ESPN declines NHL option for next season

[WizardOfAz]

ESPN will not pick up a $60-million option to retain NHL broadcasting rights for next season, the network said Saturday.

ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys said the network would have further comment next week. The option deadline is Wednesday.

The decision was first reported by the Los Angeles Times and Rogers Sportsnet in Canada.

While ESPN will not pick up the option on the deal it agreed to in May 2004, the longtime NHL broadcaster could try to retain the rights for less money.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=ap-nhl-espn&prov=ap&type=lgns

 

[Bob Chebat]

ESPN will not pick up a $60-million option to retain NHL broadcasting rights for next season, the network said Saturday.

ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys said the network would have further comment next week. The option deadline is Wednesday.

The decision was first reported by the Los Angeles Times and Rogers Sportsnet in Canada.

While ESPN will not pick up the option on the deal it agreed to in May 2004, the longtime NHL broadcaster could try to retain the rights for less money.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=ap-nhl-espn&prov=ap&type=lgns

I understand the logic in this. As far as ESPN is concerned, there should be no plans for NHL next season until the CBA is reached. The NHL has a lot of repair work to do once this thing is over.

 

[asudevil83]

OUCH this hurts.

extremely smart thing to do by espn for various reasons.

1.) their is no CBA in effect right now. they would be smart not touching anything that has to do with next season until next season is ready to start.
2.) nobody knows how much the fan base for the NHL has dropped. losing a whole season or more over money is going to KILL everything that's not in canada or the northeast.
3.) the value of the NHL and thus this contract has been devalued so much now that the season is gone. the whole atmosphere of the NHL has changed, and therefore their contract should reflect that.

i wouldnt be suprised if a new contract with ESPN or FOX was hammered out and was worth less than half of this $60mil option.

 

[Hordispack]

Absolutely agree. No one is a bigger fan of hockey than I am but, even I don't feel sorry for these guys. I can't fault ESPN especially knowing that even before this NO season hockey came in behind Poker as a spectator sport.

 

[bratwurst]

I think the amount itself says something. $60 million is a huge amount of money, but relative to professional sports tv figures, it really isn't that much. You can't really compare the NHL to the NBA or the NFL, but that amount wouldn't cover a single team in the NFL's salary cap. The NHL players are angling to make as much money as possible, but if the ESPN tv contract is only $60 million, there's no wonder why the NHL is in trouble with the CBA.