The NHL trade deadline was yesterday, and the GLOBE & MAIL's Bruce Dowbiggin writes the "full-bore efforts of TSN and Sportsnet have become institutions over the past few years as fans shuttle back and forth between the two, hoping to get the breaking news." However, the coverage "with its lengthy dry spells still proved a disappointment as a TV special." Dowbiggin asks, "Do diminishing returns mean that the sports networks might want to back off next year?" Sportsnet Dir of Communications Jennifer Neziol said, "We are still focused on today’s events. It is too early for us to be making any plans regarding the 2012-13 NHL Season." TSN did "not reply to Usual Suspects by press time." Meanwhile, Dowbiggin writes it is clear "that hockey fans using Twitter were either ahead or even on almost all the big news of the day" (GLOBE & MAIL, 2/28).
COMING TO CABLE: In Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley noted for the last five seasons, a package of 15 Brewers games has aired on WMLW-TV, but "starting this season, all locally produced Brewers telecasts will be on cable only." Brewers COO Rick Schlesinger said, "We decided overall it was appropriate to have all the games to go on Fox Sports Wisconsin, exclusively on cable or satellite. ... This allows every one of these 150 broadcasts to be high definition, which has become increasingly mandatory requirement for viewership." Schlesinger added that another reason for putting all Brewers games on FS Wisconsin is that it "creates better continuity of programming -- viewers don’t have to think about where a particular telecast is going to air" (JSONLINE.com, 2/25).
ONLINE ONLY: In Albany, Pete Dougherty noted other than the men's and women's championship games, all of the MAAC tournament telecasts this year will available only on ESPN3.com. MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor said, "When we negotiated our new agreement with ESPN, we were seeking to be on national platforms for all of our broadcasts rather than the regional networks that we had relied on in the past" (TIMESUNION.com, 2/27).
NOTES: On Long Island, Neil Best notes new Mets radio announcer Josh Lewin will "give up his job with Fox but keep the one with the Chargers by saving his days off for NFL Sundays." Lewin, who parted with the Rangers in '10, said of his new job with the Mets, "Not to blow smoke, but it's the FAN and it's the Mets. How often does this job open?" (NEWSDAY, 2/28)....Massachusetts-based StarStreet is launching a daily fantasy game, StarStreet Daily, in which users play single-day fantasy matchups against randomly selected opponents. The game blends elements of auction-style fantasy sports and day trading on the stock market, with actual prizes as large as $100 per day (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).
