NHL Thread: 2021-2022 Season

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I don't disagree that that's what they (networks/advertisers) see but it's more theoretical than real-life as is apparent to anyone who watches TSN or Sportsnet.

There are hardly *ever* any ads on there that are GTA, Golden Horseshoe or even Ontario-focused. It's basically all national ads for products and services that are generally available all across Canada - with the possible exception of Quebec for certain things.

It's been a while since a dated that senior executive. I don't recall the breakdown. I only recall Toronto is the cash cow and local broadcasts throughout the rest of Canada tread water. This is about having more regional broadcasts than national broadcast from Toronto and selling ad space for the most money in those regional broadcast. It's different from national chains producing ads that will be shown around the country.

Another way I see it, the number of potential customers ... the number of people in Leafs Nation within an hours drive of an IKEA is at least 5X times higher than the number of potential customers in Flames Nation.

[Andy6]

Another win by the Jets. They are so creative offensively and Hellebuyck is having a Hart Trophy season so far.

[thurmas]

I am really shocked the Jets have developed a way to play defensively after losing Trouba, Buff, Myers and Chiarot and basically having an AHL caliber defense talent wise after Morrissey. Great job coach Maurice and comeback of the year candidate in Hellebuyck.

[Andy6]

Pionk turned out to be better than Trouba and the rest of them seem to muddle through all right.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Denscity

Yes but we don't need Toronto domination on all 11 channels. Surely we can be thrown a few non Toronto channels like the good old days. I miss the half hour pregame and postgame shows we used to have. Now those slots are also Toronto oriented.
Make TSN 1-3 pure Toronto and 4 -5 the ROC.

The point that people seem to be overlooking is that this isn't eleven seprate channels with eleven separate broadcasters all showing a supposed preference for Toronto - it's two broadcasters with the same interest.

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by JHikka

The point that people seem to be overlooking is that this isn't eleven seprate channels with eleven separate broadcasters all showing a supposed preference for Toronto - it's two broadcasters with the same interest.

Yes 2 broadcasters not 11.

And Toronto needs to know that Vancouver is more popular in Vancouver than Toronto is. And that most hockey teams for example are not in Toronto in fact the Leafs are probably the most hated team in the country.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by JHikka

The point that people seem to be overlooking is that this isn't eleven seprate channels with eleven separate broadcasters all showing a supposed preference for Toronto - it's two broadcasters with the same interest.

Yeah, it's basically the same 2 Toronto-produced (often Toronto-focused) programs broadcast one five channels for one, and six channels for the other.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

It's been a while since a dated that senior executive. I don't recall the breakdown. I only recall Toronto is the cash cow and local broadcasts throughout the rest of Canada tread water. This is about having more regional broadcasts than national broadcast from Toronto and selling ad space for the most money in those regional broadcast. It's different from national chains producing ads that will be shown around the country.

Another way I see it, the number of potential customers ... the number of people in Leafs Nation within an hours drive of an IKEA is at least 5X times higher than the number of potential customers in Flames Nation.

I get the numbers game but there is still a missed opportunity there. (Corporate Canada tends to extremely lazy and non-innovative. So basically... Toronto's got the most people so let's just focus on them and we should be fine.

As cheap as it is to do, TSN and Sportsnet are probably getting sub-optimal ratings (and equivalently low ad revenue relative to those markets) in places like BC and Alberta by broadcasting stuff like a fixed camera and audio feeds of a Toronto sports radio station...

BC and Alberta have 4 million people each, and while there would some outlay to set it up, a local magazine or talk show with talking heads in a basic studio commenting on game footage that's already getting recorded anyway, isn't really that expensive. It probably wouldn't take too long for that to become a money-maker, over and above what they're getting in terms of dollars from much of the country right now.

[thurmas]

media companies are lazy and downsizing. local news channels here in Winnipeg used to have sports departments but those have all been done away with. I doubt Bell/TSN will have TSN Prairie, TSN Ontario ect… as it would mean hiring more anchors which means higher cost.

[Andy6]

Yes, it's interesting to look at the "In The Press Box" page of some of my old Winnipeg Jets programs from the 1970s. Virtually every radio station had at least one sports reporter at the games, as did each of the three TV stations (probably CBWFT Radio-Canada as well). There would also be reporters from the Free Press and the Tribune. The senior Tribune hockey beat reporter was always the colour commentator on CJOB in those days. Anyway, it added up to a lot of people. It's similar with the size of the CJOB broadcast team for the Blue Bombers ... there were around six on-air personalities involved in the games in the 70s and 80s as opposed to two today.

[thurmas]

Originally Posted by Andy6

Yes, it's interesting to look at the "In The Press Box" page of some of my old Winnipeg Jets programs from the 1970s. Virtually every radio station had at least one sports reporter at the games, as did each of the three TV stations (probably CBWFT Radio-Canada as well). There would also be reporters from the Free Press and the Tribune. The senior Tribune hockey beat reporter was always the colour commentator on CJOB in those days. Anyway, it added up to a lot of people. It's similar with the size of the CJOB broadcast team for the Blue Bombers ... there were around six on-air personalities involved in the games in the 70s and 80s as opposed to two today.

The broadcasting talent in the old days was much better in my opinion. To this day Don Wittman of the CBC was the best sports broadcaster Canada ever had. He could call CFL, NHL, Olympic swimming and track impeccably he was the best. Gretzky himself said he would ask HNIC to have Whitman call his games when playing the Jets in Winnipeg.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W7SbgP2_20

[Black Star]

Originally Posted by thurmas

The broadcasting talent in the old days was much better in my opinion. To this day Don Wittman of the CBC was the best sports broadcaster Canada ever had. He could call CFL, NHL, Olympic swimming and track impeccably he was the best. Gretzky himself said he would ask HNIC to have Whitman call his games when playing the Jets in Winnipeg.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W7SbgP2_20

My dad said the same also. And I agreed....He was the best.

Honorable mention....Bob Cole.

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I get the numbers game but there is still a missed opportunity there. (Corporate Canada tends to extremely lazy and non-innovative. So basically... Toronto's got the most people so let's just focus on them and we should be fine.

As cheap as it is to do, TSN and Sportsnet are probably getting sub-optimal ratings (and equivalently low ad revenue relative to those markets) in places like BC and Alberta by broadcasting stuff like a fixed camera and audio feeds of a Toronto sports radio station...

BC and Alberta have 4 million people each, and while there would some outlay to set it up, a local magazine or talk show with talking heads in a basic studio commenting on game footage that's already getting recorded anyway, isn't really that expensive. It probably wouldn't take too long for that to become a money-maker, over and above what they're getting in terms of dollars from much of the country right now.

BC just hit 5 million actually so even more reason to have our own channel.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Denscity

BC just hit 5 million actually so even more reason to have our own channel.

The second that any sort of BC company tries to create a sports channel the big boys will simply undercut them on advertising and drive up the price of properties.

Traditional TV channels aren't the future and this sort of thinking is 30 years too late. Should be focusing efforts on streaming, social media activation, and general written coverage.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by thurmas

media companies are lazy and downsizing. local news channels here in Winnipeg used to have sports departments but those have all been done away with. I doubt Bell/TSN will have TSN Prairie, TSN Ontario ect… as it would mean hiring more anchors which means higher cost.

Local news programs 10 plus years ago were perennial money losers including Vancouver. The only reason they existed outside the GTA was the CRTC forced the national networks to keep them. I can't imagine that situation has improved.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I get the numbers game but there is still a missed opportunity there. (Corporate Canada tends to extremely lazy and non-innovative. So basically... Toronto's got the most people so let's just focus on them and we should be fine.

As cheap as it is to do, TSN and Sportsnet are probably getting sub-optimal ratings (and equivalently low ad revenue relative to those markets) in places like BC and Alberta by broadcasting stuff like a fixed camera and audio feeds of a Toronto sports radio station...

BC and Alberta have 4 million people each, and while there would some outlay to set it up, a local magazine or talk show with talking heads in a basic studio commenting on game footage that's already getting recorded anyway, isn't really that expensive. It probably wouldn't take too long for that to become a money-maker, over and above what they're getting in terms of dollars from much of the country right now.

I agree. There's an opportunity being missed here. I go back to my original post. If the national broadcasters are too risk adverse than why can't the Flames, Oilers, Canucks step in to fill that void? To me, it would be an expansion that compliments their existing corporate operations than creating one from the ground up. It's just a matter of proof of concept. TSN or Sportsnet will buy it out should it work. The teams gets additional licensing.

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Local news programs 10 plus years ago were perennial money losers including Vancouver. The only reason they existed outside the GTA was the CRTC forced the national networks to keep them. I can't imagine that situation has improved.

Well BC1 from Global is a newish BC based, produced and focused tv channel.
Less Toronto content than the others so refreshing.

[thurmas]

To me the easiest thing to do is have TSN West and TSN East and Sportsnet West and Sportsnet East. The sporting cultures in the West and East are somewhat different. In Western Canada CFL and Curling are a much bigger deal and in the East Basketball, Baseball and Tennis are bigger deals. This way the annoying Leafs centric broadcasts and Leafs at lunch junk can stay within the local broadcast region it belongs to and Western viewers can get more in-depth coverage of Jets, Oilers, Flames, Canucks and the CFL.

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by thurmas

To me the easiest thing to do is have TSN West and TSN East and Sportsnet West and Sportsnet East. The sporting cultures in the West and East are somewhat different. In Western Canada CFL and Curling are a much bigger deal and in the East Basketball, Baseball and Tennis are bigger deals. This way the annoying Leafs centric broadcasts and Leafs at lunch junk can stay within the local broadcast region it belongs to and Western viewers can get more in-depth coverage of Jets, Oilers, Flames, Canucks and the CFL.

Ya good idea. Its not as good as Sportsnet having Pacific, West, Ontario, and East but with 2 western based sports channels that would be refreshing.
Cutting directly to Raptors highlights the minute the period ends in my hockey game is annoying.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

I agree. There's an opportunity being missed here. I go back to my original post. If the national broadcasters are too risk adverse than why can't the Flames, Oilers, Canucks step in to fill that void? To me, it would be an expansion that compliments their existing corporate operations than creating one from the ground up. It's just a matter of proof of concept. TSN or Sportsnet will buy it out should it work. The teams gets additional licensing.

Would the CRTC even allow that to happen?

The only reason we have the multitude of distinct sports channel offerings (and other channel offerings in fact) in Quebec is because of the language "thing".

If we didn't have that we'd all be watching SportsCentre out of Toronto and all-news and specialty channels out of Toronto here too.