MNF Move Could Help the NHL
The NFL’s “Monday Night Football,” has switched stations, from ABC to ESPN.
NBC, which has been without NFL football for six years, has made a deal for Sunday night NFL games, which were being broadcast on ESPN.
This past year NBC has broadcast none of the four major team sports. The NHL signed a deal with NBC after the 2003-04 season, but the deal hasn’t even started yet due to the lockout. Part of the NHL-NBC agreement is game promotion to NBC’s large 18-35 male audience, a key demographic. NBC picking up NFL games couldn’t come at a better time for the hockey league, assuming there will be actual NHL games by 2006, which is when the NFL-NBC deal starts. Promos placed during NFL games should attract exactly the audience the NHL is looking for. None of the NHL games on NBC are scheduled be broadcast during the NFL season, but a few quick promos continuously run throughout the season certainly couldn’t hurt. I’ve always said the NHL should buy a Super Bowl commercial, but some NFL regular season game exposure isn’t a bad thing either. Games will be played at that time, just not on NBC.
Reason #1,224,202 why the NHL can’t have the same sort of economic system as the NFL: NBC and the NHL have a revenue share deal (after the network makes a profit, which isn’t being counted on), while NBC just paid $600 million US for six years of Sunday night games.
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