RSS
NHL Hockey on TV
If you are a hockey fan, this time of year is exciting and stressful, all at the same time. Lately I have been switching between Versus, Fox Sports Detroit, and on weekends CBC and NBC.
Sometimes I wonder if I am watching the same league. While switching between the Detroit/San Jose and the Montreal/Pittsburgh game last night I had the feeling I was watching different leagues.
While both broadcasts featured some of the best hockey players in the country, they were worlds apart in viewer friendliness and excitement.
With Detroit taking a 5-0 lead in the first period, I would have thought that it would be an exciting game but I was surprised to listen to announcers who were putting their audience to sleep. If this is the best the Red Wings can offer in live announcers, they should hang up their skates. Play by play was mediocre at best. It appeared almost folksy. Folksy is fine if you are telling a bedtime story but not for hockey. The live audio mix was muted and lacked excitement.
Watching and listening to the game on Versus and CBC was a completely different experience. The announcers were animated, excited and actually gave a play by play description of the game, offering excitement even when there was a lull in the action. The audio mix (fan noise to some) was fairly high so the announcers had to be heard over the spectators, and they were.
If I were to guess, the Detroit broadcast team is probably in a broadcast booth that is glassed off from the spectators resulting in muted spectator mix and lacking excitement.
One of the reasons hockey doesn't play well in the States is because the media doesn't understand how to broadcast it. They may know broadcasting but they don't know broadcasting hockey. If they are going after your entertainment dollars, they should at least use technology properly and make it as exciting as possible. Even CBC with their fuzzy analog NTSC signal without HDTV is much more enjoyable to watch than Fox Sports Detroit broadcasts.
With the Detroit Red Wings being one of the premiere teams in the NHL, the product they put on the ice is usually above average but the product they put on TV is definitely sub par at best. They could increase their fan base if only they elevated their broadcast to match their level of play.
That is my stand, what's yours.
Sometimes I wonder if I am watching the same league. While switching between the Detroit/San Jose and the Montreal/Pittsburgh game last night I had the feeling I was watching different leagues.
While both broadcasts featured some of the best hockey players in the country, they were worlds apart in viewer friendliness and excitement.
With Detroit taking a 5-0 lead in the first period, I would have thought that it would be an exciting game but I was surprised to listen to announcers who were putting their audience to sleep. If this is the best the Red Wings can offer in live announcers, they should hang up their skates. Play by play was mediocre at best. It appeared almost folksy. Folksy is fine if you are telling a bedtime story but not for hockey. The live audio mix was muted and lacked excitement.
Watching and listening to the game on Versus and CBC was a completely different experience. The announcers were animated, excited and actually gave a play by play description of the game, offering excitement even when there was a lull in the action. The audio mix (fan noise to some) was fairly high so the announcers had to be heard over the spectators, and they were.
If I were to guess, the Detroit broadcast team is probably in a broadcast booth that is glassed off from the spectators resulting in muted spectator mix and lacking excitement.
One of the reasons hockey doesn't play well in the States is because the media doesn't understand how to broadcast it. They may know broadcasting but they don't know broadcasting hockey. If they are going after your entertainment dollars, they should at least use technology properly and make it as exciting as possible. Even CBC with their fuzzy analog NTSC signal without HDTV is much more enjoyable to watch than Fox Sports Detroit broadcasts.
With the Detroit Red Wings being one of the premiere teams in the NHL, the product they put on the ice is usually above average but the product they put on TV is definitely sub par at best. They could increase their fan base if only they elevated their broadcast to match their level of play.
That is my stand, what's yours.
posted by Brian J Perks at
7:18 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
How to post a comment:
1. Select the Post to which you want to Comment.
2. Scroll down to the add a comment area
3. Select a profile (Google Account, LiveJournal, WordPress, TypePad, AIM, etc..)
4. Create an account or sign in.
5. Post comment.
6. Input security code.
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home