NHL on Versus
Encyclopedia
The NHL on Versus was the former branding used for National Hockey League
games broadcast on Versus
. Versus became the NHL's cable partner in the United States beginning in the 2005-06 season
from previous partner ESPN
, providing coverage of regular season games, playoff games, and select games from the Stanley Cup Finals
.
Before the beginning of the 2011-12 season, Comcast
, the owners of Versus, acquired a majority stake in NBC Universal
, parent company of the NBC network
, who is the NHL's current American broadcast television partner. As a result of this merger (and the impending relaunch of Versus as the NBC Sports Network), all NHL telecasts on Versus began to be branded under the NHL on NBC name as of the 2011-12 season.
The NHL's television deal with Versus was made at the conclusion of the 2004–05 NHL lockout that caused the cancellation of an entire season. At the time, Versus offered a two year, $
130 million contract (with a network option for a third year) that delivered guaranteed money for Commissioner Gary Bettman
(ESPN
, which previously held the rights, wanted a revenue-sharing deal similar to NBC's). Versus was expected to use NHL coverage to show it was a legitimate suitor for Major League Baseball
and National Football League
packages that were to be negotiated later in 2005, but they did not land agreements with either league. In 2007, the NHL signed an agreement to extend the NHL on Versus to the 2010–2011 season. Versus paid $72.5 million for 2007–2008 and will pay inflationary increases over the next three years.
In April 2011, NBC Sports and Versus announced they had reached a ten year extension to the television contract with the National Hockey League worth nearly 2 billion dollars over the life of the contract. The new contract takes advantage of the recent NBC
-Comcast
merger, which unified the two NHL broadcasters under the same ownership.
As previously mentioned, as a result of the merger and an impending re-launch for Versus to NBC Sports Network, all NHL coverage on Versus began to be produced under the NHL on NBC name, and using the same graphics and theme music as NBC's coverage.
satellite service. DirecTV had released a statement and placed information on channel 603, the original Versus DirecTV channel, concerning the issues with Comcast.
On March 15, 2010 however, it was announced that a deal had been reached with DirecTV to bring back Versus to their lineup effective immediately. The network returns to the same channel and packages as it was on before it was pulled.
, Skills Competition, and YoungStars game.
At the end of the year, the network has blanket coverage of the playoffs, culminating in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals. Versus also shows the NHL Awards
Show and first round of the NHL Draft
.
Versus schedules a few doubleheaders during the regular season (consisting of a game in the Eastern Time Zone
, and then a Mountain
or Pacific Time Zone
game). Playoff coverage usually involves doubleheaders throughout the first two rounds, except weekends prior to 2007–08, when NBC
often televised multiple games during its broadcast windows.
Under the terms of the contract running from 2007–2011
, Versus aired 54 or more NHL games each season, generally on Monday and Tuesday nights, and provided coverage of as many Stanley Cup Playoff games as possible (generally two per night in the first two rounds; the Conference Finals are usually played on alternating days), and two games of the Stanley Cup Finals
(Games 3 and 4 in , and ).
On April 19, 2011, the league and NBC/Versus announced a new ten-year agreement. Beginning with the 2011–12 season
, Versus will now air 90 regular season telecasts, all Stanley Cup Playoff games will be aired nationally on a NBC Sports channel (which will include, any future Heritage Classic
games, and Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Additionally, at the beginning of 2012, Versus will be re-branded as the NBC Sports Network. Accordingly, Versus began using the NBC Sports graphics (as well as the NHL on NBC theme music) for its NHL coverage in Fall 2011.
game may be broadcast involving a team based in the United States and, in most cases, no other game is scheduled unless it involves two Canadian teams. Regional carriers are allowed to air games outside Versus' exclusive window.
Like NBC, games aired on The NHL on Versus usually feature teams based in the United States, with the exception of playoffs. As previously mentioned, for the first two playoff rounds, Versus will occasionally simulcast TSN
or CBC
feeds depending on the schedule and match-ups, although it has made a commitment to offering its own production in most cases.
The selection of teams for The NHL on Versus is somewhat more diverse (possibly because there are more game slots to air) than its broadcast partner, NBC. Because of inordinately high ratings in the Buffalo
and Pittsburgh
markets, Versus has made note to air a significant number of games featuring the Buffalo Sabres
and Pittsburgh Penguins
. Traditionally ratings-friendly teams such as the New York Rangers
, Detroit Red Wings
, and Boston Bruins
, along with the Comcast-owned Philadelphia Flyers
, also get selected regularly, frequently at or near the maximum of nine appearances per team during the regular season.
Any regular season game selected by Versus airs exclusively on that network, which has caused controversy due to the relative lack of availability of Versus compared to other channels like ESPN
(a similar situation developed with Thursday Night Football on the NFL Network
, but unlike the NHL games on Versus, these games are not exclusive to NFL Network, and must be simulcast over-the-air in the primary markets of the participating teams).
was initially known as Hockey Central, airing from their Stamford, Connecticut
studios. With the new contract with NBC beginning in the 2011-12 NHL season, the new pregame and postgame show is called NHL Live, which shows the NHL on NBC studio host and analysts, from the NBC and Comcast (original owner of Versus) merger. This is shown before and after every NHL game on Versus.
Beginning with the 2006 playoffs
, Versus simulcast the CBC
's coverage of some games, generally first and second round matchups from Western Canada, instead of using their own crews and announcers. In the early 1990s, SportsChannel America covered the Stanley Cup playoffs in a similar fashion. Versus continues to use CBC and TSN
feeds to augment its own playoff coverage, sometimes even picking up a Canadian broadcast of a game involving two American teams.
In 2007
, Canadians accused the NHL of giving the CBC second billing to Versus' coverage of the playoffs.
Beginning in the 2011-2012 season, NBC Sports and Versus will have exclusive rights to the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs starting in round 2 (Conference Semifinals), and non-exclusive rights for the first round (Conference Quarterfinals), and will air each game nationally.
programming that Versus had ever aired in comparable timeslots (rating between 0.2 and 0.3 during the regular season). Still, these numbers were quite small compared to ratings for most other sports on national cable channels reaching at least as many homes as Versus.
Versus' playoff viewership did not increase as much as it or the league might have hoped. Versus reached a viewership of 610,836 households for Game 1 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals
. This figure was 39% fewer households than what ESPN drew for the Stanley Cup series opener two years earlier (though ESPN has a larger reach than Versus). Game 2 was seen in slightly fewer households (605,501).
household rating, about level with the 2005–06 regular season NHL numbers and its 2006 prime time
average.
Versus' coverage of the 2007 All-Star Game
garnered a .7 rating (474,298 viewing homes and 672,948 total viewers). Ratings were down 76% from ABC's ratings in 2004
, the last time the game was played, and down 82% from ABC's coverage in 2000
. However, some of that significant drop can be attributed to the game being played on a weeknight (Wednesday) as opposed to the traditional weekend game, and the fact that Versus is a cable television
network unlike ABC which is a broadcast network
. The 2008 All-Star Game was scheduled for a Sunday.
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
games broadcast on Versus
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
. Versus became the NHL's cable partner in the United States beginning in the 2005-06 season
2005-06 NHL season
The 2005–06 NHL season was the 89th season of operation of the National Hockey League . This was the season after the 2004–05 season which had all of its scheduled games canceled due to a labor dispute with the NHL Players Association over the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league...
from previous partner ESPN
ESPN National Hockey Night
ESPN National Hockey Night was ESPN's weekly television broadcasts of National Hockey League regular season games and coverage of playoff games, broadcast from 1992 to 2004...
, providing coverage of regular season games, playoff games, and select games from the Stanley Cup Finals
Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals is the championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, emblematic of the professional club championship of ice hockey. Although the Cup itself has existed since 1893, an annual championship series between professional teams was not established until 1913...
.
Before the beginning of the 2011-12 season, Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
, the owners of Versus, acquired a majority stake in NBC Universal
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
, parent company of the NBC network
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, who is the NHL's current American broadcast television partner. As a result of this merger (and the impending relaunch of Versus as the NBC Sports Network), all NHL telecasts on Versus began to be branded under the NHL on NBC name as of the 2011-12 season.
History
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
130 million contract (with a network option for a third year) that delivered guaranteed money for Commissioner Gary Bettman
Gary Bettman
Gary Bruce Bettman is the commissioner of the National Hockey League , a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice-president and general counsel to the National Basketball Association...
(ESPN
ESPN National Hockey Night
ESPN National Hockey Night was ESPN's weekly television broadcasts of National Hockey League regular season games and coverage of playoff games, broadcast from 1992 to 2004...
, which previously held the rights, wanted a revenue-sharing deal similar to NBC's). Versus was expected to use NHL coverage to show it was a legitimate suitor for Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
and National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
packages that were to be negotiated later in 2005, but they did not land agreements with either league. In 2007, the NHL signed an agreement to extend the NHL on Versus to the 2010–2011 season. Versus paid $72.5 million for 2007–2008 and will pay inflationary increases over the next three years.
In April 2011, NBC Sports and Versus announced they had reached a ten year extension to the television contract with the National Hockey League worth nearly 2 billion dollars over the life of the contract. The new contract takes advantage of the recent NBC
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
-Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
merger, which unified the two NHL broadcasters under the same ownership.
As previously mentioned, as a result of the merger and an impending re-launch for Versus to NBC Sports Network, all NHL coverage on Versus began to be produced under the NHL on NBC name, and using the same graphics and theme music as NBC's coverage.
Versus removed from DirecTV
As of September 1, 2009, Versus was no longer available on DirecTVDirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
satellite service. DirecTV had released a statement and placed information on channel 603, the original Versus DirecTV channel, concerning the issues with Comcast.
On March 15, 2010 however, it was announced that a deal had been reached with DirecTV to bring back Versus to their lineup effective immediately. The network returns to the same channel and packages as it was on before it was pulled.
Coverage
The network broadcasts at least 54 games during the regular season (usually two games per week, sometimes three or just one), plus the All-Star GameNational Hockey League All-Star Game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held at the midway point of the regular season of the National Hockey League , with many of the league's star players playing against each other...
, Skills Competition, and YoungStars game.
At the end of the year, the network has blanket coverage of the playoffs, culminating in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals. Versus also shows the NHL Awards
National Hockey League awards
The National Hockey League presents numerous annual awards and trophies to recognize its teams and players. The oldest, and most recognizable, is the Stanley Cup. First awarded in 1893, the Stanley Cup is awarded to the NHL's playoff champion...
Show and first round of the NHL Draft
NHL Entry Draft
The NHL Entry Draft is an annual meeting in which every franchise of the National Hockey League systematically select the rights to available amateur ice hockey players who meet draft eligibility requirements...
.
Versus schedules a few doubleheaders during the regular season (consisting of a game in the Eastern Time Zone
North American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
, and then a Mountain
Mountain Time Zone
The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time, also known as Greenwich Mean Time, during the shortest days of autumn and winter , and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time in the spring, summer, and early autumn...
or Pacific Time Zone
Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
game). Playoff coverage usually involves doubleheaders throughout the first two rounds, except weekends prior to 2007–08, when NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
often televised multiple games during its broadcast windows.
Under the terms of the contract running from 2007–2011
2010–11 NHL season
The 2010–11 NHL season was the 94th season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the fourth consecutive season that opened in Europe with NHL Premiere . A record three events were scheduled, all in previous NHL Premiere cities: Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; and Prague, Czech...
, Versus aired 54 or more NHL games each season, generally on Monday and Tuesday nights, and provided coverage of as many Stanley Cup Playoff games as possible (generally two per night in the first two rounds; the Conference Finals are usually played on alternating days), and two games of the Stanley Cup Finals
Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals is the championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, emblematic of the professional club championship of ice hockey. Although the Cup itself has existed since 1893, an annual championship series between professional teams was not established until 1913...
(Games 3 and 4 in , and ).
On April 19, 2011, the league and NBC/Versus announced a new ten-year agreement. Beginning with the 2011–12 season
2011–12 NHL season
The 2011–12 NHL season is the 95th season of operation of the National Hockey League . It is the fifth consecutive season that opens in Europe with NHL Premiere games. As with the previous season, three events are scheduled: two games will be held in Stockholm, Sweden; one game in Helsinki,...
, Versus will now air 90 regular season telecasts, all Stanley Cup Playoff games will be aired nationally on a NBC Sports channel (which will include, any future Heritage Classic
Heritage Classic
The Heritage Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played on November 22, 2003, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, between the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens. It was the first National Hockey League game to be played outdoors as a part of regular season play...
games, and Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Additionally, at the beginning of 2012, Versus will be re-branded as the NBC Sports Network. Accordingly, Versus began using the NBC Sports graphics (as well as the NHL on NBC theme music) for its NHL coverage in Fall 2011.
The "Game of the Week"
Included in the schedule is a "Game of the Week" for selected dates. In this "Exclusive" time period, which was created in 2006–07, no other National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
game may be broadcast involving a team based in the United States and, in most cases, no other game is scheduled unless it involves two Canadian teams. Regional carriers are allowed to air games outside Versus' exclusive window.
Like NBC, games aired on The NHL on Versus usually feature teams based in the United States, with the exception of playoffs. As previously mentioned, for the first two playoff rounds, Versus will occasionally simulcast TSN
NHL on TSN
The NHL on TSN is TSN's broadcast of National Hockey League games. The show's current incarnation debuted in 2002. The channel has exclusive local rights to the Montreal Canadiens and the Winnipeg Jets.-Coverage overview:...
or CBC
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
feeds depending on the schedule and match-ups, although it has made a commitment to offering its own production in most cases.
The selection of teams for The NHL on Versus is somewhat more diverse (possibly because there are more game slots to air) than its broadcast partner, NBC. Because of inordinately high ratings in the Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
markets, Versus has made note to air a significant number of games featuring the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
and Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
. Traditionally ratings-friendly teams such as the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
, Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
, and Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
, along with the Comcast-owned Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, also get selected regularly, frequently at or near the maximum of nine appearances per team during the regular season.
Any regular season game selected by Versus airs exclusively on that network, which has caused controversy due to the relative lack of availability of Versus compared to other channels like ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
(a similar situation developed with Thursday Night Football on the NFL Network
NFL Network
NFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...
, but unlike the NHL games on Versus, these games are not exclusive to NFL Network, and must be simulcast over-the-air in the primary markets of the participating teams).
Hockey Central and NHL Live
Versus also provides postgame coverage after every game they broadcast. The postgame showPost-game show
A post-game show or postgame show is a TV or radio presentation that occurs immediately after the live broadcast of a major sporting event.Contents may include:* replays of key moments in the game.* interviews with players, coaches and managers....
was initially known as Hockey Central, airing from their Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
studios. With the new contract with NBC beginning in the 2011-12 NHL season, the new pregame and postgame show is called NHL Live, which shows the NHL on NBC studio host and analysts, from the NBC and Comcast (original owner of Versus) merger. This is shown before and after every NHL game on Versus.
Playoff coverage
During the playoffs, Versus' first-round and second-round games may be subject to blackout in the participating teams' regional markets (although they have exclusivity for two second-round games per series). Versus regains full national coverage for its Conference and Stanley Cup Final telecasts.Beginning with the 2006 playoffs
2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs
The 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs for the National Hockey League championship began on April 21, 2006, following the 2005–06 regular season. The sixteen teams that qualified, seeded one through eight from each conference, played best-of-seven series with re-seeding after the conference quarterfinals...
, Versus simulcast the CBC
Hockey Night in Canada
Hockey Night in Canada is the branding used for CBC Sports' presentations of the National Hockey League...
's coverage of some games, generally first and second round matchups from Western Canada, instead of using their own crews and announcers. In the early 1990s, SportsChannel America covered the Stanley Cup playoffs in a similar fashion. Versus continues to use CBC and TSN
NHL on TSN
The NHL on TSN is TSN's broadcast of National Hockey League games. The show's current incarnation debuted in 2002. The channel has exclusive local rights to the Montreal Canadiens and the Winnipeg Jets.-Coverage overview:...
feeds to augment its own playoff coverage, sometimes even picking up a Canadian broadcast of a game involving two American teams.
In 2007
2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs
The 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 11, 2007. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-7 series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and then the conference champions played a best-of-7 series for the...
, Canadians accused the NHL of giving the CBC second billing to Versus' coverage of the playoffs.
Beginning in the 2011-2012 season, NBC Sports and Versus will have exclusive rights to the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs starting in round 2 (Conference Semifinals), and non-exclusive rights for the first round (Conference Quarterfinals), and will air each game nationally.
2005–06
Versus' games rated substantially higher than any non-Tour de FranceTour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
programming that Versus had ever aired in comparable timeslots (rating between 0.2 and 0.3 during the regular season). Still, these numbers were quite small compared to ratings for most other sports on national cable channels reaching at least as many homes as Versus.
Versus' playoff viewership did not increase as much as it or the league might have hoped. Versus reached a viewership of 610,836 households for Game 1 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals
2006 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2006 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series that determined the National Hockey League champion for the 2005–06 season. As a culmination of the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers...
. This figure was 39% fewer households than what ESPN drew for the Stanley Cup series opener two years earlier (though ESPN has a larger reach than Versus). Game 2 was seen in slightly fewer households (605,501).
2006–07
Versus averaged a 0.2 Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
household rating, about level with the 2005–06 regular season NHL numbers and its 2006 prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
average.
Versus' coverage of the 2007 All-Star Game
55th National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 55th National Hockey League All-Star Game was held in Dallas, Texas, on January 24, 2007. The Western Conference was victorious, defeating the Eastern Conference 12–9...
garnered a .7 rating (474,298 viewing homes and 672,948 total viewers). Ratings were down 76% from ABC's ratings in 2004
54th National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 54th National Hockey League All-Star Game took place during the 2003–04 NHL season and was held on February 8, 2004, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, official arena of the NHL's Minnesota Wild...
, the last time the game was played, and down 82% from ABC's coverage in 2000
50th National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 50th National Hockey League All-Star Game was part of the 1999–2000 NHL season, and took place in Toronto's Air Canada Centre on February 6, 2000....
. However, some of that significant drop can be attributed to the game being played on a weeknight (Wednesday) as opposed to the traditional weekend game, and the fact that Versus is a cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
network unlike ABC which is a broadcast network
Broadcast network
A broadcast network is an organization, such as a corporation or other voluntary association, that provides live television or recorded content, such as movies, newscasts, sports, Public affairs programming, and other television programs for broadcast over a group of radio stations or television...
. The 2008 All-Star Game was scheduled for a Sunday.