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"By numbers, StarCraft is bigger than the NHL" - Blizzard CEO

C

CmdBash

Member
How many concurrents does nhl get on a daily basis anyway? GSL for sc2 runs nearly on a daily basis and got around to >30k concurrents on live stream last night, not including tv broadcasts in south korea.

side question: how did brood war in its prime compare to sports ? I do know that finals did get up to a few million in viewership.
 
S

SupaNaab

Member
AppleSmack said:
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?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be surprised if the CFL is bigger than the NFL out west. My university seems to have dropped care for both sports. Although, I did have 2 guys in a late-night lecture ask the professor to cut the lecture short for the hockey game. Everyone at my university is jumping on the Blue Jays bandwagon.
 
A

AppleSmack

Banned
SupaNaab said:
I wouldn't be surprised if the CFL is bigger than the NFL out west. My university seems to have dropped care for both sports. Although, I did have 2 guys in a late-night lecture ask the professor to cut the lecture short for the hockey game. Everyone at my university is jumping on the Blue Jays bandwagon.
Click to expand...

That is definately true.
 
T

TheGreyHulk

Member
sleepykyo said:
How popular is the NHL in comparison to the other sports leagues?
Click to expand...

their games aren't even on the bigger networks in America anymore. they fell off in popularity here.

NFL> >>> MLB > NBA >>>> NHL >>>>>>>>>>>MLS

that's pretty much how it goes.

the big 3 are american football, baseball, basketball over here
 
D

DopeyFish

Not bitter, just unsweetened
AppleSmack said:
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?
Click to expand...

Do you live in a bubble lol


TheGreyHulk said:
their games aren't even on the bigger networks in America anymore. they fell off in popularity here.

NFL> >>> MLB > NBA >>>> NHL >>>>>>>>>>>MLS

that's pretty much how it goes.

the big 3 are american football, baseball, basketball over here
Click to expand...

Actually it's more like NFL >>>> MLB >>>> NBA>NHL

If you were to take away TV rights and go on gate it would be MLB >>>>> NFL/NHL >> NBA

NHL is a bigger arena draw but they have been hurting themselves with a) settling low on US TV rights b) taking peanuts for the Canadian TV rights to help hockey night in canada.

They've been kicking the NBAs ass in arena revenue but the TV contracts are what's holding them back.
 
R

Red Blaster

Member
i think bish will agree with me that if steve francis went to vancouver and teamed up with big country then the nba would've dominated in canada
 
K

Keikaku

Member
JWong said:
Ha ha ha, no.

Starcraft pro matches maybe happen once a month.
NHL games happen every two days for a 6 month season.

On average, people would be watching more of something that happens more often, and that's not even counting the peaks.
Click to expand...
There are StarCraft pro matches 4-5 days a week...
 
T

Tallshortman

Member
DopeyFish said:
Actually it's more like NFL >>>> MLB >>>> NBA>NHL
Click to expand...

Maybe for some parts of the North but the NHL is way less popular compared to the NBA overall. I love sports but not a baseball or NHL fan, yet I can still name you a ton of baseball stars and only like 3 NHL players off the top of my head. This ain't the pre-bird/magic NBA we're talking about here.

Also, NHL is by far more popular than Starcraft. Look at how much money the NHL generates compared to the top pro leagues. The avg. Starcraft pro either needs another job or only gets by on a not impressive salary. The lowest paid NHL players are wealthy people.
 
Sakura

Sakura

Member
Isn't the NHL like the fourth biggest in the US? What's with people suggesting MLS or even stuff like Tennis being bigger...

AppleSmack said:
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?
Click to expand...

I live in BC, and when I was in school literally nobody talked about any sport other than hockey. I don't know any body that watches NFL, and I frankly don't even really know any NFL teams other than maybe a couple because nobody talks about the sport here. All anecdotal for sure, but still.
 
B

bonesmccoy

Banned
Sakura said:
Isn't the NHL like the fourth biggest in the US? What's with people suggesting MLS or even stuff like Tennis being bigger...
Click to expand...

There was an article last year that claimed the MLS average attendance was better than the NBA's and NHL's. Which, as a soccer fan, is great! More the better.

Unfortunately, better average attendance doesn't mean better revenues; at the gate, for TV, or even merchandizing, the MLS lags far, far behind the 'big 4' pro sports. I think the 2011 revenues for the entire MLS were only marginally better than the 2011 revenues for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
 
D

dimb

Bjergsen is the greatest midlane in the world
I guess thieves are also liars. HotS puts up pretty abysmal numbers on Twitch on a regular basis. One freak accident of a tournament on launch isn't validity of popularity and shouldn't be compared to the regular games of an officially sanctioned season. Even if they were just compared on the basis of a single day Starcraft would still get pummeled into the ground.
 
F

FStop7

Banned
I'm not seeing how Blizzard's assertion adds up. The MLG winter championship had I think a peak of 160k viewers on Twitch for the finals. Surely the NHL does better than that.
 
M

Meier

Member
NHL's TV numbers are absolutely rancid, but it does very well attendance-wise I believe. I'd believe this stat in terms of viewers.
 
L

legend166

Member
I've tried watching hockey on TV and I just can't do it. I can't see the puck. I know highlighting it seems to be some horrendous thing for hockey purists, but I could do with the option.


Note: I'm Australian and my main sports are Australian Football and Cricket.
 
M

MrToughPants

Brian Burke punched my mom
CmdBash said:
How many concurrents does nhl get on a daily basis anyway? GSL for sc2 runs nearly on a daily basis and got around to >30k concurrents on live stream last night, not including tv broadcasts in south korea.

side question: how did brood war in its prime compare to sports ? I do know that finals did get up to a few million in viewership.
Click to expand...

Montreal Canadiens get between 750k-1 million on RDS, the numbers are actually higher since sports bars and bandwagons are full on game nights. Sens have hit ~200K concurrent this season on SNE.

Boourns outdraw the Celtics and Red Sox in viewership now I believe.
 
D

Data West

coaches in the WNBA
Mark Messier is going to GSL and gonna beat the crap out of all the SC pros
tumblr_mi6eivr0RP1s5ji9go1_500.jpg
Click to expand...
 
H

hauton

Member
Shame starcraft is a complete fucking joke now ever since blizzard pissed on the on the best competitive videogame of all time

(yes, i'm mad)
 
H

HolyCheck

I want a tag give me a tag
xJavonta said:
Use League as an example

Right now, a single LoL stream is at 12k viewers on twitch.tv and it's not even close to peak hour.
Click to expand...

Yep. and total for LoL at the moment is 40k, SC2 is 12k and Dota2 is 9k.

Keeping in mind this is just twitch, and no real events on now, this is just people watching other players stream.
 
T

Takao

Banned
Are they talking about some obscure demographic, or on a global scale? I can't believe Starcraft streams get better viewership figures than the NHL in North America ...
 
D

Deadly

Member
Quote probably only refers to US viewership because it's pretty much impossible if it takes Canada into account.
 
P

PhoenixDark

Banned
I'd be curious to see whether any SC2 tournament breaks even, ever. MLG is propped up by venture capital, GOM is propped up by Blizzard, etc. Whereas I'm guessing NHL teams are turning a profit to some degree, even if no one really watches (no offense, hockey-gaf)
 
H

HolyCheck

I want a tag give me a tag
PhoenixPause said:
I'd be curious to see whether any SC2 tournament breaks even, ever. MLG is propped up by venture capital, GOM is propped up by Blizzard, etc. Whereas I'm guessing NHL teams are turning a profit to some degree, even if no one really watches (no offense, hockey-gaf)
Click to expand...

user name change!

blizzard > gom isn't confirmed...
 
jadedm17

jadedm17

Member
OJdaKiller said:
NHL isn't that popular. I'd assume....

Tennis
Golf
Nascar
Basketball
Football
Baseball
Soccer

Are all more popular.
Click to expand...

I live in Buffalo, NY. If the fascination around here is held to be true then its the greatest sport of any generation and was given to us by the creator to see that He Loves Us.

Or so it seems.
 
S

sangreal

Member
PhoenixPause said:
I'd be curious to see whether any SC2 tournament breaks even, ever. MLG is propped up by venture capital, GOM is propped up by Blizzard, etc. Whereas I'm guessing NHL teams are turning a profit to some degree, even if no one really watches (no offense, hockey-gaf)
Click to expand...

I wouldn't bet on NHL teams being too profitable. If they are, better tell the players union. Obviously at least a few are.

I still want to see what numbers and source this is based on though
 
S

SummitAve

Banned
Is there some single SC league to actually compare to the National Hockey League? If you want to compare starcraft to hockey and its prolificness world wide than it is even more of a preposterous statement.
 
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