Canada and US game will be on MSNBC Sunday night
by FrankD on Feb 20, 2010 2:00 PM EST
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PrintFor those of you at home trying to keep track of what game or event is airing on what station and when, you've likely noticed by now it's not all that easy. So here's another wrench to throw into the mix. The latest news surrounding the Canada-US men's game, set to air tomorrow at 7:40pm EST, is that it has been moved to MSNBC. Initially the plan was to air it on the parent station which is, of course, NBC.
This further adds to the ongoing and often unsupported theory that networks avoid hockey like the plague, even during a time (the Olympics) when airing a hockey game is considered the norm on a network that airs in-season hockey games regardless.
But before you start collaborating with your fellow conspiracy theorists, a quote from the Chicago-Tribune may shine a bit of light on the matter:
But Christopher McCloskey, an NBC Universal Sports and Olympics vice president, said one benefit of putting the hockey game on MSNBC is that it can run there without being cut up into segments to accommodate other sports as NBC customarily does in prime time to cover as much ground and as many viewer interests as possible.
Phil Rosenthal
Chicago-Trib
In a way you have to wonder what NBC's intent was. Were they looking to gain more potential hockey fans by airing the game on NBC, or were they content with targeting existing hockey fans by airing it on MSNBC? As far as I'm concerned, I don't want to watch my hockey games in segments or short installments. What would be more aggravating than having the network pull away for an update on curling or ice dancing when the score is 0-0, only to come back later to an updated score of 1-0 or perhaps even 1-1. That only opens the door for an announcer to dish one of those canned, "While you were away," deliveries. No thanks.
Despite the level of talent that both teams possess, the same level of talent that NBC looks to promote on its Sunday afternoon games, the network has opted to instead dish the game off to MSNBC,a network that is often riddled with political content and news on a Sunday night.
I'm not sure how to take this. Was it a smart move by NBC to do what is best by the hockey fan to move the game in its entirety to MSNBC with the HOPE that fans interested enough will make the jump? Or would the game have been better served on NBC in segments and interrupted installments where new hockey fans, or those even remotely interested in the sport, could take in all the action?
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I hope everyone can get it in HD...
Back when my cable carrier decided to include the HD version of MSNBC, I thought “who the heck needs news in HD, couldn’t they have added a 2nd HD Center Ice channel?”. Well, now I’m counting my lucky stars. I hope everyone else is so fortunate.
I’m a pretty selfish fan, and don’t care much about the “potential” fan. I know this is shortsighted, but what the heck. So for my money, I like the move to MSNBC, to avoid the interruptions that would come if the game was on NBC.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Feb 20, 2010 2:16 PM EST reply actions
To catch the “casual” fan, NBC would have to put on a NHL-themed reality show. It could be based in Atlanta and call it “I’m a Superstar, Get Me out of Here!”.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Feb 20, 2010 2:27 PM EST reply actions
As a hockey fan I know how I feel – I want this game on MSNBC, uninterrupted and in its entirety. but also as a fan of the game, and one that wants to see the sport grow, I’d like to see it on NBC. People have a tendency of just putting on NBC and watching it this time of year – specifically because the Olympics are in full swing. Since it’s not a medal game I don’t see how it could hurt, but I’d still like to see the full game. I guess it’s a Catch-22 of sorts.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.
One thing I don’t get is that why on earth NBC broadcasts the Olympics as a news show! I hate watching a competition that has happened hours ago. live is the best! Since they do broadcast NHL games, they should get in as much live games in NBC as possible! Hockey is the onky sport in winter Olympics that has the largest fan base. They should play towards them. Whoever wants to watch Curling can go to msnbc or whatever.
There was another option — they could have aired it on NBC in its entirety without chopping it up. I mean they’ve aired live figure skating for what seems like hours and hours. They could have updated viewers during the intermissions.
Like millions of Americans, I don’t have cable, so I can’t watch anything that isn’t on NBC. This means I haven’t been able to watch any Olympic hockey thanks to NBC. I can’t wait til the Olympics are over so that I can go back to watching NHL games on Gamecenter.
That really bites. I take back all earlier comments and wish this game would be on NBC, for folks in your situation and the reasons mentioned by Frank.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Feb 20, 2010 3:33 PM EST up reply actions
Well I was intending to make highlights for all the Olympic hockey games for people such as yourself, but the IOC will not let anything on Youtube.
I hate them just as much as NBC at this point
by GhostWalker40 on Feb 21, 2010 2:15 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah they can all suck it. They would rather millions of people not get to see games they care about, than risk someone with cable watching online (or watching the highlights) instead.
I would like to change my “excited about the Olympics” vote to 1 because for me it just means no hockey for two weeks.
I maintain that the game should be on NBC and that their hockey coverage has been disgraceful.
But I just thought of another reason NBC might have banished the game to cable — maybe they suspect it will be a blowout for Canada, and they think Americans won’t keep watching if Team USA is losing — especially to a bunch of Canadians.
Real hockey fans will be excited to see players like Crosby (whether they cheer for USA or not) but for average viewers, they just root for America and don’t care about much else.
Again it’s not an excuse — they’ve had plenty of boring sports where Americans lose on NBC — but that might be part of the explanation.
Therein lies the conundrum...
Potentially fairweather American hockey fans, and NBC trying to please the broadest amount of viewers. I’m with FrankD…as a purist, I want the coverage uniinterrupted; I just enjoyed the heck out of (SPOILER ALERT) Switzerland’s OT thriller over Norway, and there will surely be even more games with the same level of excitement (there already have been – the Canada and Slovakia OT wins, that I unfortunately missed).
But then viewers like you, Cari, are sadly left out, as are any potential, new viewers – AND those who don’t think to check out the other channels within the NBC family. Parent NBC is not making a great effort to redirect viewers to those channels, either, for folks like us hockey fans, who may not want to watch endless coverage of figure skating and the like.
I also believe that a lack of susbtantial coverage on parent NBC is a slap in the face to one of the Winter Olympics’ most popular, heritage sports…especially in the 30th anniversary of the Miracle On Ice and the 1980 U.S. Gold Medal. But my wife also made a great point, that NBC won’t sacrifice large blocks of uninterrupted coverage for hockey, just in order to please hockey fans only.
Personally, I think all viewers should feel fortunate to be watching full hockey games on NBC, over any other sport…but those are just my tastes. However, if the powers-that-be could give us JUST ONE uninterrupted, non-medal game, USA-Canada would be the marquee matchup, and I don’t believe there would be any great backlash for that one evening only.
by Dixie's Football Pride on Feb 20, 2010 7:23 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
NBC did a nice piece on the ‘80 hockey team following Russia’s win yesterday. Al Michaels followed that by speaking live with ’80 team member Mark Johnson. I wonder if it was awkward at all for Al to have to turn to the camera at the end of the interview and say “thanks Mark. And tonight in prime time we bring you ice dancing….”.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Feb 22, 2010 9:00 AM EST reply actions
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