News Article: Playoff Viewership tanking

[S E P H]

down 22% compared to last year.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Viewership Decline

The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are experiencing a significant decline in viewership, with early games showing double-digit percentage drops compared to last year.

www.newsbreak.com

ESPN needs to keep it on ESPN+. People with ESPN + might be saying no when being asked to jump through hoops.

The main reason why isn't because of ESPN+, it's because there are zero original 6 USA teams.

 

[jackjohnson]

down 22% compared to last year.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Viewership Decline

The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are experiencing a significant decline in viewership, with early games showing double-digit percentage drops compared to last year.

www.newsbreak.com

Time to take NHL into streaming and have all games shown on Netflix. WWE made 5 billion off Netflix. NHL could make 15 billion off Netflix.

 

[jackjohnson]

Next year's Carolina vs Devils or Edmonton vs Kings will bring the views back up!

The idiots that decided this playoff format at NHL.head offices need to be fired. Don't fix it if it ain't broke

 

[jackjohnson]

No Boston, no Chicago, no Rangers, no Flyers this post season.

Don't forget, No Canucks.

 

[jackjohnson]

I was reading something the other day Rangers and Blackhawks viewership were unusually down this year. It actually caused MSG to go bankrupt in March. I believe this just has to do with finding a way to get their networks on a easier and cheaper way to stream.



You are right and This is a start. Everything televised on ESPN or the Espn 2 needs to be on +

Right now the cable model is dying a slow painful death and until it does and the streaming gets more simple and figured out, expect lower numbers.

Also the MLB app imo is the closest to being on the right track. ESPN + should follow their model. Even include NHL network in the package. Like MLB does with MLB network and they only charge 34 a month. Or 150 for the year.

Blackouts are the next thing that also need to go.

Blackouts are the dumbest thing when it comes to NHL viewing.

 

[jackjohnson]

Viewership is down because we have seen these matchups a dozen f***ing times already

No it's down because of corporate greed. In Canada you have to pay $30 per month for sportsnet plus which has a crappy app. Even Netflix is cheaper and better than that trash. NHL should be either televised in basic cable channels or put on a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon prime. People don't have money to spend $30 per month on a crappy app that only shows regional NHL game and still has blackouts

 

[jackjohnson]

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

True, Buttman tries to make as much money as possible by spreading out NHL games to multiple providers and have blackouts but don't consider that they are destroying their product. Have NHL in one popular streaming service globally and remove blackouts and see NHL grow. WWE is smart, NHL is not.

 

[SEALBound]

I have ESPN+ and online DishTV. When I want to watch it on TBS or TNT, I have no mechanism to do so. There's no xbox compatible apps, no online resources, unless I want to pay for extra shit like Sling. There just comes a point when I get tired of the $ spent and the hassle.

Broadcast it all on ESPN+ and viewership will go up.

 

[hockey4sale]

Big market teams like Boston, Rangers, Pittsburgh and Chicago are not in the playoffs plus after watching games all year on ESPN+ now fans have to sign up for new streaming service like Sling or YouTubeTV to watch ESPN, next year please stream playoffs on ESPN+ too, charge more if you have to but don’t force fans to look for new services mid year

I live on Long Island, my local cable company (Optimum) is charging $113 for a package that contains ESPN channel plus $50 one time fee for a technician visit to install a cable box, it’s too much, please make playoffs available on ESPN+, it will improve viewership great deal

 

[voyageur]

Isn't ESPN and their accessibility the reason why the NHL turned to NBC the last time in TV negotiations? Doesn't sound like a pleasant viewing experience.

If you weigh Canadian viewership, with both marquee teams, one in an interprovincial rivalry, alternating prime time nights this year, and 2 more Canadian teams out West to boot, is total viewership in decline these playoffs, with reference to the Thread Title?

 

[PhysicalGraffiti]

ESPN sucks firstly.

Secondly, despite Bettman loving the same matchups every playoff year, it doesn't seem everyone else feels the same.

And of course the league still can't figure out how to market the game. It's a far more exciting product in person than any other sport, and they have a chance with the NBA losing viewership and MLB always worried with the slower game.

It honestly probably has a lot to do with the absurd streaming/blackouts for all sports, but this would be a great chance for the league to try and gain some ground and be more widely available.

 

[cgf]

ESPN needs to keep it on ESPN+. People with ESPN + might be saying no when being asked to jump through hoops.

People are willing to jump through those hoops to watch the NBA, which had its best ratings in ages to start this postseason. Yes the media landscape is changing, but that excuse rings a little hollow when others are handling that change so much better than the NHL's league office

 

[Ezekial]

I was reading something the other day Rangers and Blackhawks viewership were unusually down this year. It actually caused MSG to go bankrupt in March. I believe this just has to do with finding a way to get their networks on a easier and cheaper way to stream.



You are right and This is a start. Everything televised on ESPN or the Espn 2 needs to be on +

Right now the cable model is dying a slow painful death and until it does and the streaming gets more simple and figured out, expect lower numbers.

Also the MLB app imo is the closest to being on the right track. ESPN + should follow their model. Even include NHL network in the package. Like MLB does with MLB network and they only charge 34 a month. Or 150 for the year.

Blackouts are the next thing that also need to go.

Blackhawks are shit and moved to a network with the white sox and bulls who are also shit. People don't want to pay for an additional subscription to watch a terrible team.

I finally got Marquee last week because the Cubs are justifiably worth spending money to watch again. I don't mind shelling out $20 a month to have consistent access to quality streams if the team is worth watching.

 

[Sun God Nika]

tuned into the Washinton / MTL game expecting ruff stuff and refs killed the vibes.

Officiating has not been playoff officiating and its killing the product. Let them play.

 

[Tie Domi Esquire]

there's still too much violence and meaniepants, we need more skill and "superstars" so that we can show everyone that this is not hockey

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

I mean, IPTV boxes have made it incredibly easy to watch live TV and they cost a fraction of what cable does

I was coming in here to say this. I bet viewership isn't down at all, people have just had enough of the NHL and their network allies and are finding other ways to watch. This league just never learns.

 

[Team_Spirit]

West is a re-run of the last 3 years, east is Caps, Canes, Florida maybe Toronto going deep can save the ratings.

 

[Bushay]

How do the Canadian networks compare with 5 of the 8 Canadian teams qualifying this year? Are they down as well? Percentage-wise?

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

West is a re-run of the last 3 years, east is Caps, Canes, Florida maybe Toronto going deep can save the ratings.

Never understood how somebody can be so concerned for a multi billion dollar company.
Grown man crying on twitter

 

[Ignatius]

I don't have TV or pay for any streaming services and I used the YouTube TV free trial to watch playoffs over the past few days . I'm just too busy in life and I think I'm going to go back to scoreboard watching for now. Besides I do more hate watching than anything else and I'm not getting the expected results from the LA Kings which is making me want to put them in the hatewatch status that is already occupied by Edmonton, how much more betrayal I can take!

 

[Machinehead]

I'm surprised it's tanking. Always assumed once the Rangers are out people will watch more.

America is changing. The younger generations are calling lots of Hypocrisies out, and the Boomers running the show are not understanding it. You could fool the Boomers, but you can't really control the Z generation. Only way out is to bring all hockey for free to 1 channel. It already is free online if you know where to look. Finance is not everything. It's just a short money grab, with long terms negative consequences. Remove 80% of ads, remove all gambling. It's all extortion, and the young once ain't going in that direction.

You assumed that eliminating a metro area with 20 million people would produce more people?

 

[popo]

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…

I don't see it as hard. Between the different Sportsnet channels (or CBC) they have every game covered, even with overlap. For the Canadian team they have in arena presence and try to get a sense of the atmosphere in and outside the buildings.

Yes, ads and commercials are excessive. I appreciated OT last night not being interrupted by any ads.

The panel on Sportsnet is better than it ever has been, in my opinion. Ron MacLean, Derek Lalonde, Kevin Bieksa, and Elliott Friedman are better than years past. Friedman has the least insight but just adds speculation to stir up conversation. Bieksa is great for a players perspective, and Lalonde is great for a coaching perspective. And no better moderator than Ron MacLean who can also add perspective on the officiating.

 

[Machinehead]

My hot take on this is always that it kind of is what it is.

I get why hockey is niche, to be completely honest.

I enjoy it, but I completely understand the reasons why most viewers would look at it and go "eh, this is a bit stupid."

People tune in to watch the same players and teams that they hate over and over again. They like to watch the best players and teams go to work and win with skill. Hockey is very chaotic. It's fast, it's bouncy, and anybody can beat anybody.

People say they want that but then they turn around and watch the Yankees, the Lakers, and the Chiefs. People 'like' underdogs and randomness...but they don't f***ing watch it.

It's like, I listen to death metal. I enjoy it. I 100% understand why people wouldn't want to hear it. It's fine. The thing you like doesn't have to be overwhelmingly popular. It's bad for your ticket prices. That's the way I look at it.

 

[VaporTrail]

Nowhere to watch for me..I'm on vacation right now in AirBNB....seems all the games require a subscription....guess I'm not watching

 

[HockeyVirus]

How do the Canadian networks compare with 5 of the 8 Canadian teams qualifying this year? Are they down as well? Percentage-wise?

0 chance. Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton alone should be close to record numbers. Ottawa and Jets as well should make this the most viewed ever. Especially if Toronto / Habs advance