESPN+, it was on neither. Rather it was on TBS.

I’m not going to pay for 3 streaming services just to watch.

 

[avsfan9]

All the younger fans stream it illegally how do they account for that?

This is. Most likely what’s happening.

 

[Nineteen67]

It's no surprise NHL TV ratings are plummeting. The league has a serious star power problem—not because there aren't talented players, but because the NHL goes out of its way to hide them. Star players get targeted in the playoffs with cheap shots, and the league shrugs. For instance, in last nights playoff game, Brandon Hagel delivered an interference hit on Aleksander Barkov, who left the game injured.

On top of that, any sign of personality or individuality gets stamped out. Compare that to the NBA, or global soccer—those leagues protect their stars and promote their personalities. The NHL does the opposite, and then wonders why no one outside the hardcore fanbase is watching.

There’s some truth to what you say in that the nhl is terrible at marketing. More importantly, it’s a niche regional sports where fans pretty much only watch their team. Although it’s not a niche sport, the same can be said for Canada, when the Leafs get eliminated the ratings plummet.

I bet Sportsnet ratings are through the roof this round.

 

[Nineteen67]

I tried to watch the Wild game last night and couldn’t. I have FanDuel and ESPN+, it was on neither. Rather it was on TBS.

I’m not going to pay for 3 streaming services just to watch.

How do you watch college sports?

 

[Legion34]

Couldn’t this be as simple as Boston rangers missing the playoffs?

That has to be a chunk right? Although Montreal got in

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Is there access I’m not seeing via the NHL app or NHL channel?

WTF am I not able to simply buy a 2 month subscription and watch all of these games on my phone or smart tv?

I use sling tv around this time of year. Get the orange package and do monthly. You’ll get every game. I cancel right after the playoffs

 

[Mr grumpy]

as of late first round viewership has always been down. But when you factor in None of the OG 6 are in the playoffs? Those are pretty large markets

 

[GKJ]

I’m not one to complain about announcers, but I will be moreso for production value. TNT’s broadcast of Kings/Oilers felt like amateur hour. If you’re going to do remote, just give me the full feed from Sportsnet and let the pros handle it.

 

[HockeyVirus]

illegal streams account for that and more.

Everyone’s does it and it’s way easier

I think they know their lunch is being eaten by them which is why the speculation is blackouts are starting to be phased out. I think there will be some push to make the experience easier by the NHL.

It's just the NHL and they will have it figured out by 2030, 20 years later than everyone else.

 

[Nineteen67]

Last night was the first time in my life, that I can recall, where I didn’t even think to turn on a game or check a score. I listened to the jays on the radio until I got to place where I could watch and they had one update brought 4 or 5 innings.

 

[ryan callahan]

Refs making the games about themselves and not calling anything /thread

 

[Nineteen67]

I use sling tv around this time of year. Get the orange package and do monthly. You’ll get every game. I cancel right after the playoffs

Does sling have local channels? Can you watch games on ABC?

Like I asked the other guy, how do you watch college football?

 

[wintersej]

Same thing I said to the previous poster but the viewership is way down from just last year. None of those markets outside of Boston and New York were in the playoffs last year so unless they alone accounted for such a big ratings boon last year it has to be due to more than that.

Put it this way. The Bruins/Blues final had 50% higher average ratings than the Oilers/Panthers Final. More than double the Florida/Vegas Final. Nearly triple the Tampa/Stars Final. Outside of the Buffalo market, most of the US fans only really watch their own teams with regularity or particularly good matchups. And EDM/Fla was one of those! And it still got creamed.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

 

[wintersej]

Different Viewers. Easier to fool.

Is NBA hard to find on a TV? Do you have to wake up 4am as a kid and pay thousands to play?

Easier to fool? That’s a red flag take.

NBA obviously knows how to make their game easier to find. NHL took a position to maximize TV contracts by splitting it up amongst a bunch of different providers. It’s certainly a contributing factor in fewer total eyeballs. Unclear, honestly, if it’s a bad monetary strategy.

 

[SML2]

My theory based on nothing but conjecture is that the Buffalo area, which somehow seemed to carry US viewership, has finally had it with the Sabres enough that they tune out the NHL entirely.

On a more serious note, the Internet and streaming that people thought would open up everything to more viewers seemed to not have that effect. Maybe not surprising given that a) corporations will ruin any tech for consumers to monetise it and b) other entertainment options have access to the same tech. I also wonder what impact pirated streams have? I tend to think it's negligible given most people, especially the older target audience, will gladly pay for the ease of having games on with a couple button pushes. However, I'm not sure how much ESPN+ etc. complicates things for people still used to just using their remote control. It seems if you're willing to take some minor inconveniences (i.e. hooking up your laptop to the TV or similar), pirated streams might actually be easier to use at the moment not to mention cheaper. I haven't paid to watch the NHL in a while (is that OK to post here?) just because blackout rules and different providers make it a hassle.

Don't get me started. The NHL has declared nearly the entire state of NY as Buffalo Sabres territory because it's done by number of viewers. So the Metro NY area has a tiny geographic footprint because of it's population density. Meanwhile there are arguably more Rangers, Devils, Islanders and Canadiens fans than there are Sabres fans in their so-called territory.

Honestly, I don't expect anything close to reality from the NHL on any numbers. I think they are dying to go to a pay per view model and will tell any set of plausible lies they can to make it a reality.

 

[Lomez]

Too much hassle to find the games...

 

[Armourboy]

It's going to continue to get worse until they start forcing these companies to stop having blackouts and not actually having the games streamed on their services. ESPN/ESPN + is the major issue atm.

Hopefully it's like last season though and suddenly after the first round they were available on both.

 

[BraveCanadian]

I’m not sure of the situation in other countries but in Canada they make it so hard to follow even your favourite team. They are completely focused on milking every cent out of existing fans. Multiple services needed to watch one team, ads everywhere, betting crap all over telecasts, jersey ads, cgi board ads.. the entertainment product is getting consistently worse AND more expensive.

Instead of constantly striving for short term dollars they need to make the games way more accessible to build the audience. Having said that, the NHL just renewed with Rogers so…