With NHL playoff viewership down nearly two-thirds across Canada, the television executive who committed Toronto-based Sportsnet to a 12-year, multibillion-dollar broadcasting rights agreement said he was glad to have a third-floor office.
If Scott Moore considered jumping, “I would just sprain my ankle,” the Sportsnet president told the Associated Press with a laugh during a telephone interview on Friday.
“We’re disappointed, but we’re not panicked,” is how Moore assessed his reaction to the ratings returns a week into the league’s first post-season in 46 years without a Canadian team.
Photo: AFP
The first-round playoff series being broadcast on Sportsnet’s cable channels and CBC drew an average of about 500,000 viewers from April 13 to Sunday last week. That is down from about 1.3 million over the same period last year, when five of Canada’s seven teams were competing.
The drop in numbers is happening two years into Sportsnet’s a C$5.2 billion (US$4.1 billion) deal in which it acquired the NHL’s English-language broadcasting rights north of the border. The agreement includes the cable company controlling advertising and production rights of games shown on CBC, the nation’s public broadcaster.
Moore is not surprised Canadians are tuning out on their national pastime because there are no “home” teams competing. He said the drop in numbers is no different in the US when MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays or NBA Toronto Raptors make the playoffs.
By comparison, the ratings north of the border are still outpacing those in the US.
NBC announced that the first eight days of the playoffs have drawn an average 484,000 viewers. That is up by about 30,000 over the same period last year, but pales in comparison to Canada and its population base of 35 million.
Sharks Topple Kings
AP, Los Angeles
Joonas Donskoi broke a tie with his second goal early in the third period as the San Jose Sharks blew a three-goal lead before rallying to wrap up their first-round playoff series.
Chris Tierney and Matt Nieto scored early goals and Joe Pavelski got another late score for the Sharks, who stared down the demons of their past playoff failures against Los Angeles and advanced to the second round for just the second time since 2011.
San Jose led 3-0 early in the second period before the Kings scored three goals in nine electric minutes. However, after Donskoi broke the tie with the second playoff goal of his rookie season, Pavelski added his fifth goal of the series.
Martin Jones made 19 saves and Melker Karlsson added an empty-net goal for the Sharks.
In other NHL action, it was:
‧ Islanders 2, Panthers 1
‧ Flyers 2, Capitals 0
‧ Wild 5, Sarts 4 OT
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