The NHL has proposed a new Internet policy under which
teams would retain control of the content on their own Web
sites "but hand over" about 35% of their ad inventory to the
league, while "being wired together in a single network that
promises to more than double the 30 million page views
nhl.com receives each month," according to Andy Bernstein of
the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. The new guidelines call for an
NHL navigation bar to appear "on top of every page within
each team's Web site. That bar would likely include banner
advertising sold by the league." The league "hopes to come
to a final decision on the new guidelines" at the next Board
of Governors meeting on September 6 and "institute them by
the start of the season." Bernstein notes the changes "do
not actually require approval" from the Board, as teams
"handed their Internet rights to the league four years ago."
Capitals Owner Ted Leonsis said he supports the plan because
"it builds collective value but still allows us to be
entrepreneurial." But Bernstein adds that "the top sales
and marketing officials at some clubs have taken exception
to the part of the proposal that allows the league to place
any advertising it wishes on team sites, including ads from
companies that compete with team sponsors." But NHL Group
VP/Media Ventures & Strategic Development Doug Perlman said
that the guidelines "are open to review over the next month,
particularly concerning the issue of sponsor conflicts."
Defending the proposal, Perlman "argued that Internet
advertising should be thought of as a media buy and not a
sponsorship, no different than when a company that competes
with a team sponsor buys television advertising on a game
broadcast" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/21 issue).
