ESPN's Scott Burnside reports the NHL will partner with Epix for their new Winter Classic documentary. If you were feeling sore that HBO and the NHL parted ways on doing 24/7, this news should help talk you off the ledge if you thought you'd be missing out on seeing Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Alex Ovechkin doing their thing on and off the ice.
NHL will bring its Winter Classic all-access documentary to Epix
No 24/7 on HBO, no problem? Well, about that...
According to Burnside, Epix will produce four segments leading up to the Winter Classic at Nationals Park between the Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks, and will do the same for the Stadium Series game between the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on Feb. 21.
What does this all mean? Let’s break it down:
So what the hell is Epix?
It’s a new-ish premium cable channel (founded in 2009) with 9.8 million subscribers as of Nov. 2012. If that doesn’t sound like a lot, it’s because it isn’t. According to Epix, they’re available on a fair number of cable providers, but they’re not available (yet) on Comcast, Cablevision and DirecTV.
On the upside, you can stream Epix on Epix.com, Kindle Fire, iOS devices, Android, Xbox 360, Roku, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Windows 8. On the downside, you have to already be subscribed to the channel to be able to do that and they don’t offer standalone subscriptions for the website or apps. So much for finding a backdoor way to get it.
Will there be trouble getting the channel?
Let’s let Burnside tell you that:
As for distribution, Epix is available to 50 million U.S. subscribers and, as part of the agreement with the NHL, all hockey fans in the United States will have access to the finished product, sources told ESPN.com.
Note that Epix doesn’t have 50 million actual subscribers. It’s available in roughly 50 million homes, which is an important distinction. We’ll get to find out more on this at the press conference in D.C. on Sept. 23.
Will it be as good as 24/7?
It might be and it could be even better. The show will again be produced by Ross Greenburg, who helped bring 24/7 to HBO in 2011 with the Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. With Epix being a premium cable channel, it'll be uncensored and commercial-free.
Burnside also notes the budget for each episode will be around $400,000. That means more cameras, more production, and more editing quality will be part of the program. Provided the teams allow for more access than the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs afforded during the last season of 24/7, it could be even better to watch.
How can I watch in Canada?
Rogers Communications is helping shoulder the financial load to make the show happen and will air it on Sportsnet. That’s the good news.
The possible bad news? The arrangement could be similar to how it was for 24/7, meaning Canada will get to watch it a day later and censored. Sorry, Canada.
In all, this is great news for fans who thought they’d be missing out on what was a fantastic documentary taking a look at how teams take care of business leading into a massive event like the Winter Classic. Getting that and the Stadium Series to have the same treatment feels like a bonus.
Now if we can just find out how to get the channel it’s on, we’ll be all set.
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