Rogers Comes Through - Habs Fans Across the Nation Get Access to All 82 Games!

[RGM81]

http://www.hockeyinsideout.com/news/...across-country

Rogers also announced on Wednesday a new package that will allow Habs fans across the country to watch all 82 regular-season games on TV. Before Wednesday’s announcement, Canadiens fans living west of Belleville, Ont., wouldn’t have had access to the regional coverage.
Rogers announced that starting this January, fans in Quebec with Rogers NHL GameCentre LIVE (the NHL streaming service) and a TVA Sports subscription from a participating television provider can watch live French broadcasts of more than 100 national games featuring all of the Canadian teams. Rogers also announced that this October, fans outside of Montreal and Ottawa broadcast regions can also get up to 111 games broadcast live in French, including the Canadiens (60 games) and the Senators (54 games) on both Rogers NHL GameCentre LIVE and on TV with NHL Centre Ice.
The 60 non-regional Habs games and the 54 Senators games will be available for $60 to those outside the regional market.
“Canadiens fans have more access to their team’s games than any fan base in Canada,” Moore told reporters in Boucherville. “They can see more games, for example, than a Leafs fan in Vancouver. We’ve put together a French-language package which will allow fans to see 60 Canadiens games and 54 Ottawa Senators.”

It's a good day, Habs fans!

[pwskelly]

Whooohooo Go Habs Go!

[Crosby 87]

Saw your tweet about this yesterday and was wondering when NBCSN was going to do the same for the Pens on the US side.ha

[RGM81]

The NHL is so antiquated with its policy of blackouts. I can understand it to an extent with some of the weaker fish in the US, but c'mon every single game in every city in Canada is going to be a sellout. It's ridiculous that a fan -- anywhere -- is prevented from being able to watch their team's games based on geography. It's the 21st century, I can watch a KHL game on my iPhone if I'm resourceful enough, there should easily be a LEGAL means by which I can access my favourite NHL team's games.

And really, for the low price of $60 you can't go wrong with that type of package. Literally a dollar per game for this Habs package...and they're nice enough to throw in the Senators as a bonus. LOL

[andrewconnors9]

UGHHHHHHHHHH, gross! :P haha

[RGM81]

Look at the bright side, it'll give us something to do to stay out of trouble.

[andrewconnors9]

Yeah I'm hoping we get at least a decent amount of leafs games. Other wise I'm gonna have to get the center ice bleh

[Pheebs888]

Guess that petition worked eh Richard? :)

[RGM81]

And lots of other noise from angry Habs nation!

[30ranfordfan]

Unless I'm missing something, we've had the ability to watch any game we wanted for years - as long as we're willing to pay for it. How long as the Center Ice package been available?? I think it costs like $150 a year, but it's there.

The NHL's policy of blackouts, if you think about it, is not there to protect the teams (i.e. you can't watch if the games don't sell out... therefor people will buy tickets). It's to protect the broadcasters.

Look at how last year's TV worked:

CBC had their Saturdays, and other "special" games (whatever went into the HNIC contract) and lots of playoffs.

TSN held regional rights of Habs & Senators, plus a National distribution deal that covered a bunch more games mid-week. Their national broadcast deal allowed them to run RDS stuff right across the country (correct me if I'm wrong, but if you were watching Habs vs Blue Jackets on a Tuesday in BC.... it was in French. Qui?)

Sportsnet held regional rights to all the other Canadian teams (not necessarily sole regional rights, but some).

So if Sportsnet was showing the Leafs, I could watch it. If they were showing anyone else, I couldn't - despite the fact that I get 6 Sportsnet channels.

They weren't withholding Oilers games from me because the games may not sell out if I do.... they were doing it because Sportsnet was paying much less per game to broadcast that TSN was, and by limiting the amount of games that are broadcast nationally - it makes the properties TSN and CBC owned more valuable. I only had access to about half the Oilers games last year.


I'm not sure how this year is going to work exactly. The $60 package in the note.... that's not cable (unless I've misunderstood things). That's how much it will cost you to buy Game Centre for the year. Game Centre is not meant for you TV, it's for your phone, tablet, or computer. I'll wait until someone corrects me - but I'd suspect using an iPad as the source, and your 50 inch TV as the monitor, it's not going to be the same quality as something something through on TV.

Of course this is something I keep bringing up, that makes me question if I've become out of touch with the "modern" world. I have no desire, ever, and I mean EVER, to watch TV, movies, sports, whatever - on my phone, tablet, or computer. Why would I do that? I have a nice home entertainment system so that I get good picture, great sound, and the comfort of sitting back on my couch and watching it.

I wouldn't pay a nickel to watch any hockey on some kind of "streaming device". I'd rather not watch at all.

I'm fairly certain that if you want to truly get the games on TV, you're still going to have to shell out for Centre Ice... which will cost double the $60 that they're talking.

The NHL is so antiquated with its policy of blackouts. I can understand it to an extent with some of the weaker fish in the US, but c'mon every single game in every city in Canada is going to be a sellout. It's ridiculous that a fan -- anywhere -- is prevented from being able to watch their team's games based on geography. It's the 21st century, I can watch a KHL game on my iPhone if I'm resourceful enough, there should easily be a LEGAL means by which I can access my favourite NHL team's games.

And really, for the low price of $60 you can't go wrong with that type of package. Literally a dollar per game for this Habs package...and they're nice enough to throw in the Senators as a bonus. LOL