NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

[Fighting Sioux 23]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

No, I'm not. Minnesota destroyed them, and were expected to. Rankings can be misleading.

I remember the game. Minnesota was not expected to destroy them. It was not just about rankings either. Did you not read the rest of my post?

Please provide some evidence to your claim that Minnesota was expected to destroy New Hampshire.

Here is USCHO's preview of that game...

http://www.uscho.com/2003/04/11/2003...-game-preview/

[Dirty]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

The game was tied 1-1 until midway through the 3rd. It was not a blowout. The Gophers certainly pulled away in the second half of the 3rd, but it was a close game for a majority of the time.

[JDUBBS1280]

You're joking right? New Hampshire was a #1 seed (just like Minnesota) was ranked higher, and had beaten the #1 team in college hockey that year (Cornell) in the Semifinal. Minnesota wasn't even the highest ranked team in its conference (Colorado College).

No, I'm not. Minnesota destroyed them, and were expected to. Rankings can be misleading.

[Fighting Sioux 23]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

Yeah, you said that already. Learn to read. It had a lot to do with our opponent. The game was a projected blowout, and was. It was almost a foregone conclusion.

You're joking right? New Hampshire was a #1 seed (just like Minnesota) was ranked higher, and had beaten the #1 team in college hockey that year (Cornell) in the Semifinal. Minnesota wasn't even the highest ranked team in its conference (Colorado College).

[JDUBBS1280]

So all the California Gopher fans didn't bother to watch, huh.

Envy is ugly, and you wreak of it

[Dirty]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

So all the California Gopher fans didn't bother to watch, huh.

[sqeyes]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

One thing to keep in mind on the ratings numbers is the 'game time'. The Semi's are late afternoon (4 eastern time). The Championship game in '96 was a Sat. afternoon. The Champ game in '98 was prime time Sat night. Also the scheduling of the F Four has fallen on Easter weekend quite a few times in the last twenty years.

I hope that the games don't get shuffled off to the internet as the primary service and the TV is the 'regional' outlet. Not all have access to ESPN3 from their cable service. College hockey has always been handled as a second tier sport in the media and if the games are more difficult to obtain this will not get the casual viewer to join the fun.

[JDUBBS1280]

As did the lowest rated one in the past 16 years.

Yeah, you said that already. Learn to read. It had a lot to do with our opponent. The game was a projected blowout, and was. It was almost a foregone conclusion.

[Sean Pickett]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

2nd highest viewership. Of course the one with the most did have the Gophers in it

As did the lowest rated one in the past 16 years.

[Alton]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

I think it is fairly well known and accepted that ESPN continues to carry the FF (and other NCAA championships) live as part of a larger deal with the NCAA in terms of maintaining the college football and basketball access they really crave.

The NCAA has no control over who shows (Division I-A) College Football or College Basketball, other than NCAA Tournament games--which ESPN doesn't have the rights to anyway.

[JDUBBS1280]

I'm equally shocked. A Frozen Four having the highest viewership when the Gophers aren't involved? That's just not possible! They must have carried the one twice or something as there is no way something like this could actually happen. Unless of course it was all the Minnesota fans from California who caused this. Yeah, that must be it.

2nd highest viewership. Of course the one with the most did have the Gophers in it

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

TV ratings from 1995 through 2010 are available from the 2011 Frozen Four Records Book online at the NCAA website.

Sean

Thanks for tracking this down. Too bad it goes only as far back as 1995. I think ESPN has shown the final since the early 80s, but I cannot remember when they started showing the semis. I don't think it was before the ESPN2 era and perhaps it was in 1995 when they began showing all 3 games live. I was way off on the 2008 ND-UM game, although it appears to be one of the highest rated semi-final games. Of course I take note that 18 of the 48 games listed had a share of zero (note in this listing that the rating is the % of all TV households who are tuned in, while the share is the % of households with sets in use that are tuned to the program). So few watch that the share is effectively zero for over 1/3 of the games dating back to 1995.

I am struck by the truly awful ratings virtually all of these games have drawn, even going back to the mid-90s, a time before most of us lived in the 500 channel universe and there were a lot fewer ways for us to glue our eyeballs to something electronic. Some games do seem to have attracted a bit of a ratings bump based on the teams involved, but all things considered the one that may impress me most is the 2009 final between BU and Miami.

I think it is fairly well known and accepted that ESPN continues to carry the FF (and other NCAA championships) live as part of a larger deal with the NCAA in terms of maintaining the college football and basketball access they really crave. At any rate, if anyone, from FOX Sports North to NESN to Versus is paying more than a buck or two for the games they carry, cash the check before they have a chance to change their minds. Another thing to keep in mind with any games of Notre Dame's that eventually land on Versus (and I believe some have already been scheduled with both Versus and in the new year with NBC Sports Network), since Versus made it known they wished to migrate at least the occasional ND football game in that direction, Notre Dame held the hockey team over them as a negotiating chip.

[Dirty]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

I'm equally shocked. A Frozen Four having the highest viewership when the Gophers aren't involved? That's just not possible! They must have carried the one twice or something as there is no way something like this could actually happen. Unless of course it was all the Minnesota fans from California who caused this. Yeah, that must be it.

[JDUBBS1280]

Note that the first reference is to "most watched games" and the second is to "2nd highest Frozen Four" ever, with specific reference to Semifinal viewership. It certainly wouldn't be surprising if the first is simply a note about championship game ratings while the twitter notes overall Frozen Four numbers.

Good point. Thanks for pointing that out,

[moose97]

Re: NBC/Versus deal with College Hockey

I find that hard to believe. If indeed 3.2 million people watched, it will be the highest watched game by over 1 million people.

Must be a different rating system.

Wouldn't completely surprise me if it took over second though, as UMD has been waiting forever for a championship and a lot of Gopher, Sioux, Badger fans were cheering for them too.

Note that the first reference is to "most watched games" and the second is to "2nd highest Frozen Four" ever, with specific reference to Semifinal viewership. It certainly wouldn't be surprising if the first is simply a note about championship game ratings while the twitter notes overall Frozen Four numbers.