High hopes for live TV at Pant

WITH a successful "bums on seats" operation like Nottingham Panthers, one can't imagine the Sky television cameras exactly being welcomed with open arms when they turn up at the National Ice Centre today.

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Tonight's Elite League opener against Belfast (7pm) should provide an explosive hockey feast and there could be as many as 5,000 in the arena.

Hopefully, there will be many more watching it live from the comfort of their armchairs. But that's the problem.

Although the league has confirmed a new television deal with the sports broadcaster for eight live prime-time games across the new season, how many fans will now stay at home for their hockey fix? There will be one live game a month, starting tonight, plus, in the other weeks of each month, a magazine show, with highlights from games.

The league has to be congratulated for expanding coverage of their games nationally, and live to boot.

But, bearing in mind the difficulties the camera encounters in trying to follow the three-inch puck around the ice, it remains to be seen how many newcomers to the sport the TV coverage will encourage.

However, unlike the massive sums of hard cash the TV companies fork out to the Premier League and Football League sides to show their games live, the ice hockey teams will get nothing - other than the widespread publicity, of course.

It is no secret that Panthers stop radio programmes from pre- publicising live broadcasts from their games - and with good reasons, too.

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And though the league didn't officially announce that the Panthers v Belfast game would be shown live on Sky until yesterday, it was hardly a revelation as it had been on the telly listings for weeks.

Put quite simply, there will be a number of people who decide not to go to the games because they can see it on TV.

If more newcomers are attracted regularly to games because of what they see on the box, then great. But I doubt it.

Tonight, there may well be a fight or two and for sports viewers not used to such a spectacle in a team game, it will be different.

But the crux of the matter is, if the ten Elite League teams believe this coverage is going to increase their attendances without the support of their own marketing efforts, then they are in for a big shock.

Panthers have far and away the best off-ice operation of all the teams and their increase in attendances and season tickets is testimony to the sheer hard graft they put in.

General manager Gary Moran said: "We have a different approach to the business plan than most teams.

"Sheffield have seen the light and they are now following our lead.

"There is no substitute Rado Original Diastar Chronograph Mens Watch R12638153 for hard work and preparation.

"But no matter how much preparation you put in, something invariably happens, like a player deciding not to come, and you have to start all over again.

"It's frustrating, but as long as you are well prepared in advance, those problems can be overcome.

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