The NHL is looking to expand to 33 teams at some point in the near future, and the league has circled Texas as the place to do it.
Currently, the only NHL franchise located in the Lone Star State is the Dallas Stars. Considering the size of Texas, the league has identified the state as an underserved market. Now, the 33rd team seems destined for one of two cities: Houston or Austin.
And according to a recent ESPN report, at least some NHL owners are pushing for Houston over Austin on account of the city’s larger television footprint.
“Some of the NHL’s most influential owners apparently prefer Houston, especially for its television market,” ESPN hockey writer Greg Wyshynski reports. “Some of the newer owners are said to prefer Austin,” he adds.
Houston boasts the sixth-largest Designated Market Area (DMA) in the country, per audience measurement firm Nielsen, right between Philadelphia (fifth) and Atlanta (seventh). By comparison, Austin is ranked 34th, between Hartford-New Haven and Columbus.
“When it comes strictly to investigating the options in Texas, it’s a serious plus for Houston to hold that sort of reach with the potential for local and national backers to get in on a new franchise,” ESPN’s Kristen Shilton writes, noting that Houston is much more established when it comes to broadcasting local sports than Austin, with the MLB’s Astros and NBA’s Rockets appearing on the Space City Home Network.
The apparent rift between owners may well test which side has more sway in league matters, though ultimately, the decision will likely come down to which city NHL commissioner Gary Bettman believes is better suited for a team.
Notably, some owners fall into a third camp that doesn’t want to expand at all. “There are concerns about the player pool being further diluted as well as how expansion would impact the chances of making the cut for a playoff tournament that remains at 16 entrants,” Wyshynski writes. Of course, a 33rd team would also mean splitting the league’s national media revenue with an additional franchise.
Whatever the case, it seems as if the league is seriously weighing the media considerations of an expansion team, wherever one may end up.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.