Despite NHL games being nationally televised on OLN this season, many fans might still be in the dark. According to Newsday, OLN is available in 64 million homes and is on basic cable in 90 percent of them. Still, many fans will end up paying extra to upgrade to a digital-tier or for a sports package if they want to see games on OLN. Just a few places where OLN is not on basic/basic-digital: Long Island, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Westchester and northern New Jersey, aka a good chunk of the NHL's biggest market. And Buffalo's Adelphia (sorry Sabres fans).
This could be a useful strategy to get OLN in more homes, MediaWeek reported on Monday:
"OLN’s pickup of the NHL cable rights could engender yet another war between a cable operator and a network.
According to a source close to the proceedings, NHL games will be blacked out in cable systems that relegate OLN to a digital sports tier, including all of Cablevision’s footprint and Cox Communications’ Phoenix system.
While 90 percent of OLN’s carriage is on standard analog tiers, the network is likely to use the threat of a blackout in order to win total analog carriage, which would significantly boost its number of homes reached."
But even updating to digital might not be good enough if you subscribe to Cablevision, Cox or Adelphia. Basic-cable subscribers without OLN could also be left out when games are shown locally (NESN, for example) and OLN at the same time. The NESN broadcast would be blacked out locally, according to the Boston Globe (8/19/05). Newsday reported a similar problem with MSG (8/19/05):
"...unless you receive OLN - formerly Outdoor Life Network - a digital channel on your cable system that sometimes costs extra, you'll miss the Rangers-Flyers regular-season opener Oct. 5. MSG Network, the team's local rights holder, is blacked out. Concerning the Rangers-Flyers opener, a league spokeswoman said, "We are aware of that situation, but no one should draw any conclusions just yet."
If OLN chose to show the Bruins hosting the Canadiens, MSG could carry Rangers-Flyers. But anytime OLN, which will televise 58 NHL regular-season games nationally this season - primarily on Monday and Tuesday nights - decides to televise a Rangers, Islanders or Devils game exclusively, New York metro area viewers without OLN will not see it."
Additional info from today's Newsday:
' "In markets where OLN is offered on a digital sports tier, which includes Cablevision, we are required through our contracts to black out the games," an OLN spokesperson confirmed yesterday. "There will be alternative programming in that time slot. We are working with our affiliates on the situation. We believe OLN should be included on expanded basic, not a sport tier." '
It seems that this Comcast-OLN-NHL deal still needs some kinks worked out, especially for the basic-cable sports fan. My advice? Unless you already get Comcast (who assured Philly-area fans they won't be blacked out), get satellite.
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The Toronto Star's Rick Westhead also has new insight on the deal with OLN. Even the Greensboro News-Record took a stab at the deal, making the case for ESPN while adding some humorous commentary:
"...maybe ESPN recognized the marketplace, and if so, such honesty actually is refreshing.
The bad part of all this is that hockey has been relegated to the Siberia of the cable planet.
If hockey is to be on something called the Outdoor Life Network, shouldn't the league relocate every team south of St. Paul to, say, International Falls?
Then and only then could they play outdoors on frozen ponds.
If the Anaheim Mighty Ducks are on Outdoor Life Network, what's next? A Jean-Claude Van Damme movie marathon on Lifetime? "Dead Man Walking" on Comedy Central?
It doesn't make sense, but neither does overpaying for televised sports rights fees. The people have spoken."
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More information is emerging about Comcast streaming games online, via Broadcaster Magazine:
"The partnership between OLN, Comcast and the NHL will redefine the sport for hockey viewers. More action on video on demand (VOD), in HDTV and online will create an experience like never before, including:
- VOD game highlights and library footage of hockey's greatest moments with full fast-forward, rewind and replay capability
- HDTV game coverage in a crisper, faster-moving, more exciting game for hockey fans every week
- Online streaming of two live games per night (subject to local blackout), broadband highlights, commentary, and library footage ...
- Comcast will have the ability to carry and/or syndicate additional games on Comcast's regional sports networks where it has the consent of the local team and team's rights holder."
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Is Comcast setting up as a competitor for ESPN? MediaWeek (8/22/05) also wrote about OLN eyeing the MLB to add to its line-up:
"Not only did it snatch away cable rights for the National Hockey League for the next several years last week, but now Comcast/OLN has set its sights on landing Major League Baseball’s Sunday-Wednesday-night cable package, the rights to which expire at the end of the current season.
That package also includes the MLB All-Star Game home run derby telecast, which produced hefty one-night ratings for ESPN this season."
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One final note... A big thank-you to James Mirtle for hosting Carnival of the NHL #6; he did a great job of rounding up posts from around the league. Mirtle wrote up "In The Crease" for it's love of Jochen Hecht and my take on the NHL/OLN deal. Check it out!
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