NBC and Versus: A Perfect Combination

When the lockout ended in 2005, the NHL was in a free-fall and was losing fan support very quickly. When the lockout was over ESPN gave up its contract and a new station took over. The Outdoor Life Network (OLN) signed a new contract in 2005 and has been the primary network of the NHL since. OLN, which is now called Versus, has done a very good job since they began, and has started the rebirth of the NHL in United States. About halfway into the 2005-06 season, NBC joined Versus in airing NHL games, regaining its power as the top NHL broadcaster. In their deal, Versus would air select games during the week and NBC would air games on the weekends. When the playoffs came around, Versus would give full coverage until the Stanley Cup Finals, which would be aired by NBC. These two networks have done a superb job with the NHL, and the sport is growing because of it. Because Versus was not a common station when it first appeared, it is now part of basic cable options because of the demand for the channel. With the way they display the game and new technologies that they use for the broadcasts, these two networks have had a huge impact with NHL and how it is seen today. One of these new technologies has to be the new camera angles that NBC has used during their playoff coverage. This new camera, which would be placed on top of the glass dividers, would go back and forth with the play and give viewers an ice level view of the game. Personally, i think that this new camera is perfect for the game. It gives fans a new way of seeing the game, and therefore increasing its fan support. NBC and Versus have been inspirations for the future of the NHL and hope that the sport will continue to increase because of these two stations.