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  • Promoters asleep at the switch?

    At times when I channel surf I encounter as many as four channels broadcasting or rebroadcasting college women's field hockey games, but no men's or women's ice hockey games. Is women's field hockey intrinsically a better TV spectator sport than ice hockey or does DI college hockey lack a promotional strategy?

  • #2
    Re: Promoters asleep at the switch?

    Originally posted by Osorojo View Post
    At times when I channel surf I encounter as many as four channels broadcasting or rebroadcasting college women's field hockey games, but no men's or women's ice hockey games. Is women's field hockey intrinsically a better TV spectator sport than ice hockey or does DI college hockey lack a promotional strategy?
    I remember one game where I was at HFH and overheard a Time Warner broadcaster say, "I hate covering hockey, I hope our next game is basketball, I don't have to worry about a puck flying at me." Given the speed of hockey and amount of picture coverage you have with respect to the detail you need (after all, they call them the cheap seats for a reason), it's a very difficult sport to broadcast. With the popularity of widescreen TV (as well as high definition), hockey has become easier to broadcast, and so we see much more hockey being shown on TV. Look at NBC capitalizing on it with not only their flagship network station but also Versus. ESPN is solid basketball so you won't see much there unless they're forced to show it. NBC used to cover basketball, but with CBS also picking it up, cable getting more popular (TBS, TNT for the locked out NBA), NBC saw an opportunity for hockey and jumped on it.

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    • #3
      Re: Promoters asleep at the switch?

      FlagDUDE08: I concur. Close up shots tend to lose the flow of the game; long shots lose the puck. Televised hockey games require top-shelf camera men and directors more than they need engaging announcers and color commentators. Still, I fear that college hockey conferences have neglected active promotion of their sport to the electronic media.

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      • #4
        Re: Promoters asleep at the switch?

        Originally posted by Osorojo View Post
        At times when I channel surf I encounter as many as four channels broadcasting or rebroadcasting college women's field hockey games, but no men's or women's ice hockey games. Is women's field hockey intrinsically a better TV spectator sport than ice hockey or does DI college hockey lack a promotional strategy?
        There's actually a very simple answer. It is the field hockey Final Four, and the NCAA has TV deals to show a ton of Final Fours for different sports.
        Colorado College Hockey: Finding new and creative ways to break your heart since 1957.
        -dggoddard

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        • #5
          Re: Promoters asleep at the switch?

          Originally posted by JS Tigers View Post
          There's actually a very simple answer. It is the field hockey Final Four, and the NCAA has TV deals to show a ton of Final Fours for different sports.
          Now that NBC is actually going to be running college hockey (on Versus obviously, not the flagship), do you think they make a pitch for the Frozen Four? I realize the NHL potential conflicts, but I could see it happen.
          Last edited by FlagDUDE08; 11-19-2011, 12:32 PM.

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          • #6
            Re: Promoters asleep at the switch?

            Originally posted by Osorojo View Post
            FlagDUDE08: I concur. Close up shots tend to lose the flow of the game; long shots lose the puck. Televised hockey games require top-shelf camera men and directors more than they need engaging announcers and color commentators. Still, I fear that college hockey conferences have neglected active promotion of their sport to the electronic media.
            I disagree with you from a regional standpoint. Fox Sports Net seems to get a good number of CCHA and WCHA games. With Hockey East you have NESN, and the ECAC and Atlantic (at least the New York State teams) are covered by Time Warner Cable, which has looked to simulcast their programming all across the state (so sometimes even people in Buffalo get to watch RPI/Union). National exposure has been a problem for a while, not only because of the challenges I presented, but much of the country has been looking towards basketball (look at ESPN's and CBS's (CSTV) main showings). However, look at NBC now getting into the game nationally. They've realized that people will watch their product (i.e. broadcast of the NHL), and Major Junior is popular to watch in Canada, so why not show the United States equivalent in college games? You also have the poster GreatLakerMohawk occasionally referring to the college game in his hockey blog on NBC's pro sports website. I'd say your concerns, though warranted in the past, have been realized and have now received action.

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            • #7
              Re: Promoters asleep at the switch?

              Originally posted by FlagDUDE08 View Post
              Now that NBC is actually going to be running college hockey (on Versus obviously, not the flagship), do you think they make a pitch for the Frozen Four? I realize the NHL potential conflicts, but I could see it happen.
              I'd love to see that. Versus (or NBC Sports Network, as I think they'll be called in January) seems to care about hockey, and I really like their NHL coverage. I don't have a clue what the contracts are like with ESPN, but I think Versus would do a great job.
              Colorado College Hockey: Finding new and creative ways to break your heart since 1957.
              -dggoddard

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              • #8
                Re: Promoters asleep at the switch?

                Originally posted by JS Tigers View Post
                I'd love to see that. Versus (or NBC Sports Network, as I think they'll be called in January) seems to care about hockey, and I really like their NHL coverage. I don't have a clue what the contracts are like with ESPN, but I think Versus would do a great job.
                I'd bet you anything that the NCAA threatened ESPN and CBS into showing the other sports so they could show football and basketball. It makes me wonder if, assuming that NBC is willing to show college hockey and not just Notre Dame hockey (which sounds like is what's happening), and they're willing to do the tournament (or even FOX for that matter, although they're delving more into regional action minus NFL), the NCAA relaxed the hockey caveat for CBS and ESPN so long as all their sports received air time. It could work the other way, where NBC would have to pick up some other college sports to get hockey, although given it's not a college cash cow, I don't foresee the latter occurring.

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                • #9
                  Re: Promoters asleep at the switch?

                  Originally posted by FlagDUDE08 View Post
                  I'd bet you anything that the NCAA threatened ESPN and CBS into showing the other sports so they could show football and basketball. It makes me wonder if, assuming that NBC is willing to show college hockey and not just Notre Dame hockey (which sounds like is what's happening), and they're willing to do the tournament (or even FOX for that matter, although they're delving more into regional action minus NFL), the NCAA relaxed the hockey caveat for CBS and ESPN so long as all their sports received air time. It could work the other way, where NBC would have to pick up some other college sports to get hockey, although given it's not a college cash cow, I don't foresee the latter occurring.
                  I'm guessing that's the case as well. ESPN gets the ratings/money benefit of football and basketball while the NCAA gets the benefit of exposure for the sports of lesser interest. I would think ESPN and the NCAA would be happy to have Versus take over the college hockey tournament if Versus were inclined to do so. I mean, I think ESPN does a good job with the tournament, and it's been great to have all of the tournament games televised (which I'm not sure Versus would be able to do as of now), but if Versus is willing and able, it would be a good thing. Versus has become a hockey first network, and I think it would make lot of sense for them to take on some college hockey as well. Although, I have to agree with your idea that it might be more like Notre Dame hockey than college hockey in general. But even that's better than nothing, especially because it means I'd get to see some HEA teams on TV.
                  Colorado College Hockey: Finding new and creative ways to break your heart since 1957.
                  -dggoddard

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                  • #10
                    Re: Promoters asleep at the switch?

                    Originally posted by JS Tigers View Post
                    I'm guessing that's the case as well. ESPN gets the ratings/money benefit of football and basketball while the NCAA gets the benefit of exposure for the sports of lesser interest. I would think ESPN and the NCAA would be happy to have Versus take over the college hockey tournament if Versus were inclined to do so. I mean, I think ESPN does a good job with the tournament, and it's been great to have all of the tournament games televised (which I'm not sure Versus would be able to do as of now), but if Versus is willing and able, it would be a good thing. Versus has become a hockey first network, and I think it would make lot of sense for them to take on some college hockey as well. Although, I have to agree with your idea that it might be more like Notre Dame hockey than college hockey in general. But even that's better than nothing, especially because it means I'd get to see some HEA teams on TV.
                    Not all of them are televised, as some are shown online via E:360, but regionally yes (like with RPI/UND, Time Warner had a deal to show the New York State teams in the tournament across the state). Versus doesn't have an online feed yet, but it would not surprise me if they looked down that path.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Promoters asleep at the switch?

                      Originally posted by FlagDUDE08 View Post
                      Not all of them are televised, as some are shown online via E:360, but regionally yes (like with RPI/UND, Time Warner had a deal to show the New York State teams in the tournament across the state). Versus doesn't have an online feed yet, but it would not surprise me if they looked down that path.
                      Yeah, I should have said, "most" were televised. Given what a hockey nerd I am (along with a lot of us on this board), for the tourney games that were only on ESPN360, I had my laptop on the table streaming those feeds while watching the TV game so we could watch everything. Right now, Versus wouldn't be able to give us that, but IF they decided to do tourney games, I imagine they would come up with a way to show all games in one format or another.
                      Colorado College Hockey: Finding new and creative ways to break your heart since 1957.
                      -dggoddard

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                      • #12
                        Re: Promoters asleep at the switch?

                        Originally posted by JS Tigers View Post
                        Yeah, I should have said, "most" were televised. Given what a hockey nerd I am (along with a lot of us on this board), for the tourney games that were only on ESPN360, I had my laptop on the table streaming those feeds while watching the TV game so we could watch everything. Right now, Versus wouldn't be able to give us that, but IF they decided to do tourney games, I imagine they would come up with a way to show all games in one format or another.
                        It'd give CNBC something to do on the weekend.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Promoters asleep at the switch?

                          D-1 hockey would do itself a favor if individual programs would simply give away their webstreams. We're talking only hundreds or low thousands of dollars per weekend at most for any program. UAA's webstream is free and during the Gophers series at one point it had 8000 viewers. 99 percent of those viewers wouldn't have watched it if they'd had to pay for it. If ALL D-1 schools gave away their webstream it would help raise the profile of the sport.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Promoters asleep at the switch?

                            Originally posted by uaafanblog View Post
                            D-1 hockey would do itself a favor if individual programs would simply give away their webstreams. We're talking only hundreds or low thousands of dollars per weekend at most for any program. UAA's webstream is free and during the Gophers series at one point it had 8000 viewers. 99 percent of those viewers wouldn't have watched it if they'd had to pay for it. If ALL D-1 schools gave away their webstream it would help raise the profile of the sport.
                            so, are you willing to pay for it? does this money come out of a miracle box?
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                            • #15
                              Re: Promoters asleep at the switch?

                              Originally posted by Osorojo View Post
                              At times when I channel surf I encounter as many as four channels broadcasting or rebroadcasting college women's field hockey games, but no men's or women's ice hockey games. Is women's field hockey intrinsically a better TV spectator sport than ice hockey or does DI college hockey lack a promotional strategy?
                              So you're saying you wish there was more $$$ in college hockey? Rather a different tune than you usually sing...
                              If you don't change the world today, how can it be any better tomorrow?

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