Dark Clouds Loom Over Local Hockey Broadcasters As $77 Million ESPN-NBA Deal Raises Worry

Earlier this week, the NBA and the NHL posted some stellar attendance stats. The National Hockey League boasted a whopping 23.01 million season-attendance records, a 0.6% growth. Meanwhile, the NBA averaged 18,147 fans per game, which is the second-highest number in the league’s history. So naturally, the two premier sports leagues plan to continue this upward momentum. However, it’ll come at a cost.

While the leagues will continue to try to raise the bar for attendance, their next logical target is increasing viewership. And that’s exactly what the NBA has set in motion. That’s because the NBA is ending the practice of sharing broadcasting for 1st round playoff matches with local and regional sports networks (RSN). It’s all happening thanks to a $77 million deal, and the question is: Will the NHL follow suit?

While basketball and hockey are two different sports, their national leagues share similarities in multiple aspects. Simulcasting the playoff games with local networks is one of those practices. This decades-old system of sharing broadcast rights with local networks has helped regional broadcasters shine, especially when their teams make the playoffs. How big are these numbers? Well, the Sports Business Journal shed some light.

SBJ took a long, hard look at the Nielsen data for the playoffs broadcast numbers and revealed that local broadcasters played a huge role in the NBA viewership. How much, you ask? Well, SBJ found they contributed “32% of in-market viewership” last season. When taking away the few exclusive games that ABC aired, that number jumped up to 42%. Yet, there’s more.

The report explained that when it comes to the NHL’s viewership, local hockey networks contribute even more. Some RSNs have such an influence on NHL viewership that they’ve outpaced national networks in the past. Case in point? RSNs, NBC Sports Boston and NESN “frequently” account for the lion’s share of the views during Bruins and Celtics games, said the report.

Now, with the NBA’s new national media rights deals with ESPN/ABC, NBC, and Amazon kicking in from last season, those numbers are going to see a huge drop. So, what are the fans saying about the monumental deal as it seeks to reshape how fans view the NBA playoffs, and might do the same to the NHL in the future?

Hockey and basketball fans unite in disdain

The NHL and NBA fans didn’t hesitate to call out the new deal on social media. While a considerable number of people watch the national telecast, just as many, if not more, people prefer the local broadcast. But don’t take my word for it. “Sounds like I’ll be muting and syncing to the radio more often next year,” commented one basketball fan.

While the fan will have no option but to watch the game on national television, he plans to listen to the local radio commentary over the national television announcers. However, that fan was far from the only one who didn’t like what they read. “This is really really really really bad for Basketball. if it happens in the NHL, the same applies,” commented a hockey fan.

What more? It’s not just the fans who are saying this. Playfly Sports CEO Craig Sloan explained just why the fans are so passionate about local broadcasts. “They watch more on the local because they want to hear the voice of their announcers,” explained Sloan. “It’s almost like comfort food for the fan to have it be presented through that home voice,” he added as per SBJ.

So it’s no wonder comments like “Nobody wants this,” filled the comments sections. Yet, you may be wondering just how much sports fans love their local announcers. Well, look no further than Craig Laughlin of the Washington Capitals. The Monumental network announcer has become a bona fide icon among hockey fans in Washington alongside his co-announcer, Joe Beninati.

The Washington fan base’s love and concern for Laughlin became apparent when the announcer underwent heart surgery earlier this year. Fans who had been worried about the outcome erupted into cheers when PA announcer Byron Hudtloff informed them that Laughlin underwent a successful surgery on February 4. Even the players joined in, tapping their sticks.

They celebrated again when Craig Laughlin announced his return on March 29. “This kind of support has really encouraged and inspired me,” the iconic announcer said while thanking the hockey community. Several other local announcers are equally loved by their audiences, as one fan pointed out.

“Do not like this. Not having (Michael) Cage, (Chris) Fisher, (Nick) Gallo, Royce (Young), and Paris (Lawson) for any Playoff games is a massive bummer,” wrote the fan. What do all these announcers have in common? They’re beloved Oklahoma City Thunder announcers. Yet, it’s not just their voices, but how and what they say during broadcasts that have earned local announcers their popularity.

“We will have broadcasters who know nothing about local teams and talk like they know,” explained one fan. While national TV announcers also have a vast knowledge base, it’s often difficult to compete with analysts and announcers who dedicate years to their local team. Take the last Edmonton Oilers journalist, Bruce McCurdy, for example.

Hockey writer Dale Bochon dubbed the late NHL journalist as “one of the last true historians of hockey still working in the Edmonton market,” after his passing. Unfortunately for NBA fans, the gears are already in motion. Does the same fate await the NHL, too? Tell us your views in the comments.