More NHL Teams starting to produce their own television broadcasts

[Brawndo]

With the rapidly changing market for regional sports networks, a few NHL teams are moving towards producing their own broadcast with the assistance of NHL productions. I wonder if this model is something the Sabres will look at when their contract expires with MSG. I often wondered if they would want to go to an over the air broadcast and try to partner with a local station such as CW 49. This is carried by most of the cable networks in the Western New York area and also Rogers in Canada, there would have to be some negotiations with Rogers for the Sabres broadcasts. Perhaps something along the lines where any game involving a Canadian team is blacked out on Roger’s platforms, but the rest can be carried. This might open up new advertising revenue for the Sabres as they could have commercials aimed directly at the Canadian market. The Minnesota Wild announced that their games will be available on cable, satellite, streaming, over the air starting this season, joining three other clubs, St. Louis, Columbus, and Carolina  

 

 

[Eleven]

Haven't the Sabres been producing their own games all along?  I think MSG just carries them.

[Doohickie]

28 minutes ago, Eleven said:

Haven't the Sabres been producing their own games all along?  I think MSG just carries them.

Regardless, if they switch I would expect it would pretty much be the same production on a new platform.

The Texas Rangers dropped out of FoxSports/Bally/whatever into the Rangers Sports Network.  Most of their games are included on a channel in the local cable lineup; some games on aired on the local CW affiliate.

The Dallas Stars started their own network, Victory+, which has been expanded to carry other sports as well.  Last year the Anaheim Ducks also streamed through Victory+ and their website still says they stream through V+ but the V+ website doesn't mention them that I can see so who knows?

Regardless, it's the same Rangers and Stars broadcast teams.

Edited July 21 by Doohickie

[Taro T]

21 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

With the rapidly changing market for regional sports networks, a few NHL teams are moving towards producing their own broadcast with the assistance of NHL productions. I wonder if this model is something the Sabres will look at when their contract expires with MSG. I often wondered if they would want to go to an over the air broadcast and try to partner with a local station such as CW 49. This is carried by most of the cable networks in the Western New York area and also Rogers in Canada, there would have to be some negotiations with Rogers for the Sabres broadcasts. Perhaps something along the lines where any game involving a Canadian team is blacked out on Roger’s platforms, but the rest can be carried. This might open up new advertising revenue for the Sabres as they could have commercials aimed directly at the Canadian market. The Minnesota Wild announced that their games will be available on cable, satellite, streaming, over the air starting this season, joining three other clubs, St. Louis, Columbus, and Carolina  

 

 

The Sabres 100% should, when they are finally done with the MSG contract, have multiple distribution channels including OTA.  Right now, their entire market located west of the Niagara is primarily unreachable to them unless people buy an NHL package similar to Center Ice on this side of the border.

Everything east of Hamilton (Welland at an absolute minimum) should be "Sabres Country."  Getting the broadcasts OTA would help immensely with that.  Very easy to connect an antenna to an HDTV, so it's not like a Canadian Sabres fan living on the NP would need to be a tech genius to make it happen.  And the more games you watch of a particular team the more they typically become "your" team.

[Eleven]

Just now, Doohickie said:

Regardless, if they switch I would expect it would pretty much be the same production on a new platform.

Yeah, agreed.  

[Taro T]

Still so ticked that when Adelphia went tits up that they liquidated Empire rather than keep it a going concern.  (Likely wouldn't help with the OTA stuff, but would still likely have all sorts of access to stuff like Bandits, Amerks, Bisons, Red Wings, and college sports from Buffalo to Syracuse.)

[#freejame]

Over the air would save me too much money so I doubt it would happen. You can all blame me. 

[xzy89c1]

The RSN all crashed at once except for in the big cities. Advertising just dried up. Teams have to hustle for advertising now. 

[#freejame]

1 hour ago, xzy89c1 said:

The RSN all crashed at once except for in the big cities. Advertising just dried up. Teams have to hustle for advertising now. 

Just gotta call up your local private equity backed plumber! 

[Doohickie]

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

Still so ticked that when Adelphia went tits up that they liquidated Empire rather than keep it a going concern.  (Likely wouldn't help with the OTA stuff, but would still likely have all sorts of access to stuff like Bandits, Amerks, Bisons, Red Wings, and college sports from Buffalo to Syracuse.)

I think that's what the Stars are trying to do with Victory+.  The have the Dallas Stars, Dallas Cowboys (thinking non-game day content, but maybe games too), Dallas Pulse pro volleyball, plus Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream women's basketball, and League One Volleyball, National Women's Soccer League, Western Hockey League, and Women's National Football Conference.  I know I can see the Stars for free on the network, not sure what I would have to pay for that other stuff.

So they're just grabbing a bunch of random sports filler and hoping it gets popular I guess.  Reminds me of the early days of ESPN.

[mphs mike]

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

Reminds me of the early days of ESPN.

Must also have australian rules football!

[repster]

8 hours ago, Taro T said:

The Sabres 100% should, when they are finally done with the MSG contract, have multiple distribution channels including OTA.  Right now, their entire market located west of the Niagara is primarily unreachable to them unless people buy an NHL package similar to Center Ice on this side of the border.

Everything east of Hamilton (Welland at an absolute minimum) should be "Sabres Country."  Getting the broadcasts OTA would help immensely with that.  Very easy to connect an antenna to an HDTV, so it's not like a Canadian Sabres fan living on the NP would need to be a tech genius to make it happen.  And the more games you watch of a particular team the more they typically become "your" team.

Taro is correct here.  Like I’ve mentioned earlier, our Sabres MSG viewing in the Niagara Pennisula only comes from Fubo when it’s not a national game.  If it’s a US national game on ESPN or TNT that isn’t simulcast by Sportsnet, which would typically be the case, we are out of luck.  If it’s a Canadian national game picked up by Sportsnet we need their stream or their channels through cable (Cogeco, not Rogers), or Bell Fibe.  Sometimes they use MSG, but if they are playing a Canadian team, it’s always the Sportsnet feed.  For cable users like myself, it would be nice if the Sabres “OTA” channel option was MyTV Buffalo 49.  I think Brawndo mentioned upthread that it’s a CW network.  Regardless, that is the only non- big network Buffalo option we have on our cable systems.  In the early Eichel days, Ted Black got the Sabres on TV over here through a dedicated channel with Bell, but that didn’t last for more than a few years when the Sabres were woefully bad.  Many years ago we had John Gurtler (before the Rick TV days) over here when the games were on WNYB 49.   Before that it was WUTV 29 and in the older days with Ed Kilgore hosting it was WGRZ 2.

[Doohickie]

51 minutes ago, repster said:

in the older days with Ed Kilgore hosting it was WGRZ 2.

Back in those days, it was simply WGR (the Z came in 1983).