For the last few years we have heard much about the NHL's dismal television ratings in the United States. Many a media analyst warned us that pro hockey would soon disappear from network television. So the new TV contracts are good news for hockey fans.
But in today's sports media, the regular fan sitting in front of his television doesn't count for much. With their usual obsession for all things corporate, the analysts prefer to focus on the balance sheet.
Here's how the new deals shape up, according to a report from TSN.ca:
"The NHL's two-year deal with NBC is the same type of revenue-sharing agreement the network has with the Arena Football League. NBC will take the first chunk of income from advertising to cover production expenses, the NHL takes the next chunk and the two split additional revenue equally."
"It seems unlikely the league will recoup the $120 million US a season it made under the five-year, $600-million deal that expires with ABC/ESPN after the Stanley Cup final."
"As for cable, the league's new deal with ESPN also announced Wednesday is reportedly a one-year $60-million agreement for the 2004-05 season with ESPN also holding a two-year option worth $70 million a year for 2005-06 and 2006-07."
So the league has a revenue-sharing arrangement with NBC, and a bargain-basement contract with ESPN. Assuming the cash is divided among teams, each franchise earns $2 million from next year's cable deal, enough to buy half a third-line veteran or cover a couple of bonuses on a rookie contract.
In the wake of this news, and with expectations that next season will be scuttled by a labor war, you can expect to see the usual flurry of columns speculating on whether the NHL can "survive." These forecasts of doom never explain how the "death" of hockey will unfold. (Perhaps all the players go home to Vladivostok and Moose Factory to find construction jobs, while fans make do with pro bowling.) Instead, they focus on the lousy attendance in Nashville and woes afflicting the multi-millionaires who own teams. Losing sleep yet?
The real news here is the same old news: The NHL is not the NFL, and never will be. Hockey will not conquer the civilized world, owners and players will never drown in overflowing vats of cash. It's fashionable to insist that the NHL can reach much larger audiences by changing the rules and somehow improving its "product." Supporters of this campaign point to the high-scoring 1980s as the game's aesthetic peak. But most Americans were not interested back then, either. The notion that an untapped audience is waiting to be seduced, if only the NHL will prostitute itself for the cause, is a chimera.
But if you are a hockey fan, what do you care about all this nonsense? The important thing for fans is that the NHL remains on television. Combine the NBC and ESPN2 schedules with the regional TV deals cut by most teams, and you have as much hockey as many fans are likely to want. The rest is just noise, a product of the media's fetish for all things corporate.
