Comments on: CBC Bumbles Messaging about Hockey Night Theme Song

By: James Glover

James Glover — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:04:48 +0000

With all due respect, Mr. Singh… you’re an idiot. Your whole comment is based on the point that the CBC is a business. And guess what: it’s not.

The CBC is Canada’s public broadcaster, and an integral part of Canadian heritage. Love them or hate them, the CBC and the Hockey Night in Canada theme are synonymous. By it’s very nature, the song is known as “The Hockey Night in Canada Theme”, and no amount of rebranding from either CBC or CTVglobemedia will ever change this.

In the corporate world, losing multiple prominent contracts is grounds for termination. The CBC lost their rights to the broadcast of the Olympic games, something that CTV hardly cared about until the Olympic games came to Canada, as well as an identifying trademark of the brand, the theme song to Hockey Night in Canada. If Disney ever lost Mickey Mouse in a bidding war, HEADS WOULD ROLL. The director of CBC Sports has utterly failed in his duties by both losing a large period of viewership as well as a popular and recognisable trademark. As I noted before, this would be grounds for termination in a real business. And as I pointed out, the CBC isn’t a real business.

In a real business, there would be a semeblance of an attempt to make a profit. You don’t make a profit by losing a bidding war, then lying about it.

By: NR Singh

NR Singh — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 03:21:09 +0000

OK, so here we are, almost a year later. Seems like maybe CBC got it right and CTV got it wrong. It was a BAD BUSINESS DECISION to pay too much for the rights to the song.

CTV over-extended itself by paying too much for the rights to the HNIC theme song, the rights to the Olympics, and CTV GLobe Media has over extended itself by buying up all kinds of media outlets that it can no longer support. I live in an area where two TV stations were recently closed, and several major cuts to programming have been made. Local content has been gutted. Clearly, the money for the HNIC theme song and rights to the Olympics had to come from somewhere, right? Now of course, these companies that made poor business decisions are going to ask for government funding to help cover for their mistakes.

Time to get back back to basics of running their business. CBC made the right call on not over-paying for the rights to HNIC.

By: Eric Eggertson

Eric Eggertson — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:52:16 +0000

Peter: Yes, a jingle that became ubiquitous will now be used by CTV to add lustre to their NHL games playing on The Sports Network.

A sad symbol of CBC’s wild thrashing in its attempt to figure out what it wants to be.

By: Peter O'Connell

Peter O'Connell — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:27:53 +0000

Holy crap!

CBC LOST the Hockey Night in Canada theme song?!

That’s like NBC losing its signature three note chime or using a kazoo to play the theme from Dragnet!

$2.5M will seem like a very small price to pay when the country heads to CBC HQ and lynches the guy who didn’t pay up for the HNIC theme.

That’s a disgrace!

Best always,
- Peter