MAKING MONEY WITH THE ICE HOCKEY
Wanye
August 12 2010 02:04PM
Making money in sports is a difficult proposition - unless you are Kenny "Effing" Powers, featured above signing a K-Swiss endorsement deal. The Edmonton Oilers seem to have figured this out and have ended their pay-per-view experiment, signing a 10 year deal with Sportsnet to broadcast a hogillion games per year.
This bears further discussion on a rainy Thursday afternoon.
According to the press release on (GASP) Sportsnet.ca:
"Rogers Sportsnet today announced an unprecedented 10-year partnership with Alberta’s two National Hockey League teams, under which Rogers Sportsnet will be the clubs’ Official Television Broadcaster and provider of digital media content until 2020."
This announcement means three things really:
1) The Oilers took a look at the PPV receipts from the 82nd game of the 2009-10 season as the 30th place team in the NHL and fainted. When they came to, they swore they were getting out of the risky PPV TV business.
2) Sportsnet ONE - a new channel being added to the SportsNet Family of Channelry - think that it is infinitely less risky to broadcast crappy Oilers hockey then show poker 24/7 on their new channel for the next ten years.
3) Both parties think the internet will still be around in 2020, including digital content as a major portion of the agreement.
HIP HIP _________
We think that this is a tremendous thing for the average fan of the ice hockey in Alberta. Firstly, we don't have to stream games on shady Croatian websites to watch PPV anymore. Secondly, we had this dreadful feeling that the Oilers would expand PPV coverage year after year after year until it cost us hundreds of dollars to follow our faithful hockey squadron on the telematrix.
Instead the Oilers have opted to go the free-to-air route, take the guaranteed money from Sportsnet and let the good folks at Rogers figure out how to make money in the TV business.
It's amazing really that the Oilers have abandoned this experiment. They must have done REALLY REALLY poorly last season to give up on a business that has been several seasons in the making. It's also amazing that TSN - first out of the gate as the 24/7 sports channel in Canada - continues to lose ground to Sportsnet, particularly in Western Canada.
No more PPV.
Minor Squee.
All we need now is another press release titled "Rexall Beer beer prices to be slashed by 70%" and the squee will be upgraded to Tropical Storm Status.
If the on-ice product, or even production of the crappy product, was better, I wouldn't ahve to have 6 or more beers at the game (2 per period is quite easy and convenient).
Plus for the infusion of heroin in the beer, it really is cheap for the end product.
Here's to hoping Northlands doesn't learn how to clean their taps, and the heroin beers keep flowing.
LAST!!!
Oh TD. What WILL we do with you?
*trombone*
Yay! No more mac'n'cheese with crumbled SPAM for my family and now we can buy the name-brand pharmaceuticals on our trips to the local Rexall whenever Billy gets a cough.
Um... is this an open invitation?
*adjusts pants*
I am surprised the Oilers gave up on the PPV experiment too. After all they had a ~REALLY~ good record in the PPV games.
Sad trombone? Ballsy
~but Wanye, what does this have to do with Dustin Penners zonestart v. OFPCT?~
*combs eyebrows, eats mint*
@Pajamah
An excellent question. I will have to go grab my slide rule and protractor, make a few calcs and i'll have an answer for you in the next 90 minutes.
Well that was 4:25 that I'll never get back. People find that guy funny?
I for one am glad there won't be anymore PPVs. Face it, they were awful! Not just the performance on the ice, but everything about them!
I think people had enough of paying 15-20 bucks a pop for something that reeked all the way around.
How will we ever witness that riveting piece with Principe eating at Gagner's house ever again?
See, every silver lining also contains a dark cloud of gloom.
Really? That didn't tickle your funny bone? I thought it was hilarious, mind you I think Eastbound and Down is a laugh riot.
Ban this clown!!!
haha
It sure does explain a lot if it took you 4:25 to read this post.
Eastbound & Down is pure gold!
*dances the Kenny Powers ecstasy dance*
I'm still wondering when Bell Expressvu is getting this new channel and if it will cost me extra???
@Wanye
Wasn't Gene in a hot dog suit a PPV too?
What about that time that Jason Strudwick was in the homerun derby at the capitals game?
Kenny Powers is one of the few characters who deign to match the hubris and self delusion of our very own Baron Von Gretz IV, thus: *thumbsup*
This PPV demise is great news - I can stop using my computer for grainy Oilers trainwrecks via shady Eastern Bloc websites and keep it fresh for grainy boner-inducing content from other shady Eastern Bloc websites. Mmmm... Frank Musil erotica...
For SportsNet ONE? I think it is going to be included with Sportsnet West, so if you get one channel now you will get the other.
Although I could be wrong - I have been wrong before. (see: Mistaking wart drops for Visine circa 2008)
Kenny Powers can throw a fastball as hard as F***!
No accounting for taste I guess..
Umm pal, that clip was 4:25 long, or did you not see the little counter on the bottom of it?
*sits down cross legged waiting for response*
Good golly I hope so!
My conversation with expressvu call center guy last night:
Me: Whats up with this new Sportsnet channel, Sportsnet one, is it free?? When will Bell have it???
Bell guy: Oh yes!....There are 4 sportsnet channels...
Me: I am aware of that, but what about the new one?
Bell guy: Yes there are 4.....Sportsnet West, East, Paci.....
Me: No! The NEW one! Sportsnet one!
Bell guy: *crickets*
Me: Can you go ask someone who knows???
Bell guy: One minute please.....
I hold for 5 minutes....
Bell Guy: Lets Google it! Google will know
Me: *click*
True story
I remember when PPV used to freeze or crap out and I would call Shaw to see what was what. One time my feed didn't come back and I called for a refund and you would have thought I called the distant past and asked them to explain to me how warp travel works.
The only helpful call center is 911. I suggest calling it for all situations, no matter how small.
Pardon me I missed this comment.
Kenny Powers is a fictional TV character who used to play MLB. I am a fictional internet character who lives under a very real bridge in Northern Canada.
You tell me who deserves a K-Swiss deal?! (hint: me)
Actually, one time I had to call 911 for a genuine life or death emergency... They told me I'd have to wait half an hour. This is 100% true. Things turned out alright because of my mad skills, but I would hesitate to call it "reliable."
I thought i read somewhere on the supernet that the channel would start broadcasting to the world this saturday.
*starts popping popcorn in anticipation*
http://www.sportsnet.ca/one/
EDIT: hit enter to soon ... August 14th Start date
The PPV thing really pissed me off. When you're a fan like me who pays countless thousands of dollars out of pocket to watch your team live; it really extra sucks to be squeezed even more just to watch the road games on TV.
I was just saying to the wife this morning: "The 30th place finish last season didn't just land us Taylor Hall... It may have rid us of PPV for at least another decade." Thank God.
So the only game they can't seem to get on the air is the Feb 5th game because of a conflict with the Maple Leafs! Haven't they figured out yet that the majority of people in the west don't care about the Maple Laffs. You would think with CBC, TSN, TSN1, SN and now SNO they would be able to broadcast the Oilers game regardless.
I don't know about that Smiliegirl.. there a still LOTS of Leafs fans out west. I don't know what its like in Calgary or Vancouver, but when the Leafs play the Oilers, its a good 50-50, split. I remember about ten or so years ago, it was 70-30 for the Leafs at Rexall. Truely painful to sit through being an Oilers fan, and having the Leafs win as well..
August 14th is only for Rogers cable subcribers. It noticed it says "Other distributors will be announced at a later date", that later date better be before the season starts or there will be riots.
This story sounds amazing.....
The Oilers and Flames did not sign this deal to save you money.
As I understand it from Stauffer's interview yesterday, probably as many Oilers games as were previously on PPV and possibly more will be migrating over to the new channel, which you will have to order separately from whatever package you have now.
My bet is it will eventually become a 50/50 split, so get ready to either cough up more $ per month for cable or to start watching even more games on crappy Croatian websites.
Hahahaha...man, and after they don't help you at all they ask you if you like "adult movies"...and if so you can sign up for all the PPV porn channels for X amount of dollars per month.
I actually got that pitch one day when I called to have one of my receivers activated.
Bell is awesome.*
*not really.
That's fine, I will happily pay more money per month for this channel. As long as it comes in under 16 bucks a month I will be saving money.
Last year's 16 game PPV schedule almost broke me. I had to live through the season on wiener water soup and KD. I don't know what I would have done without those Croatian internet feeds. I probably would have gave up the KD.
Imagine they made Croatian KD?!
*faints*
As a new season ticket holder, I'm praying for the 70% slash to beer prices. Seriously though, how much is that stuff going to cost this year? $8 or whatever it was last season? I can't wait for the $8.75 or whatever it'll be to pay horcoff's salary.
Don't be ridiculous.
*faints*
My ~favorite~ was the year they only increased beer prices by 25 cents... untill I realized they simultaneously cut the amount of beer being purchased from 20oz's to 16...
But now that i'm used to watching the oilers on Croatian web feeds, I dont think i can go back to HD or even SD...
I believe this phenomenon has been documented before with porn: http://xkcd.com/598/
Thanks ... I never read the fine print .. that might explain the lifetime subscription on several internet sites ... damn you 1 day trial period offer!
K-Swiss might be a bit out of your league Wanye. British Knights? L.A. Gear? Whatever brand they sell at Zellers?
I seem to recall MC Hammer having a lucrative deal with British Knights. Are you telling me that deal didn't have staying power?
I'd prefer to endorse this Croatian KD that is seemingly all the rage on the interwebs.
I'm to lazy to do it, but I broke down the price beer per ounce at rexall and it was not as bad an overpayment as you think.
EDIT: Screw it. I'll do it.
A pint of beer is about, give or take $0.75, $6.00 at a pub/bar/restaurant. That works out to an even $0.375 per ounce.
A beer at Rexall is $8.00 I believe, maybe $8.50. A beer at Rexall is also 20 oz, not 16 oz(though this probably changed when they introduced the new sample size popcorns without changing the prices). That works out to 0.40 an ounce So, it is only 2.5 cents more expensive to drink a Rexall beer per ounce.
It's awesome that on the Sportsnet website, commentors can't even type "TSN" without having it censored.
Seriously, check it out in the comments:
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2010/08/10/oilers_flames_sportsnet_one/
"I got ***2 free with the digital cable programing. I assume that Rogers would do the same."
Broadcast and cable tv contracts are guaranteed money. PPV aren't. PPV business was profitable for the Oilers, but not as profitable or as "easy" for the organization as regular tv. The fact that the Canucks who also have had PPV games and a good number of them with a much bigger market also choose the guaranteed money tells you everything you need to know about what business model is more successful.
PPV was never intended to replace mainstream tv deals, it was to fill the void.
As a huge fan of Trading Souray Now, I find it insulting that I can't discuss this at Sportsnet.ca
Seriously though that is just embarassing.
Bow staff skills? nunchuk skills? Wolverine hunting in Alaska skills?
Or like Comrie broad pulling skills? Now those are seriously mad skillz!!!
Here's hoping the new play by play guy on *** CHED is decent then. Before last year I didn't even have cable and listened to the majority of the games with Rockin Rod on the Radio. If I'm lucky, Telus will add it to their sports package and get rid of golf. (I love playing golf, not watching it).
Venture. Damn Venture shoes. And Levi's ORANGE tab jeans!*
*Explodes into tears thinking about the traumatic childhood that was a result of not having a SunIce jacket or Reebok pump shoes or regular RED tab Levis or friends.