The German Hockey League (DEL) "is anxiously looking at its attendance numbers after all league games are shown live on TV for the first time this season," according to Gabriel Wagner of SPONSORs. The DEL drew an average attendance of 6,647 spectators to its arenas during the '15-16 regular season. This year, the league's new media partner, Deutsche Telekom, "is airing all league games online." In addition, Sport1 is showing one game per week on free-to-air TV. The DEL's new media setup "has led to fears of declining attendance numbers, which appear to be correct." DEL Managing Dir Gernot Tripcke: "On first glance the figures are worse, but you can't compare apples and oranges." He referred to the newly promoted Fischtown Penguins, which replaced the Hamburg Freezers. The Penguins' arena capacity "is far less than that of the Freezers." Tripcke: "If you take this into account, then we are on a relatively normal level." The league CEO acknowledged that the live broadcasts "could lead to a short-term drop in attendance." He said, "We will certainly lose some spectators due to the Telekom offer." But Tripcke also expects that the league's increased exposure will attract new fans (SPONSORs, 11/3).
