Well I think that a company like NBC could come up with an orginal idea for promoting this instead of digging in the closet for something they have already done. The term "creative network television programming" is an obvious oxymoron. In the 55 or so years that I have been a television viewer, the networks have done nothing but copy each other's ideas, as well as recycle their own stale previous successes. Even public television finds it necessary to show reruns of BBC programming. There are the rare good ideas, Wide World of Sports comes to mind, but these don't happen often, and they are usually the product of an independent mind within the network. Frankly, I found neither of the "room service" commercials to be amusing. Occasionaly, there will be a very clever commercial, or series thereof, but such highlights are usually repeated to the point of nausea.
Best sports show EVER was Trans World Sport. I loved that goddamn show! Used to air in Channel 4 in England and I loved it. Would cover all the mainstream sports, but then also a load of obscure ones. Magical stuff. Do they even make it anymore? And yes, the NHL one was way better. But then remakes never do live up to the original... And being a fan of neither sport, I genuinely assumed NBC did both, or at least had a major hand in them.
It may be a blatant rip off, but it may also be a case of the NHL and NBC using the same ad agency (if one was used) that is just retreading its own ideas.
