|
|
Post by warrenmc on Nov 28, 2020 21:26:25 GMT -4
My thoughts on what happened. Rogers have been cutting like crazy ever since they signed the HNIC deal. The radio broadcast would always flip flop between Wilner and Ben Wagner doing the call. With Wilner being unable shed the hate he garnered from Jays Talk, and likely makes more, I think it made the decision easy to cut the long-time Rogers employee.
|
|
|
|
Post by yesisaiditfirst on Nov 29, 2020 8:30:31 GMT -4
In 2019 Roger's lost 84 million $ in the 1st quarter. Cut dozens of jobs across Sportsnet and some 68 jobs at TVA also cut same time.
The writing on the wall has been clear for a while. But when they bought the NHL contract they had visions of hockey all the time on every device and all their platforms. They went in and overstaffed to the extreme to gather the production talent.
When their expectations were so high and not met they had to trim. Some of their people had contracts with options and buyout terms. But they went full blown (like US networks setting up to bid on NFL). And the numbers werent there which I have a theory on.
Its advertising. Advertising is changing. There are better predictive models for consumer products than ever before. Canada only has about 50 big national brands in on everything. Whether you work on a shoe string production or pimp out your baseball, hockey, tennis, curling broadcast with all the great analysts there is not enough extra money to pay for it. The big national advertisers in Canada dont spend more year to year they just spread it out.
All Roger's did successfully is take over the online hockey platform so Bell couldnt keep it. So Roger's TVA still gets hockey on mobile and TV but the audience isnt growing. It doesnt need them to spend so much to produce. They boxed Bell out of the bulk of hockey for a decade.
Roger's wants to keep the Blue Jay's property. Pretty easy since they own the team. They may want to bid on the exclusive Raptors/NBA (currently shared by bell and Roger's platforms) and maybe share the baseball. Baseball isnt growing but basketball is in Canada.
|
|
|
|
Post by warrenmc on Nov 29, 2020 13:02:27 GMT -4
|
|
|
|
Post by warrenmc on Nov 29, 2020 13:03:43 GMT -4
yesisaiditfirst I think there will be many more cuts to come. A lot of the play by play can be done from home (very very sadly) so they will probably eventually cut production staff, that would go for ESPN as well.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jack Bauer on Nov 30, 2020 10:16:52 GMT -4
He had a big presence. Not all positive. Rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way on his call in shows. And at the end of the day was the extra man in a radio booth. Not exactly a growing way of reaching people. Surprised we haven't seen more cuts like this in the radio world. Without sports those outlets are getting killed as there's nothing to talk about and therefore nothing for fans to listen to. The only positive radio has left in some broadcasting worlds is the cheap programming it offers for TV simulcast. |
|
|
|
Post by Jack Bauer on Nov 30, 2020 10:18:56 GMT -4
Roger's wants to keep the Blue Jay's property. Pretty easy since they own the team. They may want to bid on the exclusive Raptors/NBA (currently shared by bell and Roger's platforms) and maybe share the baseball. Baseball isnt growing but basketball is in Canada. The NBA/NHL split is due to the ownership setup. They both share the regional contracts of each team with a 50/50 split. But with the NBA they also share the national package where the NHL is all Rogers nationally. Rogers would have to pay Bell a crazy amount for exclusive to the regional contracts of properties Bell co-owns. I can see the splitting of the regional action be the norm unless the ownership structure changes and Rogers completely buys out Bell. |
|
|
|
Post by yesisaiditfirst on Nov 30, 2020 11:27:37 GMT -4
Roger's wants to keep the Blue Jay's property. Pretty easy since they own the team. They may want to bid on the exclusive Raptors/NBA (currently shared by bell and Roger's platforms) and maybe share the baseball. Baseball isnt growing but basketball is in Canada. The NBA/NHL split is due to the ownership setup. They both share the regional contracts of each team with a 50/50 split. But with the NBA they also share the national package where the NHL is all Rogers nationally. Rogers would have to pay Bell a crazy amount for exclusive to the regional contracts of properties Bell co-owns. I can see the splitting of the regional action be the norm unless the ownership structure changes and Rogers completely buys out Bell. I also think if Bell had not got the local NHL rights in some markets the competition bureau may have stepped in since it's not ideal. The US has 4 major companies bidding in NFL and NBA (rich enough to bid) but in Canada Global, Eastlink etc not rich enough seriously to go after any of these properties that Roger's ir Bell have. The Bell/Rogers combined ownership in MLSE is unique. They own the content and the platforms and are competitors in all kinds of other places in consumer market. That type of situation turns heads especially in a country where the market for so much of their offerings to consumer (telecommunications market) is integral to everyone and has tk be regulated. But if we are keeping score big media properties: Bell - local Habs Sens Jets Leafs; Raptors shared, NBA shared, curling CCA, CFL, NFL, MLS Rogers- NHL rights,local Canucks Oilers Flames; Raptors shared, NBA shared, baseball, Jays, curling WCT, regional curling CCA, CHL. * it's also in the NHL interest to have more than 1 rights holder in some capacity to help push the product. So Bell will always be in the business....It will take someone who can produce it to bid on it.... A war that can only exist between Fox and NBC in the US since ESPN has no infrastructure in place for hockey. |
|
|
|
Post by warrenmc on Nov 30, 2020 15:12:43 GMT -4
Surprised we haven't seen more cuts like this in the radio world. Without sports those outlets are getting killed as there's nothing to talk about and therefore nothing for fans to listen to. The only positive radio has left in some broadcasting worlds is the cheap programming it offers for TV simulcast. There were cuts across Canada on their radio platforms a few weeks ago, Halifax included. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/rogers-media-layoffs-halifax-radio-station-1.5807327 |
|
|
|
Post by statsman18 on Feb 22, 2021 8:56:08 GMT -4
Figured someone should post this. It’s a few weeks late but none the less here you go.
|
|
