Contributor

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1 Message

Saturday, March 23rd, 2013 1:32 AM

Why doesnt Uverse offer the NHL Network when it carries NFL NBA AND MLB?

Accepted Solution

ACE - Professor

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911 Messages

12 years ago

The reason U-Verse does not offer the NHL Network is because the contract expired between the NHL and AT&T a couple of years ago. No agreement has been reached between the two entities since that time.

 

There is no other information to offer at this time.

 

This matter has been discussed ad nauseum, and the main thread concerning this matter was closed by the moderators two months ago.

Teacher

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5 Messages

12 years ago

sounds like you heard from a lot of people expressing the very same thoughts.... with hockey being so popular, why don't you negotiate contract with NHL Network!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Professor

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265 Messages

12 years ago


@mypreciousmoments wrote:

sounds like you heard from a lot of people expressing the very same thoughts.... with hockey being so popular, why don't you negotiate contract with NHL Network!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I haven't seen a good steak knives moment in some time. Good job dwinth!

Scholar

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18 Messages

12 years ago

I'm guessing that with the lock out and the uncertainty of when they were giong to start the season, AT&T didn't see a need. Hopefully it gets added back before the start of the season. To be honest, with two local teams and 3-4 games a week on NBC/NBCSN I haven't really noticed, but it would be nice to have again. I remember they showed a lot of NHL preseason games before the 10-11 season.

Expert

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4.3K Messages

12 years ago

It was long before the lockout when ATT dropped the NHL Network. 😉

 

Chris


Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels
Need Help? 1-800-288-2020, After he gets acct info, press # a bunch of times, get a menu from Mr. Voice recognition
Your Results May Vary, In My Humble Opinion
I Call It Like I See It, Simply a U-verse user, nothing more

Expert

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4.3K Messages

12 years ago


@mypreciousmoments wrote:

sounds like you heard from a lot of people expressing the very same thoughts.... with hockey being so popular, why don't you negotiate contract with NHL Network!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I like the Red Wings, but really have no interest in any other team nowadays.  I've watched hockey for 57 years starting w/Hockey Night in Canada on Channel 9 here in metro Detroit.

 

Unluckily hockey is just a blip on most of the nation, but can guarantee hockey is big here in Detroit, also Boston and Chicago,  It's a minor blip in New York, other arenas I get a kick that there are more Red Wing fans than the local team. Smiley Very Happy

 

Chris


Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels
Need Help? 1-800-288-2020, After he gets acct info, press # a bunch of times, get a menu from Mr. Voice recognition
Your Results May Vary, In My Humble Opinion
I Call It Like I See It, Simply a U-verse user, nothing more

Scholar

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18 Messages

12 years ago

They dropped it at the very beginning of the 11-12 season. What i posted above is my speculation as to why it was not added ebfore the 12-13 season and hopefully will be before the 13-14 season.

Expert

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4.3K Messages

12 years ago

Think there's too many points they can't agree to, where to put it, fee per customer and whatever else.  Have a doubt if they're even talking at this time. 😉

 

Chris


Please NO SD stretch-o-vision or 480 SD HD Channels
Need Help? 1-800-288-2020, After he gets acct info, press # a bunch of times, get a menu from Mr. Voice recognition
Your Results May Vary, In My Humble Opinion
I Call It Like I See It, Simply a U-verse user, nothing more

Guru

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96 Messages

12 years ago

The popularity of Hockey is on the rise as evidenced by record ratings this year, but popularity must not have anything to do with the decision. After all, Time Warner went YEARS before adding the NFL network.

ACE - Professor

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8.2K Messages

12 years ago

http://forums.att.com/t5/Features-and-How-To/Hockey/td-p/3507715

 

It's amazing that people look back several months when there's a similar topic on one of the first two pages. :smileyconfused:

Scholar

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18 Messages

12 years ago

NFL Network? Time Warner STILL doesn't have Big Ten Network.

Tutor

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2 Messages

12 years ago

AT&T carried the NHL network and cancelled it literally a few days before the start of the 2011/2012 season. I spent months researching this and since I cancelled my UVerse service the day they cancelled the NHL Network, I made many calls trying to get them to get the NHL back. Originally it was due to the inability to renegotiate a new contract. However, the NHL Network has long since been bought by NBC so their excuses now hold no credibility. The Uverse lineup has NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, NBCSN BRAVO, and every other NBC owned network except NHL. They also have Russia Today, Al Jazeera and other blatantly anti- American Networks but they just won't sign again with the NHL. I even to my local AT&T store and while there, two regional employees of the NHL were in the process of setting up Uverse service but when they learned of the cancellation of the NHL Network, they cancelled Uverse and went and signed with the local cable network. AT&T is the biggest company yet the only company of all the cable and satellite providers who do not offer the NHL. There are certain games that are broadcast only on the NHL Network including the playoffs so there are no alternatives if you want to watch all the games.

Tutor

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2 Messages

12 years ago

This is incorrect. AT&T had the NHL Network and cancelled it a couple days before the start of the 2011/2012 season. I had just switched over from my cable company after verifying that the NHL was part of the Uverse lineup. I caught all the preseason games and the day of the final preseason game around October 2, 2011, they ran a banner across the screen announcing they were cancelling the NHL Network at midnight. They have never had it since and I went back to my original cable company since the day the NHL was dropped. They have lost thousands of customers in the U.S.A. but they refuse to bring the NHL back and I spent months calling everyone at Uverse including the president's office.

Professor

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265 Messages

12 years ago

NBCU only owns about 15% of the channel. 

 

Also, prior agreements between NBCU and AT&T doesn't mean that NBCU can make AT&T add a new channel that they don't have a contractual agreement to broadcast.

 

They only refuse to being the NHL network back because the NHL network's terms and conditions for them to air on U-Verse were unacceptable.

 

Rumor has it that they wanted the channel to be taken off of the Sports package and placed on the U200 package. If true, AT&T saw that the number of their subscribers that had access to the sports package and the number of people who watched that channel and this wouldn't be a good price increase for a majority of their customers who wouldn't want to watch the channel. 

 

When the NHL Network decides to come back to the negotiating table with a reasonable offer I'm sure AT&T will gladly air the channel once again.

ACE - Master

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480 Messages

12 years ago


@halk wrote:
This is incorrect. AT&T had the NHL Network and cancelled it a couple days before the start of the 2011/2012 season. I had just switched over from my cable company after verifying that the NHL was part of the Uverse lineup. I caught all the preseason games and the day of the final preseason game around October 2, 2011, they ran a banner across the screen announcing they were cancelling the NHL Network at midnight. They have never had it since and I went back to my original cable company since the day the NHL was dropped. They have lost thousands of customers in the U.S.A. but they refuse to bring the NHL back and I spent months calling everyone at Uverse including the president's office.

When weighing the cost for placing a channel on a lower package AT&T has to look at the number of subscribers and determine whether or not the cost works for them, if it doesn't, they won't add/change the channel.  While hockey maybe popular, losing "thousands" of customer is probably cheaper than paying the network for MILLIONS of customers, many who probably wouldn't watch it.  ESPN is the most expensive channel on the air and for each subscriber AT&T pays ESPN over $4.00 per subscriber that has access to it.  Since it's available in every package except for UBasic and UFamily, it costs AT&T close $225 million per year.  NHL's highest rating was on NBC Sports Network, game 3 of the Stanely cup and it only drew just shy of 4 million viewers. That's just a few hundred thousand less than the number of UVerse subscribers. Now figure that is across 13 major cable providers that's less than 300,000 viewers on average per network.  Last count DirectTV had 20,110,000 subscribers, Dish has around 14,000,000 subscribers, Comcast has around 50,000,000 subscribers, AT&T has around 5,000,000 subscribers.  When you look at those numbers, NHL network and the number of viewers isn't that high. ESPN averages 115,000,000 viewers per month.  That's a far greater number than an NHL game.  The majority of hockey games draw less than 1,000,000 viewers.  Since the majority of NHL games are on either the RSNs or NBCSN, the NHL Network loses out on a lot of viewers if they game they are showing isn't a major rivalary game between the higher profile teams. 

 


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