NHL Going Global

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/926152-nhl-hockey-broadcasts-go-global

Throughout my years of watching hockey, I have gotten to understand the business aspect of the sport. As we all know, hockey is still only the number four sport in America following football, baseball, and basketball. This view is expected just because it's not technically America's sport. However, I believe that the NHL does not mind being in this position.

This article is great because it discusses the expansion of the NHL being broadcasted throughout the world. Of course today, there are not many channels that carry hockey games unless we are watching such stations as Versus, Hockey Network, or have certain packages such as GameCenter. When I think about this aspect, I am curious as to if the NHL even makes money. Many times you hear about the NFL and MLB making great contracts with FOX or ABC. The NHL recently signed a new 10 year contract with NBC Universal, but how often are the games really seen? It's almost one of those, "believe it when you see it" issues.

This article discusses how the NHL is actually going to a new direction. The NHL has gone into Europe to expand their revenue. There is such a great demand today for hockey in Europe, so this looked to be the perfect way to respond. Especially, since the NHL started the season off in Europe. Promoting the sport worldwide is a fantastic idea. As we have seen, the support for hockey has rapidly grown in the United States. It could only get better from here on out if the NHL took to the global and got others interested as well! However, when the games are played may not be relevant for those who live in Europe. Game times are different so therefore there is no use watching. That is what highlights are for.

This topic is one that I could talk about for days. There are perks to expanding into Europe but there are also downfalls. Being a hockey fan, I want to see the NHL grow. But in order to grow, the deals that are put into place need to be seen. Also, many different carriers have dropped such channels are Versus, so some fans are unable to watch the games. The best advance that the NHL has made was creating the NHL GameCenter. From personal use, I have been nothing but happy with this because I can watch my home team play from Buffalo, NY all the way here in Long Beach, CA.

Sarah Ambrose
KIN 577