Mark Madden’s Hot Take: NHL Not Getting Maximum Exposure On ESPN And TNT
When the NHL left NBC to strike rights deals with ESPN and TNT, it looked good.
The first week of the season had a double schedule Tuesday night on ESPN and a double schedule Wednesday night on TNT. The presentation, production and announcement were all sharp. There was a lot of fanfare.
But ESPN hasn’t televised a game since October 26 and won’t do so until January 6.
TNT has only had matches at 10 p.m. since October 20. This does not change until January 5 (hockey is preempted for professional wrestling.)
TNT will broadcast a total of 50 regular season games. ESPN and ABC will broadcast 28 between them.
Between NBC and NBC Sports Network, 101 regular season games aired last season. This campaign was shortened to 56 tag team matches by covid and only started on January 13.
Besides money, you might think that the main goal of two TV deals is to maximize exposure.
Twenty-three fewer games are being shown this season than last year. It’s good that last season was truncated and this season is all 82 games.
Additionally, ESPN’s agreement allows the games to be streamed exclusively on the ESPN + and Hulu streaming services. Four Penguins games fall under this heading, including last Friday’s game in Washington. You don’t broadcast, you don’t watch. This negatively affects local bars and restaurants.
While ESPN’s SportsCenter is giving hockey extra time this season, it’s not noticeable. Hockey is completely absent from talk shows like “Get Up†and “First Takeâ€. (Stephen A. Smith doesn’t like pucks.)
What was supposed to be a good deal doesn’t even sound like a good deal, not in terms of the growth of the league and the sport. Hockey is the second fiddle in the fight on TNT, and ESPN uses the NHL primarily to generate streaming subscriptions.
This does not mean that everything is disappointing.
TNT’s game night studio show is excellent and provides a revolutionary platform for ex-Penguin Paul Bissonnette. “The Point†is the ESPN NHL studio’s show and stars John Buccigross, arguably the best hockey player on American television.
But “The Point” airs Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on ESPN2.
This slot seems to faithfully reflect the respect and interest of the world leader in hockey.