Over the past few days, I was pretty happy to see the news that the league is finally doing what it has to in order to import the NHL Network into the U.S. The question now becomes, just what is a hockey fan going to need to do in order to make sure they get the NHL Network?
That, as it turns out, is another question entirely. As even the NFL has discovered, launching a national cable/satellite network in such a way to get maximum carriage, even when the product includes live NFL games, is often problematic. For the NFL, it has had fights with a number of carriers over where the NFL Network appears in the channel lineup.
From their perspective, they'd like to position the network in such a way that it will allow them to accrue additional revenue, which means positioning it on a premium sports tier. Then again, as others have noted, sports networks that the cable companies own an interest in, like Versus and the Golf Channel, have somehow found their way to the basic tier. The league, on the other hand, often pushes carriers to include the network on the same basic tier that carries ESPN in order to reach the maximum number of households.
Because the NFL is the NFL, this is a fight they can afford to have. The NHL, on the other hand, simply doesn't have that sort of leverage, so off to the premium sports tier they go, which is where you'll find the NHL Network. It's also where you'll usually find NBATV too.
The league knows this is going to limit their exposure, something that the Commissioner hinted at in an interview with the American Business Journals earlier this week:
"It's a little bit in flux because we're doing some innovative things that we think will maximize carriage," Bettman said. "Will we likely be on a pay tier like everything else in the space? Yes. But we are exploring some ways that might be a creative means to expand distribution.
If he's hinting at what I think he's hinting at, I'd have to guess that means that the highlight show the NHL Network produces, NHL On The Fly: Final, will get some sort of alternate distribution channel, perhaps through Versus. As far as I'm concerned, that's the most important part of this deal. Here in the U.S., ever since NHL2Night left the cable universe, we've been cut off from a daily diet of hockey highlights on television, something that can't be good for growing hockey fandom. That show needs to be on, and it needs to be on everywhere and on every platform known to man.
As for me, I've been subscribing to DirecTV's premium sports tier, and I have to admit that it's something of a mixed bag. For me, the main draw has always been Fox Soccer Channel, which delivers matches from the English Premier League. GOLTV is pretty nice too.
As for the rest of the tier, I'll just say that I don't visit all that much. Why is that? For the most part -- with the exception of ESPNU and CSTV -- the rest of the tier is filled with regional sports channels, mostly local Fox Sports outlets. These channels syndicate the same Fox programming, which means there are times when you have the option of watching Beyond The Glory on what seems like 30 channels at the same time. And because these channels carry live games that are offered as part of league-sponsored PPV packages (MLB Extra Innings, NBA League Pass, etc.), there are plenty of times when these channels are simply blacked out.
Put simply, in order to get Fox Soccer Channel, I also had to agree to buy all the rest of the tier for an extra $12 per month. If you're a hockey fan looking for the NHL Network in the U.S., you'll essentially be in the same boat. But while this might not be an ideal situation, I'm having a hard time imagining it could be any other way.
Any idea as to where to actually FIND this channel on DirecTV? I’ve subscribed to every channel they have, and I’ve been searching since October 1st. – no luck. Have they even begun airing in the U.S.?
Amazingly, Time Warner in NYC has already added the NHL network to it’s system. It’s pretty cool. Still no NFL network, but I’ll gladly take the NHL network instead.
One of the articles I read the other day said they were still negotiating with DirecTV (and maybe also Dish Network).
I would think most everyone who will watch the NHL Network has likely already shelled out the $150-70 for Center Ice, so an extra $12/month is no big deal.
Comcast in NJ is not carrying the channel, despite what the national press releases are saying. Which is a damn shame.