In addition to free previews of Showcase Action and Showcase Diva (both owned by my corporate overlord Canwest) and Planète on Videotron digital cable, October is also free NHL Centre Ice month.
For those unfamiliar with the concept NHL Centre Ice (NHL Center Ice in the U.S.) takes television feeds from out-of-market games (in our case, anything not involving the Canadiens) that otherwise wouldn’t be available, including those games that are blacked out on the west-coast Sportsnet feeds. There’s all sorts of asterisks involved (it doesn’t show all games, or include playoff games beyond the first round, in addition to the local blackouts), but if you’re a fan of, say, the Canucks, the Devils or the not-Hamilton Coyotes, it could be useful.
Check it out: Channels 451-461 on Videotron, 425-435 on Bell TV, and 471-487 on Shaw Direct (other channels for HD feeds, where available). After Oct. 24, NHL Centre Ice becomes $30 a month, which seems like a lot for me. But maybe I’m just spoiled because RDS has the rights to all 82 regular-season games of the Canadiens, plus all playoff games.
HERETIC!
yeah. I suggested this to the adult Habs fan and the 10 year old in training in the house and they both looked at me, thoroughly confused, and asked “why?”
$30 a month?!? Geeze, what a way to make sure that people won’t want to subscribe!!! Personally, I’ve been a Flyers fan through the years, and although I would have loved to see them on TV on a regular basis, no way I’d ever pay that kind of money for ONE station.
Or you google the game you want with the word streaming and you’re almost sure that you will get the game for free with the only hassle of having a little advertisement to click 5 time on a ipod.
Consider this: last night out here I was watching the Canucks on Sportsnet’s Pacific feed, and they had a promo for the Canucks’ pay-per-view service. This season, the ‘nucks are doing 12 PPV games, and to buy the whole package, you can pay $139.95, or $169.95 if you want the games in HD. For. 12. Games. Or, if you want to buy some individually, it’s $12.95/game or $15.95 for HD. Outrageous! For that price, I expect two beers and a hot dog, too.
The Canucks aren’t alone in doing this: the Flames and Oilers do it, too (for $13.95 each or $15.95 for the Oilers in HD), and the Senators did it on a trial basis two or three years ago. And then there are the Leafs who this season are putting 13 of their games on their own channel (available to viewers in Ontario excepting the Ottawa Valley at a relative bargain price of $4/month as an a la carte pick through Bell TV).
So really, by many measures, Habs fans are spoiled and Centre Ice is not such a ripoff.