Getting Behind NHL on VERSUS

The National Hockey League is a staple of Canadian Television both on CBC and on TSN.  However, in the United States VERSUS continues to build its presence as network to be reckoned with and currently enjoys a strong relationship with the NHL.

Within this interview, we have asked some tough questions of VERSUS Director of Marketing Meier Raivich.  Many of the questions were responded to by Katie Bradshaw who is the Senior Publicist at VERSUS.  You will notice that they were not able to comment on some parts of certain questions.

Enjoy!

There has been some concern as to the availability of VERSUS in certain markets and from certain providers. For example, with Dish Network a premium subscription is required to have access to Versus. Of course, options vary from provider to provider, but does Versus have any leverage over providers with regard to how the channel is offered?

Availability of VERSUS is continuing to grow. The network is now in more than 75 million U.S. homes and is available on every major cable and satellite provider in the U.S., making VERSUS accessible to anyone and everyone in the country.

With respect to High Definition hockey broadcasts, can fans expect to see more HD broadcasts from VERSUS next season? And, are their any plans to implement a nightly NHL highlights/recap show?

VERSUS launched its dedicated HD channel in December 2008 and each and every one of VERSUS’ NHL telecasts are produced and presented in HD. VERSUS’ HD channel is rapidly gaining distribution and is currently in more than 16 million U.S. homes.
While there aren’t currently any plans for the network to air a nightly NHL show, VERSUS airs its dedicated NHL studio show, Hockey Central, each night the network televises a game throughout the regular season and playoffs.

Is there a possibility that we might see some growth in the number of VERSUS broadcasts picked up by other networks (ie. TSN) during the 2009-2010 season?

We do not have any plans in place for Canadian networks to pick up VERSUS’ NHL telecasts in the 2009-10 season. However, throughout the 2009 postseason, as in past playoffs, VERSUS will simulcast several games from Canadian networks to give viewers bonus NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs action to ensure the hockey fans in this country get as much postseason coverage as possible.

Has VERSUS entertained any plans to incorporate flexibility into the coverage and television schedule for next year, especially late in the season with consideration for games with playoff implications etc.?

VERSUS has the option to take advantage of flexible scheduling following the All-Star break which allows the network to replace a select number of games from the ones originally scheduled. The network has exercised this option the last couple seasons and will continue to explore ways to present viewers with the best match-ups featuring the most nationally appealing games throughout the regular season.

What has been the reaction of Coaches to having VERSUS reporters visit the players bench during play?

VERSUS strives to give viewers the most in-depth live game coverage; whether it is putting microphones on players during key games or having reporters visit the bench during game action. VERSUS institutes these type of production features to bring viewers as close to the action as possible so that they feel like they’re part of the game and the reaction from coaches and players has been extremely positive and well-received by everyone involved with the NHL.

Could you provide comparative growth numbers from last year to this year with regard to average viewership of NHL games broadcast on VERSUS?

VERSUS is entering the 2009 postseason with double-digit viewership growth for the 2008/09 regular season as compared to last season. Total viewership showed an increase of 21 percent and household impressions were up 23 percent, while viewership for all key male demographics also showed substantial increases: Men 18-34 (up 51%), Men 18-49 (up 43%) and Men 25-54 (up 41%). The network’s coverage of the 2008/09 NHL regular season reached 32.9 million total viewers, the most ever for an NHL on VERSUS regular season (up 13% from last season).

When the re-branding/re-organization from OLN occurred, what were the major goals of the marketing team with regard to positioning Versus in the marketplace? And, how does that strategy relate to Versus’ partnership with the National hockey League?

Two and half years ago the network was OLN, a mid-sized network focusing on hunting/fishing and other outdoor related programming. Today, VERSUS is in more than 75 million homes and is the fastest growing cable sports network in the country. All of VERSUS’ marketing campaigns surrounding the re-brand were conceptualized and executed with the ultimate goal of establishing credibility and awareness for the VERSUS brand.
Employing this type of creative thought, the network created marketing and ad campaigns that sought to establish VERSUS as the home of hockey in the U.S. among both casual and hardcore fans and did this by giving a voice to the athlete and making them the central piece of each and every campaign.

We’d like to thank VERSUS for the opportunity to learn more about the VERSUS channel and the relationship with the National Hockey League.

Also, thank you to the NHL Digest Twitter followers for sumitting some great questions!