TV rights

Kevlar68

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #1
Why hasn't anyone bought the TV rights to EIHL?
UK ice hockey used to be on sky and the sport itself is watched worldwide.
On sky they show Superleague Netball and national badminton league, are these bigger crowd pullers?
Does anyone think there may be a big enough market for a TV company to buy the rights?
 

JC23

Well-Known Member
#2
Why hasn't anyone bought the TV rights to EIHL?
UK ice hockey used to be on sky and the sport itself is watched worldwide.
On sky they show Superleague Netball and national badminton league, are these bigger crowd pullers?
Does anyone think there may be a big enough market for a TV company to buy the rights?
Now that’s a can of worms that’s been opened, closed, fried, and re-fried many a time on here, and on Twitter.
 

Kevlar68

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #6
There's a channel on freeview called Freesports and they show some great NHL games early hours morning but I've noticed they show British Basketball League.
Maybe EIHL could approach Free sport.
 

pjj365

Well-Known Member
#7
I'm old too!

There was quite a bit of hockey on TV if only highlights - the only way I could get my fix!

Also remember broadsheet papers used to have a Monday morning, bottom of page, piece with results
 
#8
Only explanation can be that the EIHL don't want one. We've all seen Neil Black and his Panthers/Clan sides who don't offer webcasts never mind want a TV deal.

But i agree. Freesports would be the ideal platform.

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Kevlar68

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #9
Only explanation can be that the EIHL don't want one. We've all seen Neil Black and his Panthers/Clan sides who don't offer webcasts never mind want a TV deal.

But i agree. Freesports would be the ideal platform.

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Strange isn't it as TV revenue can be good money to improve the EIHL
 

pjj365

Well-Known Member
#10
Strange isn't it as TV revenue can be good money to improve the EIHL
Not so

As has been said this has been debated on here

But for minority sport Sky do not just rock up to show it. Sponsors are needed to pay Sky for the privilege, they would want non traditional days so as not to disrupt football broadcasts (we are not big enough to merit our own channel)

So, we pay out for the broadcast, lose match night (Tuesday hockey anyone?) and webcast revenues. There would also be infrastructure implications - possibly reducing seat availability. League has concluded that apparently it does not add up

Freesport maybe the answer but as a new boy on the block this might take time
 

A-G

New Member
#11
Freesport would be a good platform to start. If they are showing minor Rugby League action and some university sports then the EIHL would surely be in with a sniff depending on asking price. They have already been showing CHL including the final, SHL and KHL games alongside with piggy backing NHL coverage from American broadcasters.
Would this introduce the game to the masses and bigger TV revenue? Not sure as it's one of those channels you have to kind of go looking for. It's not like the old Grandstand days when you would switch it on and see whats showing potentially stumbling across sports you wouldn't normally watch.
 

BostonBart22

Well-Known Member
#13
I can even remember if I'm right watching the Benson & Hedges Cup final on BBC1 Grandstand.
It wasnt just the b&h final, grandstand used to show regular hockey games, most were between fife and murrayfield , seem to remember durham were on it a lot as well, think barry davies was the regular commentator.
 

Kevlar68

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #15
With TV rights if they went to Freesports wouldn't then each individual team be better off with the private sponsors due to TV advertising on boards and kit?
 

Diafol

Well-Known Member
#16
One slight problem with the Free Sports plan though.

Isn't the channel closely linked with / owned by the same people as Premier Sports ?

And didn't the EIHL burn their bridges with Premier Sports about two years ago ?
 

Hedd Wyn John

Well-Known Member
#20
There's a channel on freeview called Freesports and they show some great NHL games early hours morning but I've noticed they show British Basketball League.
Maybe EIHL could approach Free sport.
Todd Kelman was asked in a Q&A about tv rights a couple of months ago and he briefly mentioned Freesports. Basically he said that the money Freesports offered wasn’t enough for it to be financially worth scrapping the webcast. Plus the viewing figures for Freesports are very low so you can’t get that increased sponsorship revenue based on viewing figures.
 
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