Sunday, January 14, 2024

NHL Network has got to go

First off, pretty much no one carries it, other than traditional cable/satellite. But no worries, the NHL has your back!. All you have to do is follow each link and input your info into each provider's website. Thanks guys, you brought the internet back to the 90s. Without the good parts.

To watch 82 Capitals games out of market, but within the US, one needs to subscribe to two separate services (Sling Blue + Sling TV Sports Extra & ESPN+). For just $40 + $11 + $11 + taxes + fees + whatever other nonsense. Is this the league's intention: to make fans jump through hoops to watch their favorite teams play? We want to turn on our devices and know that all 82 games are available live. This is how live sports fandom works, how it has always worked, and how it will always work. Why deviate from this?

Secondly, the broadcast sucks. It's awful. The on-air talent is middling, with some, like Kevin Weekes, whose name is being lent to give the platform some credibility, visibly stooping to carry a subpar product. Unfortunately, the broadcast is done from the studio, rather than in the arena, so the fans are left watching the talent comment on the same tv show we are watching. Twitch sucks, and forcing hockey fans to consume the product as if we were watching live streaming of some jerkoff commenting on a video game is a poor tactic. Further, the intermission shows are boring and flat,t he production quality is low, and the studio is boring. The ESPN/TNT product is significantly better and should be the focus and flagship broadcast of the NHL. 

Thirdly, the NHL's product should be a recap/highlights show, similar to NFL's red zone. And it should be broadcast weekly, at the same time, or it should flood the market. It can't be this "will they won't they" nonsense, with random games shown at random times on random days. Either give us something to look forward to or get the hell off the air.

That's all.

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