"The biggest fan of the Wild in the U.P. of Michigan"
Houghton, MI • United States • 22 Years Old • Male
WildMTUFan
[email protected]
NHL playing hardball with Charter, another loss for fans
Posted 11:23 AM ET | Comments 4
Today I got a call from a CSR at Charter Communications corporate headquarters about the NHL Center Ice package. They basically told me the same thing I've been hearing for the past week and a half, the NHL wants too much.
This is classic NHL (maybe just classic Bettman era, not sure.) in the premise that the league wants to make these huge deals, but doesn't think about the fan of the game or the public interest in the United States. The NHL is trying to force Charter into putting their new channel "NHL Network" into the basic and/or expanded cable packages that Charter offers. By doing this it would raise the cable prices around the board for anyone that has Charter. My uncle in Green Bay would have to pay at least a few more dollars a year for a channel that he would never actually watch, and that gets even worse when you get to the Southern states where they might not even know what hockey is.
Because the NHL is working so hard on that push they haven't yet made an agreement with Charter for the Center Ice package, something that is regularly offered through Charter for an annual fee. Now that leaves fans like me face down in mud. I am stuck depending on the weekly broadcasts that Versus gives me, which my Wild only play on twice this year.
The fan can't spend his money, the average television fan won't pay the extra and the NHL is just making it harder for fans to be happy.
This is classic NHL (maybe just classic Bettman era, not sure.) in the premise that the league wants to make these huge deals, but doesn't think about the fan of the game or the public interest in the United States. The NHL is trying to force Charter into putting their new channel "NHL Network" into the basic and/or expanded cable packages that Charter offers. By doing this it would raise the cable prices around the board for anyone that has Charter. My uncle in Green Bay would have to pay at least a few more dollars a year for a channel that he would never actually watch, and that gets even worse when you get to the Southern states where they might not even know what hockey is.
Because the NHL is working so hard on that push they haven't yet made an agreement with Charter for the Center Ice package, something that is regularly offered through Charter for an annual fee. Now that leaves fans like me face down in mud. I am stuck depending on the weekly broadcasts that Versus gives me, which my Wild only play on twice this year.
The fan can't spend his money, the average television fan won't pay the extra and the NHL is just making it harder for fans to be happy.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Blog Archive
11 Playoff pool draft a success
11 The Final Two Minutes: Playoffs six hours away
11 Watching the Wild tonight saved by Yahoo!
12 Scheduling issues - no doubleheader?
14 Sad night in the Upper Peninsula, happy morning
16 Wild struggle at home; road trip a disappointment
17 We're not out yet, '75 Islanders here we come!
18 The Last Two Minutes; listen live
24 Round two predictions; Final Two Minutes Radio Show
11 The Final Two Minutes: Playoffs six hours away
11 Watching the Wild tonight saved by Yahoo!
12 Scheduling issues - no doubleheader?
14 Sad night in the Upper Peninsula, happy morning
16 Wild struggle at home; road trip a disappointment
17 We're not out yet, '75 Islanders here we come!
18 The Last Two Minutes; listen live
24 Round two predictions; Final Two Minutes Radio Show
Same story here in STL bud. I'm really between a rock and a hard place. I'd switch over to Dish in a heartbeat, but dont want to give up my Charter internet. DSL blows where I'm at.
I'm with ya mate. The bad thing is, Charter doesn't really have to raise its rates for this. If they were smart they would start by offering it in the expanded package only to areas with hockey markets. Start off with NHL markets, see how it goes. Expand to AHL when the revenues come in from NHL markets. If they do it progressively advertising will cover the costs. Charter just loves to be a pain in the butt over these things, especially here in Tennessee.
Comcast is much better - esp in Nashville market. NHL Network to be a part of "sports tier" ($2.99 per month until Jan - then $5.00 per month) for a dozen or so sports channels, including some in HD (NFL Network). If you don't want it, you don't have to pay. Also, rumors that Center Ice will be available in HD at some future date are circulating within Comcast.
cablevision at least gives u the choice.. they let u get Nhl net for free with center ice, and if u dont get CI, u can pay 5 bucks for hte sprots tier for it..