Kukla's Korner Hockey
A Lot Of Us Feel Like Gary In The Versus/Directv Dispute
by Paul on 10/06/09 at 02:51 PM ET
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from pucksandbooks of On Frozen Blog,
Gary, like a lot of other hockey fans, has made a lot of furious phone calls to DirecTV about the situation, but the impasse remains. It’s a brutal one, from my vantage, because of DirecTV’s seemingly incongruous negotiating position. On the one hand, the provider has quite publicly alleged that Versus is little more than an elaborate infomercial outlet, the provider of esoteric outdoor broadcast coverage like game hunting and such. Simultaneously, however, DirecTV is attempting to bundle Versus in a costlier sports package for all of its subscribers.
No doubt DirecTV this offseason acknowledged the NHL’s increased television popularity—fueled to no small degree by the wide array of the league’s likable young guns—and is seeking to profit from the enthusiasm surge. From its vantage Versus understandably doesn’t want a dramatic alteration in the way it is offered by providers, as specialty bundling packages as opposed to basic plan inclusion necessarily decrease overall viewership numbers. Until the impasse is resolved, millions of hockey fans across the country are denied access to the league’s national network provider.
Gary noted that changing providers, in addition to being a general nuissance, seems impractical for a service he’s otherwise pleased with, and particularly when only about a half dozen Caps’ regular season games are broadcast on Versus. Potentially more, however, could run there in the postseason.
Filed in: NHL Media, Hockey Broadcasting, VERSUS | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Directv,
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