Photo Credit: Chicago Blackhawks/Banner Collective

The Decision to Broadcast Home Games

The rise of the Chicago Blackhawks, as a team and as a franchise, was profiled in a New York Times article earlier this month. [1]

In the article, Victor Mather identifies the organization’s decision to broadcast home games as one of the key components of the team’s increased financial value, after ownership had passed to Rocky Wirtz in 2007.

The Blackhawks previous owner Bill Wirtz, Mather writes, “declined to allow team’s home games to be shown on television, thinking that it would hurt attendance.”

Ridiculous Rise in Franchise Value

By broadcasting home games, the team increased the demand of it’s product, by increasing the supply. This business decision by the Blackhawks helped create more opportunities for fans to connect to their content, and has contributed to the increased value of the franchise, from $168M in 2006 to $825M in 2014. [2]

As well, broadcasting home games has not had a negative impact on attendance. The Blackhawks led the NHL in attendance in 2015, edging out Montreal, Detroit, Philadelphia and Washington, with an average home attendance of 21,769. [3]