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Television
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Written by Maury Brown
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Thursday, 29 May 2008 19:10 |
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 The NHL on NBC scored a huge increase in ratings for Game Three of the Stanley Cup Finals compared to last year's Game Three between Ducks and Senators.
With the talent ladened Red Wings and Penguins, with Sidney Crosby, NBC saw a 2.8/5 overnight Nielsen rating compared to 1.5/3 for last year's Game Three, an increase of 86.7%. NBC had the advantage of airing the game this year in primetime on a Saturday. According to the Sports Business Daily, "In Detroit, the game earned a 18.2/28 up against Pistons-Celtics Game Five on ESPN, which earned a 15.9 rating locally. The 2.9/5 marks the highest Stanley Cup Finals Game Three overnight rating since ’02, when Red Wings-Hurricanes earned a 3.8."
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Written by Maury Brown
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Thursday, 29 May 2008 04:43 |
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 VERSUS, the exclusive cable home of the NHL in the U.S., garnered a 1.9 national rating and 2,537,560 total viewers for its Game 2 telecast of the 2008 Stanley Cup Final Monday, making it the most-watched program in network history.
Other highlights:
* Game 2 eclipsed Game 1 of this year’s Final (1.8 rating, 2,351,582 total viewers) as the highest-rated and most-watched Stanley Cup Final cable telecast since 2002. Further, the combined ratings for Games 1 and 2 show an increase of 111 percent from 2006 (.9) and a 171-percent increase from last year’s first two games (.7). The combined viewership for Games 1 of 2 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Final (2,426,692) show even greater increases over the past two years; up 181 percent from 2006 (863,206) and a whopping 273 percent from 2007 (649,779).
* The 1.9 rating is up 217 percent from VERSUS' Game 2 rating in 2007 (.6) and up 111 percent from Game 2 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final (.9).
* Locally, the Detroit market received an 11.7 rating, the highest rating ever in the Detroit market for an NHL game on VERSUS and a 39% increase over Game 1 (8.4). The Pittsburgh market garnered a 21.3 rating, making VERSUS the #1 rated television network in Pittsburgh for the time period. The 21.3 rating is up 12 percent from Game 1 (19.0).
* VERSUS concluded its coverage of the 2007-08 NHL season with tremendous gains in ratings and viewership compared to the first two years of the NHL on the network. Compared to last season, the 2007-08 regular season saw an increase of 50 percent in HH ratings and 28 percent in total viewership; HH ratings for the 2008 Conference Quarterfinals were up 33 percent and total viewership was up 24 percent; Conference Semifinals were up 50 percent in HH rating and 51 percent in total viewership. During the Conference Final round, in which VERSUS aired nine exclusive games, the network witnessed dramatic increases in household ratings (up 71%) and total viewership (up 77%), making it the best-rated, most watched Conference Finals since 2002.
* The combination of Games 1 and 2 made this the highest-rated and most-watched opening two games of the finals since Detroit faced Carolina in 2002. Versus' combined ratings went up 273 percent from last year when Anaheim played Ottawa and 181 percent from the Carolina-Edmonton matchup in 2006.
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Written by Maury Brown
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Monday, 26 May 2008 06:34 |
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Versus Sees Highest Ratings Ever for Hockey The Stanley Cup Finals, which sees a “dream match-up†for the league and broadcasters by having talent laden Detroit and the Penguins, with Sidney Crosby, saw the highest-rated and most-watched Finals game in six years, with the Red Wings beating the Penguins 4-0 in Game 1 Saturday night. The game drew a 1.8 rating in the U.S. with over 2.3 million viewers according to Nielsen Media Research. The game also marked the highest rated NHL broadcast ever for the Versus channel, surpassing the Penguins’ 4-2 victory in Game 2 of this year’s Eastern Conference finals. Source Nielsen Media Research
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Written by Maury Brown
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Tuesday, 20 May 2008 00:53 |
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NBC’s Sports Saturday and Sunday’s coverage of the Stanley Cup Conference Finals saw a 14 percent ratings increase from the year prior according to Nielsen Media Research. The games combined to post a 1.6 overnight HH rating and a 4 share. As reported by Mediaweek: Saturday's broadcast of Game 5 between the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings, won by Dallas 2-1, earned a 1.5/4 (1:30-4:15 p.m. ET), a 25 percent increase over 2007 (1.2/3, 2-4:45 p.m. ET, Ottawa Senators at Buffalo Sabres). The game recorded a 14.1/34 rating and share in the Detroit market. Sunday's coverage of the clinching Game 5 between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins earned a 1.7/4 (3-5:45 p.m. ET), a 6 percent increase over 2007 (1.6/4, 3-6:30 p.m. ET, Anaheim Ducks at Detroit). Ratings and share in the Pittsburgh market were a 26.1/46.
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Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. |
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Written by Michael J. Senno
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Friday, 16 May 2008 21:48 |
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Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburg Penguins was the most watched telecast ever on Versus. 2.375 million viewers tuned in, shattering the previous mark of 1.725 million viewers that tuned in for the final stage of Lance Armstrong’s final Tour de France on July 24, 2005. The game earned a 1.8 coverage area rating, second best to the 2.1 received by that Tour de France. Eastern Conference Semifinal Game Four, a New York Rangers win over Pittsburgh, ranks as the fourth most watched broadcast on Versus, drawing 1.2 million viewers. Versus subscriber base has expanded to 75 million homes, significantly higher than 2005, explaining how more people watched the hockey game though it received a lower coverage rating then the tour. The wider distribution also accounts for this seasons hockey games ranking among the most watched on the net. Regular season hockey ratings grew 20% over last season on Versus. The quarterfinals jumped 23%, and the conference semifinals, which Versus has an exclusive agreement preventing local broadcast competition, were up 40%. Despite the strong ratings, Versus still lags behind the pre-strike numbers posted on ESPN and ESPN2 in 2003-2004. ESPN and ESPN2 averaged .50 and .40 coverage ratings in the first round respectively, and .79 and .49 in the Conference Semifinals, compared to the .37 and .59 posted by Versus this season. Source: Sports Business Daily, Sports Business Journal |
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Written by Maury Brown
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Wednesday, 14 May 2008 04:38 |
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What would Lord Stanley say? Hockey's Holy Grail and the most revered trophy in professional sports, recently returned from a trip to Hollywood. With the Stanley Cup Playoffs in high gear, The Stanley Cup Tour took a swing through the sets of several shows including E.R., HOUSE, Big Bang Theory, and Charlie Sheen on the set of Two & a Half Men. 
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Written by Michael J. Senno
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Friday, 09 May 2008 13:46 |
 Don Cherry brings his flamboyant personality to ESPN, starting with tonight’s “Sportscenterâ€. The CBC “Hockey Night in Canada†analyst signed on with ESPN to provide postgame reports during the Philadelphia Flyers-Pittsburgh Penguins Eastern Conference finals, and cover the Stanley Cup Finals for the network. As reported by ESPN: "Pairing Don Cherry and Barry Melrose will provide NHL fans with two of the most respected and opinionated voices in hockey today," Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president of production, said in a statement. "'SportsCenter' will be the place to turn for Stanley Cup analysis, debate and highlights."
Cherry will also contribute to coverage on ESPNNEWS and ESPN Radio, while continuing his duties with the CBC throughout the playoffs. He plans to donate his ESPN earnings to the Humane Society. The former Boston Bruin and Colorado Rockies head coach last appeared on American television during last season’s Stanley Cup Finals coverage on NBC.
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Michael J. Senno is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. |
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Written by Maury Brown
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Wednesday, 30 April 2008 13:31 |
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 The Chicago Blackhawks will have a new radio home next season. The team will be broadcast on WGN-AM (720). As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times:
"'We're going to have a press conference, and that's likely what it'll be about,'' general manager Dale Tallon said when asked to confirm the change. WSCR-AM (670) has carried Hawks games since the 2000-01 season.
The Blackhawks have been aggressively upgrading broadcasting and other activities such as cross-branding with the MLB Chicago White Sox.
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Page 6 of 7 |
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Television News
