-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
"By numbers, StarCraft is bigger than the NHL" - Blizzard CEO
- Thread starter CyReN
- Start date
UberTag
Member
I bet some hockey diehards couldn't name ALL of the teams Gretzky played for. Sure the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings are easy... but you'll stump others on the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues... and if you want to get ultra-obscure there's also the Indianapolis Racers and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
SuperSonic1305
Member
It's too fast for Americans. It's telling when a network has to highlight the puck because Americans are too used to shitty snail paced sports.
Y-Z
Member
This is not correct. There is a major tournament every month indeed. But there are also starcraft leagues like NASL, IPL and GSL that broadcast multiple times a week during their seasons.
Justin Timberlake
Member
Starcraft is not, but I wouldn't be surprised if LoL isn't damn close at this point, and competitive gaming as an aggregate definitely is.
I would love to see those numbers.
The only way I could see it coming close would be if Starcraft popularity outside of the US is that consistently strong. Even though hockey is pretty popular in a number of European countries I don't know how much of an impact the NHL has there.
I can't believe Starcraft NA popularity exceeds NHL.
The only way I could see it coming close would be if Starcraft popularity outside of the US is that consistently strong. Even though hockey is pretty popular in a number of European countries I don't know how much of an impact the NHL has there.
I can't believe Starcraft NA popularity exceeds NHL.
Baconsammy
Banned
This is what Canadians would like to believe, sure. One of the most watched sports in the US is car racing. Real slow. Perhaps the problem with the NHL's horrible brand of hockey is the NHL's horrible brand of hockey.
So then what does that say about the rest of the world where hockey viewership is even lower?
zerokoolpsx
Member
What are the actual numbers?
you're comparing live concurrent viewers to total viewers over time
paradise_circus
Member
sweden i think
I bet some hockey diehards couldn't name ALL of the teams Gretzky played for. Sure the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings are easy... but you'll stump others on the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues... and if you want to get ultra-obscure there's also the Indianapolis Racers and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
That's okay - if you ask Gretzky, he'd leave out St. Louis too.
Haunted
Member
esports aw yeah
I do like ice hockey, though.
Don't know about the NHL, though. In Germany for example, the national DEL is much more popular than the NHL. Though it's the international tournaments (Euro, World Cup, Olympics etc) that getthe biggest viewership numbers some attention, not really regular league games.
I do like ice hockey, though.
Ice hockey is particularly huge in Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic and Russia.
Don't know about the NHL, though. In Germany for example, the national DEL is much more popular than the NHL. Though it's the international tournaments (Euro, World Cup, Olympics etc) that get
Lol. Watching slotcars go around an oval isn't too hard either.
SuperSonic1305
Member
What does the rest of the world watch, besides soccer, to any notable amount?
equippedwithtowel
Member
Is it wrong that I think that both Starcraft and Hockey are endlessly more entertaining then most more popular competitive sports?
Why can't we be friends.
Why can't we be friends.
RiccochetJ
Gold Member
I thought the FOX puck was hilarious! I think in this day and age you could possibly toggle that shit.
I suppose it's fine to compare viewership, but if you're going to compare the NHL to gaming, I want to see StarCraft fill an 18k arena on a regular basis on top of that. Could South Korea do that? I know it's big, but I don't know if it's that big.
Watching cars go around in a circle is comparable to hockey?
Well, from 2010, "Two-thirds of the country, or 22 million people, were watching when Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal."
I'm assuming that quote means people tuning in live at the time that goal was scored. It's not NHL, but it's hockey, and that's just Canadian numbers.
http://www.thestar.com/sports/olympics/2010/03/01/goldmedal_hockey_game_watched_by_record_166_million.html
TemplaerDude
Member
No.
Ummm when Nascar's Indianapolis is at 300 thousand capacity, while the biggest football stadium in the world, North Korea's May Day stadium at 150 thousand, nothing can beat Nascar for obvious reasons.
But does that mean Nascar bigger than Football (Soccer)? HELL NO!
AppleSmack
Banned
Its probably Starcraft global popularity vs NHL (which is just a single hockey league), which perhaps may be possible but I still doubt it.
Baconsammy
Banned
Did you even read the posts your were responding to?
I'd much much rather watch the NHL (Like I am doing right now!) than watch a Starcraft match.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
At least Blizzard isn't supporting a bankrupt franchise that they refuse to move out of a city that doesn't give a shit about hockey!
as much as I hate the coyotes, their revenue is likely still higher than all the starcraft prize pots combined... and that's a sad franchise which will be moving soon
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
Terran.
equippedwithtowel
Member
He was just continuing your chain of posting a reply that completely missed the point.
Red Blaster
Member
MLS is nowhere close to popularity in the US as the NHL. NHL ratings are local ratings are a lot closer to the NBA than the MLS. the disparity in value of national TV deals also shows this.
am i reading this right, only 4000 households watch panthers games
Also, the entire comparison is very tongue-in-cheek
Yes, you said US watch motor sports (Nascar) more than hockey because of poor NHL branding. And I just pointed out that the stadium size makes a huge difference when talking about which sport is most watched.
Nascar is the most watched spectator sport in the world.
Point is, average > concurrent.
obviously
Good thing nobody is saying that.
Sounds to me like Mike Morhaime does not have a grasp on current day NHL versus NHL of the 1980's. Making a statement in today that your beating NHL is like having anyone beat up a 1 year old easy target is easy.
I expect Kotick to say this but I do not expect Morhaime to say this.
I expect Kotick to say this but I do not expect Morhaime to say this.
mugoldeneagle03
Member
The NHL continues to fuck themselves with shitty TV deals over the years so this isn't that surprising.
They should see if this holds true during the playoffs though...
They should see if this holds true during the playoffs though...
I live in the southern Ontario (Niagara). There's gotta be some kind of local hockey game (theres so many divisions) going on every night of the week. Even my neighbours are out everyday playing in parking lots and streets. I'd say even kids play hockey on the streets more than they play in playgrounds ;x
When you have an ice-based league that tries to establish teams in the fucking desert, it's fairly easy to do this.
meanwhile states that actually experience snow just throw endless money at college teams because the NHL apparently doesn't want to build out where there's, you know, an ability to play it outside
meanwhile states that actually experience snow just throw endless money at college teams because the NHL apparently doesn't want to build out where there's, you know, an ability to play it outside
Just about the same holds true here in Minnesota. Hockey is huge on every level, male and female.
Except he didn't make the statement the other guy did.
AppleSmack
Banned
As a kid I used to play almost every day during winter at the local community park's hockey ring in Ottawa, but I just never noticed the insane popularity hockey is supposed to have in Canada. It is definitely popular, much more popular here than in the US, but I'm not sure it actually eclipses football. For some reason when I'm passing by people at the university I hear much more discussion about the NFL. Maybe its cause NHL is sucking this season?