Besides being a national cable outlet with ties to NBC, Versus offers programming in Canada which could be a potential recruiting tool for league teams besides offering college hockey exposure in Canada.
One can't also help but wonder if its a coincidence that Notre Dame has extensive ties to NBC sports and Versus is owned by NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast.
Versus was previously known as Outdoor Life Network (OLN). The OLN brand was retained in Canada, and that channel continues to air some Versus programming but has kept its focus on outdoor sports and lifestyle programs to meet their CRTC licensing requirements, which do not allow it to air major sporting events, such as National Hockey League. NCAA collegiate hockey games may be allowed and might of interest to Canadian viewers .
In April 2011, it was announced Versus would be changing its name within 90 days to a name including "NBC" to reflect the NBC/Comcast merger; the first step included closing the Versus website, redirecting it to NBC Sports on MSNBC.
22 comments:
Best news to come out of this so far is that the proposed league is going to be hiring a branding firm. The firm will supposedly assist them with the media deals, league name & logo.
One thing that I'd like to see is an internet "Super League Pass" that would allow fans to watch all the games online, not just DU's games.
I can'tsee this TV deal working out without Notre Dame. The Irish must be part of this to work. They have the "name" that is nationally recognized.
Notre Dame must be key. You add them, you get a national name. Add in the Chicago (ND), Denver (DU), Cincinnati (MU) and Colorado Springs (CC) DMAs, plus a rabid North Dakota fan base, and you can see why versus might be interested. But Notre Dame is key...
I'd agree with that sentiment. Notre Dame makes the new conference a home run.
Not getting Notre Dame would make it a double.
Fingers crossed.
To lure Notre Dame, perhaps an unbalanced financial arrangement, a la Texas in the Big 12? Would DU sit for that?
Anion 9:35 I completly agree ..Notre Dame is the 800 pound gorilla as far as national prominance and the related major T.V. deal. The big cities have a large blue collar Notre dame following plus an over the top alumni loyalty like no other school.All of those eyeballs transfer into T.V. ratings (money). Notre Dame has the hammer.
If they are hiring a branding firm I hope it isn't the same firm that gave us Havoc or just unleashed this terrible new logo for the Mountain West: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/New-Mountain-West-logo-fails-to-evoke-mountains-?urn=ncaaf-wp2245
The Duluth article was pretty comprehensive and does beg the question- when do you take care of other teams, especially smaller programs, and when do you look out for yourself?
Do you do what's better for your program or your sport? Short term that's an easy answer, but I, like others, wonder if the fallout from folding programs is something to be concerned about or a natural evolution of the college game.
That being said, 4 guaranteed games a year against super league teams on Versus sounds pretty cool to me.
We live in a capitalist, Darwinian world.
School leaders are paid good money to look after the school's interest first.
If this were about preserving college hockey as we know it, the Big 10 would have left the WCHA and CCHA alone. They didn't. So on we go.
All the super league is a practive protection of high investment of ambitious hockey playing schools looking after their self interest.
This day would come sooner or later.
Yep, this is about the teams who viewed themselves with the most to lose from the formation of the Big 10 and protecting their own self-interests. Pure and simple...nothing less nothing more and was inevitable from the moment Penn St announced their intentions. As far as I could tell, this contingency plan had been discussed since at least last summer/fall, between DU and UND.
Jordan raises a key question.
Minnesota brought UMD, SCSU, MSU-M and BSU into the WCHA. No doubt these moves were a factor in helping foster the growth and interest in hockey in Minnesota. No doubt these schools benefited tremendously from their association with the WCHA.
Once Minnesota left the WCHA, DU felt they must join a better conference to retain a recruiting advantage. Clearly five other schools agree.
DU will benefit by less cumbersome trips to Houghton, rural Minnesota and Anchorage, more national visibility and potentially higher ticket sales.
Miami gets zero exposure in Cincinnati. Versus is on less than 40% of greater Cincinnati homes. You will see no impact from that area at all.
Funny how many Du and UND fans were blasting the big 10 schools for forgetting about the good of college hockey, but when your school does it you consider it a great thing.
Personally I hope this stupor league tanks...
Keep in mind that Notre Dame already has their football contract with NBC, owner of Versus. It is a natural expansion to get their hockey team and league on an NBC-related network.
Very interesting.
Notre Dame sets the table with Versus, delays their admission to the Super League so DU & UND take all the blame and the quietly joins later. :-)
Of course we blasted the Big 10 when they pulled out of the WCHA. They didn't need to make the move - they were doing fine without it. But they did it...
So you can't blame schools trying to protect themselves and their investments in the wake of the big 10 pullout.
Hate Denver all you want. But your school would have done the same thing if it was in Denver's shoes.
I wonder if there has been an arrangement made between the teams of this new league as to where to host a conference tournament. Maybe it's too early for that discussion, but having said tournament at Pepsi Center in Denver would be pretty cool.
@ anon 1:22....
Precisely. The only REAL incentive for the Big Ten to do what it did was the financial lure of the Big X Network television deal.
Sure, lip-service was paid to "re-establishing traditional rivalries" and other platitudes, but in the end, the formation of the BTHC was all about money.
Now that that ginormous domino has fallen, the remaining schools in the CCHA and WCHA have far more important considerations in play than just money - chief amongst them is the ability to remain relevant in the college hockey world.
In the end, given the seismic shift that the BTHC caused, it is patently unfair to blame DU, North Dakota, and the others for acting in their own rational self interest - particularly when there is so much more at stake than just financial considerations.
Perhaps this "purely monetary reasons vs. more compelling reasons" distinction falls on deaf ears in places like Anchorage and Houghton - and I can appreciate why it would. However, being upset with DU over its actions here is akin to getting thrown in a freezing swimming pool by your drunk uncle and then getting upset at the water for being cold and wet...
Super conference wouldn't be a discussion without the Big 10. Not quite apples to apples when looking at DU now vs. Big 10 earlier.
Also weird to think about how possible it is for any of these teams to win the new conference (season or tourney), or finish last just the same. Definitely raising the competitive bar, which will be awesome to watch at Magness.
Although I can understand the "leftover" schools' disappointment, let's not forget that schools like UAA, Bemidji, MSU-Mankato (and maybe even St. Cloud) were pretty fortunate to get into the WCHA in the first place. Many people thought that these schools were watering down the WCHA. Part of the reason they got in, was for the "charity" reason of the WCHA wanting to promote the college game. So those schools shouldn't be complaining too much now. The only school that I really feel bad for is MTU--a program with a rich tradition and history that may have a hard time recovering if the Super Conference is formed.
Doesn't Versus currently do alot of National Hockey League playoff games? If a TV deal were made for the "league", I would hope they write the contract so that the NHL games don't blackout or bump NCAA games.
@ anon 5:50 -
The NHL playoffs generally start AFTER the Frozen Four is over, so I think you're good there.
BUT, I would say that a legitimate concern is NHL regular season games relegating certain NCAA games to tape delay.
We'll have to see, of course, but if the NHL "game of the week" (or other euphemism) happens to be on Friday or Saturday night, you can rest assured that any concurrent NCAA telecast would get bumped.
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