Buffalo Sabres fans who get Versus through DirecTV shouldn’t panic yet, but at midnight Monday the satellite service dropped the channel that has the rights to NHL games. Since the Sabres have seven games on Versus this year, local DirecTV subscribers can’t be happy about the possibility of missing those games.
But the two sides have a few more weeks to argue over money before the NHL regular season begins. I imagine the closer we get to the start of the season, the more intense the negotiations will become. Neither side can stand to lose this one. The NHL needs DirecTV and its 14 million subscribers, many of whom are big sports fans. And DirecTV needs Versus because many of its subscribers are attracted to the service because of all the sports it carries.
Mind of Joe
Can the NHL seriously lose the versus TV deal? I know the NHL gets money for broadcasting rights fees, but the NHL should be more concerned about exposure. I don’t for the life of me know what other programming they play on Versus. Not to mention, ESPN has the gift of shoving sports down the collective sports viewer (remember the Arena League). Remember before Versus, ESPN had double their hockey experts and even had their own 30 minute highlight show. I know it’s not my money, but at this state in the game the NHL needs exposure more so than extra money.
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