Just a quick couple of questions: does anyone know when or if the MLB Network will be available on Bell TV and what will happen to NHL Network Canada this season? Will Bell carry it on or will Rogers take control of it, so far I haven't anything on it. Also the American NHL network has HD but no HD for the Canadian Channel, whats up with that?
Thanks for the reply on the NHL Network, sucks no HD.
Curious to know how much content will be on it since Bell only has regional rights and limited high-light time. Will they continue to show past games?
NHL Network will probably just show NHL on the fly nightly. Honestly, I find it laughable that it's not in HD. It's all produced in the same studio as TSN. I doubt there is very many people watching it just on that fact alone.
Just curious as to if anyone heard anything about the NHL network for next season whether it be still with Bell or purchased by Rogers and if HD will be available.
Ya how stupid can it get. What a joke. Hockey is Canada's sports but they don't even have NHL Network in HD. That's a shame. In US they don't care for hockey and they get the NHL Network in HD. What a shame. Just don't understand the logic behind this.
The NHL Net in Canada is barely a consideration anymore, if it ever was. The lack of HD is perhaps the biggest negative for many hockey fans (including me). The way Bell has buried the service can't help but result in stagnation, by sending the message that Canada's greatest sporting obsession is on par with something like darts. (No offense meant to fans of darts).
I believe for this year, Bell is still running the network as there wasn't enough time in the summer to get it transferred over to Rogers... I presume come next season, Rogers will be running the station and will put a renewed emphasis on utilizing the station. No reason NHL Network can't show a game every night of the week.
The only reason I can see that makes any sense for HD in the U.S. and none in Canada is this: the NHL is still trying to sell the game below the 49th parallel. To do so, that version has to look its best to attract the guy sitting on the fence. A SD broadcast wouldn't do that. (Remember, below the 49th parallel, NHL Net carries live games).
Canada, on the other hand, doesn't require that kind of push. The country views the league as an inseparable part of daily life, kinda like breathing. There's nothing to sell, per se, other than the network itself. As such, I believe there's little incentive to throw money at it when the end result wouldn't bring in enough new and regular viewers to justify the expense.
I believe the disparity between the two networks comes down to economics, as per usual. And yes, assuming Rogers takes control of Canada's NHL Network next season, it will be subject to lots of revisions in both content and appearance. I certainly don't see it continuing with the same format next season.
Say what you want about Rogers' handling of the league this NHL-year. The investment and commitment it made over the next decade-plus clearly shows they've gone all-out to corner the market in this country. In which case, I expect they'd bump the video definition of NHL Net in Canada from SD to HD. Or ... they could call it quits and fold the thing entirely. There's so much NHL content on the various Sportsnet channels as it stands that a 24-hour network could be seen as superfluous and unnecessary.
Yeah, given how much hockey content there already is, I have no idea why anybody would ever watch NHL Network. But it seems to do alright. If people are willing to pay extra for it, Rogers will keep it open no matter how over saturated the market is.
I would watch it. It would be a shame to close it down. Every sports has a dedicated channel. For example NBA channel, NFL channel, Golf Channel, Tennis channel etc.
Golf, Basketball, NFL, Fight, Wrestling, all have dedicated sports channel ! When are they going to give Baseball the same dedicated channel..it is out there and on Rogers...we only have one team in Canada and the Baseball Network would give us access to all teams and news from all of baseball 24 hours a day! Bob Costas one of the finest baseball people out there and we do not have access to his great analysis and history of the game.....keeping my fingers crossed it will happen soon!!!
The NHL Network is not showing any games this year. Until they start showing games we really don't need this channel in HD. Bell Satellite now offers this channel as a pick and pay channel and it is no longer part of The Sports 2 theme pack that I subscribe to.
Bell Satellite has little if any bandwith left and I would not like to see them add NHL Network in HD. I would much more prefer The MLB Network in HD.
NHL Network does show games this year but they are replays. On Tbaytel it is part of the main Sports theme that includes LeafsTV and the Sportsnet channels.
I wish Shaw would pick up the MLB Network the garbage Rogers pulled with the Washington Nationals NLDS last fall was abhorrent. Of any team you want to ensure everyone can see their playoff games, it would be the former Montreal Expos.
Rogers has got almost all the rights to hockey in Canada. They offer NHL Centre Ice and Gamecenter Live for out of market games and use their channels for the Canadian teams. Anything leftover goes to TSN for now. There's almost nothing for an NHL Network other than background features, highlights, hockey fluff shows. Bell is dropping it completely at the end of this summer. I doubt if it will be continued anywhere in Canada. What is its purpose?
Without a doubt Rogers will likely import the US version. Bell had the opportunity to do something with the channel when they had the NHL rights but it never amounted to much and never launched in HD, their loss.
@mismag: Do you have inside information or are you just hoping? I gave up on Rogers doing the right/logical thing years ago. As I've already asked, what is left for the NHL Network to show that isn't filler? All live NHL games are covered off one way or another on one Rogers service or another. How much background on the NHL does anyone really need? AHL would be a nice bonus if they could get it but it can't substitute for the main event, live NHL Hockey.
Reports indicate that MLB Advanced Media will be taking over the operations of the NHL's digital properties (including NHL.com and Rogers NHL GameCenter Live), as well as NHL Network, which would be operated from MLB Network's facilities.
I've also noticed NHL Network.CAN seems to be in some sort of wind-down zombie mode; the ticker's been deactivated too.
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