Check out Rob Brodie giving advance shame warnings to the media regarding the whole Centre Ice vs. Pay Per View argument that we're sure to run into again. Here's a clip:
The Senators are on pay-per-view again Thursday night, and we can already hear the griping starting to build.
And, no doubt, this particular complaint will probably lead the bitch-fest once again: I pay for NHL Centre Ice. So I shouldn't have to pay extra for a Senators-Leafs game.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
And shame on anyone in the media who perpetuates this myth.
Just examine the fine print (hey, there's always fine print) about Centre Ice that you should have read before you called your cable operator or satellite provider to purchase it.
Very clearly, it states that Centre Ice is an “out-of-market” premium package. As in, for non-Senators games.
Anyway, when I wrote about this subject, I pointed out the troubles involving the exact situation Brodie is referencing, except I centred on the opposition's supporters here in Ottawa -- which is a legitimate issue. After all, not every Ottawan is a Sens fan.
Personally, I don't know why this is coming up now, but if someone is going to make an issue, here's my two cents: How would the Senators like it if I used my readily-available Centre Ice with its probable HD feeds and began to solely follow one of these "out-of-market" teams? Maybe I'll start attending that team's games as well -- Montreal, after all, is only two hours away (and remember that the majority of the games I see are spent as a regular patron, and not in the press box). Bryan Smolinski is in Vancouver now...maybe I should use Centre Ice to become a Canucks fan.
Yes, there's a heavy amount of sarcasm being used here, but within it lies a kernel of truth: Don't rankle fans that are notorious for turning on a dime when it comes to their highly lucrative support. You want to implement pay-per-view? There are two ways of doing it: 1) Lower the price point to justify the quality of the product you're trying to push or 2) Broadcast the games in high definition.
Finding neither choice to be a legitimate option? That's not your customers' problem. I, like the rest of them, can afford to be militant in this rare situation. After all, the customer is always right, and any successful business knows that rule is infallible.
Posts
