The NHL heads into its first post-lockout playoffs with mixed economic indicators. The numbers show the property is stronger than ever locally but is challenged in establishing a national footprint.
 |
Unlike the “My NHL” ads, which featured no real players,
“My Stanley Cup” spots feature players such as (from top
left) Trevor Linden, Craig Rivet and Sheldon Souray,
Anson Carter and Peter Forsberg. |
The individual clubs have reported all season that tickets and sponsorship are beyond pre-lockout levels.
Headed into the last week of the season, league officials said hitting an attendance record is automatic, with the NHL surpassing the 20 million attendance mark in the fewest games ever. The 2005-06 season average of 16,929 through 1,124 games is 2 percent ahead of the league’s record season of 2001-02, where it averaged 16,680 through the same number of games, and is 3 percent ahead of the 2003-04 figure of 16,471.
The national TV picture is less sanguine. In terms of over-the-air television, national ratings are flat, with NBC’s 1.1/3 equaling ABC’s numbers from 2003-04. The new OLN cable package is struggling to find viewers, averaging a 0.19 rating (117,857 HHs) for 52 telecasts, making it one of the lowest-rated national sports properties. In the comparable period during the 2003-04 season, NHL games on ESPN garnered a 0.47 rating (416,385 HHs) for 20 telecasts, while games on ESPN2 got a 0.24 rating (208,576 HHs) for 50 telecasts. Not surprisingly, OLN points out it has doubled ratings for the network’s comparable time period from a year ago.
 |
In taking the wraps off two playoff-specific ad creatives from the league’s “My NHL” campaign last week, league officials played a positive melody. “The season was beyond most of our expectations,” said NHL Enterprises President Ed Horne. “We were told by fans, ‘Make the game better and give it back to me in a way that my team can be competitive,’ and we’ve done that. Attendance is positive, broadcast demographics are improved and we are starting to get some traction from potential corporate partners.” The league has not signed any new sponsors since sacrificing a season for a new CBA.
In the new ads, the thematic transforms from “My NHL” to “My Stanley Cup” and players — conspicuously absent from the earlier promos because of the lockout — are interspersed. The league and clubs will run the spots on their own TV and radio air time, and buy some time and print space elsewhere. The campaign will be customized by teams and tweaked to coincide with playoff results. A viral online campaign from Alloy Marketing is also planned.
With an eye toward engaging more casual fans to its showcase Stanley Cup playoffs, the NHL is pushing a busier schedule for its championship hardware. Lord Stanley’s Cup will be in every playoff market, in schools and at TV affiliates. “We want the cup in more public places and participating in events, instead of just being plopped down somewhere,” said NHL group vice president of communications Bernadette Mansur. So last week, actor Kurt Russell dined with the Cup at Geoffrey’s Malibu.
The league is also trying to get more celebrities at games by passing out cards to celebs that get them access to playoff action.
