WolfmanNCSU
08-18-2005, 06:24 PM
ESPN decides not to match Comcast's offer. OLN will now host the Stanley Cup Game.
The NHL will have a new television home next fall.
ESPN, which has had a stake in NHL broadcasts since the 1992-93 season, informed the league on Wednesday that it would not match the offer put forth by Comcast.
"Tonight, we informed the NHL that we did not accept their final contract offer," ESPN and ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer said in a statement. "We worked very hard to build and sustain our relationship with the league and would have liked to continue. However, given the prolonged work stoppage and the league's TV ratings history, no financial model even remotely supports the contract terms offered."
[....]
Comcast offered a three-year deal worth more than $200 million, and ESPN officials were brought back to the table. They had until Wednesday to once again decide if it was in the network's best interest. Comcast agreed to broadcast the league's games for at least two years, but that can be extended up to six years.
Comcast, which owns four regional sports networks as well as a majority share in the Philadelphia 76ers and Flyers, will put the games on one of its channels, OLN. Under the agreement, the network will televisie at least 58 regular-season games that will air on Monday and Tuesday nights throughout the season. The network will also carry the league's All-Star Game and the conference finals, as well as the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals, with NBC airing the remainder of the championship matchup.
Source (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2137098)
The NHL will have a new television home next fall.
ESPN, which has had a stake in NHL broadcasts since the 1992-93 season, informed the league on Wednesday that it would not match the offer put forth by Comcast.
"Tonight, we informed the NHL that we did not accept their final contract offer," ESPN and ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer said in a statement. "We worked very hard to build and sustain our relationship with the league and would have liked to continue. However, given the prolonged work stoppage and the league's TV ratings history, no financial model even remotely supports the contract terms offered."
[....]
Comcast offered a three-year deal worth more than $200 million, and ESPN officials were brought back to the table. They had until Wednesday to once again decide if it was in the network's best interest. Comcast agreed to broadcast the league's games for at least two years, but that can be extended up to six years.
Comcast, which owns four regional sports networks as well as a majority share in the Philadelphia 76ers and Flyers, will put the games on one of its channels, OLN. Under the agreement, the network will televisie at least 58 regular-season games that will air on Monday and Tuesday nights throughout the season. The network will also carry the league's All-Star Game and the conference finals, as well as the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals, with NBC airing the remainder of the championship matchup.
Source (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2137098)