World Championships were offered to American TV for FREE!!

[missK]

Per Rene Fasel, IIHF President, the World Championship games were offered to American TV for FREE with no takers. I AM LIVID!

Fasel also said the IIHF offered games from the world championships to American television networks for free and there were no takers.

"For free and we could not succeed," said Fasel. "It is a difficult market in U.S. television for ice hockey. We will continue trying.

Sportsnet.ca

Click to read more...

 

[Jazz]

I also heard this in local radio here in Vancouver.....

 

[Fish on The Sand]

how can you be livid, nobody in the US cares about the nhl, and nobody in canada cares about the world championships until this year, so what makes you think Americans will ever care about some 3rd rate tournament when baseball season is on and the NBA playoffs are on? Factor that in with the fact that most of the games are early morning or afternoon means nobody will watch anyways.

 

[missK]

how can you be livid, nobody in the US cares about the nhl, and nobody in canada cares about the world championships until this year, so what makes you think Americans will ever care about some 3rd rate tournament when baseball season is on and the NBA playoffs are on? Factor that in with the fact that most of the games are early morning or afternoon means nobody will watch anyways.

Guess what you are WRONG. I don't care about baseball or NBA nor do the majority of the 100's of hockey fans I know. I haven't been a hockey fan for over 30 years and a Lightning season ticket holder for 10 years because I don't care about hockey. And I wouldn't care if they showed the damn hockey games at 3am in the morning, there are things called VCRs and DVRs to record them! The US TV broadcasters were offered the games for free and declined and it's my right to be livid and it's my right to voice my opinion here.


If any other fans in the US are upset, here's the two email addresses I sent emails voicing my dissatisfaction to:

NBC Sports - [email protected]
ESPN - [email protected]

 

[mattihp]

how can you be livid, nobody in the US cares about the nhl, and nobody in canada cares about the world championships until this year, so what makes you think Americans will ever care about some 3rd rate tournament when baseball season is on and the NBA playoffs are on? Factor that in with the fact that most of the games are early morning or afternoon means nobody will watch anyways.

I'd like to disagree about canada... Their fan market for the world champs has more than tripled since 1998 when they gradually started sender better and better teams to the world champs.

 

[ALF AmericanLionsFan]

Per Rene Fasel, IIHF President, the World Championship games were offered to American TV for FREE with no takers. I AM LIVID!



Sportsnet.ca

Wow, I really didn't need to hear that. Why couldn't someone at least pick up the US games? Espn is a joke and Fox Sports is too busy showing the same Damn Sports shows 30 times a night. Couldn't squeeze a hockey game in there. Have to see the same lame ass show over and over

 

[tom_servo]

As usual, I fault the idiots in front of the TV, not behind it.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Disappointing to say the least, but I can't say that I'm surprised. The networks clearly feel that "alternative" programing is more profitable than the hockey world championships, and I'm sure they're correct. That being said, ESPN did pick up some medal round coverage that featured the U.S. last year, and I wouldn't be surprised if that happened again this time around. We'll see.

 

[Blackshad]

I also heard this in local radio here in Vancouver.....

Almost all the match involving the big countries are played here in Québec. (Finlande, Suède, USA,canada, russia..)

Yes, hockey is our religion.

 

[CREW99AW]

Per Rene Fasel, IIHF President, the World Championship games were offered to American TV for FREE with no takers. I AM LIVID!



Sportsnet.ca

Someone's lying thru their teeth.Either MSG+Foxsports or Fasel.I find it hard to believe that both MSG+Foxsports would blow off the chance, to air these games for free.

http://www.nypost.com/sports/43338.htm


MSG Network, we've learned, is investigating whether it can televise select games from the World Championships now that ESPN has once again given the cold shoulder to hockey that has left U.S. viewers in the dark.

But it doesn't look good. We're told that Fox Sports looked into the matter but backed off after being told by the governing IIHF that it would only sell the complete tournament package to the network, and at a fee that was judged exorbitant.
ESPN is claiming scheduling conflicts as an explanation for why it wussed out.

 

[VanIslander]

ESPN is claiming scheduling conflicts as an explanation for why it wussed out.

Well, you know, they gotta cover the opening rounds of a regional dominoes competition.

 

[tom_servo]

Someone's lying thru their teeth.Either MSG+Foxsports or Fasel.

Or Larry Brooks.

 

[Sotnos]

Or Larry Brooks.

He's the most likely liar out of that bunch.

If one of the networks had picked the tourney up, we'd only be able to see a few games. Online we get to pick and choose. The only thing I'd have liked better would have been a nice PPV cable/satellite package with all the games.

 

[Chimaera]

Well, you know, they gotta cover the opening rounds of a regional dominoes competition.

Sad part is, they get better ratings then hockey does.

 

[Steveorama]

Well, you know, they gotta cover the opening rounds of a regional dominoes competition.

ESPN Thursday night line up

7:00 Australian Rules Lawn Bowling
8:00 This Week in Jai Alai
8:30 Amish Rake Fights
9:00 Celebrity Poker II: This Time It's War
9:30 Lacrosse Cheerleaders in Des Moines Special

How can hockey compete with that?

 

[X0ssbar]

ESPN Thursday night line up

7:00 Australian Rules Lawn Bowling
8:00 This Week in Jai Alai
8:30 Amish Rake Fights
9:00 Celebrity Poker II: This Time It's War
9:30 NUDE Lacrosse Cheerleaders in Des Moines Special

How can hockey compete with that?

...I might tune into the 9:30 show if they chaged it up a bit

 

[ALF AmericanLionsFan]

Back off man I love the rake fights!

 

[Riggs]

8:30 Amish Rake Fights

I would tune in for this!

 

[Steveorama]

"This is Brent Musberger reporting from Pennsylvania Dutch country. And I tell you, Brother Elijah is gonna be shunned big time when he gets back to the farm. He is being schooled by Preacher Isaih today. Isaih fakes left, goes right...YES! He has torn Elijah's suspender!! Elijah calls for a prayer moment!"

 

[John Flyers Fan]

ESPN Thursday night line up

7:00 Australian Rules Lawn Bowling
8:00 This Week in Jai Alai
8:30 Amish Rake Fights
9:00 Celebrity Poker II: This Time It's War
9:30 Lacrosse Cheerleaders in Des Moines Special

How can hockey compete with that?

It was supposed to be NHL Playoff Hockey.

 

[Levitate]

could be that the IIHF offered it to ESPN for free but no one else. ESPN gets you national coverage and all, local cable tv stations obviously doesn't.

 

[Cherepanov 71]

Msg was also offered the games, but they only wanted a select few(USA Games). They got the ok but they say the royalty price was too high, so no hockey.

 

[nikki9]

how can you be livid, nobody in the US cares about the nhl, and nobody in canada cares about the world championships until this year, so what makes you think Americans will ever care about some 3rd rate tournament when baseball season is on and the NBA playoffs are on? Factor that in with the fact that most of the games are early morning or afternoon means nobody will watch anyways.

FYI, you are wrong about Canadians not caring baout the World's, I am Canadian and enjoy Worlds and have so for a while, even when the NHL is on, a lot of my fave players are on teams that don't make it too far and get to go, ie Smith and Heatley.

 

[Sotnos]

It was supposed to be NHL Playoff Hockey.

Yeah, people seem to have forgotten that already, either that or it's just too depressing to think about.

 

[Drake1588]

ESPN Thursday night line up

7:00 Australian Rules Lawn Bowling
8:00 This Week in Jai Alai
8:30 Amish Rake Fights
9:00 Celebrity Poker II: This Time It's War
9:30 Lacrosse Cheerleaders in Des Moines Special

How can hockey compete with that?

By playing.

No NHL hockey means tepid interest turns to zero interest in the US and poker increasingly shows ESPN brass that it is altogether more profitable. Rinse and repeat for bowling, fishing, and all manner of alternative XGames sports.

It's becoming almost passe to express the thought, but the lockout is killing hockey as a national sport in the US. It's going to be lucky to come back strong regionally and it might not recover nationally. Hope the powers that be on both sides think it was worth it when all is said and done. They can probably kiss ESPN goodbye, permanently. They may have to beg Fox Sports to stay on board. I'll be watching Center Ice regardless, but for growing the game, a national contract is absolutely critical.