I'm new here and I know this has probably already been covered at length but I can't find the specific thread. Dish currently offers Versus (with NHL) on their America's Top 250 and higher. Is there any possibility that it will offered on a lower tier package in the future or on a sports package?
Versus on Dish
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Sure, anything is possible.
Is it likely? No. I've been hoping they would do that since the NHL started on VS but it never happens. They did move it down for 3 months late last year when DirecTV was having their dispute with VS.
Best move would be for the NHL to go back to the ESPN networks. Rumor is that the NHL is considering that.
Is it likely? No. I've been hoping they would do that since the NHL started on VS but it never happens. They did move it down for 3 months late last year when DirecTV was having their dispute with VS.
Best move would be for the NHL to go back to the ESPN networks. Rumor is that the NHL is considering that.
Versus is available in DISH America Gold (formerly TurboHD Gold) at a package price of $49.99 . I'm not sure if this package is still available to new subs, but as a current sub, I went from DISH America Silver to Gold so I could watch the NHL playoffs.
I don't see this package listed on the Dish web site. Am I missing something? I've been a subscriber since last summer.
Your link isn't working. You mentioned this link in another post...
Dish America Lineup - DBSTalk.Com
Call or chat with a CSR and they will tell you if this package is available to you.
I was hoping they would go back to ESPN also, but no cigar! When the NHL first switched to Versus, the word I heard was that ESPN did not want the NHL anymore. It seems that they could get higher ratings from TV Poker Matches. Go figure!
Anyway, Versus is on a lower package on D*, Choice Extra I believe. What I plan to do is carry the Top 250 package during April, May, and June to get the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Versus and then drop down to the Top 120 or 200. I will watch my local team during the regular season on my RSN.
Ed
Here it is:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/213723-hd-america-gold.html
For some reason when doing links the in the quick reply window they get botched up.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/213723-hd-america-gold.html
For some reason when doing links the in the quick reply window they get botched up.
The current contracts go to the end of the 2010-11 season, so they will indeed be negotiating for TV rights again over the next year.
That said, I doubt ESPN will get the bid -- they have too many commitments to their other contracts to do the NHL justice. They already have to commit resources to college and NFL football, college and NBA basketball, NASCAR, and MLB baseball. There is no way they could match the current 2 prime-time games a week that Versus is delivering.
The cycling, fishing, Indycar, cage match, buck hunting channel may not have the distribution of ESPN, but at least they treat the NHL as a league that matters -- something that ESPN wasn't willing to do when they lost the bid back in 2005.
Okay, Let’s Talk About This Like Adults: “How ESPN Nearly Destroyed the NHL on TV” or “Why the NHL Should Never Go Back to ESPN”
Is there any chance that Versus would ever be added to any of the Dish Latino packages? I get the Dish Latino Dos mostly for soccer, but if Versus were added to the Dish Latino Max I would go for it. (Yes, I do speak Spanish).
It was all about money and ratings -- VS needed a major sport contract for growth and outbid ESPN, which only submitted a token bid. When ESPN had the NHL they ranted and raved about NHL hockey in HD and now they barely mention the sport. It seems they decided to make a move to the "Entertainment" segment of the "Entertainment and Sports" in the ESPN acronym and reduce the sports content.
In my opinion watching guys (and/or gals) play poker is neither sports nor entertainment, but I guess it works for them and is relatively cheap programming...but I now watch a lot less ESPN than I used to.
Things have changed for the NHL. The last 2 Stanley Cup Finals have gotten relatively good numbers on NBC and the Winter Classics have been well-watched. I would think this year's Cup numbers should be just as solid since it features two of the largest US markets (Chicago and Philly).
If you want to be seen as a major sport, you have to be on the channel that carries major sports. ESPN would give the NHL that. And if I remember correctly, ESPN and ESPN2 carried more than 2 games a week of the NHL that VS carries.
ESPN does have a ton of poker, but so do all of the FOX Sports Networks. The problem is that the channel has to air programming 24 hours a day, but major sporting events only take place within a few hours of the day. If you look at ESPN's schedule they are already showing some of the events they cover like the Frozen Four on tape delay because they didn't have the channel space even on ESPNU to show the games live.
The ratings numbers from last year were actually better than any year the Stanley Cup playoffs were on ESPN/ABC. Which begs the question -- why move back?
ESPN cut their NHL game count way back once they got the NBA contract in 2002. The problem as it stands right now is that ESPN doesn't have the air time to give. Look at their committed broadcast schedule from last October to April and tell me how they could fit in 2 NHL games a week. They simply don't have the channel real estate to do it -- they'd have to move the games to a less carried channel like ESPN Classic or EPSN News to find a broadcast slot to air the game live.
Versus isn't the Outdoor Life Network anymore; their distribution is 75 million homes vs ESPNs 101 million. It's a basic channel on Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Charter, CableVision, ATT U-Verse, and Verizon FiOS. It's really only the satellite providers of Dish and DirecTV that have it tiered out of a basic package.
Versus is carrying games 3 and 4 in Philly.......the rest are on NBC
Saturday, May 29 at Chicago, 8 p.m. NBC, CBC, RDS
Monday, May 31 at Chicago, 8 p.m. NBC, CBC, RDS
Wednesday, June 2 at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. VERSUS, CBC, RDS
Friday, June 4 at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. VERSUS, CBC, RDS
*Sunday, June 6 at Chicago, 8 p.m. NBC, CBC, RDS
*Wednesday, June 9 at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. NBC, CBC, RDS
*Friday, June 11 at Chicago, 8 p.m. NBC, CBC, RDS
I agree 100%. Giving VS the contract was a poor decision by the NHL -- in fact it was a sellout. Bettman went for the bigger bucks and disregarded the exposure factor, which counteracted all the prior efforts of the NHL to expand the U.S. audience.
Bettman was already saying, immediately after that great U.S. vs. Canada Olympic title game, that the NHL may not participate in the 2014 Olympics. He just doesn't get it -- it isn't about the revenue he feels the NHL lost by not receiving money from the Olympics, it's about the exposure and the growth of the hockey fan base. Until he gets that through his thick head, his actions will never be beneficial to the NHL.
It wasn't the first time the NHL went for money instead of exposure. Remember SportsChannel US?grb said:
The reality is the "exposure factor" was horrible on ESPN when ESPN was too busy exposing, in no particular order, NFL football, NCAA football, NBA basketball, NCAA basketball, Major League Baseball and Poker. And let's not forget SportsCenter.
ESPN offered NO money; just a revenue sharing agreement like NBC. So it is either no guaranteed money from ESPN or $50 some million a year from Versus, who would be happy to make the NHL their marquee product. More on that later...
Bettman is looking for some kind of concessions.grb said:
Think about it. This year has been the absolute best for the NHL in terms of TV ratings. If a network is unhappy with the Olympic break because it may impact the terms of their deal, this is about getting the best deal from a network. If NBC and Versus (soon to be both owned by Comcast) want the exposure, and they also have the Olympics, then they will want to offer more money and make the NHL take the Olympic break.
Just for common knowledge, I normally do NOT take the side of Bettman. Heck, I've gone off plenty of times regarding the complete idiocy of the NHL from 1933 to 2005. There have been many missteps both on and off the ice so that the game didn't and doesn't get wider appeal.
For once, the NHL will be going into a contract negotiation with the upper hand.
...and that choice can either be with the ESPN family of networks and the NHL can be buried on ESPN3.com or ESPN Classic, which would be a no-brainer if someone in the Disney chain offered any money. Or it can be with the partner that has been offering money (Versus), which is owned by Comcast, which will soon run NBC. And everyone wants the Winter Classic now. It's called leverage.
I never did a one for one comparison but all of the games that I wanted to watch that were also on VS. were blacked out to me on Center Ice.
