Palace of Auburn Hills to get video/digital makeover that 'blows fans away,'

[Bham1982]

as well as numerous reports citing the MLS and NHL now rating higher in fan attendance/enthusiasm.

You're seriously comparing the NHL to the NBA in terms of popularity?

Let me guess, you're a hockey fan, and don't like basketball.

The NHL is a niche sport with tiny national viewership. NHL broadcasts get much lower ratings than even regular foreign soccer matches [[like the weekend Mexican and Euroepan matches).

[rb336]

You're seriously comparing the NHL to the NBA in terms of popularity?

NHL average attendance per game [[2012): 17,721
NBA average attendance per game [[2012):17,274

then there is this: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jesselawrence/2013/06/20/stanley-cuptickets-higher-than-nba-finals-tickets/

The ONLY place the NBA beats the NHL is in TV ratings.

Basketball is a simple game, simple to understand, simple to watch. Hockey is much more difficult. It is harder to follow a tiny puck traveling 50 mph than a big orange ball moving at a trot. Hockey is literally faster in slo-mo than basketball is at a regular speed. NBC and Bettman have utterly botched NHL broadcasts Crappy on-air talent, crappy promotion. The NHL could do much better if they would just hire ME.

I've never understood why people watch basketball. i've seen games where the last five minutes took over 30 to play. If 5 minutes seems like 30, that is the very definition of boring. I used to play basketball until 10th grade [[I was a decent shot, but a very good shot blocker, rebounder and ball thief. I still enjoy a good defensive game, but those are few and far between since the Bad Boys). Never played hockey

[iheartthed]

NHL average attendance per game [[2012): 17,721
NBA average attendance per game [[2012):17,274

then there is this: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jesselawrence/2013/06/20/stanley-cuptickets-higher-than-nba-finals-tickets/

The ONLY place the NBA beats the NHL is in TV ratings.

Wouldn't TV ratings be the most relevant stat since both sports are played in similar sized venues?

[mikeg19]

Wouldn't TV ratings be the most relevant stat since both sports are played in similar sized venues?

You'd think so, but consider the fact that the NBA has broadcasts on ABC, TNT, and ESPN, plus all the Fox Sports affiliates. The NHL has NBC [[Limited broadcasts), NBC Sports, and the Fox Sports affiliates, plus CBC in Canada.

So I almost feel like comparing ratings is apples to oranges. If the NHL could get a deal on ESPN again, they might be able to reach a broader audience, but at the end of the NHL's tenure, they were pretty much the red headed step child in terms of advertising and marketing. Yes, NBC Sports has come along way in its broadcasting of the NHL, and they have managed to put together a pretty decent broadcast, but a lot of homes still don't have the channel. With the NHL just signing a $4.9 billion tv rights deal for the next 12 years, I don't think we will see any shakeup soon.

The NBA on the other hand has a better deal with ABC/ESPN, which currently brings in about $930M a year. ESPN and ABC market the hell out of the NBA and MLB. The NHL would likely not get that kind of exposure from them, so staying put is probably in their best interest to garner more interest in the game.


Personally, I think a lot of the problem is with the locations of franchises. Gary Bettman's plan to expand the league south and west has worked in some areas [[Nashville & Colorado have seen success), but I really don't think teams belong in Florida, Phoenix, Texas, even Carolina. The only time those arenas sellout is when a good team comes to town and there are a lot of transplants living there [[See: Detroit in Phoenix, Tampa, Etc). Relocating teams, not expansion, into more NHL friendly markets is the best way to grow the product. The NBA doesn't really have that problem because it can be played anywhere and has a more broad appeal to fans due to the easy accessibility to equipment and places to play. Just my 2 cents guys.

[iheartthed]

You'd think so, but consider the fact that the NBA has broadcasts on ABC, TNT, and ESPN, plus all the Fox Sports affiliates. The NHL has NBC [[Limited broadcasts), NBC Sports, and the Fox Sports affiliates, plus CBC in Canada.

So I almost feel like comparing ratings is apples to oranges. If the NHL could get a deal on ESPN again, they might be able to reach a broader audience, but at the end of the NHL's tenure, they were pretty much the red headed step child in terms of advertising and marketing. Yes, NBC Sports has come along way in its broadcasting of the NHL, and they have managed to put together a pretty decent broadcast, but a lot of homes still don't have the channel. With the NHL just signing a $4.9 billion tv rights deal for the next 12 years, I don't think we will see any shakeup soon.

The NBA on the other hand has a better deal with ABC/ESPN, which currently brings in about $930M a year. ESPN and ABC market the hell out of the NBA and MLB. The NHL would likely not get that kind of exposure from them, so staying put is probably in their best interest to garner more interest in the game.


Personally, I think a lot of the problem is with the locations of franchises. Gary Bettman's plan to expand the league south and west has worked in some areas [[Nashville & Colorado have seen success), but I really don't think teams belong in Florida, Phoenix, Texas, even Carolina. The only time those arenas sellout is when a good team comes to town and there are a lot of transplants living there [[See: Detroit in Phoenix, Tampa, Etc). Relocating teams, not expansion, into more NHL friendly markets is the best way to grow the product. The NBA doesn't really have that problem because it can be played anywhere and has a more broad appeal to fans due to the easy accessibility to equipment and places to play. Just my 2 cents guys.

Yes, but we're talking ratings not total viewership. If the ratings of NBA games is higher than NHL games it's not really due to lack of NHL exposure. If anything, the ratings should probably work in the NHL's favor if interest in both sports is equally widespread.

[mikeg19]

Yes, but we're talking ratings not total viewership. If the ratings of NBA games is higher than NHL games it's not really due to lack of NHL exposure. If anything, the ratings should probably work in the NHL's favor if interest in both sports is equally widespread.

Very true.

If you measure it in attendance, the NHL is beating the NBA. If you measure viewership, the NBA is beating the NHL. I guess it's all subjective on how you want to measure it. I thought this article was pretty interesting regarding demand for tickets and pricing.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jesselaw...inals-tickets/

[mikeg19]

You're seriously comparing the NHL to the NBA in terms of popularity?

Let me guess, you're a hockey fan, and don't like basketball.

The NHL is a niche sport with tiny national viewership. NHL broadcasts get much lower ratings than even regular foreign soccer matches [[like the weekend Mexican and Euroepan matches).

I'm actually a fan of both sports. I was just trying to give some insight. Here's more. There's no denying that the NHL is a niche sport in this country. But to sit here and say the NBA hasn't declined in popularity in the past 10 years is just ignorant. The NBA and NHL/MLS are currently on different trajectories in popularity, and it seems they are at the crossroads of where the NBA has declined to the point where the NHL/MLS are on the same playing field and could very well establish themselves as the 3rd/4th most popular sports in this country. There's no denying the NFL and MLB are king, but it wasn't too long ago that the NBA was a close third.

There are so many angles you could use to examine the NBA's decline we could sit here all day debating. Is it poor product on the court? Not enough players that people can identify with? Poor entertainment value? Bad league management? Realistically it's probably a combination of many factors. The NHL was in the same predicament prior to the lockout in 04'. It took a massive effort and overhaul of the leagues practices/advertising/approach to fan entertainment. The NBA needs to be proactive and get it's stuff together before it finds itself in a really bad place.



http://www.thewire.com/national/2013...han-mls/63684/