I guess round-the-clock news of TO is more important than NHL hockey to ESPN.

 

Outdoor Life Network won the cable rights to the post-lockout NHL on Wednesday after ESPN declined to match a surprisingly lucrative offer.

 

OLN will carry games on Mondays and Tuesdays and will pay $65 million this season, $70 million in 2006-07 and $72.5 million in the third season, which is at the option of OLN and its owner, Comcast. The contract could extend for three more seasons, also at OLN and Comcast's option. With 21.4 million subscribers, Comcast is the largest cable operator in the United States and owns several cable networks.

 

George Bodenheimer, the president of ESPN and ABC Sports, said he told the league Wednesday night that he had refused to match the OLN offer. In a statement, he said that "given the prolonged work stoppage and the league's TV ratings history, no financial model even remotely supports the contract terms offered."

 

For the league, OLN's financial commitment is a triumph; three months ago, ESPN declined to exercise its option to pay the league $60 million.

 

OLN's deal mandates that Comcast carry the NHL Network on its digital sports tier. If certain subscriber levels for the network are not reached after two years, Comcast would have to pay the league $15 million, said a television executive who is familiar with the OLN deal.

 

OLN must pay the league $15 million more if it exceeds 80 million subscribers, the executive said. It now has 64 million, well below ESPN's 90 million.

 

The refusal to match OLN's terms ends ESPN's 21-year relationship with the NHL.

 

Also Wednesday, Mark Shapiro, ESPN's executive vice president of programming and production since 2002, announced his resignation, effective Oct. 1, to be the chief executive of Red Zone LLC, a fledgling entertainment company created by Daniel M. Snyder, the principal owner of the Washington Redskins.

 

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...ack=1&cset=true

This is still pretty good news, at least there will be a sport worth watching this fall.

Thank god I won't have to see hockey on ESPN

How far has hockey fallen that they have to go to the OLN!!!

 

:lol

As long as Panther games are still on FSN, I don't care where it is nationally.

ESPN can't show hockey, they are too busy with TO coverage and ESPN Hollywood. :plain

 

I get the OLN, and they will probably put the Hawks games on Comcast Sportsnet anyways, so w/e.

OLN carries the Tour de France too if I am not mistaken. The NHL should be a good pickup with them, although being that pro hockey is played indoors, I guess I dont get where OLN comes in. It wouldn't suprise me if the great outdoor games and lumberjack competitions that ESPN puts on will move to OLN eventually as well.

They could survive the lockout...

 

but OLN?

 

LOL, How can you call yourself Outdoor Life Network when you're airing an indoor game.

 

Eh, good for ESPN they were getting better ratings showing NCAA Basketball games in place of NHL anyway, let the nhl shoot itself in the foot.

It's not the Outdoor Life Network anymore.

 

The network's name is now what was once its acronym. The Outdoor Life Network is no longer and its motto is now, "We've Got A New Attitude." The hunting and fishing the network was founded on a decade ago is now mostly replaced with events ranging from the Tour de France and America's Cup to the All-Star BBQ Showdown. One of OLN's greatest assets is the 10 seasons of "Survivor" re-runs it purchased from CBS for a reported $10 million.

 

Hockey is a sport where people who want to watch it will find it and watch it.

 

But, don't let that interrupt everyone's laugh factory and hatred.

I know more than a few people who don't get OLN on their cable systems.

 

Plus, The NHL is not trying to attract just it's current fans they clearly want to branch out and make Hockey viable again, that's not going to happen with just it's current base.

 

OLN is one of those obscure channels that most people never even stop by and I believe is usually high on the dial. Being on ESPN would be much easier to gain new fans.

I know more than a few people who don't get OLN on their cable systems.

 

Plus, The NHL is not trying to attract just it's current fans they clearly want to branch out and make Hockey viable again, that's not going to happen with just it's current base.

 

OLN is one of those obscure channels that most people never even stop by and I believe is usually high on the dial. Being on ESPN would be much easier to gain new fans.

906480[/snapback]

 

So you take 60 million from ESPN instead of 200 million on OLN?

 

OLN is going to treat NHL as their centerpiece, not an afterthought.

 

Anyway, it's a deal with Comcast, not OLN. The opportunities go well beyond the network:

 

- 58 to 78 games to be televised. Mon/Tues to be the consistant nights that the games will be shown. (Some have speculated that Monday nights was included in the deal to ensure ESPN couldn't match since they now have MNF).

 

- Comcast to introduce the NHL network to the states on their cable network (21 million subscribers).

 

- Comcast to have on-demand viewing of NHL games.

 

- Comcast to have on-line streaming of games.

 

- Comcast has increased their footprint by 75% over the past four years. They are in 68 million homes (ballpark).

 

- Comcast is also looking to bid on the baseball Wed/Sun night package as well as NFL Thu/Sat package and possibly NASCAR.

 

- Both sides have out clauses - the NHL has one that if OLN doesn not reach a designated amount of households by year two - they can shop around for a new partner. I don't think Comcast will have any problems with this stipulation personally.

Nice..hopefully that means more college baseball on ESPN next spring.

Nice..hopefully that means more college baseball on ESPN next spring.

906600[/snapback]

I was about to say the same thing.

 

and like someone said earlier as long as I can still watch the Panthers on FSN, I'm happy.

no OLN or FSN at UCF so no me gusta...college baseball is a plus though

 

good move for OLN, not so good move for the NHL if OLN doesnt expand to pretty much every major cable provider

I get OLN on my directv and I can tivo the games and watch them when I want, so paint me happy about this

 

the ESPN coverage was always horrible .. hopefully OLN, after comitting resources, will be able to bring a good coverage in .... hopefully near that of CBC

It's a good pickup for OLN since nobody's gonna care about Le Tour de France. I don't have it, but I don't really care about hockey other than the Panthers.

I get OLN here via Dish Network. They are Channel 151....very close to the ESPN family which take up channels 140-146.

 

Of course the Panthers will once again be on FSN Florida...Channel 423.

fitting. the sport nobody watches is on the channel nobody has

Now SportsCenter will be 100% football in the fall as opposed to just 98%.

 

 

:thumbup

 

However, 99% of the football coverage is for the TO saga.

 

:plain

I know more than a few people who don't get OLN on their cable systems.

 

Plus, The NHL is not trying to attract just it's current fans they clearly want to branch out and make Hockey viable again, that's not going to happen with just it's current base.

 

OLN is one of those obscure channels that most people never even stop by and I believe is usually high on the dial. Being on ESPN would be much easier to gain new fans.

906480[/snapback]

 

That's what NBC is for.

OLN carries the Tour de France too if I am not mistaken. The NHL should be a good pickup with them, although being that pro hockey is played indoors, I guess I dont get where OLN comes in. It wouldn't suprise me if the great outdoor games and lumberjack competitions that ESPN puts on will move to OLN eventually as well.

906456[/snapback]

 

OLN is probably going to reformat their entire network around the NHL. Up in Canada they have the NHL Channel, I wouldn't be surprised to see OLN become the US version of that.

Now SportsCenter will be 100% football in the fall as opposed to just 98%.

 

 

:thumbup

 

However, 99% of the football coverage is for the TO saga.

 

:plain

907779[/snapback]

 

Not 100% football, 95% football 5% 50 states in 50 days.

ESPN "The OCHO"

 

Cotton McKnight: Average Joe's has a tough job, facing the Lumberjacks. These woodsmen probably haven't even smelled a woman in eight months.

Pepper Brooks: They must masturbate a lot, Cotton.

 

Looks like I won't be seeing much of my beloved Caps

Looks like I won't be seeing much of my beloved Caps

907931[/snapback]

NHL Center Ice on DirecTV.

 

Also, the NHL is supposedly going to have new streaming games on the internet similar to MLB.TV, except the NHL is going to offer it free for 1 year to hopefully attract some fans back.

Now SportsCenter will be 100% football in the fall as opposed to just 98%.

 

 

:thumbup

 

However, 99% of the football coverage is for the TO saga.

 

:plain

907779[/snapback]

 

Not 100% football, 95% football 5% 50 states in 50 days.

907926[/snapback]

It'll be over by then.