NHL GameCenter LIVE Forcing Some Users to Upgrade Roku Devices

The NHL offers a product similar to MLB.tv called NHL GameCenter LIVE. For $16o (or $20 a month for eight months), hockey fans can watch any out-of-market game on their computer or a bevy of connected devices. This includes major gaming devices, Android and iOS devices, and a choice group of connected boxes for the TV such as Apple TV and Roku. But some Roko owners are getting a rude awakening when trying to fire up NHL games through GameCenter LIVE this year.

As Timothy Burke points out on Deadspin, older Roku boxes are now (unexpectedly) not compatible with this year’s version of the app. Roku does throw a bone in the way of a $15 credit toward a new box, but the sudden new requirement can certainly leave customers blindsided. A five-day cancellation period is in play, but as Timothy notes, many people could have purchased their GameCenter LIVE subscription prior to October 3rd. This means they would not even know their Roku was not compatible until it was too late.

The Roku is a great and well-priced device, but being forced to buy a new one without warning is a pretty shady move. As noted in the comments of the Deadspin article, there are also different versions of the Roku 1 and Roku 2, which can cause further confusion among customers. I would imagine NHL would aqueous a little were a bamboozled customer to call in, but someone who doesn’t have an issue dropping $160 to watch hockey might just go out and by a new Roku for $50. Burke claims that the older-style Rokus should have no issue streaming this year’s GameCenter LIVE content. So, is the forced change really due to hardware/software constrictions, or is it just a cash grab? Either way, I can’t imagine too many people were happy when they tried to watch their favorite team on a suddenly-deemed-incompatible Roku yesterday.

(Header image via Mike Mozart)