The NHL All-Star Game in Toronto will be a chance for ESPN and Sportsnet to “experiment with coverage ideas that could be implemented down the line during the regular season and Stanley Cup playoffs,” according to Joe Reedy of the AP. ESPN NHL Coordinating Producer Linda Schulz said, “We generally look at the opportunities of these tentpole events (like the All-Star Game and Stadium Series) as an opportunity to look at access and what it gives you.” Schulz added that additional content like showing players in the locker room is “an opportunity for the players and the league to see how comfortable that is and how that works out for them.” The NHL has “allowed more access to in-game interviews of coaches, along with pre-game interviews of players at ice level during warmups.” This season, the league has “allowed backup goalies to be interviewed during the game,” which ESPN has “only done a few times so far.” In terms of camera angles and other new technology, ESPN will not be “experimenting that much this year since the game is in Toronto and Sportsnet is the primary broadcaster.” Reedy noted ESPN heads into the All-Star break “with momentum of its own.” Ratings are up 40% over last year, with a 560,000 viewer average for the 17 games on ESPN and ABC. The network and NHL are hoping ratings for the All-Star Game “continue to rebound.” Last year’s game on ABC averaged 1.5 million viewers, which was a 31% increase over 2022 and “stopped five straight years of declining audiences” (AP, 2/1).
